The following information about refractive surgery is intended to provide general information about refractive surgery, and are not intended as medical advice; please be sure to talk with your ophthalmologist for more specific information about refractive surgery and your own situation.

About Refractive Surgery
Refractive Errors
Refractive Surgery Procedures
Candidacy for Procedures

Having LASIK Surgery: Access Your K Card

Additional patient information can be found on the EyeCare America Web site.

What Is Refractive Surgery?
Refractive surgery includes several surgical procedures designed to eliminate or reduce the need for glasses or contact lenses. These procedures correct refractive errors by changing the focus of the eye. Common procedures such as LASIK and PRK do this by reshaping the curve of the cornea (the clear front window of the eye) to move the point at which light is focused onto the retina (light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye). Procedures such as conductive keratoplasty (CK) use radio frequency energy to bend the cornea, and phakic intraocular lenses (IOLs) place an artificial lens inside the eye to more accurately focus light onto the retina.

The History of Refractive Surgery
Ophthalmic surgeons have been performing refractive surgery for the treatment of myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism (irregular shaped cornea) for approximately 100 years, but the past decades have produced rapid change and growth by means of refined techniques and the emergence of laser vision surgery. In 1978 a refractive procedure called radial keratotomy (RK) was introduced in the United States. RK involves making of a number of cuts in the cornea to change its shape and correct refractive errors. Following the introduction of RK, doctors routinely corrected nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism using various applications of incisions on the cornea. In the 1980s a new type of laser called the excimer laser was developed. Though originally used to etch computer chips, ophthalmologists began using the excimer laser successfully in refractive surgery techniques to remove very precise amounts of tissue from the eye's surface. Excimer lasers revolutionized refractive surgery by providing a degree of safety and precision that was previously unattainable with other techniques.

Back to Top