Many patients have heard about LASIK eye surgery as a way to eliminate their dependency on glasses and contact lenses. Many people are apprehensive about undergoing such a procedure since they are scared to have some “cut” on their eyes. To help alleviate some of the fear, Dr. William Boothe, a leading laser eye surgeon located in Dallas has provided a basic understanding of what happens during a LASIK procedure.

After a one-on-one consultation at Boothe Eye Care and Laser Center, many patients return a few days later to undergo their vision correction procedure. On the day of surgery, patients are asked to arrive to the center an hour prior to their surgery time. This allows the team at Boothe Eye Care and Laser Center to sit down with the patient to complete any necessary paperwork while also prepping the patient for surgery. During the surgery a patient will lay flat on a comfortable table with their head stabilized. After propping the eyes open, Dr. Boothe will anesthetize the eye before beginning the actual surgery. The first surgical step is the creation of the corneal flap. This is done to allow access to the cornea, which is the site of the refractive error. Creation of the corneal flap can be done one of two ways. One way is with a microkeratome, which is a bladed instrument. The other way, and the way Dr. Boothe performs the surgery, is with a femtosecond laser. Dr. William Boothe is proud to offer his patients the iFS femtosecond laser which is one of the safest on the market. By using a laser to create the corneal flap, it allows patients to have “Blade-Free” LASIK. Once the corneal flap is created, Dr. Boothe will carefully fold it back. At this point a cool excimer laser is used to ablate, or smooth, the cornea. This corrects the refractive error that causes the patient to need prescription vision correction.

Once the surgery is complete, Dr. Boothe will gently turn the corneal flap to its original position, where it will act as a natural bandage. This allows LASIK surgery to be a stitches free procedure.

After surgery and the corresponding tests, patients will typically be able to return home. Though they will not be able to drive themselves home, many patients vision is so dramatically improved that by the next day they are able to get behind the wheel without their glasses or contact lenses.

To learn more about LASIK surgery in Dallas with Dr. Boothe, please contact Boothe Eye Care and Laser Center at (214) 328-0444.