LASIK for myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism

Introductory Chapter: Refractive Surgery

“…The second step consists of applying an excimer laser to the stroma of the cornea to change the curvature of the corneal anterior surface. Upon completion of the excimer laser action, the flap is repositioned to its original position [37,57,58]. The advantages of LASIK over superficial ablations are the ability to treat a wider range of refractive errors, faster vision recovery, less postoperative discomfort, and lower incidence of postoperative corneal or scar fogging in higher refractive errors.…”

Corneal reshaping and the prospect of ‘super’ vision

“…In this case, a thick layer will be removed from the central region of the cornea, allowing the central wavefront to travel faster. The overall wavefront will therefore assume a radius of curvature (r 2 ) longer than that before the ablation (r 1 ), so the waves will be focused on the retina [7].…”