LASIK
Most Popular Form of Laser Eye Surgery.
History of Success
Pain Free
Easy Recovery
Freedom From Glasses
What is LASIK?
Patients presenting with visual impairments can avail of a large number of refractive procedures. However, LASIK eye surgery has emerged as one of the most popular forms of treatment. As one of the most commonly practiced laser surgeries, results of LASIK procedures are overwhelmingly successful, with the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery indicating a 96% success rate.
LASIK is one of the most popular forms of refractive surgery, and is used to correct a range of eye conditions including short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism. An abbreviation of ‘laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis’, the procedure entails a reshaping of the cornea, allowing light to focus upon the retina for improved vision results.
The Procedure
What is Cairs?
Cathedral Eye Clinic are proud to be the only clinic in Ireland offering the CAIRS procedure. CAIRS offers a safer, less invasive option for treating keratoconus. It provides significant vision and shape improvement while keeping future treatment options open. For those with keratoconus, CAIRS is a revolutionary solution with quick recovery and fewer risks compared to traditional surgeries
CAIRS stands for Corneal Allogenic Intrastromal Ring Segments. It’s a treatment for keratoconus, a condition where the cornea (the clear window at the front of the eye) gets thin and cone-shaped, causing blurry vision. In CAIRS, small segments of human donor cornea tissue are placed into the patient’s cornea to help reshape and strengthen it.
Benefits of LASIK
LASIK Eye Surgery offers many benefits, including:
- A History of Success: LASIK has been successfully practised since 1990, and has been highlighted as offering improved vision results for 96% of patients.
- Pain-Free: LASIK is widely recognised as a relatively painless treatment thanks to the use of local anaesthetic.
- Freedom From Glasses: The vast majority of LASIK patients enjoy life without glasses or contact lenses.
LASIK Procedure
Below is a guide to the LASIK procedure.
World's Most Popular Laser Eye Surgery
What To Expect
In the majority of cases, LASIK procedures are very brief, with 10-20 minutes spent treating both eyes. An attractive element of this form of surgery is its relatively painless nature, combined with the fact that results can be enjoyed nearly immediately thanks to a rapid recovery period (this normally spans over a few days).
Your LASIK procedure involves the creation of a corneal flap by making a small incision. Following this, the flap is gently peeled back before the corneal tissue is reshaped using a laser. It is important to bear in mind that this procedure is delivered under local anaesthetic, normally administered via eye drops (a mild sedative may be offered – so it may be worth asking someone to drive you home after the procedure).
World's Most Popular Laser Eye Surgery
Outcomes
- Proven track record: This procedure has been successfully practiced on eyes around the world since 1990, offering improved vision results to over 96% of patients.
- Painless: LASIK laser eye surgery has been highlighted as a comparatively pain free procedure due to the employment of local anaesthetic.
- Speedy recovery: No bandages, no stitches and a small incision make LASIK’s recovery period quick and manageable.
- Increased confidence & new lease of life: Most patients who have received LASIK go on to continue their life without prescription glasses or contact lenses.
Treatment journey
Your 5 step journey to visual excellence.
Stage 1
Initial assessment
A thorough and in-depth initial assessment is performed to determine if you are a suitable candidate for your preferred treatment
Stage 2
Meet your consultant
At this meeting with your Surgeon, we will identify and discuss a recommended, fully personalised treatment pathway.
Stage 3
Finalise your treatment
You’ll meet our Patient Care Manager to discuss treatment details and financial arrangements during your visit.
Stage 4
Have your treatment
On your procedure day, our Nurse and Clinical Team ensure your comfort, making the virtually painless surgery a swift experience.
Stage 5
Comprehensive aftercare
Our aftercare package ensures safety and successful treatment, including one year of post-treatment care for select laser eye surgery procedure.
Common questions
Here are some frequently asked questions from laser eye patients just like you.
In the vast majority of cases, the procedure is totally painless, and there is little or no discomfort. Immediately after the procedure, your eye may feel a little gritty and sore, and your vision can be a bit misty. However, the eye will rapidly begin to heal and recover over the next few days.
Generally speaking, complications associated with laser refractive surgery are extremely rare. When they do occur, in the vast majority of cases, we can manage them well. The main symptom that patients experience is dry eye. Again, in the vast majority of cases, by the three-month mark, the symptoms will have totally resolved. We can usually treat the dry eye with drops or other medications that can alleviate the symptoms.
Here at Cathedral Eye Clinic, we’re one of the only eye clinics in Ireland that can offer laser surgery to correct presbyopia. Presbyopia is the condition that all patients will typically experience between the ages of about 45 and 60, where we lose our reading vision. Traditionally, this has been approached using lens replacement surgery. However, here at Cathedral Eye, we offer a laser corrective procedure, a refractive procedure that blends your vision to provide both distance vision and near vision without the need for invasive lens surgery.
Typically, following your laser refractive procedure, recovery time is very fast, and the vast majority of patients usually resume their normal day-to-day activities within just a few days of the procedure. There will be some limitations that we will provide advice and information about, including what to avoid and what you can or can’t do. But generally speaking, recovery times are extremely short.
Depending on the precise type of refractive procedure you undertake, your age at the time of the procedure, and your prescription, in the vast majority of cases, your prescription will remain stable for many years after the surgery. In a small proportion of cases, you may require an enhancement or a touch-up surgery at some point. Additionally, if you develop a cataract, you may need lens surgery to maintain your prescription.
There is a small proportion of patients who won’t be suitable for SMILE laser eye surgery. This may be based on your prescription or other factors, such as having a very thin cornea or other medical conditions that could make SMILE surgery unsafe. Generally speaking, we perform laser surgery on patients after the age of 21. The main reason is that we want their prescription for glasses and contact lenses to be as stable as possible before performing the surgery to obtain a more accurate result.