Can both eyes be treated at the same time?
Yes, we even recommend that both eyes be treated at the same time, as this will speed up the healing process. The risks of diversion of refraction between both eyes are minimized this way.
How long does the treatment take? Is the treatment painful?
The procedure takes 10 minutes in all. Treatment per each eye takes 3-4 minutes. Before treatment, anesthetic eye drops are put in the patient’s eye to numb the eye so that the patient will not feel anything during treatment.
What happens if I blink or move my eye during treatment?
During treatment you cannot possibly close, blink or move your eyes during the whole treatment, because your eye is held open with a special eyelid hook. However it is normal for your eye to move slightly during the procedure, but the laser device has a built-in eye tracker to monitor these movements. The tracking device aligns the laser beam depending on your eye movements so that procedure may run normally and without any errors.
What am I supposed not to do after the treatment?
- It is recommended not to wipe, scratch or wash your eye or take a shower or touch your eyes with your hands for a period of up to 24 hours after the treatment. Thereafter, you should be careful to avoid soap or shampoo getting into your eyes when you wash yourself.
- You are not allowed to wear any eye makeup for a week after the treatment.
- You are not allowed to go to the swimming pool or to the beach earlier than 20 days after the treatment. You must protect your eyes for 4 weeks.
- After you get approval from your eye doctor one month after the treatment you are allowed to wear cosmetic contact lenses.
How often should I come for an eye check? Should I use medication after treatment?
Eye checks after treatment will last three months. After laser treatment, you will have a first check done on the first day, the second day, the first week, the first month and after 3 months after the treatment. You should come to the hospital for your eye checks according to the appointments and use the medication as prescribed.
Can I avoid developing amblyopia in the future, or will I contact other related eye disease?
The goal of laser treatment is to help you see clearly without wearing eye lenses or glasses. Laser treatment does not treat a “lazy eye”, nor does it interfere with any other future treatments for other eye diseases (such as cataracts).
What complications should I expect to develop after laser treatment? For example, is there any risk that I become blind or develop eye disorders in 20 years?
If the next day after the treatment the eye doctor finds that the corneal layer is not entirely smooth or if there was an allergic reaction in the eye, the doctor will flush your eye and ask you to come back the next day for a check up. Lasik is a lamellar surgery. Lamellar refractive surgery was introduced in 1949. So far there were no problems reported by patients in the long run.
Will I need reading glasses after treatment?
Wearing reading glasses at the age of 40-45 is the result of a physiological process that we do not treat. If you are 40 years old or more, you may need reading glasses after treatment. If you are 40 years old or more, you will get more information on this issue from your ophthalmologist.