Treatments and costs /

Laser Eye Treatment Types

LASIK is a procedure that has two parts: -

1. To make a thin layer at the top of the cornea which can be gently folded to the side followed by...
2. Then applying a cool laser to reshape the cornea to correct the need for glasses. The layer is then replaced and heals back in place.

M-LASIK:
Traditionally, and still in many clinics, the first stage of making a flap has been done with a mechanical blade device called a ‘microkeratome’.  [Definition: Micro because, well, the blade is pretty small, about a centimetre or so across. ‘Kera’ means the cornea and ‘tome’ refers to cutting.] These devices have been around for decades. The blade oscillates to and fro at very high speeds to make a precision cut. Modern microkeratomes are very reliable but can still occasionally cause problems. The name we use for mechanical bladed LASIK is M-LASIK. 

New Z-LASIK:
Some clinics have invested in a new laser technology to create the corneal flap but without cutting, which means safer and more accurate LASIK. The laser replaces the need for a blade which patients find very comforting! 

These lasers are called femtosecond and refers to the ultrashort duration of each laser pulse which has to be measured in, you guessed it, femtoseconds. [Definition: A femtosecond is one billionth of one millionth of a second! For context, a femtosecond is to a second, what a second is to about 32 million years.]

So when you read about Z-LASIK, All-Laser LASIK, Blade Free LASIK or IntraLASIK, we are talking about using these new lasers  to create the flap in the first part of the LASIK procedure.

First in the UK

The Ziemer LDV femtosecond laser used at FOCUS Laser Vision is a next generation machine that looks to outperform all current femtosecond lasers (there are 3 models around) because it works in a different way. We have the first LDV laser in the UK and are proud to be at the leading edge of LASIK safety and UK laser technology.

So why should you have Z-LASIK?

1. Safety - no blade means safety for your eye treatment, eliminating the risk of certain complications that could occur with using a blade.

2. Strength - the LDV laser makes a very consistent thin flap leaving your cornea significantly stronger compared to a mechanical blade flap. The mechanical devices tend to cut deeper and with significantly less accuracy than the new laser flap makers.

3. Accuracy - after using the LDV laser and folding the flap to the side, the corneal surface is very smooth and dry. This means your LASIK treatment will be more accurate and so giving you better vision.

You can find out more about Z-LASIK by calling us on 0845 5000 500.


LASEK and PRK

LASEK and PRK laser eye treatments reshape the cornea to correct vision, as happens in LASIK laser treatment. The difference here is that no flap is made in the cornea. These treatments are sometimes called 'surface laser eye surgery' to distinguish them from the LASIK approach. Most clinics perform LASIK for the majority of treatments and use PRK or LASEK in about 10% of cases.

In PRK and LASEK, the surface skins cells (epithelium) is removed and the underlying surface is exposed. After the laser application, the surface skin has to heal and this takes 3 to 4 days. It can be fairly painful during the first 3 days and the vision usually takes 3 to 5 days to be fairly clear. Patients often need several days off work.

PRK is usually chosen for anatomical reasons, typically a patient with thinner corneas where you want to avoid creating a LASIK flap. However, with the arrival of very predictable thin Z-LASIK flaps, even some of these patients can now have the benefits of LASIK, e.g. no or little discomfort and very rapid clear vision, usually later the same day for Z-LASIK.