How was LASIK discovered?

Hi, it’s Matt Russell from VSON Laser Vision Specialists. When I tell people I’m a LASIK surgeon, some of them ask me: “How was LASIK discovered?”

Today, LASIK is one of the most effective and popular elective procedures in the world, but the key developments in its history took over a century to unfold.

1898

Surgical solutions to visual errors date as far back as the 19th century. In 1898, a method known as Radial Keratotomy (RK) was introduced to treat conditions such as nearsightedness. This method involved manually making tiny radial incisions in the corneal surface.

1960s

In the early 1960s, a Colombian ophthalmologist named Dr. José Barraquer developed a technique called keratomileusis, a Greek term that literally means “carving the cornea”. At the time, he used a surgical blade to remove a piece of corneal tissue which was frozen, reshaped, and reattached to the surface of the eye.

1970s

In the 1970’s, even greater strides were made in the history of LASIK eye surgery with the arrival and application of the excimer laser. This ultraviolet laser was originally developed for the computer industry to perform precision etching in the manufacture of microelectronic devices.

1980s

In 1980, a research team discovered that this laser could also cut biological tissue with extreme precision and accuracy without damaging the surrounding area. This led to its medical application in a process called Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK). In PRK, the outer layer, or epithelium, of the cornea is removed, and the exposed corneal stroma is reshaped using the excimer laser.

1990s

The last step in the history of LASIK eye surgery came in the early 1990s, when Greek ophthalmologist Dr. Pallikaris combined the use of the microkeratome and the excimer laser. This created what we now know as LASIK, an acronym for “Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis.” In this surgery, the microkeratome is used to create a thin flap in the cornea, and the excimer laser is used to reshape the underlying corneal tissue. The flap is then folded back into place, and natural healing processes begin to reseal the cut very quickly.

2000s

In 2001, the US FDA approved “bladeless” LASIK or all-laser femtosecond LASIK, in which the surgeon uses a femtosecond laser instead of the microkeratome blade to make the corneal flap incision.

To learn more about LASIK, and know which treatment is best for you to free yourself from the hassle of glasses and contact lenses, please book online for a free laser vision assessment on our website today.