LASIK for Astigmatism

By Dr. James W. Kirkconnell
Dr. James W. Kirkconnell

Dr. James W. Kirkconnell graduated from the University of Houston College of Optometry in 1984. Kirkconnell did his internship at the Naval Regional Medical Center in New Orleans, and he did his undergraduate work at Louisiana State University. While at the University of Houston, Kirkconnell took electives in low vision, contact lenses and pediatric vision. He is a member of the American Optometric Association, Tennessee Optometric Association and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce.

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LASIK is done by lifting a flap out of the way and sculpting the eye to a desirable shape. Learn about LASIK for astigmatism, as well as for other eye problems, with tips from an optometrist in this free video on human eye problems and disorders.

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Video transcription

Let's talk about the actual procedure called Lasik, and we're talking about astigmatism, but it can be done for all the other eye problems when it comes to vision. Lasik is done, first of all, by creating a flap on the front surface of the cornea, for it to go ahead and lift back the epithelial cells. That is, for the most part, is done by something called a microkeratone, which is a blade, it's a disposable blade, and that's one way that it is done. The other, newer way to do it is to actually use a laser to create a uniform flap, and it can be a thinner flap than the traditional method with the microkeratone. And therefore you can approach prescriptions which are more strong and still do the procedure, and leave enough for the bed underneath to keep the cornea stable. Once the flap is lifted out of the way, then the energy is directed towards the eye, and it sculpts the shape to the shape that we want. That is something that doesn't take very long at all. It's usually about 40 seconds to do that. A person is staring straight at a dot, and modern lasers will track your movement if you move your eye, so there's no worries about that anymore. And then the cornea is placed, the flap is placed down, and then the surgeon will inspect with the microscope that, the fact that it's in place. And the person is seen, after the flap is laying down, and the surgeon will inspect the fact that it...it's centered with a microscope. And then the patient is seen the next day, and the healing process begins. Typically a person will have a one day post-op one week after that. And, one or two months after that, if there are no...if there are no complications that arise. You always have to use steroid drops and antibiotic drops for the first week, and other....there are different medications that are used typically for a month, depending upon which clinic you go to.