Laser eye surgery is life-changing. It gives you freedom from a lifetime of glasses or contact lenses in a matter of minutes.
But what happens during the laser eye surgery procedure?
What Is The Process of Laser Eye Surgery?
Here’s what you can expect during LASEK or LASIK surgery:
1. Numbing the eyes – Your eye surgeon will administer eye drops that gently numb your eyes, ensuring you won’t feel any pain throughout the procedure.
2. Positioning the eye – An eyelid holder (speculum) will be placed on your eye to keep it steady and prevent blinking.
3. Creating the corneal flap—You may feel a slight pressure as the femtosecond laser is applied and holds your eye in position. Your vision will dim temporarily as your surgeon creates a thin flap in the corneal tissue, lifts it, and folds it over (much like lifting the page of a book) to access the underlying tissue.
4. Laser reshaping – You’ll be asked to focus on a green light as a specialised excimer laser reshapes your cornea. You might hear a faint clicking sound. This is the laser performing several thousand pulses in just a few seconds.
Rest assured, your eye’s position is monitored 500 times per second during refractive surgery, and the laser will adjust automatically if there’s any movement.
5. Repositioning the corneal flap – The flap is gently placed back in position and begins reattaching immediately due to the suction effect of cells lining your cornea. You will then go into a recovery room or the reception area for 15-20 minutes until you feel ready to go home.
At Focus, we have conducted over 60,000 surgeries and have a 100% success rate of 20/20 vision, meaning there’s no better place in London to get your LASEK or LASIK eye surgery.
Laser eye surgery is safe, comfortable, and precise. See if you’re eligible for laser eye surgery and start the journey to healthier eyes and a better life today!
Want To Find Out If You’re Suitable?
If you’re wondering whether laser eye treatment is the right choice for you, there are some key things to consider…
Will I Be Awake During Laser Eye Surgery?
You will be awake, but you won’t feel any pain. The anaesthetic eye drops ensure that your eyes are numb throughout the laser eye treatment, and if you need one, we can provide you with a mild sedative to help you relax.
How Long Does Laser Surgery Take on One Eye?
Laser eye surgery only takes about 10 minutes for both eyes. During this time, your eye surgeon will perform over 150 steps on each eye. For many patients, their blurred vision is noticeably different right after the surgery. For others, it takes a couple of hours to a few days to start really seeing the benefits.
Is Eye Laser Surgery Painful?
You won’t feel any pain during the procedure at all. Following LASIK laser eye surgery, you might feel mild discomfort – as if you have something in your eye for a few hours. After LASEK (PRK), you will get some pain during the first 2-3 days. However, you won’t experience severe pain during any part of the procedure.
For most patients, they are more focused on how clearly they can see the world without contact lenses or glasses following laser eye surgery.
Ready To See Clearly?
If you wear contact lenses or glasses and want to say goodbye to them forever, we’re here to help.
Book a free consultation with Focus Clinics today and start seeing clearly in no time.
With over 70 years of combined experience and 60,000 successful surgeries, there is no better laser eye clinic in London or the UK. Say goodbye to glasses or contact lenses forever and focus on the future with 20/20 vision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if you blink during laser eye surgery?
During a LASEK or LASIK procedure, an eyelid holder is placed around your eye to hold it open. This prevents you from blinking throughout the procedure, which takes about 10 minutes for both eyes.
While you can’t blink, you can still move your eye. Laser assisted eye surgery is very safe because the laser scans your eye at least 500 times a second and automatically adjusts to counteract any movements.
What do you see during laser eye surgery?
You’ll be asked to focus on a light during the surgery and that is all you really see throughout the procedure.
What Happens After Laser Eye Surgery?
Straight after the procedure, you’ll be led into a recovery room or the lounge, where you can relax for 10-30 minutes. Following this, you can go home, relax and recover. Over the next few days, your eyes will start to feel better and better and any remaining blurry vision will subside.
How Long Does it Take to Recover From Laser Eye Surgery?
It will take six months to fully recover from laser eye surgery. However, with LASIK, you will experience better vision almost instantly and continue improving throughout the first few months. Recovery from PRK or lenticule extraction takes a bit longer than LASIK.
Almost all symptoms of the surgery will be gone within the first few weeks to a month, and your vision will continue to improve over the next six months. You will likely experience dry eyes during the first few weeks or months. At the six-month mark, vision will have stabilised for most patients.
