About Lasik

LASIK is an acronym for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusi, a Refractive Surgery procedure performed by Ophthalmologists intended for correcting the vision in order to reduce a person’s dependency on corrective devices such as Glasses or Contact Lenses. The procedure is usually a preferred alternative to PRK, or Photo Refractive Keratectomy, as it requires less time for full recovery, and the patient experiences no pain.

Why Lasik?

• It is the preferred choice for Refractive Surgery by all Eye Surgeons, worldwide
• Procedure is done on an outpatient basis
• Both eyes treated on the same day
• Clarity of vision within hours of surgery
• No more daily rituals with visual aids

LASIK: Lifestyle benefits

• An opportunity to choose your desired career e.g. Defense Services, Commercial Pilot, Sportsman, Modeling etc…
• One can look forward to the best marriage proposal with a dream partner
• Better vision for recreational sports like water, winter and contact sports
• A natural appearance without Glasses and a new visual freedom for all aspects of life

Wavefront Guided Custom LASIK

Customized LASIK has a higher potential for perfect vision and a lower potential for visual compromise. Patients with more complex prescriptions, unusual corneal shapes or patients who seek the best visual outcome would benefit from Custom LASIK.

Every patient’s eye differs in corneal shape, corneal thickness and pupil size. Wavefront technology analyses the entire visual system from the corneal surface through the crystalline Lens of the eye, and all the way back to the retina. A device called a T Schering Wavefront Analyzer projects a fine grid of 168 light beams onto the retina and captures its image using a high-resolution camera. The image is then compared with one from a normal eye and the information is used to create an ideal vision correction profile, which removes any distortion from the optical path in order to bring an object into perfect focus. Due to the flexibility of numerous possible treatment patterns the laser beam treats each point in a larger surface of the cornea precisely according to unique treatment plan.

The benefits of Custom LASIK

• Greater opportunity of achieving 20/20 vision
• Reduced opportunity for night vision and glare problems

Treatment

Our professional consultants will examine your eyes using equipments as unique as the Wavefront technology itself. To assist them, please do not wear soft Contact Lenses for one week and rigid ones for weeks beforehand, as Lens distort the cornea and might influence the outcome of the treatment.

If you have any old prescriptions for Lenses or Glasses, or details of any eye treatment you have altered over time, we can best determine how to treat them.

After the procedure

Before you go home, our staff will give you personalized aftercare instructions and eye drops. After the procedure, you will experience watering of the eyes for a certain time. This is a natural process, but please do not rub your eyes.

FOLLOW UP CARE

After the surgery, we recommend you see us as advised. This way you can help us properly monitor the success of your treatment.

Your chance to live without glasses

Information on Laser Treatment

THE PROBLEM

Pronounced defective vision represents a continual impairment of one’s quality of life. Poor eyesight can of course be corrected by means of glasses or contact lenses. Many people with defective eyesight would nonetheless like to be able to live without glasses, particular if they find glasses a nuisance or suffer form incompatibility problems with contact lenses.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

The Excimer laser is a technical development which opens up completely new possibilities and methods of treatment in medicine and in particular in ophthalmology. With a hitherto unknown precision measured in thousandths of a millimeter, the excimer laser removes ultra thin layers of tissue form the corneal surface to correct refractive errors. The AESCULAP-MEDITEC excimer laser incorporates leading-edge technology: it is a cold-light laser, because application of heat would be just as damaging to the sensitive cornea as an imprecise knife incision. Before the therapy you will of course be thoroughly examined by your excimer ophthalmologist. After the examination, he will inform you individually and without engagement about your chances for a life without glasses or contact lenses.

THE EXPERIENCE

Medical lasers for treatment of eye diseases have been employed for approximately thirty years. The use of lasers is long established in ophthalmology for the treatment of diseases of the retina or for follow-up treatment of cataracts. The Excimer laser treatment was introduced in America and Europe over ten years ago, and represented a major advance in the treatment of defective vision. Operations with a high degree of precision became possible. Over a million patients with defective vision have been treated to date throughout the world by over 1500 Excimer laser systems.  Several thousands treatments have been documented in the form of studies.

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THE PROCEDURE

Laser therapy is performed only after an ophthalmologist has provided consultation and performed a comprehensive examination. The eye pressure, the thickness of the cornea and the size (length) of the eye are measured, in addition to the ametropia . These examinations are all painless. The laser therapy itself involves no stay in hospital; the patient can return home as soon as the treatment is complete. The preparation on the day of treatment lasts approximately 40 minutes; after a brief study of the results of the tests, the patient is given eye drops to ensure that the subsequent treatment is also painless. The laser treatment itself, which only lasts for a few minutes, is then fairly unspectacular for the patient. As the patient lies back and relaxes, the ophthalmologist monitors the treatment through a microscope. When the uppermost layer of the cornea has been removed (this is a type of topskin, which reforms following the treatment) and the area intended for laser treatment has been dried, the treatment itself can be started. During the treatment the laser is controlled by complex computer programs, which take into consideration the results of operations on several tens of thousands of patients. The programs are adapted to the requirements the individual patient by the ophthalmologist. At the end of the therapy the eyes are bandaged. The bandage remains in place until the examination wh takes place either the following day or two days later.

THE RESULTS

The use of the Excimer laser by experienced ophthalmologists produces very good results in 80% of cases (glasses no longer required in cases of average ametropia), good results in 10% (glasses now required on for certain activities), and a significant improvement of  the ametropia in 10% of cases (glasses still required, but with considerably weaker and thinner lenses).

AFTER SURGERY

The eye is patched and taped shut overnight. You can go home. If you are uncomfortable, take one of your pain p You will be asked to return to the office the following date have the patch removed and your eye checked. Do not get anything into your eye during the first three days, especially particulate matter such as mascara. Do rub your eye or allow trauma for one month.

Since 1990, a new method known as LASIK or ALK (automated lamellar keratectomy) has been used with increasing frequency. The tongue-shaped corneal flap is folded back and excimer laser PRK is performed, extending into the stromal bed. This acronym stands for a treatment method which combines a microkeratome knife technique with excimer laser therapy. At the beginning of therapy, a thin flap of corneal tissue is created using a microkeratome knife and folded back towards the inner canthus (see Fig. 1) Then, with the excimer laser, ultra-thin layers of tissue are removed from the interior of the cornea, with an accuracy measured in a few thousandths of a millimeter, until the desired correction has been achieved. Once the laser therapy is complete the corneal flap is folded back into its original position and fixed in place. The advantages include almost complete freedom form pain after the operation, stable vision after as little as 2-3 weeks and avoidance of haze. The downside is an increased surgical risk caused by the microkeratome. This technique is preferably used with higher defective visions.

How old do I have to be for Laser vision correction?
You need to be over 18 years of age, and you’re Glasses or Contact Lens prescription should not have changed in the last year.

How successful is Laser vision correction?
Our goal and commitment is to get you to a level of 6/6 (20/20) or better, enough to function without Glasses, to watch TV, play sports and take up occupations where good vision is a must. In fact after treatment, almost 100% of the people can drive without Glasses. At the time of your consultation, our Surgeon will personally discuss with you what can be achieved.

Will the procedure hurt?
There is no pain during any of the Laser vision procedures since anesthetic eye drops numb your eyes, although some patients may experience mild discomfort or a pressure sensation during their procedure. After LASIK, you may experience mild irritation for a few days, but that’s normal. An over-the-counter pain reliever or use of artificial tears will generally take care of this discomfort.

Will I need to wear shaded Glasses to protect my eyes?
It is not necessary to use protective Glasses. However, you should try to minimize chances of any accidental injury to the eye.

Can I have both my eyes operated at the same time?
This is what we recommend. It has been demonstrated in several large, clinical studies that LASIK’s results and safety are identical whether the procedure is reformed on both eyes simultaneously versus one eye at a time. Most patients prefer to have both eyes operated on the same day, as it is convenient. Also this helps avoid imbalance between the two eyes.

How long does the procedure take?
In the Laser room your eyes will be thoroughly cleaned and prepared for surgery. The surgery usually takes only 10 minutes. The patient will not have to spend more than 2 hours at our clinic which includes the time taken to perform the surgery.

Can I wear coloured Contact Lenses?
Yes, you can.

Will I require constant monitoring and check-ups?
Initially a couple of follow-up visits to the Doctor are required. After that you come for a check-up, if required.

How long will it take for me to see well?
Most people achieve good vision the day after surgery and find that their eyes feel fairly normal 24 hours later. However, your sight may improve ever further, and the very best vision can still take one week to ten days.