What Happens on your Treatment Day?

It is natural to feel nervous, anxious or excited prior to your surgical procedure. Please do not wear eye make-up, perfume or cologne on the day of your surgery, as it will affect the laser performance. For your own safety, surgery will be cancelled if make-up is present. Also, please do not use any hair products that contain alcohol such as hair spray or mousse.
Do not wear high-heeled shoes, as you may feel slightly unsteady after laser surgery, as after any other procedure.

Please remember to bring someone with you and pre-arrange transportation after your surgery, because your eyes will be irritated and sensitive to light. This usually dissipates within 24 hours after treatment. We also recommend avoiding alcohol 24 hours prior to and 48 hours after your surgery, as this tends to dehydrate the tissues.

Wear comfortable clothing on your surgery day, and avoid clothing such as wool that may generate lint in the surgical suite. In consideration of others, and to ensure your visit is as comfortable as possible, please do not bring young children/infants with you to the clinic.

When you arrive on the day of your surgery, expect to be at the clinic for approximately two hours. You will be asked to fill out a patient consent form. Once the forms are completed you will then meet with one of our surgical counsellors who will go over the take-home drops and what you can and can't do after surgery.

You will be required to return to our clinic within 24 hours after your surgery for your first (mandatory) post-operative appointment. Your appointment time will be given to you immediately after your surgery.

Your Laser Eye Treatment

For LASIK:
After applying anaesthetic eye drops to numb the eye, your doctor will use a small device to fashion a micro-thin, hinged layer in the top part of the cornea. This layer is then gently retracted.

For LASEK:
After applying anaesthetic eye drops to numb the eye, your doctor will apply a dilute solution to soften the surface skin cells and then gently slide them to one side to fashion a micro-thin, hinged skin layer. This layer is then gently retracted.

For LASIK and LASEK:
Next, the WaveLight excimer laser will have been programmed especially for your prescription. The doctor uses the laser to reshape cornea to the desired degree of curvature. The laser treatment is tracked by an infra-red video camera 400 times per second, and the laser will follow any movements of your eye for complete accuracy.
If you happen to move your eyes off to the side for a second, the laser will stop so that no irregular reshaping of your cornea takes place.

The LASIK or LASEK thin layer is carefully replaced and the eye's natural suction enables it to adhere without the need for stitches. The entire procedure takes less than 15 minutes for both eyes and is remarkably pain-free.

As a patient, all that is required of you is to lie down beneath the microscope of the laser and look at a green fixation light for a minute or two. A spring-like device called a lid speculum will be positioned in your eye to keep your eyelids open during the procedure. A mild sedative can be given preoperatively if you are especially anxious or nervous. For LASIK, visual recovery is very quick with most patients seeing well the very next day without eyeglasses. LASEK patients, however, may take up to 5 or 6 days to achieve good vision

For more detailed information, click here to request an information package.