LASIK Definitions A-L
When you locate your LASIK Surgeon and medical team, they will certainly explain everything to you, but we also realize you, as our patient, need to be able to participate in your Laser Eye Surgery plan. Here are a few words, you may want to know:
Acuity
- Acuity refers to the sharpness or clarity of your vision.
Cornea
- The cornea is the transparent front portion of the eyeball that covers the iris and pupil; it is continuous with the sclera.
Corneal Epithelium
- The corneal epithelium is the thin, protective layer encasing the eyeball. Prior to LASIK eye surgery, the epithelium must be lifted or polished away to expose the underlying cornea. The epithelium is regenerative and heals quickly.
Diopter
- A diopter is one whole number on a prescription. The number of diopters on your prescription represents how much correction is needed to normalize your vision. The more myopic or hyperopic you are, the higher your prescription will be represented in diopters; or rather the farther away from zero your prescription will be.
Excimer Laser
- An excimer laser refers to a cool laser. Excimer lasers use cool beams of ultraviolet light to evaporate corneal tissue during vision correction.
Farsightedness
- Farsightedness is another name for Hyperopia or Hypermetropia. Many Farsighted patients have difficulty seeing things up close, and often have crisp-acute distance vision.
Hyperopia or Hypermetropia
- Many Hyperopic patients have difficulty seeing things up close, and often have crisp-acute distance vision.
IOL or Intraocular Lens Implant
- A lens is implanted in front of, or in place of, the eye's natural lens. IOLs may be a great option for patients with severe vision prescriptions.
Iris
- The iris is the colored portion of the visible eye. It is a muscle that affects the size of the pupil, depending on the amount of light needed to enter the pupil.
Keratectomy
- Keratos is the greek word for cornea, and ectomy means to remove. Together they mean to remove corneal tissue.
Keratotomy
- Keratos is the greek word for cornea, and otomy means to create an incision. Together they mean to create an incision in the cornea.
Keratomileusis
- Keratos is the greek word for cornea, and mileusis means to reshape. Together they mean to reshape the cornea.
LASIK
- LASIK is an acronym that allows us to quickly say, "laser assisted in situ keratomileusis." This is more simply said as "reshaping the cornea using a laser."
Lens
- The lens of the eye is the body between the iris and the vitreous humor that focuses light rays entering through the pupil to form an image on the retina. You may also want to research presbyopia.Feel free to see general information about LasikPlus as a company for news and current events, or you may wish to continue to LASIK Definitions M-Z.
