The keratome with which the cornea is cut, was improved by Dr Luiz Ruiz. This new keratome enables surgeons to cut a very thin flap from the front surface of the eye. The stroma is the thickest part of the cornea. A very thin layer of the cornea, more or less two thirds the thickness of a human hair, is removed with the Excimer Laser machine. This change in the thickness of the cornea causes a change in the curvature of the eye.
Light rays are now focused on the retina.
The cap is then replaced on its bed and treated so that it adheres tightly to the underlying layers without the need for any sutures. The Lasik procedure comprises a combination of techniques. At first, a thin layer of the cornea is partially removed. This is then followed by Excimer Laser treatment on the stroma. All the different layers of the cornea are thus maintained and the normal anatomical structure of the cornea is kept intact.