In surgical eye correction, such as LASIK, the fundamental change that occurs is a reshaping of the eye's front surface.
Reshaping the Cornea
The primary action in surgical eye correction is focused on the cornea, which is the transparent front part of the eye. As stated in the reference, "It changes the shape of your cornea to improve how light hits your retina. This improves your vision."
Why Cornea Shape Matters
The cornea is responsible for a significant portion of the eye's focusing power. If its shape is irregular (too steep or too flat), light doesn't focus correctly on the retina at the back of the eye. This leads to blurry vision issues like:
- Nearsightedness (Myopia): Light focuses in front of the retina.
- Farsightedness (Hyperopia): Light focuses behind the retina.
- Astigmatism: Light focuses at multiple points, causing distorted vision at all distances.
By precisely changing the curvature of the cornea using a laser, the surgeon helps the eye focus light correctly onto the retina, thereby improving vision.
Outcomes of Surgical Eye Correction
The goal of reshaping the cornea is to achieve clearer vision without glasses or contact lenses. The reference provides specific outcomes for LASIK surgery:
- About 99% of people have uncorrected vision that's 20/40 or better after their LASIK surgery.
- More than 90% end up with 20/20 vision.
These statistics highlight the high success rate of surgical eye correction procedures in significantly improving visual acuity.
In summary, surgical eye correction primarily works by altering the shape of the cornea to ensure light is focused accurately on the retina, leading to improved vision.
