History of LASIK Eye Surgery

LASIK has been in existence since a decade. The first clinical trial surgery was performed in 1995 in U.S. The significant components of the LASIK Eye Surgery Process have a long history. For about 5 decades, ophthalmologists have been involved in the process of reshaping the cornea. Evolving protective tissue has been in practice since 35 years and the excimer laser that is being ussed in LASIK came into existence in the medical field in 1980 with the introduction of PRK technique. Then, came the two most renowned surgical treatments- the Laser in situ keratomilieusis (LASIK) and the Laser epithelial keratomilieusis(LASEK) followed by other advanced methods- the Custom LASIK and the Epi-LASIK. Since the beginning, the first three techniques have been widely performed among individuals who are suffering from major types of visual disorders and sight-threatening problems including myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Initially the PRK used to be the most performed vision correction technique. But with the breakthrough developments of technologies, ophthalmic researches and surgical know-how, the LASIK and LASEK techniques are preferred to the PRK as the most effective, safe, predictable and stable vision correcting Laser processes for a large number of people.

With the advancement of the latter techniques, LASIK Vision Correction using Excimer Laser took a new leap in the refractive surgery market worldwide. Excimer Laser and the cutting devises have developed from the former microkeratomes to the recent epikeratomes and the Wavefront analysers. Today, the Custom LASIK and the Epi-LASIK are high on demand. The Custom LASIK is effective to correct visual anomalies by assessing the customized ablations to a significant extent while the Epi-LASIK uses a unique and highly sophisticated photo-ablation technique for refractive error correction. There is another Excimer Laser vision correcting technique, known as the Photo-Therapeutic Keratectomy or the non-refractive PTK, which intends to remove corneal scars and smooth out the corneal surface.

Apart from the use of Excimer Laser, there are other Laser enabled techniques like Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (non-refractive PTK) , Thermokeratoplasty using Holmium Laser, Conductive Keratoplasty, Radial Keratotomy, etc. All these Laser Vision Correction surgical procedures treat visual refractive errors such as varying degrees of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism and in some cases visual disorders conditions of monovision and cataract. Some times, a patient can suffer from unstable iris movement or frequent iris rotation. This condition – also known as the Iris registration requires a technology that maps the iris movement and then the Laser vision correction procedure is performed on the patient.