Over the last 10 or 12 years lasik surgery has gained a kind of popularity that has seldom been witnessed in the history of surgery. A few things have led to such an astronomical rise in the popularity of this particular surgical procedure. First of all, the relative low risk associated with this operation. With success rate around 95% and the figure going up with each new innovation there are hardly any other operation which can rival it on its safety.

Moreover, the operation takes extremely little time to complete with each eye being operated in under 10 minutes. That is remarkable for any operation and it can only be achieved because much of the operation these days is computer guided. Not that the expertise of the surgeon doesn't matter. It does, and very much so.

This surgery is a great way to deal with the problem of astigmatism. Now what is astigmatism. Astigmatism is where the patient has irregularities in his cornea which as a result distorts the image formed on the retina of the eye. That can actually rectify this problem and help the patient to live a normal life.

You would now be curious about how actually the lasik operation is performed. Here is a synopsis for you. First a mild anesthetic will be administered. Also eye drops are used to numb the eye and avoid pain during the operation. Though the operation is pain free there have been patients who have complained of discomfort. Once the eye is numb, a little device known as the microkeratome is attached to a suction ring placed on the eye. The microkeratome has a blade which cuts a thin flap on the surface of the cornea.

The doctor will next fold back the flap and expose the stroma which is basically a layer of tissue. The stroma is searched for debris and is then dried. Now the surgeon will ask you to focus on a fixed spot while he, with the aid of laser mends the corneal tissue according to results of pre-operation examination. Once through, the flap is put back to position and an eye patch is provided to allow it to heal.

This operation is also highly effective in other conditions related to the eye. These would include myopia and hyperopia. While the former doesn't allow you to see things at a distance, the latter is exactly the opposite where you cannot read the newspaper without the reading glasses.