keratomileusis

Keratomileusis is a surgical procedure aimed at correcting the refractive power of the eye to improve vision. Historically, it involved removing, freezing, and reshaping a section of the cornea before reinserting it. Modern techniques, however, typically reshape the cornea in place using an excimer laser.1

This procedure is closely related to other refractive surgeries like LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). LASIK, developed in the early 1990s, combines keratomileusis with laser reshaping, creating a flap in the cornea to access the underlying tissue for sculpting. PRK also uses a laser to reshape the cornea but does not involve incisions, leading to a longer recovery period. Radial keratotomy (RK), an earlier technique, used spokelike incisions to flatten the cornea but has largely been superseded by laser-based surgeries due to improved predictability and outcomes.234