LASIK and Eye Surgery Blog - Clearview Eye and Laser Medical Center

On November our blog was about the cornea's curvature and how that relates to being nearsighted, farsighted or astigmatic. This blog is about the cornea's structure.

It has layers. In some ways it's similar to skin. Really, the cornea is the eye’s skin, in that it protects the eye's interior. Skin has layers too. In both cornea and skin, the top layer, the epithelium, is continually replacing itself. Cells die and are discarded from the surface. Below the surface layer in both eyes and skin are other layers containing and protecting many other structures.

LASIK treatments are not done right on the epithelium because the corneal surface is changeable and would eventually sabotage or undo the LASIK correction. Instead, the LASIK laser works on the next layer down, the stroma. This is why a flap must be created and folded back to give access; or (as in PRK) some surface cells must be removed.

The corneal stroma is a stable layer. When the laser changes its curvature, it will remain that way, and your vision will be permanently improved. It’s also the thickest layer. It consists of tiny parallel collagen fibers. Being parallel, they give clarity to the cornea and light can pass through unimpeded.

Below the stroma is a membrane and then the endothelium, which is only one cell thick. It removes water from the cornea to keep it clear. Translucence and correct curvature are the two central features of the cornea, and if these are impaired, vision suffers.

• LASIK
• PRK
• IntraLase
• Presbyopia
• Implantable Contact Lenses
• Intacs
• Cataracts
• BOTOX®

Previous Posts

• What is Myopia?
• Modern Eye Surgery
• Bladeless LASIK – What’s all the Flap About?
• What is the Cornea?
• Cataract Symptoms
• Farsightedness vs. Presbyopia
• Farsightedness
• The San Diego Fires and Providing Eye Care
• Lasers Used for Vision Correction
• The Safety of IntraLase