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If
you are planning on having a surface laser treatment organised by Linda
Briggs at a specialist eye clinic this is information that you need to
know......
The surface of the cornea will be treated after the outer epidermal layer
is removed. Prior to the treatment, the eye specialist carrying
out the surgery will once again check the refraction measured during the
examination and will discuss the stages of the surgery with you with
instructions regarding what to do afterwards and post-operative care.
A mild tranquilliser pill will then be given, which will help alleviate any
last minute nerves or anxiety! (You should of course let
the clinic know beforehand if you are allergic to any kind of medication,
iodine or anaesthetic!).
Next, the assistant will take you into the preparation room, where you
will be given anaesthetic eye drops. You can enter the operating
room wearing your clothes, but you will be given disposable protective
nylon shoes covers and a disposable surgical hat. The laser treatment will
be carried out with you in a lying position. During
the treatment of one eye the other eye will be covered with a light
bandage. The eye surgeon will place a tool between your eyelids that
will help keep it in an open position during the surgery. The laser unit will be set as required and then you will be asked to look into
the blinking green light of the microscope.
The first step will be when the eye surgeon removes the outer layer of the
cornea, over a small area, and then the location of the treatment will be
marked. You will not experience any pain and it is all done very
quickly - this step only takes 1 minute! After this the laser
treatment is carried out - the duration of which depends on the
treated diopter, but will only take seconds. During the treatment you will need to continuously look into the blinking green light of
the microscope. You should not be afraid that might accidentally look
away because the microscope is equipped with an active tracking device so
that the laser will follow the minor movements of the eye, and in case the
movement is larger it will terminate the treatment.
At the end of the treatment a therapeutic soft lens will be fitted over
your eyes, and antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops will be applied. The soft lenses will protect the treated cornea and will
reduce the stinging feeling following the treatment. This therapeutic lens
you will wear both day and night and you must not remove this
- it will be taken out 3 days post surgery by your eye doctor. You will see much more clearly as you get up from the operating
table, but you will experience a dazzling sensation which will go away in
about 10 minutes.
You will be given prescription antibiotic eye drops, anti-inflammatory
drops, and pain killers for any headaches before leaving the eye clinic.
Following the surface laser treatment the cornea will heal within
3-4 days. During this period your eyes will be sensitive to light, your eyelids might be swollen and you might experience the sensation
of having something in your or eye or a tearing feeling.
If required, you can take painkilling medication, you can place wet or dry
cold packs over your closed eyes, but it is important that tap water
does not seep into your eyes - so for this reason also you must not wash
your face until the cornea has healed.
Always wash your hands before you apply the eye drops because you must
increasingly protect your eyes from infections until the cornea heals.
In case the contact lens should fall out of your eyes when out of the
clinic, you must not replace it so throw it away. In this case
the stinging might increase, but this will not affect the healing time.
The contact lens will be removed by the eye doctor 3 days after surgery.
Although immediately after the treatment you will experience an
improvement in your eyesight, during the healing period it will
temporarily become slightly blurry during the first few days. Over the
first 7 days you might feel that your eyeglasses are smeary - this is
perfectly normal and usually ceases after a week. It will not affect
your everyday life, but it can be disturbing if driving so it is
recommended that you drive only after your eyesight completely clears.
It is also recommended that you take time off work (sick leave) for the
duration of the healing process of the cornea, because of the tearing and
the sensitivity of your eyes. Very rarely an infection might occur in
the recently treated cornea caused by pathogens, so it is very important
that you use the eye drops as per the instructions and that you return for
check-ups.
It is important to continue using the eye drops after the healing of the
cornea because they will prevent the diopters settling back and will also
prevents hazes from developing in the cornea. There will be several short check-ups needed during the months following the surgery which can be
arranged with your eye doctors here in Budapest through Linda Briggs in
Hungary, or can be organised at home.
There will be no need to make any lifestyle changes after the healing of
the cornea, but you must wear sunglasses with the right protection
whenever sunny outside for the first few months - as instructed by
your eye doctor.
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