Common refractive issues like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism can be corrected safely, simply, and permanently by our LASIK surgeon in Seattle. Certainly, you can stick with your eyeglasses or contact lenses, but you may have grown tired of depending so heavily on them. Perhaps you would like the independence of feeling free of corrective lenses. With LASIK, you will enjoy a great reduction in your need for them, and you might be able to rid yourself of them entirely. This eye surgery has a success rate of about 90%, so you can feel confident that it will work for you. Dr. Cowen is highly experienced in performing this procedure and it only takes one outpatient session to complete it.
There are no blades, stitches, or bandages required with LASIK. First, you will be given anesthetic eye drops as a way to numb the area being worked on. Our LASIK surgeon in Seattle begins by using the laser to open a small flap of your cornea. This flap is then peeled back to offer Dr. Cowen access to reshape your corneal tissue. The flap is then closed and sealed to finish the procedure. That's all there is to it. Afterward, you will likely feel some degree of dryness in your eyes for a brief time. You will be prescribed eye drops to keep your eyes moist and also to assist in preventing any possible infection. It is possible that you may have some blurred vision for the first day or two, but healing is generally very fast. Within a few days, and often far sooner, you will start to experience a noticeable improvement in your vision. On the day of your procedure, eat lightly and take any prescription medication that you would normally take, unless our Dr. Cowen tells you otherwise. Do not wear eye makeup or any hair accessories, which can interfere with the proper positioning of your head.
LASIK works by taking your cornea, which is misshapen, and correcting that so light will strike your retina in the center, as it is supposed to. Nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism all occur because of light striking the retina in the front or back due to the effects of a misshapen cornea. Let our LASIK surgeon in Seattle give you back shaper and clearer eyesight.
By Dr. Sheldon J. Cowen
July 14, 2016