Keratome

If you are looking for a laser eye clinic in London, then the London Vision Clinic should be on your shortlist.  

That may seem like a strong statement, but the London Vision Clinic emphasises that, in expert hands, laser eye surgery can be an extremely safe, life enhancing experience. More than 100,000 laser eye surgery procedures will be done in the UK this year. Read the guide to Laser Eye Surgery to help make the right choice for your eyesight.

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What is it for?

Creating the corneal flap in LASIK.

When is this done?

During surgery (LASIK only).

What actually happens?

You lie down on the laser bed facing up. After anaesthetising your eyes with eye drops, the surgeon

holds your eye open using a lid holder. The keratome holds your eye steady by creating suction between it and your cornea. Either an oscillating blade or a femtosecond laser beam makes a circular corneal flap with a hinge. The surgeon folds the flap back to expose the inner surface of the cornea which is then ready for reshaping.

How does it feel?

During this part of the operation, you will feel the pressure caused by the suction. As this happens, your vision may dim or go dark for a few seconds. Aside from this pressure, you will not feel pain but it can be uncomfortable for a very short period.

What does it do?

The keratome is a high-precision, computer-controlled instrument that the surgeon uses for the first stage of the LASIK operation. With it he/she creates the corneal flap that is necessary to perform LASIK.

How does it benefit you?

The benefits of a flap in LASIK is that the healing and recovery time is reduced to hours following the procedure.