Before and After LASIK & SmartSight

It is important to understand that no surgeon can guarantee perfect vision. Those with higher degrees of refractive error have more chance of needing to wear glasses for some activities such as night driving. If you are over about 45 (presbyopic) you will eventually need glasses for reading and other close work. The degree of improvement in vision varies from person to person.

Research has shown that the use of ocular lubricants (artificial tears) before surgery improves the results of laser eye surgery. You can start using lubricant drops at least one week prior to surgery at least 3 times per day. There are many different types but we have found that Optive Fusion, Systane Hydration or Bion Tears work well in single dose containers (no preservative).

When booking for surgery you will be given a pre-operative instruction letter. If you have been told that dry eye is an issue for you then it can help to start taking an omega-3 fatty acid supplement (fish oil or flaxseed oil) at 2-3 capsules per day.

Your eyes may be gritty and irritable and sensitive to light for several hours afterwards. They usually water a lot. You will probably not feel like doing much other than sleeping which is the best thing you can do.

We prefer that you do not watch TV or use a computer on the day of surgery. Please only remove the plastic eye shields to put a drop from each medication bottle in your eyes until the next morning. Your vision will be blurry on the day of surgery but should start to clear by the next morning.

The most dramatic improvement will be noticed the morning following your surgery. Most people return to their normal routine on the day after the treatment, but usually wait another day to return to work especially if they do a lot of computer work.

There will be some fluctuation in your vision for the first few days as the cornea is settling down. It may take longer for moderate or higher corrections to settle completely.

Your eyes may remain sensitive to dryness/wind/air-conditioning/bright lights for some time; so you should use lubricant eye drops frequently and always wear wrap around/large sunglasses when outside during the day.

In some cases it can take up to 3 months for your eyes to completely stabilise. It takes longer for the night-time vision to improve than day-time vision.

There have been more than 30 million LASIK procedures performed worldwide. Clinical trials in the US have shown the vast majority of patients achieved or reported the following:

• Extreme improvement in vision quality
• 20/20 vision without glasses
• No increase in unwanted glare, halos or night driving difficulty
• High satisfaction with their results
• They would choose the procedure again