Posted by: Manhattan LASIK Center

If you’ve ever wondered about having LASIK, you should know that the procedure is one of the most popular elective procedures you can undergo. There’s a good reason for LASIK’s popularity, as well.

The procedure can provide patients with total freedom from glasses and contacts and even helps them see better than they ever could when depending on glasses or contact lenses. It also has a high success rate, with over 95% of LASIK patients achieving 20/20 vision or better!

Currently, LASIK is more advanced than ever, especially when you choose to undergo it with the experts at Manhattan LASIK Center. We offer new and improved technology for our laser procedures, including Ultra-Thin Flap Bladeless LASIK and ZEISS SMILE, a different kind of refractive laser eye procedure that doesn’t require a flap.

Keep reading to find out why LASIK at Manhattan LASIK Center is revolutionary and why our practice’s vision correction procedures are safer and more effective than ever.

What is a Corneal Flap?

To understand why laser eye procedures performed at Manhattan LASIK Center outperform other practices, it’s essential to know how these procedures work and function. Refractive laser eye procedures work by changing the shape of the cornea, which is the transparent front part of the eye.

Changing the shape of the cornea occurs by using a laser. If the cornea is not a uniform, round shape, it causes refractive errors. Correcting its shape helps improve your vision by rectifying these refractive errors.

But before you can reshape the cornea, you first need access to it. The cornea is covered by a thin layer called the epithelium.

During some refractive laser eye procedures, you’ll have the epithelium removed. But it takes time to grow back and can cause discomfort during recovery.

LASIK uses a different method to access the cornea by creating a flap — it creates a corneal flap. A surgeon creates the flap by separating the top part of the cornea from the rest of the corneal tissue, except for a small amount that acts as a hinge.

The exposed cornea is then reshaped during LASIK. After completing the LASIK procedure, the surgeon puts the flap back into place. It acts as a natural bandage while your eye heals.

The corneal flap makes LASIK more advanced than earlier refractive laser eye procedures. Here at Manhattan LASIK Center, the LASIK procedure we offer only requires a very thin flap.

There are also newer vision correction procedures that require no corneal flap, like SMILE. SMILE accesses the inside of the cornea with a special kind of laser called a femtosecond laser. There are several advantages to these kinds of procedures for patients.

1.   Less Post-Surgical Dry Eye

Because we only create thinner corneal flaps, our patients have fewer chances of experiencing dry eyes after LASIK. SMILE doesn’t require a corneal flap, which also means fewer chances of dry eye.

But why is dry eye so undesirable? Having dry eyes is uncomfortable.

It’s very common for patients to experience the annoyance and frustration that comes with dry eyes after undergoing a vision procedure. But chronic dry eye, or dry eye syndrome, can sometimes develop in patients after having LASIK.

Although this risk is rare, it’s reduced even further when you have Ultra-Thin Flap Bladeless LASIK or SMILE. Our laser eye procedures at Manhattan LASIK Center cause minimal side effects after surgery.

Even patients with sensitive eyes find our procedures cause significantly fewer issues than wearing contact lenses regularly.

Just ask one of our patients, Wanda, who said, “When my eyes started rejecting my contacts, and it became uncomfortable to put them on (my eyes were red and itchy by the time I put them on), I finally decided I will have LASIK! Now, I wake up and see everything without reaching for my glasses and can travel without the fear of losing my glasses or contacts.”

2.   More Precision

With Ultra-Thin Bladeless LASIK, your surgeon has more room to work with under the flap. Since the flap is thinner and made with less corneal tissue, we leave more tissue in the corneal bed.

Having more room means your surgeon can be more precise. More precision means better results, better vision, and a much lower risk of complications.

3.   Faster Recovery

Recovery from any LASIK procedure is already fast, with most patients feeling normal within just a few days. Initial recovery only takes a few weeks, with full recovery occurring after 3-6 months.

But these times are reduced further with Ultra-Thin Bladeless LASIK and SMILE. The best part is that you’ll see immediate improvement immediately.

As your eyes heal, your vision will only improve until you reach your peak vision. Don’t believe us?

Just ask one of our patients, Zaher, who said, “I was able to see better the same day I had SMILE, only within hours of the operation!”

4.   Fewer Post-Surgical Aberrations

LASIK is considered a low-risk procedure, but any surgery has some degree of risk. On rare occasions, LASIK patients can develop night vision problems, including seeing more glare and halos around light sources.

This is usually an issue if your pupils are too big, so it’s rare after undergoing thorough pre-LASIK screenings. But the risk is reduced even further with Ultra-Thin Bladeless LASIK and SMILE.

5.   Tailored Procedure

With a thinner corneal flap, our surgeons can better tailor LASIK to your unique needs and vision. We can give you excellent results, even if you have a particularly complex prescription or other visual concerns.

Just ask one of our patients, Kathleen, who said, “Ever since I was little, I’ve had issues with my eyes. I was told by other places that they couldn’t fix my eyes. Now I have 20/20 vision, and I feel great. I am so proud of myself for getting LASIK and so happy I did it.”

If you want to be one of our satisfied patients, start by making an appointment for a commitment-free consultation at Manhattan LASIK Center in Westchester, NY. Isn’t it time to see without boundaries to hold you back from the world’s beauty?