What is Refractive Surgery?

Many people use the word "LASIK" to refer to all sorts of refractive surgery. In fact, LASIK is only one of the options available. Refractive surgery includes a wide variety of procedures for correcting a patient's visual acuity. Unlike glasses or contact lenses, which compensate for flaws in the eye's natural focusing ability, refractive surgery aims to change that ability and allow the eye to focus correctly. Over the past several years, this field has expanded to include treatments for a wider variety of conditions, and new procedures are being tested all the time. Because this field is relatively new, it's a good idea to be well informed before you choose a refractive surgeon.