LASIK eye surgery is at the forefront of bringing people better vision. While this treatment has been available for many years, some patients considering the treatment become overwhelmed by LASIK terminology.

This page offers simple definitions to LASIK terms so anyone can get a sense of what the procedure is all about.

• Acuity: The eye’s ability to see in detail

• Astigmatism: Blurry vision caused by an oblong, egg-shaped cornea

• Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA): The best level of vision a person can get with the use of corrective lenses

• Bilateral LASIK: LASIK treatment performed on both eyes

• Bladeless LASIK: LASIK treatment in which the surgeon uses an Intralase or other femtosecond laser to make the flap in the cornea

• Cataract: A natural cloud in the lens of the eye that causes loss of vision

• Corneal epithelium: The outermost layer of cells in the cornea

• Custom LASIK: Computers create a three-dimensional model of a patient’s eye to create a highly specific and detailed plan for correcting vision

• Diopter: An optical measure of vision correction

• Excimer laser: A laser that uses ultraviolet light to perform LASIK by reshaping the cornea

• Farsightedness: A vision disorder that causes better vision of faraway objects and difficulty in seeing nearby objects

• Keratectomy: Removal of the corneal tissue, which completes the LASIK procedure

• Lid speculum: A medical instrument that holds the eyelids open during eye surgery

• Microkeratome: An instrument that makes a small slit in the cornea during the beginning of traditional LASIK surgery

• Nearsightedness: When a person can see nearby objects better than objects at a distance

• Presbyopia: Loss of flexibility in the lens

• Wavefront analyzer: An infrared laser beam that reflects light off the retina and creates a unique map of an individual’s eye for custom LASIK