When you’re thinking about getting eye correction surgery, you’ll likely hear about LASIK and iLASIK. The idea of surgery can be intimidating, but both of these procedures can significantly improve your vision. Knowing the differences between them can make you feel more confident and less anxious about the process.
### What is Eye Corrective Surgery?
Eye corrective surgery, simply put, aims to enhance your vision. Most vision issues, like being nearsighted or farsighted, happen because the shape of your eye isn’t quite right. The goal of these surgeries is to reshape your eye so that light refracts correctly, giving you clearer vision. To do this, doctors need to create a small flap in your cornea.
### Creating the Flap
Both LASIK and iLASIK involve making this corneal flap, but they do it in different ways. Think of the flap as a tiny window that lets the surgeon access the part of your eye they need to reshape.
– **In traditional LASIK**, a surgeon uses a small blade to cut this flap. A suction device keeps your eye still during the process.
– **With iLASIK**, no blades are involved. Instead, a laser creates tiny bubbles under the surface of the cornea. These bubbles then form the flap without any cutting.
### Which is Better?
The main difference between LASIK and iLASIK is the tool used to make the flap. iLASIK uses a laser, which tends to be less traumatic and gentler since there’s no blade involved.
### Who is a Candidate?
To be a good candidate for either of these surgeries, you should be at least 21 years old. By this age, your eye shape has usually settled down and won’t change much more. Ideally, you should also be in good overall health.
When you meet with your eye doctor, they’ll go over your medical history to make sure surgery is a safe option for you. It’s essential to mention any chronic conditions like diabetes and any medications you take. If you’re pregnant or nursing, you should wait to have the surgery since hormone changes can affect eye shape.
### Conclusion
Eye corrective surgery isn’t for everyone and requires you to have healthy eyes. If you qualify for either LASIK or iLASIK, you can look forward to a short recovery period and much clearer vision.