Going through life dependent on glasses or contacts is fine for some, but others quickly tire of being unable to navigate the world if their corrective lenses get misplaced or break. There are few greater feelings of helplessness then that felt by a person who suddenly cannot see a foot beyond the end of their nose. These people often turn to eye Lasik surgery to help bring their world back into focus.

No matter how you crack it, eye surgery does sound a little scary, but for anyone who has studied the results, the fear factor is easily overcome. A person who undergoes Lasik successfully will soon find they are able to see things better than they have in years or even better than they ever did. A new sense of freedom is born and self-confidence and self-esteem boosts are incredible.

But what is Lasik and how does it work? In a nutshell, this surgical procedure to correct vision involves the reshaping of the cornea, which is the covering on the front of the eye. A laser and a knife are used to cut a small flap in the cornea, a hinge is left at an end of the flap and the flap is folded back to uncover the stroma, or middle section of the cornea. The laser, which is computer controlled, basically vaporizes a portion of the stroma and the flap is put back.

While this might sound horrific, the procedure makes sense. The cornea itself is the part of the eye that focuses light and creates a picture on the retina. It works sort of like a camera lens does to focus light on film. When light is bent and focused, it's called refraction.

When people have difficulty seeing, generally it is because the shape of the cornea and the eye are not in perfect synch. This means the picture on the retina will be blurred or distorted. This is called a refractive error, for which there are three main types: myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. People with myopia are nearsighted, this means they can't see objects that are far away with ease. Hyperopia is farsightedness and an astigmatism is a distortion of the image.

Lasik surgery basically corrects these conditions and helps people focus better, often removing the need for corrective lenses entirely. Lasik is not for all people, however, and pre-exams will be required for a doctor to determine if the eye procedure will work in an individual case.

If Lasik is the chosen route to help correct vision problems, those who undergo it will find it has a pretty high success rate. Although doctors cannot guarantee results, many find they end up with 20/20 vision after the procedure.

The other benefit of Lasik is that it's relatively painless and the surgical site heals very quickly. Most patients can see quite well right after the procedure and within a week vision should be completely in focus.

Lasik eye surgery is a route more than worth investigating for those who no longer wish to be dependant on contacts or glasses. The freedom provided is amazing and the vision improvements in successful cases are also impressive.