Before your Treatment
- 1) What happens at my initial free assessment?
- Your journey with Optilase begins when you attend your free assessment. One of our Laser Optometrists will meet with you and spend the next hour thoroughly examining and testing your eyes. You will find out if you are a suitable candidate for laser vision correction, what treatment will be best for your eyes, and how much exactly it will cost. You will not be able to drive after your assessment for at least 6-8 hours.
- 2) How much does it cost?
- Our prices start at €495 per eye for Standard Treatment and €995 per eye for Advanced CustomVue WaveFront Treatment. For a full breakdown of our costs, please visit our Pricing Page.
- 3) How long do I have to wait?
- We are open 7 days per week and late night Monday to Thursday so we are able to fit in around your busy schedule. We also perform surgery every week which means you don’t have to join a lengthy waiting list for your life-changing treatment.
- 4) Am I suitable?
- There are a number of factors that may make you unsuitable for laser vision correction. These include prescriptions stronger than -10 or +5 (Note that certain stronger prescriptions can be treated by some of our surgeons). Having a squint or a lazy eye can also rule you out (Note that laser vision correction can be carried out on some patients with a lazy eye, depending on its severity). For women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is necessary to wait until 6 months after finishing. You also need to be over the age of 21.
- 5) Will my eyes look different?
- No, there is no permanent change in the appearance of your eyes. The day after LASIK surgery your eyes should be white and clear. The healing process can take 4-5 days with LASEK and during this time the eye may appear slightly red.
Your Treatment
- 1 ) Why do you offer a pre-operative consultation with one of your Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeons?
- We offer pre-operative consultations for those patients that choose to go ahead with laser vision correction. It allows your Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon time to review your assessment file and determine the specific treatment most suitable for your eyes.
- 2 ) Is laser eye surgery effective?
- 100% of patients achieved driving standard or better, with 95.6% achieving 20/20 or better 3 months after treatment*
*Reference: Extract from article published in Ophthalmology Times October 1 2010 pg 51, based on eyes with low to moderate myopia treated with Advanced CustomVue Wavefront procedure using the VISX STAR S4 IR excimer laser.
- 100% of patients achieved driving standard or better, with 95.6% achieving 20/20 or better 3 months after treatment*
- 3 ) Can both eyes be treated on the same day?
- Most of our patients choose to get both eyes treated on the same day.
- 4 ) What complications can occur?
- There are risks involved in laser vision correction and you will be made aware of these risks during your initial free assessment as well as your pre-operative consultation. The most common side affects of laser vision correction include dry-eye, night-time glare, halo effect and regression.
- 5 ) How long does it take?
- The laser vision correction itself takes around 7 minutes per eye. Between preparation, treatment and aftercare, you should expect to stay for up to 3 hours.
- 6 ) Is it permanent?
- Yes, long term follow up studies indicate that after the healing process is complete, eyesight remains stable. Some patients may develop the need for reading glasses as they age but this happens to most adults regardless of whether they get laser vision correction.
- 7 ) Is it painful?
- The laser vision correction process itself is painless. Your eye is numbed using anaesthetic drops and you are offered diazepam to reduce anxiety and relax muscle tension. Depending on your treatment type, there can be some discomfort in the days after your treatment but this is generally temporary.
- 8 ) Is it safe?
- At Optilase, your safety is our No. 1 priority. We use the most advanced and safest laser technology and all of our Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeons, Laser Optometrists, Laser Technicians and surgery nurses are highly experienced and fully accredited.
After Your Treatment
- 1 ) How long will it take my eyes to heal?
- For most of our patients, it takes one or two days for their improved vision to settle. However, we do advise that patients rest their eyes properly for the month following their surgery.
- 2 ) How much aftercare is included?
- We strongly advise our patients to attend all of their aftercare appointments. We schedule aftercare appointments one-day, one-week, one-month, three-months, six-months and one-year after your treatment. Your aftercare appointments allow us to track the progress of your eyes and to ensure they are healing properly.
- 3 ) What does your Lifetime Care Guarantee include?
- At Optilase, we are proud to offer a Lifetime Care Guarantee to all of our patients. In the unlikely event that your eyesight should regress (your old prescription starts to return), we offer a corrective treatment, known as an enhancement, for free. This comes as standard with all of our treatments.
- 4 ) Will I need reading glasses?
- Most adults develop the need for reading glasses as they grow older. This is known as presbyopia and it is due to the hardening of the lens in the eye. There is no treatment available for presbyopia and it happens regardless of whether you undergo laser vision correction.
- 5 ) How long do I need to take off work?
- It is important that you rest your eyes properly after laser vision correction. For LASIK patients, it is recommended to take 3 days off work, while LASEK patients are advised to take 5 days off work.
