Back in 1948, in Bogotá, Columbia, Dr. Barraquer performed cutting-edge surgery. He would remove about sixty percent of the cornea, freeze it, reshape it, and then suture it back into place! It sounds extreme and severe, and as might be expected, results were not consistent. However, it paved the way for all the research and knowledge yet to come in the field of lazer vision correction.

Today, lazer vision correction is one of the most popular and successful eye surgeries available. It is quick, precise and painless. 1991 saw the first LASIK procedure in the United States and the rest really is history. It is estimated that about 99 percent of lazer vision correction surgery is a form of LASIK, and the numbers seem to be growing rapidly. Each year, millions of people opt to undergo lazer vision correction surgery and go home with newly refined, clear vision.

Lazer eye surgery is a precise science based on years of research and knowledge. When the cornea if misshaped, light cannot reflect properly. This causes a visual distortion and therefore the need for corrective lenses. With lazer vision correction procedures, a tiny part of the cornea can actually be lifted into a little flap, while the laser aims its beam and modifies the corneal shape. The actual shape will be determined prior to the procedure and will match the shape of your corrective lens! Once the cornea's desired shape is achieved, the eye will heal and focus light properly.

Corrective vision surgery has changed the lives of the millions and millions of people who have opted to undergo the procedure. We have come such a long way since the days of initial eye surgery, and yet each step along the way paved the road to the astonishing options available today.