Keratomileusis
Encyclopedia
Keratomileusis is the surgical
improvement of the refractive
state of the cornea
performed by lifting up the front surface of the eye
by forming a thin hinged flap under which the shape of the cornea is changed by using an excimer laser
or other surgical device, and was developed by José Ignacio Barraquer
, commonly called "the father of modern refractive surgery". A microkeratome is usually used to cut the flap, but a femtosecond
laser can also be used to make the flap. Before the advent of the excimer laser, keratomileusis was performed using a cryolathe
, which froze thin flaps of corneal tissue and lathe cut them much like one cuts the lens of a pair of glasses. After thawing, these reshaped flaps were placed under the front flap to correct visual improvement. LASIK
is currently the only commonly performed keratomileusis procedure.
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
improvement of the refractive
Refraction
Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. It is essentially a surface phenomenon . The phenomenon is mainly in governance to the law of conservation of energy. The proper explanation would be that due to change of medium, the phase velocity of the wave is changed...
state of the cornea
Cornea
The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Together with the lens, the cornea refracts light, with the cornea accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power. In humans, the refractive power of the cornea is...
performed by lifting up the front surface of the eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
by forming a thin hinged flap under which the shape of the cornea is changed by using an excimer laser
Excimer laser
An excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices , eye surgery, and micromachining....
or other surgical device, and was developed by José Ignacio Barraquer
Jose Barraquer
José Ignacio Barraquer Moner was an ophthalmologist known to many as "the father of modern refractive surgery"...
, commonly called "the father of modern refractive surgery". A microkeratome is usually used to cut the flap, but a femtosecond
1 E-15 s
A femtosecond is the SI unit of time equal to 10-15 of a second. That is one quadrillionth, or one millionth of one billionth of a second. For context, a femtosecond is to a second what a second is to about 31.7 million years....
laser can also be used to make the flap. Before the advent of the excimer laser, keratomileusis was performed using a cryolathe
Cryolathe
A cryolathe is a device used for freezing and grinding human corneal tissue into different refractive powers.-References:...
, which froze thin flaps of corneal tissue and lathe cut them much like one cuts the lens of a pair of glasses. After thawing, these reshaped flaps were placed under the front flap to correct visual improvement. LASIK
LASIK
LASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...
is currently the only commonly performed keratomileusis procedure.