From the beginning of your eye examination
A personalized approach to selecting the right treatment for you!
After very carefully examining your eyes using the latest state-of-the-art equipment, we carefully consider your results as well as your unique lifestyle – including wearing glasses or lenses, your occupation, and your post-operative needs. Then we work with you to select the very best surgical option from a huge range of available procedures.
I don’t want to wear glasses, but I can’t wear contact lenses either!
How about vision correction surgery?
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1. What is vision correction surgery?
Vision corrective surgery (sometimes called refractive surgery) describes the surgical procedures that correct common vision problems like nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism and presbyopia.
LASIK and LASEK are procedures which work by reshaping the cornea using an excimer laser, to allow light entering the eye to be properly focused onto the retina for clearer vision without glasses or contact lenses.
Another type of vision correction surgery is intraocular lens implantation, where an artificial lens is placed inside the eye to replace the focusing power of the natural lens.
Q2. How is LASIK different from LASEK?
Both LASIK and LASEK are procedures which use a laser to reshape the parenchyma inside the cornea, but the process to exposes the inside of the cornea is different for each.
In LASIK, the surgeon uses a femtosecond laser to create a corneal flap to reach the mid-layer of the cornea. On the other hand, during LASEK the epithelium of the cornea is removed, while the mid-layer is reshaped underneath.
For LASIK surgery, recovery is faster and less painful thank LASEK because after the procedure to reshape the cornea, the flap is returned to its original position and serves as a natural bandage to keep the eye comfortable as it heals. After LASEK, the epithelium must be regrown which is somewhat more painful and recovery may be slower. In the first week, vision tends to be hazier with LASEK than LASIK too.
Q3. Is LASIK better surgery because the recovery is faster?
LASIK and LASEK both have high success rates and similar vision outcomes. One is not necessarily better than the other, but there are pros and cons to both which need to be carefully considered on a case by case basis. LASIK surgery has a faster recovery time, but the creation of a corneal flap is only suitable for some patients.
Therefore, if your cornea is a little thinner, or there is a higher degree of myopia, or your cornea has scars or scratches, we recommend LASEK rather than LASIK.
Q4. How is 'SMILE LASIK' different from LASIK and LASEK?
Unlike LASIK and LASEK, which cut the cornea with a laser, SMILE LASIK is the most minimally invasive of the vision correction procedures to reshape lenticular lens with minimal disruption to the cornea. It is sometimes called the 3rd generation of laser eye surgery.
Q5. How is SMILE LASIK possible while maintaining the surface of the cornea?
SMILE LASIK uses a kind of keyhole surgery approach to penetrate the surface of the cornea using a special laser called a femtosecond laser. The thickness of the lenticular lens is skillfully shaped by the surgeon and the lenticule is extracted through a 3 mm corneal micro- tunnel while keeping the surface of the cornea relatively intact.
Q6. What are the advantages of SMILE LASIK over conventional surgery?
SMILE LASIK preserves the anterior aspect of the cornea, without needing a corneal cover, or peeling off the surface of the cornea. It makes this procedure less painful than LASIK or LASEK and maintains the stability and structure of the cornea better. The impact on the corneal nerve is minimized so the severity and incidence of dry eye syndrome is reduced.
All of this allows you to return to your daily life quickly, so activities like washing your face, showering and wearing makeup are all possible within a very short time. If you enjoy swimming, surfing or scuba diving, this surgery may be the best option for you.
Q7. What are the disadvantages of SMILE LASIK?
The equipment used to preform SMILE LASIK is quite expensive, and the procedure requires a high level of surgical skill, training and experience, which means that the procedure is more expensive than LASIK and LASEK vision correction surgery.
It is also true that after SMILE LASIK it can take longer to fully recover your vision than with LASIK, but the recovery time really can be different for every patient. Because SMILE LASIK is still a type of corneal surgery, there is a small possibility that further procedures may be needed if your eyes change after the operation. However, right now there are only a few degrees of correction for SMILE LASIK, so if your eyes do change after the procedure, further correction will need to be performed using the standard LASEK approach.
Q8. Can long-sighted people have SMILE LASIK?
So far SMILE LASIK is only available to correct short-sightedness from about -2.50 up to about -10 (including any astigmatism you may have). Unlike LASIK, SMILE LASIK cannot currently treat long-sightedness or replace reading glasses where uncorrected distance vision is good.