Disclaimer

This website is only for basic information. It is not to be considered medical advice or a substitute for obtaining your own medical consultation, during which you will be informed also about possible risks, side effects and restrictions of refractive & cataract surgery. Not all treatment options are approved or offered in every country and approved labeling and instructions may vary from one country to another. This site is also not intended for patients and healthcare providers residing in the United States of America and Japan.

Meeting the criteria

LASIK suitability

Your first step to better vision

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LASIK is one of the most popular choices for laser vision correction around the world, with millions of people now enjoying better vision thanks to the procedure. Introduced in the 1990s, it has proven itself to be a safe and effective procedure to correct eye conditions, including near- and far-sightedness, as well as astigmatism. Find out here if you meet the criteria for LASIK and if the procedure can reduce your need for glasses and contact lenses.

Is LASIK the right choice for me?

LASIK surgery can correct many vision problems so it may be the right choice for you

LASIK surgery can correct near-sightedness (myopia) or far-sightedness (hyperopia) with or without astigmatism for most people with common prescriptions. So, if you are over 18-years old and in good health, you may be a suitable candidate for the procedure.

During the LASIK procedure, your surgeon creates a flap in your cornea and reshapes it to improve your vision. If you also have astigmatism, your surgeon can reduce the blurriness caused by the condition at the same time. However, suitability for any surgical treatment will depend on the degree of your prescription as well as the stability and health of your eyes. Only a doctor can recommend a treatment following a consultation.

LASIK has a high success rate and most patients report achieving 20/20 vision or better after the treatment. Always discuss the suitability of LASIK for your particular needs with your eye doctor, as everyone’s personal circumstances, eye health and vision expectations are different.

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A life without reading glasses

How LASIK can improve your vision for easy reading and close-up work

Presbyopia is a common condition for people in their 40s and beyond that affects your ability to focus on nearby objects clearly. As you age, the lens of your eye becomes less flexible and cannot change shape to focus on different distances.

If you're finding it difficult to read small print, require extra light for clarity, or frequently experience headaches or eyestrain after close-up tasks, you might be dealing with presbyopia.

Your eye doctor can correct presbyopia based on the LASIK procedure steps using monovision or the micro-monovision protocol PRESBYOND. During a monovision treatment, your surgeon corrects your non-dominant eye to improve your near vision and adjusts the dominant eye to focus on far-away objects. After surgery, your brain automatically selects the image from the eye that provides the clearest focus depending on the distance of the object you're looking at. This adaptation allows you to maintain clear vision at various distances without the need for reading glasses. Nevertheless, you may still need to wear glasses if you need to focus for extended periods (such as when driving or concentrating on high-precision close-up work).

It takes a little time to adjust to having each eye focused at different distances. Talk to your eye doctor about a trial of monovision contact lenses. These mimic the effect of monovision laser vision correction so you can see if surgery would be suitable for you in the long-term.

LASIK is not the only option

Even if you meet the criteria for LASIK, other procedures are available

With a successful track record stretching over 30 years, LASIK is an established choice for laser vision correction. However, with the development of even more precise lasers over recent decades, laser vision correction techniques have evolved. Another option, Lenticule Extraction with ZEISS SMILE, is a minimally invasive procedure which means fast recovery and no flap-related complications. So even if you are a suitable candidate for LASIK, talk to your doctor about ZEISS SMILE, particularly if you are looking for a convenient, effective procedure that uses advanced technology.

Bladeless LASIK is a procedure that uses two types of lasers during surgery – a femtosecond laser to create a corneal flap and an excimer laser to shape and correct your cornea. Bladeless LASIK differs from the traditional LASIK procedure, which uses an oscillating blade called a microkeratome to create the flap.
A flapless alternative to LASIK is Lenticule Extraction with ZEISS SMILE. As no flap is created and an incision of ~ 4 mm is made in the cornea, the procedure preserves corneal tissue and overall eye strength is maintained. ZEISS SMILE can correct near-sightedness with or without astigmatism.
If you have thin corneas, PRK may offer a suitable alternative laser eye correction method. Instead of creating a corneal flap, during PRK the surgeon completely removes the upper layer of the cornea called the epithelium and afterwards performs the laser vision correction procedure. After surgery, the epithelium grows back naturally, usually within a few days.
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