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Day of LASIK |
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Dr. Sanford Feldman |
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At One to One LASIK�, we can almost
always accommodate your scheduling needs, as we perform
LASIK six days a week! On the day of your procedure,
we'll give you a mild sedative to take ahead of time to
help you feel relaxed. You should arrange to have
someone bring you to the Laser Center and to take you
home. You can wear any comfortable clothing. Generally,
you can expect to be at the Laser Center for a total of
about an hour.
At the Laser Center, your doctor will greet you
and answer any "last minute" questions. You'll receive eyedrops that numb the eye. The eyelid skin will be
cleaned with an antiseptic solution. You'll be seated in
a comfortable reclining chair that positions you under
the Excimer Laser machine. You'll be asked to look up at
a particular red target light inside the machine. The
target light is easy to see, and will serve as your
focusing point throughout the procedure. Many patients
worry that they may cause a problem by moving their eye.
But we use only lasers with advanced "tracking"
technology. This space age technology allows the laser
beam to follow your eye, even with tiny movements of the
eye.
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Once the eye is numb, your eyelids will be gently
separated. You will be lying down, looking up at the laser machine.
A small ring-shaped instrument will be placed on the eye, but you
won't feel it because the eye will be numb from the anesthetic
drops. You'll feel about 30 seconds of moderate pressure, as if
someone was pushing on your eyelid. Your vision will black out
temporarily so you won't have to watch what is going on as the thin
corneal flap is made. There is no pain, just pressure -- and only
for about 30 seconds.
The vision returns and a minute or two are spent preparing the flap
for lifting. Next, the corneal flap is lifted and held out of the
way as pulses of light from the Excimer Laser painlessly reshape the
cornea. The laser machine makes a "snapping" noise during the
treatment. There is a dim flickering light. There is a little odor.
The amount of laser light used will vary, depending on the amount of
focusing power you need to achieve your best vision without glasses
or contacts. The application of laser light usually lasts anywhere
from a few seconds to a minute or so. The flap is then painlessly
lowered back into its original position where it seals itself into
place without stitches during a waiting time of about 3 minutes.
If both eyes are being treated the same day, which is often the
case, the same steps are then repeated on the opposite eye. The
whole process usually takes about 10 minutes per eye.
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