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LASIK

American  
[lay-sik] / ˈleɪ sɪk /

noun

  1. a surgical procedure to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism in which a laser is used to remove inner layers of corneal tissue.


LASIK Scientific  
/ lā′zĭk /
  1. Eye surgery in which the surface of the cornea is reshaped using a laser, performed to correct certain refractive disorders such as myopia.


LASIK Cultural  
  1. Acronym for la ser in si tu k eratotomy, a procedure for eye surgery that corrects near-sightedness by using a laser to cut a flap in the cornea so that it flattens out. The end result is a better focusing of incoming light on the back of the retina.


Etymology

Origin of LASIK

First recorded in 1960–65; acronym from las(er-assisted) i(n situ) k(eratomileusis); see keratomileusis ( def. )


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Michael Hill, a professor of chemistry at Occidental College, puts it more bluntly: "LASIK is just a fancy way of doing traditional surgery. It's still carving tissue -- it's just carving with a laser."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

Ophthalmologists might offer surgical procedures to fix presbyopia, such as corneal inlays, LASIK, photorefractive keratectomy and lens implants.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 17, 2022

“When we’re doing the testing for LASIK, we do corneal topography, which maps the corneal curvature,” Rajpal said.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 19, 2018

If such a person’s distant vision is corrected with LASIK, will she still need reading glasses?

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

Visual acuity correctable to 20/20; if there have been surgical procedures to the eye, such as LASIK, a year must have passed since the latest procedure.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

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