Frequently Used Terms Related to Eye Surgery
While talking to your ophthalmologist about LASIK, you are bound to get confused by certain terms he uses. Most terms you will understand while reading the explanations in the later sections. The following guide will get you familiar with others that might not appear in the explanation but you might come across when discussing LASIK with your doctor.
Ablate - in surgery, is to remove.
Acuity - clarity or sharpness of vision.
Astigmatism - a distortion of the image on the retina caused by irregularities in the cornea or lens.
Endothelium - the inner layer of cells on the inside surface of the cornea.
Epithelium - the outermost layer of cells of the cornea and the eye’s first defense against infection.
Excimer laser - an ultraviolet laser used in refractive surgery to remove corneal tissue.
Hyperopia - the inability to see near objects as clearly as distant objects, and the need for accommodation to see distant objects clearly.
In Situ - a Latin term meaning “in place” or not removed.
Keratomileusis - carving of the cornea to reshape it.
Laser - the acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. A laser is an instrument that produces a powerful beam of light that can vaporize tissue.
Myopia - the inability to see distant objects as clearly as near objects.
Ophthalmologist - a medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis and medical or surgical treatment of visual disorders and eye disease.
Optician - an expert in the art and science of making and fitting glasses and may also dispense contact lenses.
Optometrist - a primary eye care provider who diagnoses, manages, and treats disorders of the visual system and eye diseases.
Pupil - a hole in the center of the iris that changes size in response to changes in lighting. It gets larger in dim lighting conditions and gets smaller in brighter lighting conditions.
PRK - the acronym for photorefractive keratectomy which is a procedure involving the removal of the surface layer of the cornea (epithelium) by gentle scraping and use of a computer-controlled excimer laser to reshape the stroma.
Radial Keratotomy - commonly referred to as RK; a surgical procedure designed to correct myopia (nearsightedness) by flattening the cornea using radial cuts.
Refractive Power - the ability of an object, such as the eye, to bend light as light passes through it.
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