Evaluating Your Eye
Dr. O'Brien will examine your eyes to make sure laser is right for you. Your eyes will be dilated and your refraction measured. Dr. O'Brien will also examine your cornea and take a corneal topography of the shape of the cornea and measure the thickness of the cornea.
- WHAT IS AN EXCIMER LASER?
An excimer laser is a concentrated beam of ultraviolet light that can be precisely focused. The beam is so accurate that it can cut notches in a human hair. And because the excimer laser doesn't generate heat, the surrounding tissue is rarely damaged.
Your Excimer Experience
You're awake during treatment, but your eye is numbed with drops so you feel no pain. You lie flat in a reclining chair so that your eye is aligned with the laser beam. Your eyelid is held open with a special instrument. Your doctor first removes the top (epithelial) layer of your cornea. Then you look at a light to keep the laser beam centered over your eye. You'll hear a sound as the laser reshapes the surface of your cornea. The laser treatment typically takes less than one minute. You'll probably be in and out of the Pine Grove Ambulatory Surgery Center in about an hour.
How the Laser Reshapes Your Eye
To correct myopia, your doctor uses the excimer laser to reshape the curve of the cornea. Your refraction is entered into a computer, which calculates the depth and the pattern of tissue to be removed. The laser then delivers a programmed number of overlapping pulses of ultraviolet light. Each pulse removes a microscopic layer of the cornea over the pupil. More pulses are directed at the center of the cornea to flatten the curve. Overlapping the pulses creates a smooth surface. When the center of the cornea is flattened, light rays are focused more directly on the retina and images are clearer.
YOUR RECOVERY AND FOLLOW- UP
After treatment, your doctor places a soft contact lens on the surface of the eye. Your vision will be blurry at first, but it should start to clear in 3-4 days. Your doctor will remove contact lens at that time and will monitor your recovery over the next few months. You can probably expect maximum improvement in your vision within 1 month after advanced laser vision correction.
Evaluating your Progress
Your follow-up care begins right after treatment. Your doctor will check your eye frequently at first to make sure your cornea ishealing properly. If over age 40, reading glasses may be necessary.
Information on Laser Vision Correction from the American Academy of Ophthalmology