What Is LASIK?
LASIK procedures are designed to minimize, or even eliminate, a patient’s need to rely on corrective lenses such as glasses or contacts. Called refractive surgery, LASIK works to restore focusing power to the eye by reshaping the cornea so that it better aligns with the rest of the eye.
Ophthalmologists conduct LASIK by following these steps:
- Diagnosing the nature of the cornea’s imperfection prior to surgery (for example, by determining if the patient is myopic – or nearsighted – or has an astigmatism)
- Administering numbing drops and ensuring the eye remains in place
- Using a small, sterile blade to create a flap in the cornea (or, alternately, using a laser device to create the flap)
- Lifting the newly created flap
- Using a laser to remove corneal tissue
- Putting the flap back into place and shielding the eye
How Is SBK Different from LASIK?
Today, LASIK remains the established and most common refractive surgery; however, the procedure is not without some risk to the patient. For example, post-surgery, some patients report having persistent dry eyes. In more extreme cases there may be a distortion and bulging of the cornea. SBK, however, attempts to retain the high success rate of LASIK procedures while offering patients a more comfortable post-operative period.
SBK differs from LASIK in the following ways:
- The ophthalmologist uses a femtosecond laser to create a thinner corneal flap than those found in LASIK procedures. For context, LASIK flaps tend to be between 120 to 160 microns thick, whereas SBK flaps are only 110 microns thick.
- The created flap is smaller in diameter than a typical LASIK flap, which minimizes damage to corneal nerve endings. Nerve damage is a probable cause of post-operative dry eye in LASIK patients.
Factors Patients Should Consider
Ultimately, which refractive surgical procedure you use is a personal decision done in close consultation with a licensed ophthalmologist. Other procedures, such as epi-LASIK, LASEK, or PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) are available depending on your needs. When you meet with an ophthalmologist, he or she will offer guidance depending on your history and preferences, as well as on the nature of your cornea’s imperfection.
