People from around the world travel to Utah each year for special occasions. And while Utah's tourism industry brings a large portion of those, more and more the world's nearsighted are making the trip to take advantage of the world class Lasik surgery that is available.

While Utah may seem a strange place for leaders in the medical industry to make their home, it's actually not a rarity in any way. Salt Lake City is home to Primary Children's Medical Center, recognized worldwide as one of the finest children's hospitals.

And right next door is the University of Utah's University Hospital where several leaders within their medical specialty choose to practice medicine. Indeed, Utah can claim some of the world's leaders in plastic surgery, cardiology (the first artificial heart was implanted at University Hospital), and -- you guessed it -- Lasik eye surgery.

Some Lasik surgeons in Utah have performed tens of thousands of surgeries using the latest techniques and technology. And that brings us to what is probably, in large part, the real reason people travel from far away to Utah to have their Lasik surgery performed: the latest technology goes a long ways to ensuring the safety and success of a Lasik procedure.

What is Lasik?

Lasik, while sounding like a pretty fancy trade name, is actually an acronym for Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis. Big words aside, Lasik is a type of refractive laser surgery designed to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and even astigmatism by using a laser to reshape the patient's cornea.

Lasik is the generally preferred surgical method for eye-correction surgery due to it being less painful and having a quicker recovery time. One common side effect of Lasik surgery is the bursting of blood vessels, causing blood to seep into the white portion of the eye. However, this is not harmful and the issue typically resolves itself within a few weeks.

What to Look for in a Lasik Surgeon

The first and foremost indicator of a Lasik surgeon's capabilities is their level of experience. The more surgeries a doctor has done, the better they become at it.

But just as important as the actual number of surgeries is the number of total successes. The percent of complications during Lasik eye surgery is extremely small, and the doctor you choose should have a success rate in line with the success rate nationwide.

Technology and technique are other issues that should be investigated as well. There are several Lasik techniques that are being practiced, and not all vision centers practice the same techniques nor do they all have the latest in vision correction technology.