Frequently Asked Questions

CLICK ON THE QUESTION THAT INTERESTS YOU

Results
What Happens On The Day of Treatment?
One Or Both Eyes?
How Long Does It Take For My Sight To Recover?
What Is The Follow Up After Vision Correction?
What Are The Risks?
Does It Hurt?
What Anaesthetic Is Used?
Will I Be Bruised Afterwards?
Is Vision Correction Permanent?
What If I Have A Very High Correction?
What If I Have Only A Small Amount Of Short-Sight?
What If I Am Long Sighted?
What If I Have Astigmatism?
Can I Get Out Of Wearing Reading Glasses?

Results
The developments in vision correction over the last decade are undoubtedly some of the most important and exciting improvements in eye care ever made. The vast majority of patients can look forward to either freedom from distance glasses or contact lenses or at least greatly reduced dependence on them.

If the objectives of vision correction are not met by the first procedure, a second or enhancement procedure can often be performed to provide additional correction. Most people do not require an enhancement, but the greater your original vision defect the more the possibility of your needing an enhancement for full correction.

What Happens On The Day of Treatment?
If you are having LASIK you will be escorted to the laser suite where I will explain each step of the procedure to you. You will be offered a sedative tablet beforehand in case you feel anxious. The computer will be programmed with the exact amount of vision correction needed for you and you will lie on a comfortable couch for the procedure which only takes 10-15 minutes. The eye is anaesthetised with drops (no injections are involved) and you will be totally awake during the procedure. You will not feel any pain. Afterwards a dressing will be placed over your eye and you will relax in a chair before leaving. You will not be able to drive home so please bring someone with you or alternatively we will arrange a taxi. You can remove the dressing a few hours afterwards. The arrangements are different if you are having Intacs, a Lensectomy or the Artisan.

It is important that you do not wear contact lenses before your treatment. This is because contact lenses often cause subtle changes in the shape of your cornea.

Soft Contact Lenses - 1 Week
Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses - 2 Weeks
Hard (PMMA) Contact Lenses - 3 Weeks

One Or Both Eyes?
If you are having LASIK you can choose to have either one eye corrected at a time or both eyes simultaneously. There are advantages and disadvantages of both approaches which I will discuss with you during the consultation.

Other techniques such as Intacs, Lensectomy or the Artisan Lens are usually done one eye at a time with a 2-4 week gap.

How Long Does It Take For My Sight To Recover?
The time it takes for your vision to return to normal depends mostly on the type of treatment you have had although some patients stabilise more quickly than others. LASIK recovers very quickly - your sight may be excellent within a day or so although there is often ongoing improvement for weeks or even months after the treatment. Intacs also recovers quickly, although this is slower than after LASIK and fluctuations in vision can occur for at least a week or two after treatment.

What Is The Follow Up After Vision Correction?
Your follow up schedule will depend on your treatment, for example after LASIK you will be seen during the first week after surgery and then about a month later.

What Are The Risks?
The vast majority of patients do not experience any complications. However as with any form of surgery, there are possible risks and side effects of vision correction that you must take into account before deciding to proceed. I will discuss the subject with you in detail when you have your assessment. You will be asked to read and sign a consent form before your surgery. I am always prepared to answer your questions and to discuss with you any anxieties that you may have.

Does It Hurt?
No. You may have a scratchy feeling for a while after the procedure.

What Anaesthetic Is Used?
LASIK is always done with anaesthetic eye drops whilst you are awake. No injections or general (sleeping) anaesthetics are needed. The other techniques (Intacs, Lensectomy and the Artisan Intraocular Lens) may be done under either general or local anaesthetic.

Will I be bruised afterwards?
No.

Is Vision Correction Permanent?
Yes. Once your eye has settled from the procedure the correction is permanent. LASIK settles quickly, sometimes within one day although further, gradual improvement may occur for up to several months. Intacs settles between one and a few days although fluctuations in vision can occur for up to two weeks or so. These are usually mild. Lensectomy and the Artisan Intraocular Lens also settle between one and a few days although full healing takes up to about a month.

Remember that your glasses or contact lens prescription should be stable before vision correction. If the prescription is changing it means your eye is still growing and some change in the focus of your eye may occur after the treatment because of this.

What If I have A Very High Correction?
The range of LASIK is up to about –9 dioptres of combined short sight and astigmatism and +4 dioptres of combined long sight and astigmatism, so it may be used to treat most people (‘dioptre’ is the unit used to measure focusing error). Check your opticians glasses prescription – the amount of short sight is the first numeral and the astigmatism is the second numeral. If these two numbers add up to more than LASIK will treat, you will need either a Lensectomy or the Artisan Intraocular Lens.

What If I Have Only A Small Amount Of Short Sight?
If you have only a small amount of short sight (up to –3.0 dioptres) and not much astigmatism, you may wish to have the Intacs system. These are gentle to the eye as no tissue is taken away from the eye and the Intacs are removable if necessary. LASIK may also be done if you are about –1 dioptres or more short sighted. It may be possible to have only one eye corrected, depending on your prescription – I will discuss this with you during the consultation.

What If I Am Long Sighted?
LASIK corrects long sight up to about 4 dioptres and also some extra astigmatism. Check your opticians glasses prescription - the amount of long-sight is the first numeral and the astigmatism is the second numeral. More than 4 dioptres of long-sight requires a different method of vision correction - I will discuss this with you during the consultation.

What If I Have Astigmatism?
LASIK corrects astigmatism very well. The exact amount that can be corrected varies from person to person - I will discuss this with you during the consultation.

Can I Get Out Of Wearing Reading Glasses?
Almost everyone needs reading glasses after the age of about 45. However it may be possible to become free of readers (or bifocals/varifocals) using a method called monovision. The vision correction procedure is performed in such a way as to leave one eye slightly short sighted, enabling it to see close objects without reading glasses. Monovision will not work for everyone – I will discuss this with you during the consultation. If you are having a Lensectomy it is often possible to use a "multifocal" intraocular lens which will help you to read as well as see clearly in the distance.