Commitment to Excellence

We are committed to helping you decide which refractive procedure is right for you. Our network of ophthalmologists, optometrists and technicians is available and anxious to answer your questions as you consider the procedure.

The Procedure

LASIK is a procedure that enables us to perform corneal sculpting with the excimer laser, under a protective corneal flap. Before LASIK, several eye drops will be placed in the eye to be treated. These eye drops will anesthetize the eye and prevent infection. Next, the patient lies down on a bed that is adjusted to perfectly align the laser.

To begin the procedure, a keratome is used to create a thin "flap" of superficial corneal tissue. The flap is then folded back to expose the inner cornea. The patient is instructed to stare at a red flashing light. After a series of short pulses, the excimer laser will vaporize microscopic amounts of tissue as it painlessly reshapes the cornea. Each laser pulse is slightly wider than the one before it. This changes the curvature of the cornea correcting for myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism.

After the laser treatment, the corneal flap is repositioned and heals very quickly. Vision in the treated eye can be excellent the day after LASIK, but may take up to a week to stabilize. The patient needs to go home afterwards and rest.

Most activities can be resumed the next day. While the laser procedure only takes a few minutes, you will be in the office about an hour.

Following Your Procedure

Most patients experience excellent vision the morning after the LASIK procedure. However, vision recovery can be variable, especially for higher levels of correction. It is not unusual for vision to be slightly hazy for the first few weeks for patients with higher correction. You may also notice some temporary over-correction for a few weeks, which may cause difficulties with near or intermediate vision.

It is important for you to return to our office for periodic follow up visits. Each appointment will last approximately 5-10 minutes. If you have any problems or questions before these appointments, please call our office at 310.276.5333. We have a doctor on call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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