Laser Vision Correction - Traditional LASIK, PRK, LASEK Surgery and More at Our London Laser Eye Practice

Whether you are short-sighted, long-sighted, astigmatic or just need reading glasses (presbyopic), we can help.

Mr Bailey uses the latest Carl Zeiss Meditec MEL 80 refractive laser, and VisuMax femtosecond laser. These are 'state of the art' machines with a proven record for safety and accuracy.

Custom Laser Vision Correction

The original optical properties of the cornea need to be taken into account in designing a corrective laser treatment, otherwise visual quality may be degraded causing side-effects like glare and poor night vision. Some lasers change the shape of the cornea in an arbitrary way that is unsympathetic to the original optics. In contrast, the MEL 80 is designed to produce an optimum corneal shape that will preserve visual quality.

We can also perform vision correction using either maps of the eyes optics (wave-front guided) or maps of the shape of the surface of the eye (topographic guided) at our London laser eye practice. Wave-front technology matches the treatment to an individual eye by taking account of all the optical properties. This can help better correct the sight of some eyes. We use topographic guided treatment where the surface of the eye has been distorted, for example by injury or other surgery.

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LASIK (Laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis)

LASIK is the mainstay of modern refractive surgery. When performing LASIK at our London practice, we first raise a thin flap of corneal tissue—usually with a special laser called a 'femtosecond' laser or occasionally with a surgical instrument called a microkeratome—and then reshape the underlying corneal tissue with a laser beam. The corneal flap is then replaced. The surface skin of the eye is not disturbed in LASIK eye surgery because it is attached to the flap.

'All-laser LASIK', where the flap is made with a femtosecond laser, is preferred for most treatments for reasons of safety and accuracy. However, a few treatments call for the use of  a microkeratome. Mr Bailey will discuss with you which is best for your eyes at your first consultation.

The advantages of LASIK eye surgery are that minimal, if any, discomfort follows the procedure. The visual recovery is very fast, with most people meeting the driving standard in about twenty-four hours. Final visual stability is usually reached within a few days, although there may be a very small change over a couple of months or so. Up to approximately 12 dioptres of myopia with or without astigmatism and about four dioptres of hyperopia with or without astigmatism may be treatable, depending on the individual. Contact our London laser eye practice to learn more about LASIK surgery.

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PRK (Photorefractive keratectomy) and LASEK (laser assisted sub-epithelial keratomileusis)

For patients who are unsuitable for LASIK surgery, we offer surface treatment at our London laser eye practice. PRK, LASEK and epi-LASIK are all surface treatments that differ from one another only in detail. All involve sculpting the corneal material that is directly beneath the surface skin of the eye. After undergoing this type of refractive surgery at our London centre, patients are asked to wear a bandage contact lens to protect the treated eye for a few days.

Surface refractive surgery procedures can be used with confidence for correcting myopia up to four dioptres, astigmatism up to three dioptres, and hyperopia up to two dioptres. It is possible to treat more dioptres, but generally less reliably than with LASIK. Visual recovery is slower than with LASIK so it is usually sensible to treat one eye at a time.

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Contact Our Practice

Whichever method is appropriate for your eyes, Mr Bailey will carry through the entire process himself; from first consultation to final follow-up because we believe that this is the safest and most dependable way. To learn more about refractive surgery procedures such as LASIK, PRK, LASEK and epi-LASIK surgery, contact our London laser eye practice