LASIK

American  

[ley-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

"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 • May 28, 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