Page 94 - The Book Pi in eye

Rajesh Khanna, MD

Keratomileusis: Any process of carving, or reshaping, the cornea.

Lamellar: An adjective meaning "layered." Lamellar corneal surgery
corrects focusing errors by removing or reshaping some of the corneal
layers.

Laser thermal keratoplasty (LTK): A technique that uses heat
energy to change the shape of the cornea and that is designed to
correct only low amounts of farsightedness. A special laser is used to
deliver laser energy to the peripheral cornea to slightly tighten the
fibers and thereby steepen its curvature. The LTK procedure may also
be useful for treating occasional overcorrection from LASIK
procedures. It is similar to conductive keratoplasty (see chapter 9) but
has largely been abandoned, because it was found that the effect wore
off too quickly.

Lasek: A variant of PRK in which the epithelium (the clear skin that
covers the eye) is removed by loosening it with an alcohol solution.
The results are the same as those of PRK.

Lasik: An acronym for laser in-situ Keratomileusis. In Lasik, a
miniature-automated instrument called a microkeratome creates an
extremely thin, hinged flap on the surface of the cornea. After the flap
is gently lifted back, the surgeon reshapes the corneal stroma, using an
excimer laser. The corneal flap is then replaced, and it quickly adheres.
LASIK is a safe and pain-free form of refractive eye surgery that has
proven to be highly successful and popular.

Lens: The globe-shaped natural lens of the eye, located behind the
iris, that helps fine-tune the angle of light to bring it to a point of
focus on the retina. As the lens becomes less flexible with age, its
ability to adapt its focus for reading gradually decreases.

Lensx: A femtosecond laser approved by FDA to be used in cataract
procedure. It can make precise cuts in cornea and lens.

Limbal Relaxing Incision (LRI): Peripheral corneal arcuate
incisions made to decrease astigmatism.
Microkeratome: The instrument a surgeon uses to create the corneal

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