Getting Laser Eye Surgery is a big deal after years of putting up with blurred vision and the inconvenience of needing glasses.

Laser Eye Surgery does not change how your eyes look, but it does change the way they function. Essentially, the procedure uses tiny pulses of laser energy to remove microscopic amounts of cells from cornea.

The cornea is a clear layer of tissue found at the front of the eye, and your poor eyesight is more than likely caused by a misshapen cornea.

Laser Eye Surgery at Optilase merely reshapes the cornea so that you can see clearly without the need for glasses or contact lenses.

Will my eyes feel different after Laser Eye Surgery?

Immediately after Laser Eye Surgery at Optilase, which usually takes about 30 minutes, you will be able to see without glasses.

You should not feel any pain as prior to Laser Eye Surgery, topical anaesthetic drops are applied to your eyes.

After surgery, you will be required to wear protective goggles to safeguard your eyes from any dust or other irritants entering which could cause infection.

While most patients’ eyes will feel exactly the same as they did before surgery, some patients may experience dryer eyes for a time.

Dry eyes usually only appear after the procedure and tend to subside once the eye fully heals.

Symptoms include irritation and bloodshot eyes as there are less tears being produced to keep the eye moist.

What causes dry eyes after Laser Eye Surgery?

During Laser Eye Surgery, a corneal flap must be created to expose the cornea which sometimes can disrupt the natural tear film found on the surface of the eye causing dryness.

To reduce the occurrence of dry eyes, drops are prescribed for regular use to keep the surface of the eye moist at all times so that the corneal flap can continue to heal uninterrupted by irritation or dryness.

It also allows the tear film to also heal and allow the natural moisture balance of the eye to be restored.

What should I do if I have dry eyes after Laser Eye Surgery?

In the days after Laser Eye Surgery, take regular breaks from computer use, reading small print and/or watching television so that your eyes can rest up.

You should use the eye drops prescribed to you after Laser Eye Surgery, and avoid any activities that require constant use of the eyes which could slow down the healing process as well as increase the risk of irritation and dry eyes.

For more information on Laser Eye Surgery call +353 1 223 8821.

For those wondering what Laser Eye Surgery actually does to change a person’s eyesight, then what you need to know is that everything changes in the cornea.

Found at the front of the eye, the cornea is a clear layer of tissue that has the power to bend light from the outside world so that a person can see clearly.

In certain instances, the way in which the cornea bends or refracts light can be influenced by the way a cornea is naturally designed.

If a person’s cornea is irregular shaped, too curved or too flat, then it changes the direction of incoming light causing blurred vision.

Laser Eye Surgery at Optilase corrects the original error in the cornea by reshaping it so that light is bent correctly thus creating perfect eyesight.

Does Laser Eye Surgery damage the cornea?

Laser Eye Surgery doesn’t damage the cornea; the procedure merely removed tiny amounts of tissue from the sides or the centre of the cornea using an Excimer Laser.

The cornea has evolved to have a high tolerance to UV light so that it can process natural sunlight, so Laser Eye Surgery being performed on the cornea is totally safe.

The Excimer Laser that is used during Laser Eye Surgery to perform a correction on the cornea carefully removes a pre-determined amount of corneal tissue, using a cool beam of ultraviolet light.

Surrounding eye tissue and the layers of the eye beneath the cornea are unaffected by the laser.

The healing process

The cornea is a surprisingly resilient part of the eye and can withstand minor irritations or scratches quite easily, as it is biologically engineering to heal quickly.

The main healing to the eye after Laser Eye Surgery relates to the corneal flap that is created to expose the cornea for correction.

The flap seals itself and immediately begins to heal once the correction has been administered, and the entire healing process is aided by prescription eye drops that help keep the eyes moist after surgery.

Protective goggles must be worn after Laser Eye Surgery to protect them from any outside dirt or debris that might cause irritation or infection.

The day after Laser Eye Surgery, Optilase patients will undergo a follow-up consultation to ensure both eyes are healing correctly.

Arrange your free, no obligation consultation at any Optilase clinic on +353 1 223 8821.

If you are considering a trip abroad to get Laser Eye Surgery, it is important to weigh up the pros and cons before you hand over any money.

Elective procedures like Laser Eye Surgery are often available overseas for less, but it can be difficult to verify the expertise of the surgeon performing the treatment and the standards of a foreign practice.

Comparably, at Optilase, over 40,000 successful Laser Eye Surgery treatments have been carried out in clinics across Ireland by our teams of qualified eye experts.

Unsure about the cost of Laser Eye Surgery in Ireland

If you are concerned that Laser Eye Surgery at Optilase is outside your budget, you may be surprised to learn that Standard Laser Eye Surgery costs only €795 per eye.

You also receive a free in-depth consultation to identify and discuss the extent of your poor eyesight, where you will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the procedure.

If you are a member of Aviva, Laya Healthcare or VHI you can enjoy an additional 15% off your Laser Eye Surgery price.

Recipients of Laser Eye Surgery can relax in the knowledge that Optilase offers a Lifetime Care Guarantee which covers any deterioration in a patient’s eyesight (not including Presbyopia), so if additional correction is required it is done so free of charge.

The risks of opting for Laser Eye Surgery abroad

You must know all the facts if you are genuinely considering Laser Eye Surgery abroad, as there are many issues to take into account before you make your final decision.

While the cost of surgery may be lower than that in Ireland, once you factor in flights, accommodation and living expenses during your stay, the total price you end up paying could be significantly higher than you first thought.

The local language and whether there will be a language barrier is important to consider, especially if you develop complications after surgery.

Always consider the aftercare package being offered in cheaper destinations as it can be lacking in terms of follow-up consultations to ensure that your eyes are healing correctly and that your Laser Eye Surgery was a success.

Choose Optilase?

Laser Eye Surgery is one of the most popular elective surgeries in Ireland today and at Optilase you can enjoy a free consultation to begin your Laser Eye Surgery journey.

With a strong record of successful procedures using the latest and most advanced laser technology, you can be confident that patient safety and comfort is top priority at Optilase.

Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation at any one of our clinics by calling +353 1 223 8821.

If you are able to see perfectly at both near and far distances, then you are lucky enough to enjoy normal vision. This will change as you get older and the lens of the eye become less flexible – but not until you’re about 45 years old.

However, many people in their twenties, thirties and early forties have trouble seeing either close up or far away, and it’s usually the result of a refractive error due to the shape of the cornea at the front of the eye.

Common Refractive Errors

The shape of the cornea dictates the eye’s ability to bend or ‘refract’ light, impacting the way it gets projected onto the retina at the back wall of the eye to form an image. People who have a ‘refractive error’ or an issue with the curvature of the cornea need to rely on corrective eyewear, like glasses or contact lenses, to see properly.

However without corrective eyewear, people are vulnerable and have blurred vision. In cases of myopia or short sightedness, people are relatively helpless without their glasses, and its effect on vision means they find it virtually impossible to carry out simple daily tasks without wearing glasses.

Hyperopia or long sightedness affects near vision so it normally becomes a problem when it comes to reading or deciphering small text at close range. With hyperopia, glasses need only be worn in certain instances.

How bad is my eyesight?

Understanding your prescription is important to evaluate how advanced your refractive error is and whether it has stabilized. Your Optilase Optometrist will be able to explain it to you in detail when you meet for your consultation, but basically the scale of your eye problem is measured in diopters.

The refractive power of each eye is measured in diopters (D) and if you are short sighted, your prescription will begin with a minus, e.g. -1.50D, while long sightedness prescriptions begin with a plus, e.g. +1.50D.

In cases of astigmatism, the error is measured in ‘cylinders’ because the amount of distance is not the same in all directions since astigmatism is caused by an irregular shaped cornea.

A person who is short sighted and needs a -1.00D lens has low or mild myopia and may not need to wear glasses constantly, while a prescription above -1.50 is considered moderate myopia and a person would rely heavily on glasses.

How does my prescription reflect how well I can see?

A diopter represents the inverse of a person’s focal length in metres, so that if a short sightedness person with a -2.00D prescription was to experience their “normal vision”, he/she would only be able to see objects up to ½ metre in front of them.

Oppositely, a long sighted person who needs +1.00D reading glasses can see objects at 1metre in focus, but anything closer is blurred.

Correcting vision surgically

Laser Eye Surgery can correct a person’s refractive error, reducing or eliminating their dependence on glasses and contact lenses. Laser surgery on the eye is swift and painless; the patient is awake throughout with numbing anaesthetic drops applied directly to the surface of the eye.

A laser is used to quickly reshape the cornea, making it better at its job of bending light evenly to form a clear image. The treatment is tailored to your particular vision issue, with a very precise amount of tissue being removed to make the cornea a better shape to allow clear vision from any distance.

To find out more about correcting your refractive error with Laser Eye Surgery, book your free consultation at Optilase today on +353 1 223 8821.

Unless you wear glasses or contacts, you’ll never know how limiting they can be. Contacts are hard to put in and wearing them long-term is expensive and high-maintenance.

Glasses fog up; you can’t wear them for sports or exercise and they tend to go missing when you need them most.

People who suffer from a refractive error, an issue with the shape of their corneas that means they need corrective eyewear to see, are constantly restricted in what they can do, and when.

LASIK (Laser-in-situ-Keratomileusis) at Optilase Laser Eye Clinics is a hugely popular choice for those who are tired of being tied to their corrective eyewear. It’s become the treatment of choice for those with myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism, as it offers those blighted by poor vision a permanent solution to prescription lenses.

Using highly sophisticated laser technology, LASIK reshapes the cornea at the front of the eye to allow future incoming light to focus directly onto the retina, allowing for clear vision at any distance.

Taking the first step towards LASIK

The first step to any Laser Eye Surgery procedure is to schedule a free, no obligation consultation at any Optilase clinic across the country to find out if you are a candidate for laser eye surgery – not everybody is, but it won’t cost you anything to find out.

During this consultation process you will be required to complete an in-depth patient questionnaire and undergo an eye test in which measurements of each eye and their individual refractive error are recorded.

There are clinics in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Athlone, Newry, Belfast and Derry, so you can make an appointment at the clinic most convenient for you to determine whether you are a suitable candidate for LASIK or any other Laser Eye Surgery procedure.

To find out if you are a suitable LASIK candidate, book your free consultation on +353 1 223 8821.

If you haven’t seen an eye care professional and find the objects both near and far away are blurry; you probably have astigmatism. It’s an extremely common condition – many people have a mild astigmatism without even realising it.

Astigmatism happens when the cornea, the clear part at the front of the eye, isn’t spherical; but instead is curved like a rugby ball or the back of a spoon.

This causes problems with vision, because the cornea’s job is to ‘refract’ or bend light entering the eye, projecting it evenly onto the retina on the back wall of the eye to form a clear image. If the cornea is unevenly shaped, the image is blurry.

The Astigmatic Eye

Astigmatism can come in combination with nearsightedness and farsightedness. Because of its asymmetrical curvature, the astigmatic eye focuses light correctly along one axis, but incorrectly along the other.

Light entering the eye is not focused on a single point on the retina, so objects both near and far become blurred or distorted- it’s like seeing everything through a pane of wavy glass.

Symptoms of Astigmatism

Common symptoms of astigmatism include:

• Objects both near and far appear blurred
• Inability to read small print
• Constant squinting of the eyes
• Fatigue or eyestrain

Treatments for Astigmatism

Since astigmatism occurs from the uneven distribution of light rays, it's corrected when light rays are focused on a single plane. This is done in a number of ways:

• Eye Glasses
• Contact Lenses
• Laser Eye Surgery

Laser eye surgery uses a computer controlled laser to reshape the cornea so it can focus light evenly, eliminating the blurring of objects at near and far distances.

Free Consultation for Laser Eye Surgery

Optilase laser eye clinics across the country offer a free consultation to patients so they can find out if they are a good candidate for surgery to correct astigmatism; leaving them free of dependence on corrective eyewear.

To book a consultation, call Optilase on +353 1 223 8821.

Despite huge advances in medical technology and vision care, here are still some myths and misconceptions about laser eye surgery preventing people who are dependent on corrective eyewear from exploring surgery as a treatment option.

Free Yourself from Glasses and Contact Lenses

The advantages of laser eye surgery are immense - people no longer need to find their glasses to clearly see the world, or to deal with fiddly and expensive contact lenses and their accompanying lotions and potions.

Optilase laser eye clinics offer a free consultation to allow people to discover if laser eye surgery would be suitable for them.

Misconception: My eyesight is too bad for laser eye surgery

There are limits to any technology, but when it comes to laser eye surgery; if you already wear glasses or contacts to correct your vision then chances are that laser surgery will be able to help you. The Optilase Optometrist will review your particular vision issue and be able to tell you if laser surgery is an option; the technology has advanced in leaps and bounds and benefits an increasing number of people worldwide every year.

Misconception: I can’t get laser eye surgery because I have astigmatism

This is one of the biggest misconceptions regarding laser surgery and is entirely false. Laser eye surgery can help nearsightedness, farsightedness and people who have astigmatism.

Misconception: I’m too old for laser eye surgery

Optilase perform surgery on everyone over the age of 18, and there is no upper age limit – it all depends on how stable your eyes are, and what other eye conditions you have.

Misconception: I can’t risk surgery; my job depends on my eyesight

Laser eye surgery has been approved for pilots, firefighters, and astronauts, all of which rely on their eyesight to perform their job. These professions have found that glasses can be broken and contacts lost so surgically corrected eyesight is a much safer alternative.

Misconception: The laser will hurt

The procedure is painless. Your eye is numbed with anaesthetic drops and then a computer-controlled laser is used to reshape the cornea. The procedure only takes a few minutes for each eye.

Optilase are happy to answer any questions you may have, and the free consultation with one of their experienced Optometrists will tell you if you are a candidate for laser eye surgery. If they don’t think it will benefit you, they’ll tell you- and it costs nothing to find out.

Call Optilase on +353 1 223 8821.

Presbyopia is a condition that affects just about everybody over the age of 40; it tends to creep up on you gradually and by age 45, you may find yourself holding printed material like papers and jar labels far away from your eye in order to focus on them.

Presbyopia is a different condition to any refractive error you already wear glasses or contacts to combat; and so even if you have previously had laser eye surgery to address a refractive error, you’ll still experience presbyopia.

It’s the medical term for ageing of the eye; specifically the crystalline lens that becomes less flexible. Over time the lens stiffens and loses its natural elasticity, so can’t get squeezed into shape by the surrounding muscles in order to focus on close objects.

Deterioration of Near Vision

Your eyes rely on the cornea and lens to bend (refract) light that enters the eye, so that images are focused accurately on the retina.

The cornea is responsible for approximately two thirds of your visual acuity, with the lens making up the remaining one third of refractive power.

The lens constantly changes shape to accommodate vision at different distance, with near vision requiring a greater amount of focusing power.

With presbyopia, the lens can no longer accommodate for objects up close which is why images will appear blurred unless they are held at a greater distance from the eyes.

Presbyopia will continue to affect the lens until the condition stabilizes, usually around the age of 65.

Excellent Options at Optilase for presbyopic patients

Glasses can be prescribed to presbyopic patients by any optician, but reading glasses can be considered a classic sign of old age and not suit everyone.

Innovative corneal inlays have been perfected in recent years and there are two types available from Optilase in a quick and minimally invasive procedure.

Optilase offers KAMRA Reading Vision Treatment, which involves placing a tiny doughnut-shaped implant in the cornea of your non- dominant eye, corralling light rays like the aperture of a camera. This creates a kind of pinhole effect, so that the eye can see near and intermediate objects clearly, without compromising on distance vision.

Optilase also offer Presbia, another type of corneal inlay that is implanted in the non-dominant eye to improve near vision and eliminate the need for reading glasses. The type of inlay recommended will depend on your specific vision issues.

For more information on Presbia and KAMRA inlays, call Optilase on +353 1 223 8821 or see
www.optilase.com/reading-glasses/

Double vision, or ‘diplopia’, is the perception of two images when only one is present. The additional image can appear horizontally, vertically; obliquely or even overlapping the object you’re looking at.

What causes double vision?

There can be any number of causes, and some are an indication of a potential dangerous neurological problem, which is why it’s vital to see your doctor as soon as possible and review your case to get appropriate treatment.

Symptoms

You see more than one object when you look at something – the additional image might overlap or be adjacent to the object, or it may depend on the way you you’re your head.

There are two types of double vision, and it’s important to figure out whether it is monocular or binocular – that is in one eye or in both.

In monocular diplopia, the double vision is caused by a condition within one or both eyes and does not resolve when one eye is covered.

In binocular diplopia, the eyes are misaligned. Each eye sees a single image when working alone, as when one eye is covered, but when both eyes are open the brain perceives two adjacent images.

How is the cause of double vision diagnosed?

A thorough evaluation with a detailed history of when it started; how long it lasts; any additional issues and a complete medical overview are required to ensure nothing nefarious is the cause.

Visual acuity in each eye will be measured, and perhaps an eye exam to look for any ocular or orbital abnormalities. Particular attention is paid to the pupils and eyelid position if a neurologic cause is suspected. When a life- or vision-threatening cause is suspected, time may be of the essence.

Treatment for double vision caused by refractive errors

Once the underlying cause has been determined, treatment can be tailored to the underlying cause.

Many causes of monocular diplopia stem from poor focusing of light by the eye, and treatment is aimed at correcting the underlying cause of the blur.

For example, refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism) can be corrected with laser eye surgery, dry eye with artificial tears and/or tear duct plugs, and cataracts (clouding of the natural lens) with surgery.

Other conditions that interfere with proper focusing of light include corneal warping or scars and retinal conditions. Treatments are tailored to the specific condition believed to be causing the blurred images.

Binocular diplopia, on the other hand, is more dangerous as the misalignment of the eyes can signal a life-threatening condition. Aneurysms, strokes, trauma, and cancers can interfere with the nerves that control the extraocular muscles (the muscles that move the eyes in different direction of gaze).

If you have double vision, your first visit should be to your doctor to determine the cause. If you need treatment of a refractive error like myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism, and don’t wish to be dependent on corrective eyewear, call Optilase laser eye clinic on +353 1 223 8821.

Presbyopia is the inevitable ageing of the eye that affects everybody, regardless of whether they have had laser eye surgery or not.

It sneaks up gradually after the age of 40, and many people don’t even notice it until after age 45. Optilase Eye Clinics see patients with presbyopia daily, as many people seek an alternative to the reading glasses they must wear to see print.

Presbyopia affects your ability to read things close-up, as your eye has trouble accommodating (shifting focus appropriately).

The most obvious symptoms are as follows:

• A tendency to hold reading material farther away to make the letters clearer
• Blurred vision at normal reading distance
• Eyestrain or headaches after reading or doing close work
• You may notice these symptoms are worse if you're tired, have had alcohol or are in an area with dim lighting.

When to see an Optometrist

As soon as you notice that you’re having trouble reading or doing ‘close’ work. Blurry vision whilst trying to read is the most obvious sign, and most people find themselves holding newspapers; mobile phones or jars away from their eye so they can better focus on the print.

Presbyopia is not connected to any other type of refractive error, such as long or short-sightedness, so if you already wear corrective eyewear like glasses or contact lenses to combat a refractive error, it won’t help with presbyopia. Nor will previous laser eye surgery for a refractive error.

Even eyes get old and stiff

Presbyopia is simply caused by a hardening of the lens of your eye; and it’s a natural part of the ageing process. As we get older, the crystalline lens of the eye becomes less flexible and can’t change shape in order to focus on close-up images. As a result, these images appear out of focus.

To form an image, your eye relies on the cornea and the lens to focus the light reflected from objects. The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped front surface of your eye. The lens is a clear structure about the size and shape of a Smartie. Both of these structures bend (refract) light entering your eye to focus the image on the retina, located on the inside back wall of your eye.

The lens, unlike the cornea, is flexible changes shape with the help of a circular muscle that surrounds it. When you look at something at a distance, the circular muscle relaxes. When you look at something nearby, the muscle constricts, allowing the relatively elastic lens to curve more steeply and change its focusing power.

When the lens starts to get stiff as part of the ageing process, we find ourselves with presbyopia.  People have to get reading glasses to allow them to see close-up – the problem is that for those with otherwise good vision, wearing glasses every time they need to see print is not a desirable option.

Two Solutions to Presbyopia at Optilase

Also, if you rely on corrective lens or have had surgery to enable you to see far away, you may need another set of glasses to see close up.

Optilase have the ideal solution to presbyopia – in fact they offer two procedures; KAMRA and Presbia.

Both are corneal inlays; little plastic discs that sit on top of the lens in one eye, and eliminate the need for reading glasses.

To find out more, call Optilase on +353 1 223 8821 or fill out our contact form.