What Is Femto-LASIK?
Femto-LASIK is one of the safest procedures to correct near and far-sightedness and astigmatism. It is a form of LASIK (laser in-situ keratomileusis) that doesn’t involve a blade to create an opening on the corneal surface, which is why Femto-LASIK is sometimes known as bladeless LASIK.
Instead of the blade, a femtosecond laser is used to create a small incision in the cornea to expose the eye, ready for the excimer laser to correct the refractive conditions of the eye. It does this by using very short pulses of energy in order to create the corneal flap, without causing any damage to the surrounding tissue. This clean cut also means that there is a reduced risk of complications during healing of the surgery.
Who Is Femto-LASIK Laser Eye Surgery For?
Femto-LASIK is best suited for adults aged 18 and over who find visual aids (glasses, varifocals or contact lenses) impractical. Patients must also have stable vision, which means there have been no changes in glasses or contact lens prescription in at least 12 months.
Ideal patients must also not be taking any medications that may change their vision, or have any hormonal fluctuations that can affect visual acuity, including breastfeeding or diabetes.
You may not be suitable for Femto-LASIK if you have previously undergone refractory surgeries or procedures.
The thickness of your cornea will be examined during your initial consultation to determine your suitability for the procedure.
ICL Treatment Steps
Personal consultation
You’ll undergo a personal consultation with one of LEC London’s expert eye surgeons, using wavefront analysis of the eye to create an individual image of the corneal surface. This allows us to decide if you’re suitable for Femto-LASIK and discuss your individual Femto-LASIK treatment.
Preliminary medical examination
The comprehensive preliminary examination and measurement of your eyes will take place before your treatment. You’ll receive a detailed explanation of the procedure by a specialist, and given aftercare instructions.
You should not wear soft contact lenses for at least one week, or hard contact lenses for at least two weeks before this appointment.
The Femto-LASIK treatment
You will receive anesthetic administered by eye drops.
The corneal flap is prepared with the femtosecond laser in a way that’s gentle on the tissue. The laser treats each eye individually, working with high precision and uniformity.
Based on the wavefront analysis, the excimer laser corrects your refractive error and models the cornea.
The flap is then folded back again. It is self-adhesive due to internal bonding forces, so there is no need for sutures.
On the day of your treatment, we recommend dressing comfortably and not driving yourself to the appointment. We suggest having someone drive for you, taking a cab or using public transport. You can eat and drink regularly, but you must avoid smoking.
It’s best to avoid wearing makeup and perfume and arriving to the appointment with a clean face. You won’t need to wear any eye patches or bandages, and the procedure typically lasts around 25 minutes for both eyes.
After the treatment
You should avoid rubbing your eyes and continue to use the antibiotic eye drops as instructed by your surgeon. You may use lubricated eye drops, or ‘artificial tears’, as needed, depending on how comfortable your eyes feel.
We recommend avoiding any professional or sporting activities for three days following your procedure. You should also wait two weeks before using any pools or saunas. Avoid driving any cars or operating heavy machinery until your doctor confirms you’re ready to.
Advantages of Femto-LASIK
For patients, Femto-LASIK is one of the best possible treatments for correcting near and far-sightedness, or astigmatism.
Advantages include:
- Treatment personalized to your specific eye shape and needs
- Precise correction of refractive errors
- Better visual acuity, contrast vision and night vision
- More safety than traditional laser eye surgery options
- No need for a blade
- Painless procedure
- Fast procedure
- Treatment of higher refractive errors
- Treatment of thin corneas
Femto-LASIK Recovery And Aftercare
Femto-LASIK is an outpatient procedure which lasts no longer than 30 minutes. Recovery occurs over the following weeks, and you don’t need to wear an eye patch or bandages. You may feel like there’s something in your eyes immediately following the surgery, but this feeling will go down over the following hours, and eye drops will alleviate this feeling.
Immediately following the surgery, your vision may be blurry — but this is only temporary and will clear up over the following week while you use your antibiotic eyedrops.
Femto-LASIK surgery side effects
Common side effects of Femto-LASIK surgery include:
- Light sensitivity
- Halos and starbursts
- Dry eyes
- Sensations of a foreign body in the eye
- Infection
What Are The Risks of Femto-LASIK Surgery?
Like any eye surgery, there are some risks to Femto-LASIK surgery. However, these are minimal and can easily be treated by carefully following the aftercare procedures. The surgeons at LEC London are experts in the field of refractive surgery and will be able to offer advice on how best to avoid any unnecessary side effects.
All surgeries are performed exclusively by experienced ophthalmologists who have been successfully performing laser eye surgeries for over 30 years.
At LEC London, we take as many precautions as possible, but there is still a small risk of inflammation setting in following the surgery. Because of this, it’s important to diligently follow the advice of clinic staff.
Our team at LEC London always provide expert and professional advice and are available after your surgery to offer any advice through the healing process. Get in touch and book your free consultation if you’d like to learn more about Femto-LASIK surgery.
Femto-LASIK FAQs
Is there an age limit for laser eye surgery?
All patients must be at least 18 years old for Femto-LASIK laser eye treatment.
How long should my values be stable for laser treatment?
Your values, or prescription, should be stable for at least one year before any laser eye treatment.
Can you see clearly immediately after the treatment?
Your vision will take a few hours to start restoring after laser treatment. Usually, your vision restores to 80%-90% 24 hours after Femto-LASIK surgery. Within three days of treatment, you will have full visual acuity.
What complications are there with Femto-LASIK surgery?
While complications are minimal, there are always risks to laser eye surgery. At LEC London, we pay the utmost attention to maintaining high standards of quality and hygiene in order to keep any complication rates as low as possible.
Real complications are extremely rare. In order to avoid any issues with healing, it’s important that all patients follow the aftercare advice clearly and carefully. We highly suggest that all patients also keep to their follow-up appointments so our experts can keep track of how well the eyes are healing and spot any issues well in advance.
Any side effects that can occur during laser vision correction are usually short-term, harmless and treatable for a full recovery.
When can I put on makeup, go swimming or use a sauna again?
Eye makeup, swimming or using a sauna is recommended after three-four weeks, depending on your recovery. Your surgeon will let you know when it is safe to do these activities again, after noting your recovery in your follow-up appointments.
Is there an alternative procedure?
If you’re not suitable for Femto-LASIK surgery, you may consider ReLEx Smile, which is a procedure suitable for patients with higher refractive errors, thinner corneas and/or dry eyes. Near-sightedness up to -10 diopters can be treated with the ReLEx Smile procedure.
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