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

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 - using 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.

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. LASIK surgery is also much more reliable than PRK or LASEK surgery with higher degrees of sight correction (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). To learn more about LASIK surgery, contact our London laser eye practice today.

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Wave-front LASIK Eye Surgery

We now have access to wave-front LASIK eye surgery technology at our London laser eye practice. Wave-front LASIK is a technology that was previously used for other scientific applications, but has recently been applied to refractive surgery. Wave-front LASIK eye surgery allows us to create an individualized map of your eyes' optics, which enables us to better correct your sight. This makes the LASIK eye surgery procedure completely customised to your eyes and reduces the occurrence of side effects like glare and poor night vision. Contact Mr Steven Bailey to learn more about receiving this cutting edge form of refractive surgery at our London laser eye practice.

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

For patients who are unsuitable for LASIK surgery, we offer PRK and LASEK surgery at our London laser eye practice. PRK and LASEK both involve sculpting the corneal material that is directly beneath the outer skin of the eye. The two refractive procedures differ only slightly and the outcomes are similar. After undergoing either type of refractive surgery at our London centre, patients are asked to wear a bandage contact lens to protect the treated eye.

It has been proposed that LASEK surgery would give better results than PRK, but this has been disproved in controlled clinical trials. Both refractive surgery procedures can be used for correcting myopia up to three or four dioptres, astigmatism up to two or three dioptres, and hyperopia up to one or two dioptres. It is possible to treat more dioptres, but with a lower degree of safety and reliability.

To learn more about refractive surgery procedures such as LASIK, PRK, and LASEK surgery, contact our London laser eye practice today.

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