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"Nothing has gone wrong, and my experience with LASIK has been amazing. All of the people that I have worked with here have walked me through all the steps prior to surgery, making it easy on my LASIK experience."

- Brandon

How LASIK Works

Serving Longmont, Lafayette and the Northern Colorado region

How Does LASIK Surgery Work?LASIK eye surgery is a very quick procedure with minimal to no discomfort. It takes about 15 minutes to complete both eyes and you will be awake during the procedure.

  1. First, you'll be screened to make sure you're a good candidate for LASIK and that there isn't any medical reason you shouldn't have the procedure. We'll also conduct WaveScan® mapping to see if this revolutionary technology is an option for you.
  2. Once we schedule your procedure, you'll arrive at our office (with a driver) at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. We will review paperwork and post-operative instructions, as well as verify that you have the necessary post-operative medications.
  3. In preparation for your surgery, we will administer optional pre-operative medication, such as Valium, giving you time to relax in the waiting area. Next, we will place anesthetic drops in your eye or eyes. Then we will clean the area around the operative eye to ensure sterility. We'll also place a sticky dot above the eye or eyes being treated, which we'll use for reference during the procedure.
  4. When it is time for the procedure to begin, you will enter the laser room and lie down on a comfortable reclining chair. The non-operative eye is covered to help you keep it still during the procedure. We will use a small device to keep your eyelids open, which helps you to avoid blinking during the procedure.
  5. Next, a stabilization ring is placed on the eye to immobilize it while the flap is created, after which your doctor will gently lift and fold back the flap. Please keep in mind - there will be times during the procedure when your vision may temporarily go dark, or blurry or clear. This is quite normal, and we will make sure you feel informed about changes in your vision every step of the way.
  6. The laser will be aligned with your eye and we will continue to explain what will happen during the procedure. You will be asked to fixate your vision on the blinking light.
  7. The laser will start and you will hear a clicking sound, which is the sound of the laser running. Generally, within 30 to 60 seconds, we'll be done! Once the laser procedure is complete, the flap will be gently laid back down, and the surface smoothed, allowing the flap to quickly reattach to the cornea, without the need for stitches or glue.
  8. You can now sit up. At this point, we may have you go to another instrument called the slit lamp so that your doctor can look at the eye. We'll add eye drops to your eyes and ask you to wear protection.
  9. You're ready to head home, with your driver at the wheel. It's best to rest and keep your eyes closed as much as possible for the first 12 hours, being careful not to rub or touch your eyes for 24 hours.
  10. The next day, you'll have a follow-up appointment, as well additional required postoperative visits to ensure that the healing process is going well. Within a few days, the cornea will be crystal clear and there will be virtually no trace of the flap. Usually there is not post-operative pain, and vision will start to improve within hours after the procedure.

Since every eye is unique, we conduct careful preoperative examinations to develop a custom surgical plan for each patient. The VISX excimer laser has been approved for the treatment of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

Our surgeon uses the VISX S-4 Laser to provide even more safety and better results. The VISX S-4 is the only U.S. approved wavefront-guided laser for the treatment of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

  1. Longmont, Colorado LASIK SurgeryIris Registration. Iris Registration minimizes the margin of error in aligning treatment and presents a new level of confidence in the accurate placement of the correct treatment in your eye. Iris Registration is the first FDA-approved, fully automated, non-contact method of aligning the correct CustomVue treatment to your corneal site. The ActiveTrak Automatic Centering locates and automatically sets the treatment to the center of your pupil by tracking the x, y, and z-axis intra-operative movement of your eye.
  2. ActiveTrak™ 3-D Eye Tracker. Tracks your tiny eye movements in all three dimensions during your LASIK procedure ensuring your treatment is delivered accurately.
  3. Variable Spot Scanning (VSS™). Enlarges the treatment area, allowing for a personalized laser vision correction in patients where pupil size is a consideration.
  4. Wave Print® Map. Provides a detailed 3-D map of your entire optical system.
  5. There are more VISX lasers used for laser vision correction procedures than all other brands of lasers combined.

At the Laser Refractive Surgery Center, we are proud to be one of the few centers in the state to offer Custom LASIK to Northern Colorado residents including Longmont, Lafayette, Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins, and Greeley.

Email or call us today at 303-682-3396 for a free vision correction consultation.