Laser Eye Surgery

Lasik treats prescriptions up to -9D, +4D with an astigmatism of up to -5D. Lasek is able to treat prescriptions up to -9D, +3D with an astigmatism of up to -5D.

Suitability is determined at the consultation by the surgeon after comprehensive testing. Patients should be over the age of 18yrs and have had a stable prescription for a year.

Absolute contraindication for laser treatment: pregnancy, breastfeeding, autoimmune disorders, keratoconus.

There is no upper age limit for Laser Eye Surgery as long as it is the ideal treatment for the patient’s needs and expectations, and there are no signs of cataracts. Most laser patients tend to be between the ages of 18 and 50.

For Laser Eye Surgery, you must be over the age of 18 with two stable prescriptions and there is no upper age limit.

For Implantable Contact Lenses (ICL), you must be between the ages of 21 and 40 and have two stable prescriptions.

For Cataract Surgery and Clear Lens Exchange treatments you must at least be 45 years old, have presbyopia and a stable reading prescription.

Patients looking for management of Keratoconus must be over the age of 16 and have had disease diagnosed as progressive.

Wavefront laser eye treatment corrects the aberrations (imperfections) in the eyes which cause a prescription. AVC deliver a gold standard in Laser treatment with our personalised treatment plans and sole use of Wavefront technology. Our state of the art laser eye surgery provides better quality vision and reduces nighttime glare that can be experienced with basic Laser treatments.

As with any surgery, there are no 100% guarantees. There are many variables, the main being corneal healing and general health. If you have 20/20 vision with glasses or contact lenses, it is highly possible this will be achieved after treatment; this will be discussed at the consultation.

98% of our patients’ achieve 20/20 vision and approximately 30 to 40% of our patients’ achieve better than 20/20 vision.

LASIK is the most common laser surgery performed worldwide, it has undergone numerous clinical trials and is FDA approved.

As with any surgery procedure, laser eye surgery is not completely risk-free. Complications are very rare and these will be explained and discussed at your consultation. Any complications that may arise can easily be dealt with by our comprehensive aftercare system, which is included in the cost of your treatment.

The Intralase FS eliminates all blade-related complications attributed to the mechanical blade keratome.

Computer controlled accuracy of the IntraLase iFS creates a precise cornea resection with greater consistency of flap thickness.

It will take about 15-20 minutes to treat both eyes but you will be in the clinic for 1 to 2 hours to prepare, perform the treatment, recover and be discharged.

Brand new: AVC’s Advanced Control Eye-tracking (ACE) System is the most sophisticated 6 dimensional (XYZ, intraoperative rotations and static rotations using Iris Recognition) eye tracker. It takes pictures of the eye (sampling rate) 1,750 times per second (1750Hz) and has a response time of 2ms, so no laser pulses are ever misplaced. The Eyetracker can follow the most sudden or subtle of eye movements.

Before the procedure, the surgeon will apply anaesthetic drops to numb your eye so no pain is felt. However, the eye lid guard that prevents blinking throughout the procedure can cause some discomfort. Some patients also report a sensation of pressure for a few seconds whilst the flap is created.

The protective contact lens is placed in the eyes as a precautionary measure and if it falls out there is no need to replace it or to worry about it. The lens is removed at the first post-operative check which for LASIK is one or two days after treatment and for LASEK is 4 to 5 days. We recommend not touching the lenses, even if you are an experienced lens wearer.

Your vision will be a little blurry after LASIK surgery and this wears off a few hours after treatment. Recovery times after laser eye surgery vary as everyone’s eyes heal independently at different rates. Initial recovery after LASIK treatment is usually 24 to 48 hours and for LASEK is 3 to 4 days. It is recommended that all aftercare instructions are followed to aid recovery.

Following LASIK majority of patients are back to work within 48 hours, and within a week for LASEK patients. However, this can vary depending on your occupation; working in a dusty environment may mean that more time off is needed. The amount of time off work needed will be suggested at your consultation.

At your first post-operative check, your surgeon will examine your eye to determine how your vision is recovering and advise when to start driving. It is typically between 1 to 2 days after treatment LASIK and a week after LASEK

The treatment will last indefinitely, however, does not prevent natural deterioration or changes due to health issues or environmental factors. If there is deterioration in vision, retreatment may be required to fine tune it. Laser treatment will not prevent the natural ageing of the eyes – presbyopia – which is the need for reading glasses from the age of 40-45yrs.

For presbyopic patients (over 40yrs of age with reading glasses), this is where one eye (dominant eye) is corrected for distance vision and the other is corrected for near vision. To be able to have this type of treatment you must undergo a contact lens trial to ensure you are able to adapt to the discrepancy between the two eyes. Not everyone can tolerate this; hence a contact lens trial is imperative to simulate the potential outcome.

This procedure is ideal for patients who are unsuitable for (e.g. dry eyes, high prescription, thin corneas, etc) as it does not involve modification of the cornea and can treat high prescriptions.

ICL is the only vision correction treatment that is reversible. It has a proven safety record, is FDA approved and has undergone extensive clinical trials. The procedure involves implanting an artificial lens behind the coloured part of the eye (the anterior chamber) thereby meaning it cannot be seen.

These treatments are identical – the only difference is whether a clear or a cloudy lens (cataract) is removed. The procedures involve removing the natural crystalline lens of the eye and replacing it with an artificial lens tailored to a patient’s prescription.

Laser treatment cannot be carried out if you are pregnant. To be able to undertake any form of vision correction surgery you must wait at least 3 months after finishing breastfeeding.

It is a requirement that the epilepsy is under control with anti-epileptic medication. Epileptics can have vision correction treatment given that strong lighting is not used throughout any of the treatments.

As long as the conditions are under control, vision correction is possible.

Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelids caused by clogging or irritation of the oil glands found in the follicles of the eyelashes. Clogging of the oil glands can also lead to infections. There are two types – occurring on the outside of the eye (anterior) and in the corner of the eye (posterior).

To determine if someone who has blepharitis can have treatment is dependent on whether or not there is an infection. If so the infection must clear before attending a consultation or treatment. There are also other symptoms caused by blepharitis that can affect suitability for treatment, these will be assessed at your consultation.

Suitability will be determined at your consultation as it depends on the degree of amblyopia; the lazy eye must have a minimum amount of visual function. Vision correction treatment will not correct amblyopia; instead, the prescription is corrected, achieving the same vision as obtained with glasses and contact lenses.

This depends on the direction and angle of deviation. Strabismus surgery is needed if you want to correct the misalignment which will involve surgery on the muscles around the affected eye. Treatment to correct the prescription can be performed before or after strabismus surgery. For patients requiring prisms in glasses, this will remain the same after vision correction surgery.

This is age related and can affect one or both eyes where damage to the macula (central part of the retina) results in loss of central vision. It causes blurred vision and can lead to a complete loss of central vision (partial blindness). Vision correction treatment is not recommended and instead, you should see a specialist to determine the best form of treatment.

Floaters are small dots that can be seen in your field of vision. They are small pieces of debris that float in the vitreous humour. This debris casts a shadow on the retina but can often go unnoticed as your brain adapts and learns to ignore floaters or they quickly move out of the field of vision. Floaters are part of the natural ageing process and cannot be prevented. However, if they significantly affect your vision they can be removed at a specialist clinic. Vision correction treatment will correct your prescription but it will not remove or prevent floaters.