How your LASIK Procedure is perfomed

Before your LASIK procedure begins, anesthetic drops are placed in each eye to numb them. These drops help to ease any discomfort during the procedure.

You'll lie down on a table, which has the laser equipment mounted above it. You'll be asked to look up at a small blinking light. (Try to keep looking directly at this light.) During the procedure, a special instrument holds your eye open as Dr. O’Brien performs the surgery. Your other eye (the one not being treated at that moment) is protected by a shield.

Next, your doctor will use a surgical device to create a small corneal flap. When this "hinged" flap is pulled back, a small area of your cornea is exposed. The excimer laser beam is applied to this exposed corneal area. While you continue to watch the blinking light, your surgeon will apply very small and very rapid – billionths of a second - "bursts" of the excimer laser to your cornea to reshape it. For example, areas that are too flat may be made steeper or more rounded; areas that are too curved may be "smoothed." This reshaping – the heart of the LASIK experience – normally takes less than a minute, depending on your specific needs.