Refractive surgery eliminates or reduces the need for glasses by altering the shape of the cornea, thus changing the way the eye focuses light. These procedures are performed in only a few minutes using anesthetic eye drops. Most patients see better immediately. Dr. Khouri had the LASIK procedure performed on himself. He strongly believes that LASIK is an excellent procedure yielding permanent results.

• LASIK (laser in-situ keratomileusis) is used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism using the Excimer laser. This laser procedure was developed in South America, where Dr. Khouri learned it from one of the world’s first -- and most experienced -- practitioners.

WHY LASIK ?

Prior to the 1980s, physicians would make incisions to reshape the surface of the cornea. The goal of this procedure was to reduce or eliminate a lifetime of dependence on corrective lenses. Since these incisions are about 90% deep, the structural integrity of the cornea was compromised making it more prone to injury and more likely to cause fluctuations in vision.

Researchers found that the technologically advanced excimer laser was extremely accurate. Its cool ultraviolet beam caused no thermal damage to the corneal tissue as compared to other lasers. Now in its second decade of use, the excimer laser has achieved utmost precision that it can remove tissue with up to 0.25 microns of accuracy.

Laser vision correction also added predictability, stability, and safety to the surgical correction of corrective lenses. The first human eye ever treated with laser vision correction using photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) was in the U.S. in 1987. This patient achieved 20/20 vision and is still 20/20 more than a decade later. In PRK, tissue is removed from the surface layer of the cornea, the laser reshapes the underlying superficial layer, and the surface layer is allowed to heal over by placing a contact lens for three days.

LASIK was developed and first performed in South America in 1991, primarily because this area is not subject to the strict FDA regulations of the U.S. There have been no long term problems reported with LASIK since then. Most experts in the field are confident that the cornea of the patients will remain stable permanently, as long as the safe limit of tissue removal by the laser is not exceeded during the surgery in the case of high prescriptions.

Since LASIK is performed in a deeper layer under a protective flap of corneal tissue, healing is faster with less risk of scarring or corneal haze, minimal post-operative discomfort, and more rapid visual recovery as compared to PRK.

THE LASIK PROCEDURE

Anesthetic eye drops are instilled to numb your eye completely. A holder is then placed between the eyelids to prevent you from blinking.

An instrument called a microkeratome is used to make a protective corneal flap. You may feel a little pressure, but not pain, during this process. While you are asked to look directly at a red blinking light, the laser reshapes the cornea over a period ranging from a few to several seconds (depending on the nature of your prescription). The protective flap is folded back into place where it adheres securely without the need for stitches. Some patients may experience mild discomfort lasting about 12 to 24 hours.

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ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR LASIK?

Ideal candidates are over 18 years of age, have held a stable prescription for over a year, and have healthy corneas. People with certain medical conditions may not qualify. If you have presbyopia, a condition which requires you to wear glasses for reading or bifocals, the laser can correct one eye for distance and the other for near if you qualify. This special type of vision correction is called monovision.

If you would like to find out whether you are a candidate for this life-changing procedure please call us at 561-366-8300 to schedule your special time for a complimentary consultation, or click here to send us an email.

Post operative medications are used for only one week following LASIK as compared to several weeks following PRK, making LASIK more convenient for the patients and minimizing any drug side effects.

The success of the visual results following LASIK not only depends on excellent surgical skills but also on very accurate pre-operative measurements of the prescription and other corneal parameters to be programmed into the laser computer. Dr. Khouri personally takes all these preoperative measurements in contrast to some other practices that rely solely on their technician to take these measurements.

Click here for information from the International Society of Refractive Surgery