LASIK, is currently one of the most frequently performed elective procedures in North America. It is a highly effective outpatient procedure, often referred to as refractive surgery or laser vision correction. LASIK is used to correct myopia, hyperopia, as well as astigmatism. The LASIK procedure, which is performed by trained LASIK surgeons, uses a cool beam of light from the excimer laser to gently reshape the front surface (cornea) of your eye. This is done by creating a corneal flap on the surface of the eye, which is peeled back to allow the excimer laser to begin reshaping.

Recently, other surgical alternatives have become available. Among these is a technique called phakic IOL implantation which involves implanting a lens behind the cornea but in front of the iris. With this new option, many of those who were too highly nearsighted for LASIK are now candidates for refractive surgery.

If you are interested in refractive surgery, please let us know. We have been involved with refractive surgery since 1996 and have managed thousands of refractive surgery patients. Our surgeon is a corneal specialist who has performed over 37,000 LASIK procedures. Refractive surgery is not to be taken lightly and that is why we recommend you use our surgeon who is a highly skilled, experienced and ethical corneal surgeon. Detailed testing is necessary to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for the surgery. For more information please call our office. 212-230-1780.

Want a way to improve your vision without having to rely on your glasses or contact lenses? Whether it’s for sports, driving, your job, or just getting away from contacts and glasses, the Manhattan eye care specialists at James Tracey Eye Care can help. We offer Lasik eye surgery with more than 20 years of experience in refractive surgery. Our corneal surgeon has performed more than 37,000 Lasik procedures with the expertise and knowledge you count on for a successful outcome.

If you’re considering Lasik eye surgery in the New York City area, here’s what you should know about the procedure and James Tracey Eye Care.

What is the LASIK Procedure?

LASIK is the most frequently performed laser eye surgery and it’s used to treat common conditions like near- and farsightedness (myopia and hyperopia, respectively) and astigmatism.

The word LASIK is an acronym for “laser assisted in situ keratomileusis” and it's based on a technique in the 1980s and approved for corrective eye surgery in the 1990s.

Like other refractive surgeries, the LASIK procedure reshapes your cornea with a laser, enabling light to enter the eye with a greater focus on the retina, leading to much clearer vision.

LASIK surgery isn’t a long surgery. It takes typically around 15 minutes to operate on both eyes, and it’s essentially a pain-free procedure. The resulting improved vision will begin immediately once the procedure has completed, and should see continued improvement over the days that follow as your eyes heal.

How is LASIK Eye Surgery Performed in Manhattan?

The first thing your surgeon will do is to create an incredibly thin, superficial flap in your cornea with either a femtosecond laser, (a device which creates bursts of laser energy at an extremely fast rate – specifically, one quadrillionth of a second - and targets and breaks apart tissue at a molecular level without causing any damage to adjacent areas) or a microkeratome (a small knife used by surgeons to cut the cornea).

The hinged flap will then be folded back by the surgeon to give access to the underlying cornea (or the stroma) and remove some of the corneal tissue. This is done with an excimer laser, an instrument that uses ultraviolet light to vaporize tissue from the eye’s surface.

This ultraviolet light removes microscopic amounts of corneal tissue, reshaping it so that any light entering the eye is focused more efficiently on the retina, vastly improving your vision.

For those that are nearsighted, the goal is to flatten the cornea; a steeper cornea is necessary to correct farsightedness. Excimer lasers can also correct astigmatism by smoothing out and reshaping the irregularly-shaped cornea.

Once the cornea has been reshaped, the previously cut flap is placed back, covering the area from which the corneal tissue was removed. Following the surgery, the flap and the underlying cornea will seal during the healing process. No bandaging or stitching is required.

Who is a Good Candidate for LASIK Eye Surgery?

LASIK can dramatically improve vision for decades to come when performed on the right patients. Generally speaking, Lasik should only be performed on patients who are at least 18-21 years old to ensure the eyes have matured.

While many people are good candidates for Lasik, it’s not appropriate for everyone. Those suffering from conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, lupus, or myasthenia gravis), collagen vascular disease, or those that are immunocompromised for any reason may not be good candidates as these conditions greatly compromising the body’s ability to heal.

Manhattan PRK Surgery: An Alternative to LASIK

As an alternative to LASIK, PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is another viable option. The PRK procedure precedes LASIK and was the first type of laser eye surgery available. It’s still commonly performed to this day and offers many advantages over LASIK, despite a slightly longer recovery period.

Just as with LASIK eye surgery in Manhattan, the PRK procedure works by reshaping the cornea with an excimer laser. However, where it begins to differ is in the first step of the procedure.

Whereas LASIK creates a thin flap on the cornea to gain access to and remove corneal tissue, the PRK procedure involves removing the thin outer layer of the cornea completely and discarding it before reshaping the underlying corneal tissue. The cornea will then heal itself within a few days following the surgery.

There is a variation of PRK available called LASEK (not to be confused with LASIK), whereby instead of removing the outer layer of the cornea, it is instead lifted (with an instrument called a trephine), allowing it to be preserved and then replaced back onto the surface of the eye once the procedure is done. LASEK has a slower recovery procedure than PRK or LASIK which has led to a decrease in popularity.

Although the final results are comparable to those of LASIK procedures, PPK does carry a longer recovery time. It will usually take a few days for the new cells to regenerate and cover the eye’s surface. There is also an increased but small risk of eye infection in the first few days post surgery, and some patients may even have to contend with hazy vision for a few days. LASIK patients tend to undergo less discomfort and will see a much quicker stabilization of their vision.

That’s not to say that PRK surgery in New York City has no benefits over LASIK. Because PRK does not create a flap on the cornea, the entirety of the underlying stroma is available to be treated. This is especially beneficial if the cornea is overly thin and unable to be treated by LASIK. There is also a reduced risk of complications related to cutting the flap or the accidental removal of too much corneal tissue.

If you are considering Lasik eye surgery to correct your vision, you can learn more about the procedure by contacting James Tracey Eye Care to schedule a consultation. Call James Tracey Eye Care today to find out if you’re a good candidate for Lasik eye surgery in Manhattan.