Laser Eye Surgery

Short Answer: From a few seconds to 2 minutes.

You’ll be in the laser suite for approximately 15 – 20 minutes, although this can take longer depending on your circumstances. The actual laser is usually only used in short bursts of a few seconds at a time until the desired effect is achieved.

Short Answer: It varies, but you could notice the improvements immediately.

The majority of patients notice a significant improvement to their eyesight within 24 hours. By the end of your recovery period, which can last from around 2-7 days depending on the treatment type, you’ll experience a vast improvement in your vision.

Short Answer: Normally within 48 Hours for LASIK, up to 7 days for LASEK.

Your recovery period depends on the type of laser eye surgery you’ve had and your recovery rate. Most LASIK surgery patients have normal vision and can return within 24-48 hours after surgery, while those who have LASEK treatments may take up to a week to recover. Your surgeon will tell you beforehand how much time you’ll need to take off.

Short Answer: It is painless but may get uncomfortable at some stages.

Strictly speaking, laser eye surgery is a painless procedure, but there are some stages which some patients might find uncomfortable. Let’s discuss these stages:

First, the surgeon will put anesthetic eye drops in the eye to be treated to make it numb. Once the anesthetic has taken effect, the surgeon will place a speculum on the eye to keep it open. Some patients have reported feeling a slight discomfort during this step.

Depending on the type of laser surgery, the surgeon will either scrape off the epithelial cells (for LASEK and LASIK ) or cut and peel back a flap over the cornea (LASEK and LASIK). Some patients experience a slight pressure on their eye while this is being done. Once the cornea is exposed, the surgeon will focus a laser beam on the cornea in order to reshape it. Some patients report feeling a slight painless pressure while the laser is being beamed onto their eye, but this takes less than a minute. The flap is then replaced for a LASEK or LASIK patient.

After the procedure, a LASIK patient will be given eye drops to prevent dryness and infection and possibly an eye patch for protection. A LASEK or a LASIK patient will have a soft contact lens put on their eye to protect it during the healing process.

The patient may feel dryness and a mild stinging sensation which can be managed with painkillers and goes away after a few days.

Short Answer: Presbyopia, Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism.

Laser eye surgery, also known as vision correction or refractive surgery, refers to the handful of treatments used to correct refractive errors. In recent years, technology in this field has advanced dramatically meaning more severe prescriptions can be treated and the results are better than ever. The main refractive erros treated are Presbyopia, Myopia (also known as short sightedness), Hyperopia (also known as long sightedness) and Astigmatism. The majority of these surgeries involve reshaping the clear, front part of your eye (the cornea), as it’s this that’s responsible for letting light through and focusing it on the back of your eye (the retina).

Other procedures will replace the natural lens of your eye and this guide will hopefully answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the various types refractive laser eye surgery treatments available in the UK.  

Short Answer: More than 95% of patients report being satisfied with the results.

Followup surveys across multiple clinics in the UK indicate that more than 95% of patients report being satisfied with the results they’ve had through their surgery, even going as far as deeming it ‘life-changing’.

There’s also very little pain (if any) associated with these types of procedures, and for the majority of laser eye surgery patients, vision returns to normal (and is noticeably improved) within a few days of the surgery.

In the UK, regression occurs among only 5% of laser eye surgery patients. People who are likely to have regression are those with high prescriptions and/or are longsighted.

Laser eye surgery treats such a wide range of sight problems that most patients are suitable for it. There are some conditions, however, that a patient must meet to be considered eligible for laser eye surgery:

The patient must be 21 or above, with a prescription that has been stable for at least one year.

The patient must not be pregnant or breastfeeding, as hormonal changes are likely to affect eyesight.

Patients who are suffering from diabetes or glaucoma and other eye conditions will need to see an eye specialist first in order to see if they can undergo laser eye surgery.

If you are deemed unsuitable for laser eye surgery there are still alternative eye treatments that can cure longsightedness, shortsightedness, astigmatism, cataracts, presbyopia and keratoconus.

Short Answer: You need to be at least 21 years old.

A patient needs to be at least 21 years old to undergo laser eye surgery. The eyes of anyone younger than this may still be developing, and their prescription may change.

Laser eye clinics will normally require sight test results to show that a patient’s prescription hasn’t changed for at least one year before they consider that patient for laser eye surgery.

As a general rule, laser eye surgery tends not to be suitable for those ages 40 and over. After this point and through the natural aging process, your vision and prescription may begin to change, and would therefore see little benefit from laser eye surgery. After this point and when your eyes have settled, patients can benefit from refractive lens exchange to help fix refractive errors. As each patient is unique, we always recommend contacting us to seek further guidance.

Short Answer: Yes

Astigmatism can be treated but it can be quite a challenge to fix as the irregular shape of the cornea requires more than a straightforward solution. One of the best (and most popular) laser eye treatments for astigmatism is LASIK using wavefront (or similar technology), as it can be more precise in correcting the irregularities on the cornea. Your surgeon will decide after consultation which procedure will be the best one for your astigmatism.