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LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis). The most common form of laser eye surgery in the UK, LASIK has helped thousands of individuals with long and short-sighted difficulties over the years. It involves taking a flap of tissue from the cornea and reshaping the surface of it using an Excimer laser.
Wavefront-guided LASIK. An updated and more accurate form of LASIK, this involves using a three dimensional computer generated image of the cornea prior to the eye being reshaped with the Excimer. This makes it very much a customised treatment.
To understand the difference between the two treatments, you first have to understand a bit about the concept of laser eye surgery in general.
Essentially, laser eye surgery refers to the process of reshaping the clear layer of your eye (known as the cornea) with a concentrated beam of light known as a laser. It’s often referred to as ‘surgery’, there are no incisions involved; what you’re really having is laser eye treatment.
There are two laser eye treatment methods: Lasik and Lasek. The main difference between them is how your cornea is opened to allow the laser through.
LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis). The most common form of laser eye surgery in the UK, LASIK has helped thousands of individuals with long and short-sighted difficulties over the years. It involves taking a flap of tissue from the cornea and reshaping the surface of it using an Excimer laser.
Wavefront-guided LASIK. An updated and more accurate form of LASIK, this involves using a three dimensional computer generated image of the cornea prior to the eye being reshaped with the Excimer. This makes it very much a customised treatment.
From Prices (Per Eye)
£595
From Prices (Per Eye)
£1,195
The price of cataract surgery varies from person to person, depending on your prescription and individual requirements. Many treatment providers now offer finance options to spread the cost and make cataract surgery an affordable option for everyone.
Laser eye surgery may not be cheap, but it can be cost-effective. This is because the costs of all those eye tests, glasses and contact lenses will add up over your lifetime. So, if you spend around £200 on glasses every three years, £150 on contact lenses (including the cleaning solution) each year, and £20 for your annual eye check up, that makes £175 a year.
The prescription of your eye is derived from the power of your cornea (outer clear part of your eye) and the power of the natural lens within your eye. To have 20:20 vision, these 2 components must work together to focus light perfectly on to your retina. If you are long sighted, short sighted or have astigmatism, this is not the case. During laser eye surgery, the aim of the procedure is to alter the shape (and therefore power) of your cornea, to ensure the light entering your eye is focussed perfectly on to your retina, meaning you will no longer need to wear glasses or contact lenses.
Laser eye surgery is widely used to help treat refractive errors such as:
Short-sightedness (myopia)
Long-sightedness (hyperopia)
Astigmatism, where the cornea (front surface of the eye) is not perfectly curved, causing blurred vision
However, these conditions are not available for treatment on the NHS because other successful treatments are available, such as wearing glasses or contact lenses.
The actual procedure itself typically only takes about 10 minutes to perform and this is for both eyes. Prior to the surgery you will typically see your surgeon for a quick consultation to check you are happy with everything. The surgeon will also check he/she is happy with all the measurements that have been previously taken in the laser eye surgery consultation. Once you are taken through for the treatment your eyes are anaesthetised (numbed) using eye drops. The drops sting slightly for 10-20 seconds and it really is nothing to worry about. Once your eyes have been anaesthetised your surgeon then has to access the inner layers of your cornea (outer part of your eye).
Once you have decided you would like to undertake laser eye surgery the next step is to book in for a consultation to check you are suitable. Whilst there is some variation between different clinics, the typical suitability rate is around 85%, meaning 15% of people are likely to be unsuitable for the surgery. As laser eye surgery has improved over the years the prescription range has widened, meaning fewer people are beyond the treatable range. There are however certain general health conditions and eye conditions that may mean you are not a suitable candidate for surgery.
it’s rare. You are only eligible for free laser eye surgery on the NHS if you suffer from a medical condition that affects your vision, and could lead to partial – or even full – loss of eyesight if left untreated. Qualifying conditions include diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and certain corneal deficits. In other words, if you can treat your vision difficulties with cheaper, non-surgical treatments such as glasses and contact lenses, you will not qualify.
LASEK stands for Laser Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy. It’s a better choice if you have a thin cornea or a medical condition that makes laser eye surgery more challenging to complete. During the surgery only one laser will be used to correct your vision— rather than the two that are used in LASIK. An alcohol solution is put on to the surface of your eye and an ultra-thin sheet applied. This alcohol solution loosens the thin layer of cells on your eye’s surface called the epithelium. After the laser has reshaped your cornea, a special protective contact lens will be put on your eye to increase your comfort whilst it heals. This lens is normally taken off after about four days. Like LASIK, both eyes can be treated on the same day. A lot of patients can see an immediate improvement in their vision, but it may take a number of days for your vision to settle. The recovery process can take slightly longer— usually a couple of weeks.
LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. It’s been performed for over 20 years and it’s helped to improve the vision of millions of people in that time. Believe it or not, the treatment is considered so effective that NASA has even approved it for use on their astronauts. During LASIK treatment, the first laser will create a very thin protective flap on the clear layer of your eye (your cornea). This protective flap will then be lifted, and the second laser will then be used to correct your vision. Both eyes are usually treated on the same day. The recovery process is fairly quick and you should be able to drive and return to work within 24 hours of the treatment. Many people notice an immediate improvement in their vision but for others it may take a few weeks for their vision to settle properly.
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