The surgery is done as an out-patient procedure and
takes about an hour.
Local anaesthetic drops are placed in the eye being
treated.
A knife is used to cut a flap in the cornea.
A hinge is left at one end of this flap.
The flap is folded back to reveal the middle part of
the cornea. Pulses from a laser vaporise a portion of
this and the flap is replaced.
An eye patch is usually worn over the treated eye for
24 hours.
How does this improve vision?
People need to wear glasses for different reasons.
Some people are said to be short-sighted or myopic. This
is due to the cornea being too steeply curved or the eye
longer than normal.
Therefore, light rays fall in short of the retina -
the area at the back of the eye that interprets the
image - and results in blurred distance vision.
Other people are long-sighted or hyperopic because
their cornea is too flat or the eye is too short. This
means that the light rays focus too far beyond the
retina.
Others have a condition where the cornea is oval
shaped rather than spherical, called astigmatism. This
produces two different focal points which can blur
images at all distances.
Laser surgery to reshape the cornea can help to
correct these problems.
Will it help with age-related vision loss?
No.
Laser surgery will not be able to cure age-related
presbyopia and the need for reading glasses that people
often develop in their mid-40's.
This is because presbyopia is not to do with a
problem with the cornea. Instead, it occurs when the
lens becoming less flexible with age.
Where can I get it?
Private treatment usually costs £1000-1500 per eye
and is available at some NHS hospitals.
What are the risks?
Complications occur in less than 5% of cases,
according to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
Some people have a problem with dry eyes in the
months after surgery and artificial tear supplements
might be needed in the long term.
Many patients have experienced glare or halo effects
when night driving, particularly just after treatment.
This is more likely the higher the correction that has
been made, but is rarely severe.
In rare cases, excessive thinning of the eye wall can
cause the shape of the eye to be unstable after
treatment. Severe loss of vision is very unusual, but
some patients could require corneal surgery or hard
contact lenses to restore vision, it said.
Can both eyes be done on the same day?
Yes, but your consultant should outline the risks. In
order to reduce the risk of cross contamination should
complications arise, each eye should be treated as
separate procedure.
How long will it take me to recover?
Most patients have a reasonably comfortable period
after surgery and are back at work within a few days to
a week.
Depending on the vision correction attempted, driving
may be unsafe for one to two weeks. Tinted glasses with
ultraviolet protection are needed when out in the sun
for the first three months.
