<p>If you’re considering laser eye surgery, it’s likely you’ll choose LASIK – the most popular form of refractive surgery, which has improved the sight of over 30 million people globally since it was first approved in 1999. Laser therapies for use in medical treatments such as vision correction have existed since the 1980s. But who invented laser eye surgery?</p> <p>The technique for what we now call refractive surgery had its origins in the work of Dr. Lendeer Jans Lans who theorised that cuts made in the cornea could rectify corneal curvature and cure astigmatism. He went on to publish a theoretical paper in 1896. Building on this theory Dr Jose Barraquer as far back as the late 1930s proposed that refractive errors such as <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oclvision.com/knowledge-base/understanding-myopia-short-sightedness-symptoms-causes-and-treatments/" target="_blank" title="Understanding myopia (short-sightedness): symptoms, causes and treatments">myopia</a> and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oclvision.com/knowledge-base/understanding-hypermetropia-long-sightedness-symptoms-causes-and-treatments/" target="_blank" title="Understanding hypermetropia (long-sightedness): symptoms, causes and treatments">hypermetropia</a> could be corrected by modifying the shape of the cornea. He’s known as the Father of modern refractive surgery because of his work and innovation in the field.</p>