EELASIK TREATMENT STEPS

Pre-treatment examination – Wavefront analysis：

Wavefront technology guides the laser to treat the refractive error in up to 1250 different points of vision. Wavefront analysis creates a visual map of the precise refractive power for every measured point – the "fingerprint of vision". EuroEyes applies this technology to the laser vision correction creating a vision better than with glasses or contact lenses.

Femtosecond laser

The laser safely prepares the corneal lamella (flap) with optimal precision. The surgeon folds back the lap. The laser is adjusted individually for each eye and works tissue-sparing, high-precision and evenly.

Wavefront-guided excimer laser

The excimer laser uses wavefront analysis to remodel the corneal surface in a customised manner. This removes irregularities in the corneal contour to optimise vision to levels better than glasses or contact lenses.

Replacing the lap

The lap is gently smoothed back onto the corneal surface. This acts to protect the treated area like a natural bandage. In a matter of hours the corneal has healed.

THE ADVANTAGES OF FEMTO-LASIK

Combination of Femto-LASIK and wavefront analysis:

For the patient it is one of the best possible treatment methods with decisive advantages:

• One of the most personalized treatment among the laser eye methods
• Consideration of the very specific eye characteristics
• Treatment of higher refrective errors
• Correction of ametropia as precise as hardly possible with glasses and contact lenses
• Better visual acuity, better contrast vision and better night vision
• Safer and more precise
• Minimization of cutting complications in contrast to microkeratome at LASIK
• Painless and fast intervention
• Treatment by thin corneas
• Overall gentler to the eye
• Faster vision recovery

The Advantages of the Femtosecond Laser in Detail:

• The femtosecond laser is able to produce a much more reliable, gentle and precise corneal flap than the microkeratome. A femtosecond laser can create a flap within 10μm of the desired thickness, whereas the traditional keratome is only accurate within 20-40μm.
• The laser creates an smooth and uniformly shaped corneal lamella. The center of the flap is exactly the same thickness as in the periphery. Cut-related complications are thereby reduced to an absolute minimum–they are actually nonexistent.
• The high precision in the thickness of the flap is impossible with a microkeratome. Corneal flaps that are made with the microkeratome are thinner in the center. This can cause a postponement of the following treatment to a later date.
• The Femtosecond laser works fast and painfree. When the corneal lamella is being prepared you will see a bright light. The so-called "blackout", which usually occurs with the microkeratome, is virtually impossible.
• The molded glass lens used to fixate the eye is much more pleasant than the previously used suction ring and also much less stressful for the cornea.
• Due to the gentle and absolutely blade free treatment of the the cornea a significantly faster vision rehabilitation is possible. The cornea remains free of damage, because the tiny bubbles, induced by the femtosecond laser, will be absorbed by the cornea. The tissue heals very rapidly after the treatment. Temporary side effects, such as dry eyes, are rare.

1. Personal, non-binding consultation:

• All relevant eye parameters are measured
• We determine what the best method of treatment is for your eyes
• Examine your eyes to make sure you are a suitable candidate for the treatment

2. A thorough medical preliminary examination

• The examination usually lasts about two hours
• Intensive ophthalmic preliminary examination and measurement of your eyes
• Our Specialists in ophthalmology will explain every detail about the treatment
• Before this preliminary examination you must not have worn soft contact lenses for one week and hard contact lenses for two weeks
• Please note that after the examination you will not be safe driving a vehicle–neither car, nor motorcycle or bicycle. We therefore recommend that you take a cab or public transportation
• At the examination you will receive a after-care set for the days after your treatment. The medication and content will be explained in detail by our staff

3. On the Day of the Treatment

• We recommend that you wear comfortable clothes on the day of treatment
• You can eat and drink normally on the treatment day, but please do not smoke
• For hygiene reasons, it is also important that you wash your face thoroughly prior to treatment, completely remove makeup, and avoid perfume
• Outpatient surgery, anesthetic eye drops, no bandage, and sunglasses are recommended
• The total duration of the laser eye treatment for both eyes: approximately 25 minutes
• You are not allowed to drive a vehicle after the procedure

4. After the Treatment

• Please do not rub your eyes!
• Antibiotic eye drops 6 x á day for 1 week
• Artificial tears as required
• Return to work after 2-3 days
• Resume sports activities after approximately 3 days, swimming and sauna after approximately 2 weeks
• Post-operative follow-up examinations: after 1 day – 1 week – 1 month
• You may drive a vehicle again only with the doctor's permission, normally after the 1 week post-operative examination

Femto-LASIK is a further development of classical LASIK and is one of the most precise methods for correcting ametropia.

Why does EuroEyes now only use Femto-LASIK instead of microkeratome LASIK?

LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis) has been a scientifically recognized and established procedure for the correction of ametropia for many years and is therefore one of the worldwide preferred surgical methods of many eye specialists. This classical LASIK method has been developed decisively in recent years: to Femto-LASIK.
In order to correct a defective vision with LASIK or Femto-LASIK, a small round corneal cut must first be prepared. The preparation of this corneal cut, also known as flap, is carried out with a micro-knife in classical LASIK. In Femto-LASIK, a femtosecond laser prepares the flap – completely without the use of mechanical cutting instruments.

Safety and Precision with the Femtosecond Laser

Femto-LASIK is a precise procedure for creating the corneal flap. Therefore, when choosing a clinic, you should always make sure that a femtosecond laser is used for eye laser treatment with one flap.

An overview of the advantages of Femto-LASIK compared to classical LASIK:

Flap Preparation with Femto Laser

• smooth, even corneal flaps
• thinner flaps, less tissue ablation
• safer and more precise method
• painfree method, "gentle Lasik"
• more gentle method
• faster vision rehabilitation
• shaped lens glas
• no cut-related complications
• no black-outs during the treatment
• no blocking of the retina's blood circulation

Flap Preparation with Microkeratome

• unevenly shaped corneal flap
• more strain on the cornea due to a thicker flap
• unreliable method, deviations in the thickness of the flap
• unpleasant to painful
• increased strain in the eye due to the microblade
• longer side effects such as dry eyes
• suction ring
• cut-related complication are possible
• black-out of the eye
• blocking of the retina's blood circulation is possible

Technical Info About the Femtosecond Laser

The femtosecond laser is an infrared laser that can treat tissue very precisely with significantly less heat created than other laser treatments – a big advantage in laser eye surgery. Femtosecond lasers work with ultra-short light impulses that need only a billionth of a second to create a spot as tiny as 1/100mm. To illustrate the extremely short pulse time: In one second, light travels 7.5 times around the earth, however, in one femtosecond, it only travels one half of the thickness of a hair!

The femtosecond VisuMax laser

A specially developed laser system, the femtosecond laser VisuMax from Carl Zeiss, is used for ReLEx treatment. This system has already proven itself in Femto-LASIK procedures due to its sophisticated technology, precision and reliability. Through appropriate further development, it now makes it possible for the first time to prepare a lenticular tissue within the intact cornea with millimetre precision, so that larger incisions and a flap can be dispensed with. In this way, the surrounding corneal tissue is spared as much as possible and the visual defect can be corrected in a targeted manner. A particular advantage of the femtosecond technology, in addition to its high precision, is that it is highly reproducible and can be accurately predicted even when high corrections are involved.

In order to prevent the cornea from being unnecessarily compressed, a contact lens is used which is adapted to the individual corneal anatomy and allows a precisely fitting treatment. This also prevents short-term vision loss, which can be caused by excessive intraocular pressure.

In addition to state-of-the-art laser technology, a functionally sophisticated and ergonomically shaped patient couch has also been developed for ReLEx treatments, which provides maximum comfort and a relaxed position during the procedure. During the operation, the patient's position is continuously monitored and can be automatically adjusted if necessary.

The Preparation of the Corneal Lamella with the Femtosecond Laser–in Detail:

Contrary to traditional lasers, the energy of the laser beam from a femtosecond laser does not affect the tissue on the corneal surface, but reaches a specific predetermined depth inside the cornea. Very high energy levels can thereby be achieved through intense focusing of the laser beam. The point of focus of the laser beam allows material to be divided at the molecular level (photo-disruption), gently separating the tissue. The surrounding corneal tissue remains undisturbed without damage. The femtosecond laser scans the cornea starting at one edge and works its way towards the other side. The laser beam produces a layer of tiny bubbles in exactly the desired location depth of the cornea. This enables the corneal flap to be opened and lifted to the side like in traditional LASIK. The final treatment with the excimer laser is then identical to traditional LASIK.