Most people know Laser Eye Surgery exists and know a little about the effectiveness of the procedure as well as its perceived and potential risks. However, what is less familiar for most is the deeper knowledge about the procedures involved. Perhaps the most publicised form of Laser Surgery is LASIK. Although there are certainly other forms, you will see advertisements for LASIK surgery frequently – so what is it?

Well, let’s explain the acronym first. LASIK is short for Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. Keratomileusis is the medical term for the actual procedure, of which we will hear more presently. “Laser Assisted” is largely self-explanatory. The interesting part is the term “in situ”. As many of us know, “in situ” is a term which is frequently used interchangeably with “in place” or, more specifically, “in its designated place”. In this respect, though, it refers to the more specific location of the surgery – LASIK surgery is so popular because its accuracy means that recovery time is shorter. Because of a lack of extraneous damage, less repair is needed to the eye overall.

All this talk of “damage” to one’s eye might make people feel reticent about going for eye surgery, but the simple truth is that to make an improvement it is necessary to remove or reduce something before you can make everything better. In one of the other major forms of eye surgery – LASEK (Laser Assisted Sub-Epithemial Keratomileusis) – the area on which surgery takes place is necessarily wider. While one would generally prefer to have LASIK, due to its shorter recovery period, it is not a realistic option for some people, and it is for these that LASEK is still a good option.

Additionally, the procedure for LASIK is less likely to cause discomfort than LASEK. It is for these reasons that LASIK is the more popular of the two methods. Of course it is not infallible – there is practically no surgical procedure that is – but even if the improvement is negligible or non-existent (neither of which is likely), the downside of the surgery is less than with any other form of laser surgery.