Steps
- Twenty minutes before the surgery, the patient is prepared with antibiotic and anesthetic eye drops.
- Once inside the operation room, the surgical team disinfects the area around the eyes to be operated upon. The eye is then kept open with a self- retaining speculum, the surgeon starts the surgery by creating a thin corneal flap, a step that takes only a few seconds. The flap is elevated to expose the cornea's middle layer.
- The surgeon then uses the excimer laser to reshape the exposed middle layer of the cornea; this laser emits energy in the ultraviolot range (193 nm) which acts only on the surface.
- The laser evaporates the selected tissue without generating any heat or transmitting the laser radiation to any other part of the eye. This process leaves no trace on adjacent tissue or elsewhere inside the eye.
- In correcting near sightedness (myopia), the laser reduces the central corneal curvature by removing microscopic amounts of corneal tissue in the center.
- In correcting far sightedness ( hyperopia ) the laser increases the central corneal curvature by removing microscopic amounts of the corneal tissue near the periphery of the cornea.
- The flap is then placed back to its original position, where it takes the new shape created by the laser.
- The adhesion becomes very strong within 3- 5 minutes without a need for any suture. The eye is then covered with a plastic eye shield, which is held in place by adhesive tapes. The eyes shield has perforations in it to allow the patient to see through. The patient can then return home. The shield is left on until the patient comes back to Roayah on the next day to have it removed.
- On the next day, the surgeon examines the eye and tests vision , though vision can often fluctuate during the first months. The surgeon gives instructions for follow – up care and then makes an appointment for the next visit, usually in about a week.