How does LASIK work?
LASIK works by removing microscopic amounts of corneal tissue so that the cornea becomes flatter or steeper, which changes where light comes to focus inside the eye.
- Subject
- Vision correction
- Topic
- LASIK
- Kind of question
- How it works
- Procedures
- LASIK
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
In short sightedness the cornea focuses light in front of the retina, so the treatment removes tissue from the centre of the cornea to flatten it. In long sightedness the opposite is needed. In astigmatism the goal is to make a cornea that is curved unevenly more regular.
The refractive change is permanent in the sense that the removed tissue does not grow back. How the eye behaves years later is a separate question, which is why stability of your prescription before surgery matters so much.
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision correction & laser eye surgery in LASIK . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Procedure LASIK
- Procedure Femto LASIK
- Comparison LASIK vs SMILE
- Comparison LASIK vs PRK
- Place LASIK in Dubai
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026