Looking into LASIK surgery

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Story Published: Nov 23, 2006 at 12:10 AM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 23, 2006 at 2:33 PM PDT

By Nate Kuester

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LEWISTON - Poor eyesight is something a lot of people suffer from, but with technology comes clear vision.

That brings is to a procedure called LASIK, which claims to correct less than stellar vision.

Many of us know what it's like to wake up to a hazy and blurry world. But thanks to a surgery that's been in practice for quite some time, there's no more searching for your glasses.

KLEW Weather Anchor Keith Havens allowed the documentation of his foray into clear vision when he recently underwent LASIK surgery here in Lewiston at the Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute. His surgeon, Doctor Paul Shenk, explained what happens before the surgery takes place.

"We actually do some special procedures, like a topography, which is a map of the cornea," said Dr. Shenk. "We also do corneal thicknesses to make certain your cornea is thick enough to undergo the basic procedure. And then you come into what we call TLC where you get some medication to take care of some of the apprehension that you might sense."

After the pre-op procedures have been completed, including applying an anesthetic to numb the eyes, Doctor Shenk says a prayer and begins the surgery.

"I put a little eye-spring on the eye that separates the upper and lower lids," said Dr. Shenk. "It gives me space to work on. And then, we have a machine that makes the cut. That machine can make the cut very thin. It can make it cut at 160 microns or 180, depending on the patient's need."

After the surgeon gains access to the eye, that's when a laser is used.

"It's a blend of several gases that produces laser light that actually creates a little nuclear response on the surface of the cornea," said Shenk.

Shenk equates the use of the laser to using a magnifying glass and sunlight to burn objects.

"We remove so much tissue from the eye, but the removal of that tissue allows us to then normalize that cornea so the patient can see unaided without their contacts or glasses," said Dr. Shenk.

You'd think a surgery like this would take a great deal of time, but that's not the case.

"It's a couple minutes," said Shenk. "Really short. Probably, the preparation and talking to the patient takes longer than the actual procedure."

Clear and precise vision is achieved almost instantly following the surgery, and many find it to be quite painless.

And Keith was right back to work forecasting the weather the next day.

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