Since it was first performed in the United States in 1991, Lasik eye surgery has grown to be one of the most popular elective surgeries performed in the modern world. As more and more people turn to Lasik to free themselves of eyeglasses and contact lenses, the industry continues to keep pace by building a burgeoning crop of Lasik surgery centers to meet the demand of prospective patients.

But not all surgery centers are the same and in order to ensure that you have a comfortable experience and a successful outcome, it is necessary to find a Lasik institute with a reputation for offering patients state-of-the-art technological procedures and a superior standard of quality patient care.

A Lasik institute is a surgical center where the Lasik procedure is performed. There are a variety of centers around the world - from small privately owned companies to large chains that operate centers in cities around their country. Finding a reputable Lasik institute requires research and perseverance on your part as a patient. But the effort that you put into the search in the front end will more than reward you on the back end in the form of a comfortable experience and successful outcome.

Lasik surgery is a refractive eye surgery that works to correct light refraction in our eyes. In a normally functioning eye light is captured by the lens of our eye - the segment of our eye located directly behind the iris (or colored part) of our eye. The light is then refracted - or bent - from the lens to the retina which sits in the very back of our eye. The retina's role is to take those refracted light rays and convert them to signals sent to the optic nerve in the form of visual images. When our eyes experience refractive difficulties through illness, injury, heredity, or aging it manifests itself through nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.

Ultimately, when the light is not refracted properly the optic nerve -located in our brain - receives a signal of a blurry image. During Lasik surgery, a skilled surgeon makes corrections to the way in which our eyes refract light by resurfacing the cornea - the transparent covering of the eye. This resurfacing is done with laser technology and allows for crisper, cleaner light refraction and better vision.

Any Lasik institute that you consider should perform this procedure on a daily basis and employ surgeons who are vastly experienced with Lasik technology. Begin by collecting recommendations from people you know and trust including friends and family who have had the procedure performed, your general eye doctor, and even your primary care physician. Once you have narrowed down the list of possible candidates - based on only glowing recommendations - continue on by researching the centers themselves.

The Internet is your best friend when it comes to conducting research on a Lasik Institute; thoroughly educate yourself on the institute's history, patient care standards, and reputation in the industry. Follow this up by visiting the institute in which you are interested to assess the cleanliness of the institute, the level of technology being used, the professionalism and friendliness of the staff, the organization of the institute, and the financial options they provide their patients.

Finally, a Lasik institute is really only as good as the surgeons who work there. Meet with the surgeon who will perform your procedure to gage their commitment to patient care; and do research on your own to establish the credentials and reputation of the specific surgeon. Ultimately, you want to ensure that the surgeon - as well as the institute - is as much committed to a pleasant experience and successful outcome as you are.