LASIK Surgery: Procedure, Types, Benefits, & Risk

• Written by Nidhi Goyal

  Reviewed by Akhil Pillai

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Ever wish you could wake up and see clearly without reaching for glasses or dealing with contact lenses?

LASIK surgery is the answer. Over 30 million people are now seeing the world with greater clarity. Cutting-edge laser technology means no more corrective lenses that help achieve 20/20 vision or better. LASIK full form is laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. LASIK eye surgery reshapes the cornea to correct vision problems and refractive errors. LASIK surgery is mainly used to treat hyperopia, myopia, and astigmatism. It can restore natural vision, and recipients often achieve 20/20 vision or better. LASIK surgery is safe and quick. Clear sight is typically achieved quickly. You can live life without glasses or contacts. Additionally, some health insurance companies may offer coverage for the surgery. So, let’s learn more about it through the blog.

What is LASIK Surgery?

LASIK is an acronym for Laser In-situ Keratomileusis. It is one of the ultramodern surgeries intended to correct vision defects. LASIK uses laser beams to rectify the focus of light rays falling on the retina. This technique ultimately treats the vision problems caused by refractive errors. To understand this better, knowing how the human eye works is essential.

For normal clear vision, the light rays must travel through the cornea of the eye and lens, which refracts the light such that it falls on the retina. The retina converts the light rays into signals that travel through the optical nerve to your brain and form the image. If you have a refractive error, the shape of your cornea or eye lens fails to refract the light correctly. When light is wrongly focused on the retina, your vision becomes blurry.

LASIK surgery corrects this refractive error to improve vision clarity. This advanced surgery aims to eliminate the need for contact lenses or spectacles.

Types of LASIK Surgery

There are several types of this hi-tech laser refractive surgery. Each type uses a different technology to correct vision problems. Here are the main types:

Standard LASIK

This is the most common type. It uses a microkeratome blade to create a corneal flap and reshapes the cornea with an excimer laser.

Wave-Front Optimised Or Custom LASIK

Creating a detailed 3D eye map through wavefront technology provides more precise and personalised corneal reshaping.

Bladeless LASIK (Femto LASIK)

This type uses a femtosecond laser to create the corneal flap without a blade.

Topography-Guided LASIK

It corrects minute corneal irregularities using corneal topography to guide the laser treatment.

SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction)

This involves creating a tiny incision in the cornea to insert a tiny lens that reshapes vision.

Epi-LASIK

A variation of PRK, epi-LASIK involves removing the epithelium using a laser and reshaping the cornea with an excimer laser.

PRK

Photorefractive Keratectomy is a surface ablation technique that reshapes the cornea by removing the outermost layer (epithelium) before laser treatment. It is an alternative to LASIK.

What Are The Benefits of LASIK Surgery?

LASIK surgery is on track, and most people are satisfied with the results. Certain side effects include temporary visual issues and dry eyes. LASIK surgery benefits are numerous. Let’s learn about them below:

Better Vision 

It can correct common refractive errors, such as farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism, often providing 20/20 vision or better.

Freedom of Vision 

Many people no longer need corrective lenses after the surgery and enjoy greater convenience.

Quick Recovery 

Most patients experience significant improvement in vision within 24-48 hours, with minimal discomfort.

Long-Lasting Results 

LASIK results are generally permanent, though minor vision changes can occur as one ages.

Safe and Effective

It is a well-established, minimally invasive procedure with a high success rate and low complications.

Enhanced Quality of Life 

Reducing the need for glasses or contacts can improve sports, daily activities, and overall convenience.

What are the Optical Conditions that Require LASIK Eye Surgery?

LASIK surgery is done to correct one of the following vision-related defects:

• Myopia (near-sightedness): If the cornea curves too sharply, the light rays focus in front of the retina rather than on it, distorting the distant vision. This is the myopic condition in which a person can see nearby objects but not far-distant things.
• Hypermetropia (long-sightedness): If the cornea gets too flat or the eyeball is excessively short, light converges behind the retina rather than on it. This causes blurry near vision, and this condition of long-sightedness is known as hypermetropia.
• Astigmatism: This is an abnormal condition wherein the cornea isn’t completely round. As a result, your vision becomes hazy and blurry. A person with astigmatism sees scattered light.  
• Presbyopia:This is a vision defect in which a patient struggles with blurred vision when looking at nearby objects, even with corrective lenses. Presbyopia is an age-related vision defect that begins after the 40s and usually worsens after 65 years of age. No medical treatment can reverse this vision defect.

However, a unique technique using LASIK surgery, called monovision, can treat presbyopia to some extent. 

What is the Procedure for LASIK Eye Surgery?

LASIK eye procedure is a topical anaesthetic surgery. During LASIK surgery, a high-power cutting laser is used to precisely alter the shape of the dome-shaped clear tissue of the cornea to correct the vision defect. The entire LASIK eye procedure hardly takes 30 minutes to eliminate all cornea or eye lens irregularities. Here is how the entire procedure is carried out:

• You will lie flat, and the ophthalmologist will administer eye drops to numb your eyes. You will remain awake, but your vision will temporarily go blank.
• Next, the surgeon will use an eyelid holder to prevent blinking and a suction ring to stabilize your eyeball.
• A laser will create a thin flap in your cornea, which is then lifted and folded back like a page in a book.
• You will focus on a light beam as the laser reshapes your cornea to correct the refractive error. The flap is then repositioned, and healing begins almost immediately.

>> Also Read: 5 Nutrients That Will Protect Your Eyes

What are the Risks related to LASIK eye surgery?

As with any other surgery, LASIK surgery carries certain risks. Here are some critical things to consider before going for the surgery:

Minor Vision Irregularities

This is a complex type of eye surgery. Although it's most unlikely to happen, there may be specific LASIK surgery side effects that may permanently impact your normal vision. In some rare cases, LASIK treatment may cause glaring or dry eyes. 

Lose the Best Correctable Vision 

LASIK surgery may cause a person to lose his/her “best correctable vision”, i.e., the highest degree of vision s/he had while wearing contact lenses or spectacles. Again, this is the rarest of situations.

Expensive Treatment

Moreover, insurance companies primarily don’t cover the LASIK eye surgery cost. Hence, the individual may have to solely bear the financial burden due to the LASIK eye surgery cost. 

Hence, consulting an experienced surgeon before undergoing LASIK surgery is essential. Also, it is essential to look for a trustworthy health insurance provider offering partial or complete coverage for this eye surgery. 

Which Health Insurance Plan Covers LASIK Treatment Costs?

Most health insurers do not cover the cost of LASIK eye surgery since it is considered cosmetic surgery that is not medically necessary. Given the hefty cost involved in the LASIK procedure, financial support from a health insurer is always invited. Care Health Insurance offers specialised mediclaim policies such as Care Super Mediclaim plans, which offer coverage for refractive error treatments, including several eye-related daycare surgeries. This feature helps people with acute refractive errors get financial support for quality treatment without worrying about hefty medical bills. The coverage benefit holds the following terms and conditions:

The policy may cover the expenses related to the treatment for eye-sight correction of refractive error wherein the patient’s eye-sight is above 7.5 dioptres.

It is advised that you refer to the official brochure and prospectus of the Critical Illness plan on the Care Health Insurance portal for details regarding the policy coverage. Claim settlement is subject to the policy terms & conditions and the underwriter’s discretion.

Disclaimer: Please verify the policy details and coverage with the official policy documents. Also, kindly consult a professional medical expert to verify the details of health concerns.