LASIK laser eye surgery: Procedure, Results and Recovery

It can be daunting, trying to find the right solution to your eyesight problems. There are so many options available and a range of consultants and hospitals ready to help, so what do you chose?

To help you make a well-informed choice we have put together the key points of Blade Free LASIK laser eye surgery.

Firstly, what is LASIK?

LASIK is the worlds most common form of elective vision correction surgery as it is quick, painless and it can treat short-sight (myopia), long-sight (hyperopia) and astigmatism.

The main aim of LASIK is to use a special laser to precisely change the shape of your cornea. When your retinal surface is slightly bent, this causes the light rays to not be properly absorbed by the eye, which causes blurred vision. The objective of having a laser eye surgery is to correct this bend and therefore give the same eye correction as glasses or contact lenses, by reshaping the cornea itself.

Key points

• Quick and painless (procedure time 20-30 minutes).
• Rapid results, with patients often seeing well the next day.
• 92-98% of patients achieve their desired vision after LASIK treatment and complete satisfaction.
• No blades or stitches required.
• It is one of the safest procedures performed today.

The procedure

• Local anaesthetic eye drops are applied to both eyes (this will ensure you don’t feel anything throughout the procedure)
• The femtosecond laser is used to create a thin flap on the surface of the cornea.
• The flap is then gently lifted.
• The excimer laser is then used to reshape the cornea. An average 3 diopter treatments need less than 6 seconds of laser application.
• The flap is gently replaced and aligned back into its original position.
• The flap will heal naturally and no stitches are required.

Results and recovery

Following your successful treatment, you will start your recovery and be given a set of eye drops that reduce the risk of any infections or inflammation. These will generally last for the first 4 weeks, however, some patients may require lubrication drops for a little longer.

You will be able to see immediately after surgery, vision will improve over the first 24 hours but in some cases, the full results of improved vision may take slightly longer, potentially up to 4-12 weeks.

You will have a follow-up appointment one or two days after surgery to ensure the flap is healing correctly. You can continue to have follow-up’s until the eyes are fully stable. After this you will remain under our care for 2 years following your treatment, we positively encourage our patients to stay in touch and let us know if any problems arise.

Although the treatment is painless, the eyes may feel gritty following the procedure, this will ease with time and the eye drops will help to soothe this.

For further information, you can visit our LASIK treatment page with all the details of the procedure, lasers and general information or alternatively you can request your consultation here