LASER EYE SURGERY

We treat myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism…

Get rid of glasses and contact lenses with the help of revolutionary method of vision correction in Laser RI Polyclinic. Laser eye surgery is fast, simple, permanent and completely safe method. It has been used worldwide for over 30 years. Moreover, LASIK is considered to be a routine procedure even for pilots and astronauts.

We guarantee top results at low prices, comparable to the annual combined cost of contact lenses, contact lens solutions and eyeglasses. Most importantly, laser eye surgery solves almost all common vision problems at once. After few months or years, in less than 5% of cases, some nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism can return, which we solve with another simple procedure.

What is laser vision correction?

Since the late eighties to the present day tens of millions of people around the world have permanently eliminated nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism with laser eye surgery. Laser refractive eye surgery, popularly known as laser vision correction or laser eye surgery, is a term used to describe a variety of treatments (advanced PRK, LASIK, LASEK, etc.), which solve common vision problems by reshaping your cornea, the clear front part of your eye.

We treat nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and corneal opacity with latest Excimer laser technology. Excimer laser beam of cold light does not damage surrounding tissue and adapts to the individual needs of each patient. When laser beam contacts the corneal stroma (a thick, transparent middle layer), it breaks molecular bonds and evaporates certain parts of the surface based on the strictly individual template. This enables us to make small precise changes in corneal curvature, which dramatically improve vision.

The goal of laser eye surgery is to achieve the state of or emmetropia, the normal refractive condition of the eye in which with accommodation relaxed parallel rays of light are all brought accurately on retina so the vision is completely clear.

Is laser vision correction solution for me?

Are you 18 or older? Is your prescription stable (has not changed for more than 0.5 for at least 12 months)? You have up to -10.0 diopters of nearsightedness or up to +5.0 diopters of farsightedness, up to 5.0 diopters of astigmatism? In that case, the laser vision correction is a permanent solution to your problems.

After a thorough pre-operative examination, for which you can sign up here or by calling +385 (0) 51 410 033, we’ll will be able to tell you if you are an acceptable candidate for laser vision correction and if ideal visual acuity can be achieved.  In very few cases, with patients who have impaired vision, there is a possibility that this ideal cannot be achieved, but we can get very close to it. Laser eye surgery is not recommended for patients suffering from corneal diseases (keratoconus), glaucoma, cataract, autoimmune connective tissue disease and immunodeficiency disease, who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you are taking medications Accutane and Cordarone.

How can I prepare for the pre-operative examination?

If you wear eyeglasses, you do not need to prepare in any way. If you use soft contact lenses, you should stop wearing those three days before the appointment. If you use soft cylindrical, semi-hard or hard contact lenses, you should stop wearing those 8 days before examination. This enables us to measure your vision very precisely and make detailed examination of your cornea.

How can I prepare for laser eye surgery?

If preoperative examination shows that you are a good candidate for laser vision correction, we can make arrangements for the operation. If you wear soft contact lenses, you need to stop using lenses eight days before the operation, for the soft cylinder lenses this period would be 15 days, while you should stop wearing semi-hard and hard contact lenses four weeks before operation. If you do not wear glasses, a month without contact lenses could present a big problem. This is why we can arrange temporary soft lenses for you that require only a brief pause of several days before the operation. It is very important not to apply perfume on the body right before the operation because their fumes may affect the strength of the laser light.

What to expect during LASIK surgery pre-operative examination?

Detailed pre-operative eye exam, about an hour and half long, is the only way to be 100% sure you would be a good candidate for laser eye surgery. You’ll need to have healthy eyes, i.e. any irregularities, diseases or conditions should be accurately diagnosed, and must either be healed or well-controlled prior to operation.

After initial talks on history of present illness, we will determine the exact visual acuity, dominant eye, intraocular pressure, tear volume, the number of endothelial cells, the length of the eyeball, pupil size in light and in the dark. We will record the cornea in order to determine its thickness and possible irregularities, we will determine eye aberrations (causing poor night vision) and make a detailed examination of the rear and front segment of the eye.

How does the operation look like?

The operation is safe and painless. It is performed under local anesthetic (eye drops that numb the eye) and takes only 5 to 10 minutes (the laser works only a few seconds) depending on the sphere. We perform laser eye surgery using cutting-edge high-quality laser that ensures superior precision in correcting common vision problems (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia), but also enables us to remove the irregularities on the surface of the cornea, resulting in high-quality and precise vision.

Is laser eye surgery safe?

This treatment is one of the most successful surgeries in medicine, and the most common surgery in ophthalmology today. In the last decade, a remarkable progress in the safety and accuracy of laser vision correction has been achieved by Wavefront technology, which is available to you in Laser RI Polyclinic. The laser is equipped with a system, which monitors the eye in several dimensions so that the patient’s discomfort and accidental movement of the eye do not affect the safety and precision of the treatment.

What are the possible complications of laser vision correction?

As with any surgery, the refractive can possibly result with difficulties and complications, which are mostly transient and correctable. Two most common problems are hypo or hypercorrection (the degree of correction is too high or too low). In both cases, fine-tuning can be done 3 to 6 months after the initial surgery.

Dry eye is more common after LASIK surgery. You may experience shorter moderate disturbance that occur due to reduced sensitivity of the cornea immediately after LASIK surgery. Using artificial tears without preservatives will neutralize potential interferences caused by dry eye. You can expect the tearing mechanism of your eyes to recover within few weeks.

“Wrinkling” or rippling is rare problems after LASIK surgery, and occurs if the sealing (flap) lies down unevenly. Wrinkles that form can cause astigmatism. Milder changes usually disappear in three to six months, but, in very rare cases, subsequent operation may be required  to smooth wrinkles.

Night vision difficulties used to be common side effects of excimer laser eye, common in people with a wide pupils, especially due to smaller effective optical zones associated with deeper ablations related to high myopia. Modern approach to laser surgery, which treats wider optical zone and uses modern technology of laser corneal remodeling, virtually eradicated these problems.

Infection after laser surgery is unpredictable and rare, occurring once in 5,000 patients. Therefore, antibiotic drops should be used after surgery. Also, routine checkups after surgery ensure proper healing of the eye.

How long is the recovery after the procedure and what are the side effects?

You will immediately see better and your vision will get better and better in the coming months. The recovery of eyesight lasts only few days. All patients experience temporary dryness for about a month. The feeling of dryness is alleviated by regular drips of artificial tears 6 to 8 times a day. After the operation you will have to wear sunglasses everywhere for a day and outdoor for the first two weeks after the procedure. If you live in sunny coastal or mountainous areas, eyeglasses are recommended for the first few months. It is very important to rest the first day after the procedure and keep your eyes closed to speed up recovery and reduce the feeling of itching in the eye. We recommend that you sleep as much as possible. If you work in an office, you can return to work few days after the operation. If you work in the dusty or external conditions, it is necessary to be patient for at least a week. You shouldn’t be driving for a day or two, and we urge you to start driving only when you feel completely confident, usually 3 to 5 days after the procedure. The first few weeks after the operation you should avoid sports that could cause any eye damage. From our side we will ensure a safe and successful recovery through continuous checkups. The regular checkups are scheduled the first, the seventh, the thirtieth and the 90^th day after the operation. Afterwards, we recommend annual examinations.