- If you are a contact lens wearer, you have to removed it and switch to glasses full time, weeks prior to surgery. Contact lenses might affect the measurements which will lead to poor sugical outcome.
- Use of eye make-ups, eye creams, mascara etc is strictly prohibited to minimize risk of infection.
- Use of perfume, cologne and deodorant is also not allowed on the day of surgery. Lasik machine is very sensitive and the use of the following might affect the performance of the machine.
- Arrange for transportation to and from the clinic on the day of screening and surgery. Your vision may be blurry or hazy after putting some eye drops. Even if you don't drive, make sure someone will bring you home after the screening and/or surgery.
What to expect on the day of surgery
The surgery should take not more than 30 minutes. You will lie on your back on an inclined bed in an operating room containing the laser system. The laser system includes a large machine with a microscope attached to it and a computer screen.
A numbing drop will be placed in your eye, the area around your eye will be cleaned, and an instrument called a lid speculum will be used to hold your eyelids open. A ring will be placed on your eye and very high pressures will be applied to create suction to the cornea. Your vision will dim while the suction ring is on and you may feel the pressure and experience some discomfort during this part of the procedure. Your doctor will use a microkeratome or the Intralase FS Laser to create a thin corneal flap.
You will be able to see, but you will experience fluctuating degrees of blurred vision during the rest of the procedure. The doctor will then lift the flap and fold it back on its hinge, and dry the exposed tissue.
The laser will be positioned over your eye and you will be asked to stare at a light. This is not the laser used to remove tissue from the cornea. This light is to help you keep your eye fixed on one spot once the laser comes on.
NOTE: If you cannot stare at a fixed object for at least 60 seconds, you may not be a good candidate for this surgery.
When your eye is in the correct position, your doctor will start the laser. At this point during the surgery, you may become aware of new sounds and smells. The pulse of the laser makes a ticking sound. As the laser removes corneal tissue, some people have reported a smell similar to burning hair. A computer controls the amount of laser energy delivered to your eye. Before the start of surgery, your doctor will have programmed the computer to vaporize a particular amount of tissue based on the measurements taken at your initial evaluation. After the pulses of laser energy vaporize the corneal tissue, the flap is put back into position.
A shield will be placed over your eye at the end of the procedure as protection because no stitches are used to hold the flap in place. It is important for you to wear this shield to prevent you from rubbing your eyes and putting pressure on your eyes while you sleep, and to protect your eye from accidentally being hit or poked until the flap has healed.
