LASIK (laser in-situ keratomileusis) is a refractive surgery that cuts thin flaps in the cornea and alter its shape for correcting myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. LASIK is currently considered as the world’s most popular surgical treatment for vision problems due to its high degree of safety and predictable results.
Who are the ideal candidates for the LASIK?
- Over the age of 18 who have refractive abnormalities such as myopia, hyperopia and asigmatism
- Those who have difficulties in wearing eyeglasses and contact lens
- Those with large difference in visual acuity of both eyes
- Those who feel discomfort in wearing eyeglasses and contact lens due to high myopia or cosmetically displeased with the look
- Over the age of 45 with myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism
- - Operation : 15min
- - Recovery : 30min
- - Cost : KRW1.5~3 million
LASIK Surgical Procedure
Preoperative exam ▶ Result analysis Consulation ▶ Topical anesthesia Surgery ▶ Check surgical result Go home
- 1. Secure the suction on the cornea to create a corneal flap.
- 2. Thoroughly examine Femtosecond Laser Beam at a location specified by the computer.
- 3. Examine the laser once more as it circles around in the shape of a cornea.
- 4. Separate both sides of cornea to create a flap without dropping.
- 5. Correct corneal stroma using Excimer Laser.
- 6. Place the flap to its original position.
- (*The detailed procedure may vary depending on the surgical treatment.)
Types of LASIK Procedures
There are two types of laser used in LASIK treatments: Femtosecond Laser and Excimer Laser. The corneal flaps must be prepared first in order to complete LASIK procedure, then correct vision using the laser. LASIK treatments have different names depending on which laser and surgical equipment is used when cutting corneal flaps.
1) IntraLASIK
The safety of IntraLASIK is already proved with treatment cases for US Navy fighter pilots. When vision correction surgical treatment is performed using Intra Laser, outer edge of corneal flap is tightly closed by preserving Bowman’s membrance of cornea, thus it provides benefits of faster recovery time as well as better visual acuity.
2) LASIK Amaris
AMARIS laser equipped with high speed 500Hz laser and 5-D tracking device provides high-speed and exceptional precision at the same time. SCWIND_CAM program built-in AMARIS laser presents the most appropriate surgical procedure to each patient. Integrated Online Pachymetry is able to measure the thickness of cornea in real-time during the surgery, thus it enables safer surigcal procedure by controlling problems that may occur due to thinning of the cornea after surgery.
3) Davinci LASIK (Z LASIK)
Davinci LASIK is the evolutionary treatment procedure using Femtolaser LDV of Swiss’ Zimer. With the adaptation of ‘Compact Mobile Femtosecond Laser System’, Davinci LASIK provides safer, more accurate and comfortable surgical treatment.
4) iFS LASIK
iFS LASIK creates custom made corneal flaps with iFS™ Femtosecond Laser in the first stage of laser vision correction process to perform the surgery. It has taken advantage of all benefits of current Femtosecond Laser for optimal and safe personalized surgery. It has presented the best direction in customizing LASIK surgery to be most suitable for each patient’s eye condition. Eyes operated by iFS LASIK are over 3 times more resistant to external shocks since the angle for surrounding part of cornea is formed by up to 150˚ during the surgery, thus the patients can expect better visual acuity.
5) ReLEx LASIK
ReLEx® LASIK, a new concept of vision correction surgery, has integrated multiple surgical procedures into a single laser procedure which has raised safety and accuracy of current LASIK surgical procedure to a higher level. It is All-in-one surgical procedure for vision correction which encompasses from creating corneal flaps to removing corneal stroma (Refractive Lenticule Extraction, AiO). ReLEx LASIK corrects vision by creating corneal flaps with VisuMax 500KHz - the Femtosecond Draser and removing lenticular corneal stroma as the amount of corrected cornea.
Post Management of LASIK Surgery
- 1. Use prescribed eye drops from the day of surgery. Eye drops must be kept clean to prevent contamination. Avoid direct contact with eyes when instilling eye drops.
- 2. Rubbing or blinking eyes firmly on the day of surgery may cause the displacement of corneal flaps or wrinkles on it which can result in serious problems on rehabilitation of visual acuity.
- 3. Avoid rubbing eyes that had undergone surgery or exposure to water on them for at least 1 week. It is recommended to wear an eye patch during sleep, wipe your face with a wet towel instead of washing, and place your head back to wash hair for 1 week after the surgery.
- 4. Do not wash your face on the day of surgery and the day after. You can start washing the face with soap 3 days after the surgery.
- 5. Do not read, watch TV, drive or work on a computer for too long on the 1st week after the surgery. Resting eyes will help you recover faster.
- 6. It is advisable to avoid swimming and any excessive exercises like basketball and soccer for a month after the surgery.
- 7. Wearing makeup is possible from 3 days after the surgery, eyeshadow from 2 weeks after, and mascara from 3 weeks after. Hair dye or perm is possible from 1 month after the surgery.
- 8. Avoid strong light which is irritating to the eyes, and wear sunglasses if possible to avoid ultraviolet rays.
KMH Recommended Tips
Medical Checkup Schedule for LASIK Surgery
[Preoperative exams ▶ the day of surgery ▶ the day after surgery ▶ 1~2 weeks later ▶ 6 months later]
- Preoperative exams and surgery can be proceeded on the same day.
- After the surgery, patients should receive postoperative checkup the day after the surgery and the day before the departure.
- Patients can receive medical checkup at the eye clinic in their own country after departing Korea.
- Postoperative checkup schedule may change depending on the surgical result.
Healthy Food for Eyes
- PEPPER - Rich in vitamin A to maintain healthy mucous membrane and prevent dry eye syndrome and degradation of vision.
- CHEESE - A rich source of vitamin A and iron, prevent the accumulation of fatigue and degradation of vision.
- SALMON - Salmon which contains rich Omega-3 Fatty Acids protects eyes from various diseases and has the effect of slowing down the disease. Mackerels and tuna are recommended to enhance and recover the vision.
- EGG YOLK - It helps prevent the malnutrition of eyes since it contains vitamin A and other nutrients that are essential to the eyes.
