Does it hurt while I am operated?
No, not at all. Although no anesthetic injections are given, simple anesthetic eye drops are sufficient enough to really wonder you about absolutely painless surgery as its done on a very superficial part of the eye.
 

Will I go blind?
In 20 years of our experience, this has never happened at Myopia Surgery Center.
But textbook does mention that this can be possible but we have been fortunate not to have seen even single such complication. Very rarely, patients in a group of 10,000 (0.02%) have lost 2 lines of their best possible vision, though still see much better than they did when not wearing glasses.
 

What are the fees for the surgery? Does it include everything?
There are no prices because procedures may vary. Your surgeon will discuss your options with you when he recommends a procedure. As an indication, prices range from 100$ to 600$ per eye. Lower the Myopia, lower is the cost. Like for Myopia between -1.0 to -5.0, we advise Myopia microsurgery Radial Keratotomy which costs 100$ per eye and for myopia between -5.0 to -12.0 we advise Wave front Lasik which costs 215$ per eye, for Myopia more than -12.0 we either advise EpiLasik or Clear Lens Extraction with or without IOL which can cost 300$ per eye.For Hypermetropia we recommend either wave front Lasik or C.K. which costs 215$ per eye. If, the cornea is complicated because of prior refractive surgery at any other center, we advise aberrometry guided wave front customized Lasik which costs 400$ per eyePost Cataract Minus number with or without astigmatism we suggest RK or AK which costs 100$ per eye.
 

Do we have to pay if repeat surgery is needed?
Costs include any repeat surgery within 12 months of your last visit.
 

How long does the surgery take?
5-10 minutes for Radial Keratotomy, CK ,Astigmatic Keratotomy and for any type of Lasik but it takes about 30 minutes for lens implants and Phaco.
 

How do I keep the eye open and still?
A little spring will stop you blinking. The surgeon will prevent the eye from moving.
 

Can I still wear spectacles if I need to?
Yes, for example if someone over about 45 years has their short sight fully corrected they may need reading glasses but we can in such case plan the surgery in such a way that one eye works for the distant vision and the other for the near vision which practically eliminates the need for even near Glasses for the patient above the age of 42 years.
 

What is your success rate?
Success of the surgery depends on healing pattern of an individual. Even in same individual, the two eyes may differ in their healing pattern. The monograms to correct the numbers are fixed and based on average healing pattern of the population so most of the patients( 95%) with normal healing pattern do not require glasses while a few with rapid healing can have regression and those with delayed healing can have overcorrection which are corrected only after 3 months with repeat surgery if necessary . Unfortunately there is no way to judge healing pattern prior to surgery. Well, most of the patients no longer require glasses. Some people starting with higher measurement may need a thin pair for more demanding tasks e.g. night driving. Beware, many people quote 6/12 (20/40) as a success, but this is only the level of vision required to drive without glasses.
 

How long should I take off work?
One day for microsurgery and CK. Two days for the Lasik and One week for lens implants and ciliary sclerotomy.
 

How quickly will I see?
For Radial keratotomy Microsurgery: It will be much clearer as soon as the eye patch comes off after 3 hours. For Lasik about a day. CK: Near vision within a few days, but overall vision takes 3-6 months to settle. Lens Implants: Much better at once, but the final result is only known at 6 weeks. Ciliary sclerotomy: Within one week.
 

Is it permanent?
Yes, if the eye number are stable although there can be a slight regression of effect after time with the CK and ciliary sclerotomy done for presbyopia which progresses with the age.
 

Will It affect my results of any after surgery?
No, but we will give you a list of do's and don'ts after surgery.
 

Would you have it done on your daughter?
Yes. I had done Radial Keratotomy microsurgery on my own daughter 2 years ago and you can see the video on this website or when you come to the center. I have done Radial keratotomy for my cousins as well. I honestly feel that vision threatening complication are very rare as compare to Lasik ( weather it is simple Lasik or aberrometry guided wave front customized Lasik). Of all the complications of Lasik, most of them are because lasik involves ablating central visual axis area of the cornea and even microkeratome cut before lasik also passes through this central vital area which if affected in any way leads to quite a lot of visual loss and agony. At times such post lasik vision threatening complication are very difficult to treat and makes the patient ‘s vision poor for ever. But , after 20 years of my experience of Radial Keratotomy Microsurgery done skillfully with proper equipments, I have not come across a single case of vision threatening complication following Radial Keratotomy which was a clear choice when I thought of operating my own daughter who had -2.0D Myopia. Unfortunately, Radial keratotomy microsurgery could be done only for myopia between -1.0 to -5.0.
 

How many do you treat?
Between the 2 of us we do well over 1000 operations a year, but neither of us ever does more than 10 a day for safety reasons.
 

Do you treat both eyes at once?
No. People heal differently and by doing the eyes separately the result from the first eye can be included in calculations for the second eye. Doing both eyes at once can also raise the risk of infection. We also believe that while doing 2 eyes at once is good for a clinic it is not good for you.
 

Can I have it done on the day I am examined?
Generally we prefer you to have time to think about it before going ahead, but microsurgery and diode laser can be done on the day. For lens implants and ciliary sclerotomy individual lenses or spacers need to be ordered. This takes 1-6 weeks depending on the level of refractive error.
 

When can I have the other eye treated?
Microsurgery: 3-4 weeks. Diode laser: 3-6 months. Lens implants: 2 months. Ciliary sclerotomy: 3-4 weeks.
 

Can you guarantee the results?
No one can because the eyes heal differently in different people, but if you need further similar surgery in the following 12 months this is free of charge.
 

What does it feel like afterwards?
Like a bit of sand in the eye for 1-2 days and sometimes it aches a little.
 

Who is not suitable?
Generally people who have had significant eye disease e.g. retinal detachments, amblyopia (a weak not improved to 6/12 or 20/40 by glasses), where vision has changed significantly in the last year, or general health problems e.g. significant rheumatoid arthritis or poorly controlled diabetes. We do not treat people under 18 years old. Corneal thickness and pupil size are rarely a problem.
 

Should I have a choice of procedures?
Absolutely. People are often told that one procedure can treat all refractive problems, but eyes and people differ so we offer a variety of procedures to suit you. Even then we may not be able to help and will tell you so and will explain why not.
 

How long has refractive surgery been done?
Microsurgery over 30 years, PRK just over 10 years, LASIK 6 years, diode laser 10 years, lens implants over 20 years (first used in cataracts in 1949) and ciliary sclerotomy 4 years.
 

Why do you not use the Excimer laser?
Other clinics do. Because up to 50% of patients permanently lose dome night vision, making night driving dangerous and because after LASIK the corneal flap never heals. The cornea is permanently weakened by between 40% and 50% and some cases are require corneal transplants to restore their sight. For more information in LASIK, you can visit www.safestlasikfor500dollars.com or ask for our leaflet: Lasers in refractive surgery.