Refractive Laser Surgery by Adolph PaulRefractive laser surgery is usually performed for correcting common ailments of the eye such as myopia and astigmatism. All refractive surgeries do not employ the use of laser. Some surgeries such as Radial Keratotomy (RK) do not employ laser although they are equally effective in curing refractive ailments of the eye. Some common types of refractive laser eye surgery include Lasik, PRK and LASEK.Common Method of Refractive Laser Surgery There are various methods employed for refractive laser eye surgery. These are divided into flab procedures and surface procedures. * Flap Procedures: In such surgeries, a particular type of blade known as microkeratome is used for cutting a flap in the corneal tissue. The most common example of surgery under this method is called Lasik. * Surface Procedures: In this process an excimer laser is employed for removing the front portion of the corneal stroma. Unlike the flap method this approach does not require the partial thickness cut in the stroma. Thus differentiating this method of handling the epithelial layer from the flap method. Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) and Laser Assisted Sub-Epithelium Keratomileusis (LASEK) are two common examples of surface procedures of refractive laser surgery. Examples of Refractive Laser SurgeryLasik: This acronym stands for Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. In this surgery, a flap is cut with the help of microkeratome blade. The thickness of such flap could be between 100 to 180 micrometers. The flap is then lifted and an excimer laser is used to remove the targeted tissues from the corneal stroma. The flap is then replaced after the removal of the unwanted tissues. IntraLasik is another variant of this surgery. In this method the flap is cut with the help of laser. Where a microkeratome blade is used to create the flap, the proceedure is known as traditional Lasik in order to differentiate it from other forms of refractive laser surgery.PRK: Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) was widely used for correcting the vision problems before the popularity of Lasik. In this surgery, the paitents recovery time takes longer than with Lasik. LASEK: It stands for Laser Assisted Sub-Epithelium Keratomileusis and in this surgery, surface methods is used for correcting the vision problem. The Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley specializes in refractive laser surgery. This vision correction center specializes in all forms of Lasik, PRK and LASEK refractive laser eye surgeries.Welcome to Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley, one of the finest refractive laser surgery centers in California.Article Source: eArticlesOnline.com