LASIK or Laser Eye Surgery: Is There A Difference?

Laser-assisted in Situ Keratomileusis, otherwise known as LASIK, is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser.  A mechanical microkeratome (a blade device) or a laser device is used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end of this flap and the flap is then folded back, revealing the stroma, the middle section of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced. 

LASIK is not the only type of laser eye surgery. PRK is a different type of laser eye surgery.  It utilizes a surface ablation technique to remove the cornea’s outermost layer, rather than creating a flap.  

Laser eye surgeries have surged in popularity in the past decades.  Millions of people have undergone laser eye surgery and each year over half a million people in the United States undergo some form of laser eye surgery.

Though laser eye surgeries can eliminate the need for contacts or eyeglasses, not everyone is a candidate for laser eye surgery, whether is it is PRK or LASIK.  To find out if you’re a candidate for LASIK or laser eye surgery, please contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com.