On Nov. 15, 1999, the FDA approved LASIK corrective eye surgery. LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis and is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. Jos� Ignacio Barraquer Moner, a Spanish ophthalmologist working in Bogot�, Colombia on corneal transplants and corneal refraction is known as the �Father of modern Refractive Surgery.� In 1942, Barraquer first published a description of his ophthalmological instrument, the Barraquer Keratotome developed to perform more precise cataract incisions.