What you should know before deciding on surgery
Which procedures are available?
How do you know which procedure is right for you?
How should I prepare for surgery?
What is the difference between the standard LASIK, and
computer-guided or “customized” LASIK?
What are the long-term effects?
Can presbyopia be corrected with LASIK surgery?
Can I have surgery on both eyes at the same time?
If I have only one eye corrected at a time, what happens
between the two surgeries?
Can I have surgery while I am pregnant?
Can I wear glasses or contact lenses after surgery?
Can I have surgery for other vision disorders, such as cataracts
or glaucoma, if I had LASIK surgery?
Which procedures are available?
We offer the entire spectrum of surgical options for vision correction.
Our surgeons are experienced in all treatments and techniques and have
the latest technology at their disposal. Click here for a list of available
procedures.
How do you know which procedure is right for
you?
Different procedures are performed for different refractive errors.
After receiving an extensive examination, each individual patient has
the opportunity to discuss which procedure(s) are best for them with one
of our surgeons. To find out quickly which procedure is suitable for which
individual refractive error, click
here.
During your first visit to ALZ, you will receive a thorough (2-3 hours)
eye examination, followed by a consultation with one of our surgeons.
Together, the two of you will discuss the results of your examination,
as well as your expectations and concerns, and select the most appropriate
surgical procedure(s) for your specific needs.
If you decide to have the surgical procedure(s) done in our clinic, you
will receive an appointment, usually one to three weeks later.
What is the difference between the standard LASIK, and
computer-guided or “customized” LASIK?
The actual surgery is the same for all 3 LASIK procedures. The difference
is in the measurement of refractive errors prior to surgery.
Standard LASIK
In the standard LASIK procedure, the targeted change in the refractive
power of the cornea is based on subjective refraction - a determination
of the refractive error by the patient’s choice of corrective lenses
during the pre-operative eye examination. More…
Topolink LASIK or customized ablation
This LASIK procedure the targeted change is based on a combination of
subjective refraction and a topographic image of the corneal surface.
The goal is to optimize visual correction by eliminating corneal irregularities.
More…
Wavefront LASIK
A Wavefront or Aberrometer-guided LASIK procedure aims to correct the
combined refractive error resulting from the optical system of the eye
as a whole: the cornea, the lens and the vitreous body. More…
What are the long-term effects?
Controlled studies have been published since the late 1980's.
The LASIK procedure has been used since 1991 and is well established in
ophthalmologic care. It is expected that the result attained a few months
after surgery will remain stable.
Can presbyopia be corrected with LASIK surgery?
No. To date, there is no surgical procedure to correct presbyopia,
but research has shown promising results for future treatments. With advancing
age, the human lens looses its ability to automatically change shape in
order to focus correctly on images at different distances (presbyopia).
Beginning somewhere between the ages of 40 to 50, most people will need
reading glasses to see objects sharply at a close distance.
Can I have surgery on both eyes at the same time?
Yes! We you can elect to have LASIK surgery on both eyes on the
same day. However, in case of any possible complications, both eyes might
then be affected. Other refractive surgical procedures (ICL, ICR, PRK/PTK)
require a longer waiting period between eyes (see next question).
If I have only one eye corrected at a time, what
happens between the two surgeries?
During the waiting period between surgeries, the difference in
refractive power between the corrected eye and the uncorrected eye needs
to be compensated. This should be discussed with your ophthalmologist.
LASIK surgery can usually be performed on two consecutive days. Therefore,
no special considerations are necessary. When the period of time between
surgeries is longer (as in the following treatments ICL, ICR, PRK / PTK),
the following should be observed:
If you wear contact lenses, you can easily pass this time by continuing
to wear your contact lens on the uncorrected eye. Keep in mind, however,
that depending on the type of procedure you will receive, contact lenses
should not be worn 2 - 3 weeks prior to surgery.
If you wear eyeglasses, you could either continue wearing your glasses
after the surgery and have a blurry image on the corrected eye or not
use eyeglasses and have unfocused vision on the uncorrected eye. Unfortunately,
there is no magic solution in this case.
The choice of procedure and the scheduling of surgery will take into consideration
just how problematic this may prove to be for the individual patient.
There are no known adverse side effects on pregnancy from either refractive
surgery or postoperative treatment. However, as a precautionary measure,
we do not recommend having refractive surgery during pregnancy.
Can I wear glasses or contact lenses after surgery?
Whether or not eyeglasses or contact lenses are "needed"
after surgery is largely determined by the patient's vision needs. Surgical
correction does not normally produce perfect vision (a refractive error
of exactly 0.0 diopter), even under ideal conditions. The goal of surgery
is to free the patient from being dependent on corrective lenses. In almost
all cases, surgery can sufficient correct a patient's vision for the normal
enjoyment of everyday life. Under special conditions, such as driving
at night, patients might choose to wear minor prescription eyeglasses.
After all procedures of refractive surgery, contact lenses may be worn
as well. However, with corneal procedures, fitting will become technically
more difficult because of the altered shape of the cornea.
Patient will still need reading glasses at the onset of presbyopia (starting
between the ages of 40-50). The development of presbyopia is a natural
process that affects all people regardless of whether or not they have
always had normal vision or whether or not they have had corrective eye
surgery.
Can I have surgery for other vision disorders, such as
cataracts or glaucoma, if I had LASIK surgery?
The treatment of age-related ophthalmologic disorders such as
cataracts or glaucoma is not affected by previous LASIK surgery. You could
have surgery on a LASIK corrected eye just as you would on an uncorrected
eye.
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