The idea of any surgery, no matter how big or small, can be daunting. Laser eye surgery may seem like a scary option, your eyes are precious, but in reality, the procedure time is a lot shorter than people think.
The duration of a surgery of any kind cannot be predicted 100% accurately. Like a sports match, a surgery may go into overtime if unexpected findings force a change in the procedure; requiring extra time to complete. Of course, this can work both ways and surgery may be shorter than usual.
Methods of estimating surgery length:
- Surgeon Estimate. These can be too short or too long, depending on how many surgeries need to be performed that day – common amongst hospitals and busier environments.
- Analysis of Historical Care Durations. If the surgery has been completed many times before these results will show recommended procedure times and estimates.
- Combine Surgeon Estimate and Historical Data. To create new estimates (if procedures change/new equipment is introduced).
- Adjust for Case Complexity. Depending on whether a client’s surgery is simple, average, or complex will determine the duration of the procedure.
- A combination of the above.
How long does Laser Eye Surgery take?
An appointment for laser eye surgery patients is an hour, but the entire procedure usually takes less than 10 minutes (a few minutes per eye) depending on your prescription and the amount of correction needed. The laser used during surgery only takes a swift 20-50 seconds to correct your eyesight.
Pre-surgery checks take up the rest of the time in an appointment slot to ensure 100% accuracy during surgery.
Cataract surgery (the extraction of the lens from the eye) was performed 4.3 million times in the EU in 2014, making it the most common surgical procedure. 300,000 cataract surgeries are carried out on the NHS each year. This surgery takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
Common surgeries and their durations:
To put the average laser eye surgery procedure time of 10 minutes for both eyes into perspective, here are the average times of other common surgeries:
- Appendectomy (having your appendix removed): 30 mins-1hour. 15 minutes actually removing the appendix and other time spent on pre-op.
- Tonsillectomy (having your tonsils removed): 30 to 45 minutes.
- Wisdom Teeth Extraction: 20 minutes. Some procedures may take a few minutes and others considerably longer depending on the case.
- Caesarean Birth (delivering a baby via C-Section): 40-50 minutes.
For more information on how long laser eye surgery takes view our FAQ’s here.
Sources:
If you are interested in vision correction at Focus Clinic please call us on 0207 307 8250 and book a free consultation.
Book your FREE consultation
Reading glasses and blended vision
As we get a little older we all eventually suffer from something known as ‘Presbyopia’. It’s sounds complicated but it is simply a condition in which the lens of the eye loses its ability to focus, making it difficult to see objects up close. A lens’ ability to focus depends on its ‘elasticity’ – i.e. […]
Learn more
What is Blepharitis?
Blepharitis becomes especially important when we are looking to perform laser eye surgery, e.g. Z-LASIK. Blepharitis is linked with dryness of the eyes and should be treated before having vision correction, to increase the moisture over the cornea (which does temporarily become drier after treatment). This LASIK post-op dryness recovers within 3-6 months, and is […]
Learn more
What are floaters?
Some people can notice a change in their floaters after having laser eye surgery, either a change in pattern or an increase. This seems to happen mainly for those patients with very high amounts of shortsight (myopia), eg -7.00 dioptres or higher. Also patients are paying much more attention to their vision, and the quality […]
Learn more
What is macular degeneration?
This is a common eye disease linked to ageing that in time will destroys sharp, clear central vision due to damage to the retina. The retina is the very thin tissue that lives at the back of the eye and contains the light-sensing cells which are sending visual signals to the brain. Sharp, clear, ‘straight […]
Learn more
Specialist treatments at FOCUS
Many people think of laser eye surgery as a treatment for standard degrees of short-sight. However at Focus Clinic this is just part of what we do. In addition to offering a range of treatments for long sight and also presbyopia (reading vision correction), our expertise allows us to go beyond the normal ‘standard’. Our specialist treatments […]
Learn more
The bionic eye
Is science fiction becoming a reality? After years of intensive engineering a bionic eye has been approved for commercial use. Named the Argus II, it is a device that can improve sight for individuals who can see virtually nothing, making previously impossible tasks attainable. People with certain types of blindness can go from seeing virtually […]
Learn more
TETRIS improves vision?
Many people believe that computer games can be detrimental to your vision, but surprisingly the addictive puzzle game Tetris can help to improve Amblyopia, commonly known as ‘Lazy Eye’. Amblyopia occurs when the nerves that connect one of the eyes to the brain develop incorrectly as a child. As a result, blurry or wrong images […]
Learn more
What is presbyopia?
Reading glasses and surgical options You can’t escape Presbyopia, the medical term for the loss of reading vision in middle age. Sadly, it will happen to us all eventually. Even if you’ve never had a vision problem before. It usually occurs around the ages of 45-50 in the UK, and earlier in warmer and more […]
Learn more
Hayfever and itchy eyes – What to do?
Finally we have a warm week and it feels like summer is here. But for more than 15,000,000 people in the UK suffering with hay fever it’s all about sneezing, itchy eyes and a runny nose. To help those of you suffering in the sun, we’ve compiled a list of top tips for battling those […]
Learn more
Eye tracking
Eye tracking is the measurement of eye activity. Where do we look? What do we ignore? When do we blink? It is becoming more and more common place within a variety of technologies from gaze controlled mobile phones and televisions to diagnosing brain disorders. Here are a few of its uses: Laser Vision Correction […]
Learn more
New part of the eye discovered
New part of the eye discovered You would think that in 2013, we would know all there is to know about human anatomy, and then scientists go and find a whole new body part! Where do we find it? In the eye, the organ that helps us to see clearly. I looks like we were […]
Learn more
Protecting your eyes from the sun
Protecting your eyes from the sun As Britain sizzles in the hottest weather recorded since 2006, hundreds of thousands of people are set to get ready to attend some of the biggest summer events and make last minute holiday getaways. We know the dangers of unprotected skin from the sun’s rays, but what about ultraviolet […]
Learn more
Bluetooth glasses or laser eye surgery?
Bluetooth glasses or laser eye surgery? Do you find that you keep misplacing your glasses? Or do you have several pairs dotted around the house, car and office, so that you so do not find yourself without them? Phone Halo thinks that they have found a solution. They have designed a special pair of glasses […]
Learn more
Computer games and vision
Christmas is drawing closer and everybody is hunting for the perfect gift for their loved ones. On the top of many lists will be some of the brand new computer game consoles that have just been launched such as Xbox One or Playstation 4. You will have probably heard that these kind of games can […]
Learn more
Helping those who cannot see, with science
Helping those who cannot see, with science Scientists from Cambridge University say that they have successfully managed to print new eye cells. These cells could be used to treat and cure certain types of blindness. this Bio-printing technology is the first step towards using 3D printer technology to create artificial tissue, and is currently being […]
Learn more
Using eyes to fight crime
Using eyes to fight crime? Researchers at the University of Glasgow have been able to distinguish faces from their reflection in another person’s eye. The team have used a 39 megapixel camera to take a photograph of a person in perfect lighting from one metre away. The resulting high resolution image could then be enlarged, […]
Learn more
City living and dry eyes
An American study has found that city living increases the likelihood of suffering from dry eyes. Dry Eye Syndrome is a condition where either the eyes do not make enough tears, or the tears that are made evaporate from the eye too quickly. Lack of tears causes the eye to dry out which can leave […]
Learn more
How an app can help the blind
A smart phone app has been developed which will help blind and visually impaired people navigate their surroundings. Standard navigational apps currently use GPS and voice controls for directions which can run into problems in certain situations. For example, the directions can stop working when GPS is not available and voice directions can be drowned […]
Learn more
Smart tech comes to contact lenses
One in every nineteen people suffer from diabetes today, and this number is set to rise as our lifestyles and eating habits become more unhealthy. By 2035 it is predicted that this number will rise to one in ten. An important part of caring for and managing diabetes it getting your blood sugar levels […]
Learn more
Laser eye surgery recovery: how long does it take?
Laser eye surgery recovery: how long does it take? If you are thinking of undertaking laser eye surgery, planning your recovery and a suitable time to have the treatment will be very important. Most patients (about 97%) who come to Focus Clinic choose to have LASIK treatment. This laser eye surgery recovery is a fast treatment, […]
Learn more
What happens if I blink during laser eye surgery?
The idea of having laser surgery can be a frightening thought. One of the most common concerns that we hear is whether you will be able to keep your eyes open for long enough, and then what happens if you blink? We would like to take this time to give you some reassurance. We all […]
Learn more
New eye layer linked to glaucoma
Last July we reported on a very exciting discovery of a new human body part! It was an extra layer in the eye, called Dua’s layer, named after its discoverer Dr Harminder Dua. The finding of the new layer, was expected to hold the key to many eye diseases, why they occurred, and more importantly, […]
Learn more
Burning smell during laser eye surgery? Don’t worry, your eyes aren’t burning
Heard of a burning smell during laser eye surgery? Don’t worry your eyes aren’t burning! One of the main myths about laser eye surgery is that the burning smell many experience during their procedure means your eyes are burning. You may have read comments such as “I could smell burning during the treatment” and been […]
Learn more
Smart phones become eye-phones
Researchers at Stanford University have developed two adaptors for smartphones that will allow the phones to take high quality images of both the front and the back of the eye. Currently these pictures need to be taken by a camera that is attached to a slit lamp. The slit lamp is a very expensive piece […]
Learn more
How to accentuate your eye colour after laser eye surgery
People choose to have laser eye surgery for a variety of different reasons. To avoid the hassle of glasses and contact lenses, to gain freedom to fully enjoy sporting pursuits or to simply gain a confidence boost. Whatever your motivation, you will probably find that you will be showing off your beautiful eyes for the very […]
Learn more
Age 18 to 30 with driving glasses
More and more people age 18-30 are being prescribed glasses, from the use of technology gadgets, computers and for driving. The most common reason for those age 18-30 and need glasses for driving and other distance vision problems, or who wear glasses full time is: Myopia, also known as short-sight You may also have astigmatism, […]
Learn more
Age 18-30 and reading glasses
The most common reason for vision issues for people from 18-30, who need glasses for reading (and who may wear glasses full time) is: Hyperopia, also known as long-sight / longsighted You may also have astigmatism, either alone or combined with long-sight How does hyperopia/long-sightedness develop? According to the National Eye Institute, hyperopia develops in […]
Learn more
Does LASIK wear off?
Does LASIK wear off? What do we know about long-term effects of LASIK? It’s been around 25 years – is that really enough time to discern long-term effects? Yes, it would appear so. There are rare changes that have been observed up to 2 years after treatment (and which are treatable), otherwise we haven’t seen any other effects, […]
Learn more
How to choose a laser eye surgeon
How to choose a laser eye surgeon – What should people consider when choosing a surgeon, what should they ask him/her about their qualifications etc? What should they be looking for? An important question is actually one many people don’t think of – how many other patients will have treatment with that surgeon on the […]
Learn more
Should I have laser eye surgery?
Ever ask yourself 'Should I have laser eye surgery?' Here's some quick facts about how Focus Clinic's laser eye surgery can change your life!
Learn more
