LASIK is a surgical
procedure intended to reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact
lenses. LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis
and 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 keratome (a laser
device) is used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end
of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the stroma, the
middlesection of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser
vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced. There are
other techniques and many new terms related to LASIK that you may hear
about.
