Glossary of LASIK Terminology

The medical profession, like any profession, has a language of its own. When talking or reading about LASIK eye surgery, even medical professionals may encounter terms with which thye are unfamiliar. Here are some terms that you will find over and over in the articles on these websites.

PROBLEMS

Dry Eye Syndrome: tear ducts cannot produce enough tears to keep the eye moist. This can cause blurring of vision, irritation and pain.

Ghost Image: a faint additional image of the item at which you are looking. It is caused by irregular healing of the surface of the cornea. This effect is distracting. You wouldn't watch a TV station with this problem!.

Glare: additional luster around lights.Halos: fuzzy rings around lighted objectsHaze: clouding in the cornea that makes it seem you are looking through smoke.

Keratoplasty: Cornea transplant. Keratoplasty can be lamellar or penetrating. (see below)

Lamellar keratoplasty: transplant of layers of the cornea.Overcorrection: amount of achieved correction is more than planned.

Penetrating keratoplasty: replacement of the entire cornea.

Regression: backwards shift in eyesight from the initial results of LASIK surgery.

Undercorrection: amount of achieved correction is less than planned.

LASER AND SURGICAL TERMS

Ablation: vaporization of tissue with the excimer laser.Corneal flap: layer of the outer surface of the eye that is cut and folded back during LASIK surgery for access to the stroma.

Enhancement: A secondary LASIK surgical procedure performed to correct errors from the first surgery.Excimer laser: the ultraviolet laser used in LASIK surgery to remove tissue from the stromaFDA: Food and Drug Administration. This United States government agency is responsible for the evaluation and approval of medical devices.

femtosecond laser: the laser sometimes used in LASIK surgery to cut the flap of cornea.Laser: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Powerful light that is used in LASIK to cut tissue.

LASIK: Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. This surgical procedure cuts a flap in the cornea with a microkeratome blade or a femtosecond laser and use an excimer laser to reshape the inner part of the cornea (stroma) to improve vision.

Microkeratome: sharp blade affixed to a vacuum ring. In LASIK, it is placed over the eye with vacuum pressure to cut a layer of the cornea for surgical access.Monovision: correcting one eye for near vision and the other eye for distance vision. This is sometimes done with contact lenses and sometimes with LASIK.

Off label use: use of an approved drug or instrument in a way that has not been specifically sanctioned, yet is still permissible.

Photorefractive keratotomy (PRK): removal of the surface layer of the cornea by gentle scraping and using of an excimer laser to reshape the inner layer of the cornea (stroma.)

Radial keratotomy (RK): surgical procedure correcting nearsightedness by flattening the cornea with incisions. This older procedure is less invasive than LASIK.This is just the beginning of all the terms you encounter when researching LASIK eye surgery.

Keep a notebook handy when doing your research. Write down terms you don't understand, then have them explained to you. Be fully aware of what a surgery involves before you submit yourself to it.
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