How Long Does A Lasik Eye Operation Last?

Considering LASIK? Expect your stay at the laser eye surgery center to be approximately 2 hours. However, the actual laser treatment might take only about 7 to 10 minutes per eye. Though quite complex a procedure, its expedited nature renders it a simplistic feel, at least superficially. LASIK is a relatively painless procedure as opposed to other surgical techniques.

Even though its a surgery, LASIK is performed with the patient awake and functional. However, the eye surgeon typically administers a mild sedative (for instance Valium) and anesthetic eye drops. The complete 7 to 10 minute process can be broken down into two major steps. The initial step involves the creation of a flap of corneal tissue. This is accomplished with a microkeratome (a surgical blade), or a femtosecond laser. A hinge is left at one end of the flap and the flap is folded back to reveal the stroma (the middle section of the cornea).

The second step of the procedure employs a high precision laser, an excimer laser, to reshape the cornea. The excimer laser is a "cool laser", that is, it achieves precise ablation without heating or damaging the surrounding tissue. After carving the cornea in the desired manner thereby imparting the desired refraction to it, the flap is repositioned. The flap remains placed by natural adhesion and aids in the healing of the cornea.

Much like the procedure itself, the visual recovery is also rapid in case of LASIK. Since the ablation is performed in the stroma, under the corneal flap, the cornea does not register the fact that it has been operated. As a result, the wound response is muted, and that is the reason for a hasty recovery after LASIK.

On the whole, LASIK is a fairly innocuous procedure, without the need for hospitalization. Though the patient might experience blurry vision immediately after surgery, the visual acuity is restored within a day or two, and the patient may resume his/her daily chores with ease. In fact, the preparation towards the procedure (the preoperative examination) may take up more time relative to the procedure itself. Finally, the results achieved through this 7 to 10 minute LASIK procedure are certainly worth the endeavor.

Treating poor eyesite can be difficult, time-consuming, painful and ultimately upsetting. If you have tried and failed to improve your eyesight, or have concerns over the safety of invasive eye surgery you might want to consider other methods of making you look better and feel more confident.

You might like to consider medical and aesthetic cosmetics.

What is medical cosmetics?

It's probably easier to start with what Medical Cosmetics is not. It is not beauty treatments administered by Beauticians and it is not Cosmetic Surgery. It is non-invasive medical procedures, delivered by qualified medical professionals such as doctors, nurses or dentists, that change and enhance the way people look. The most well known products and treatments are Botox, Dermal Fillers and Skin Peels.

Medical cosmetics can remove facial lines, inhance lips and cheeks, rejuvenate chests, hands and feet, reshape noses, as well as treat acne and excessive sweating.

How does the treatment work?

Over time, our skin creases in the areas where we use our facial muscles the most - if you frown a lot, you develop lines between your eyebrows, if you raise your eyebrows a lot you develop lines on your forehead.

Treatment temporarily inactivates the muscles, giving you time to break the habit of using them repeatedly and giving your skin time to recover.

The treatment only takes around 15 minutes and consists of a few tiny injections in the area to be treated.

Within two weeks, the wrinkles you were so used to seeing in the mirror will have started to fade or disappeared altogether.

For the first couple of years, frequent treatments (three monthly) are required to 're-educate' the facial muscles. Thereafter, treatments are less frequent until a yearly maintenance treatment is normally all that is required.