What does LASIK stand for?

LASIK is an acronym that stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.

Breaking Down the Name

• Laser-Assisted: The procedure uses an excimer laser to reshape the cornea
• In Situ: Latin for "in place" or "in position"—the cornea is reshaped while remaining in its natural location
• Keratomileusis: From Greek words:

So LASIK literally means "using a laser to carve/shape the cornea in place."

History of the Name

The term "keratomileusis" was coined by Dr. José Barraquer, a Colombian ophthalmologist who pioneered corneal surgery in the 1950s and 1960s. His early techniques involved manually reshaping the cornea.

When excimer lasers were introduced for vision correction in the 1980s, the "laser-assisted" prefix was added. The modern LASIK procedure, combining a corneal flap with laser reshaping, was first performed by Dr. Ioannis Pallikaris in 1990.

Related Terms

• PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy): Similar laser reshaping without a flap
• SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction): Newer technique using only a femtosecond laser
• LASEK: Variant where epithelium is preserved as a sheet rather than a flap