Isotretinoin or Accutane is a medication related to Vitamin A used to treat acne. It has been found to affect healing of the cornea in patietns undergoing refractive laser surgery (LASIK) and if actively being used, the surgeon ophthalmologist needs to be notified during evaluation/consultation for LASIK or other refrative laser procedures.
LASIK or Lasik (Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis), commonly referred to as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The LASIK surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist who uses a laser or microkeratome to reshape the eye's cornea in order to improve visual acuity. For most patients, LASIK provides a permanent alternative to eyeglasses or contact lenses.
LASIK is most similar to another surgical corrective procedure, photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), and both represent advances over radial keratotomy in the surgical treatment of refractive errors of vision. For patients with moderate to high myopia or thin corneas which cannot be treated with LASIK and PRK, the phakic intraocular lens is an alternative.
Since 1991, there have been further developments such as faster lasers, larger spot areas, bladeless flap incisions, intraoperative corneal pachymetry and "wavefront-optimized" and "wavefront-guided" techniques. However, use of the excimer laser risks damage to the retina and optic nerve. The goal of refractive surgery is to avoid permanently weakening the cornea with incisions and to deliver less energy to the surrounding tissues.
The iLASIK Procedure is the result of a decade's worth of technical refinement; it combines all of the most advanced all-laser LASIK technology in one efficient LASIK procedure ... It simply doesn't get any better, so now's the time.