Refractive surgery refers to any surgery that is done to correct a refractive error in your eye. A refractive error is present if you cannot focus your eye clearly, and need to wear glasses (spectacles) or contact lenses. The most common refractive errors are:
- Myopia (short-sightedness) – Difficulty in seeing distant objects clearly
- Hyperopia (long-sightedness) – Difficulty in seeing close objects clearly
- Astigmatism – Distorted vision resulting from an irregularly curved cornea
- Presbyopia – Age-related difficulty in reading or seeing close objects clearly
Refractive surgery is usually done with a laser, which changes the shape of the cornea to correct the error in your vision. LASIK is an abbreviation for – ‘laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis’.