See through your eyes – literally! Laser vision correction as one of the most individualized medical procedures of the 21st century

If you have already sought help from many eye clinics and offices, but no one has been able to help you, contact us. The fact that you have been denied help at other facilities does not mean that in ours, too, we will not find the optimal solution to your vision problems. With us you will see the world more clearly: Swiss Laser is a state-of-the-art laser ophthalmology clinic, which until now, as Eye Laser Clinic, has won (and won!) recognition among Austrian and Swiss patients.

We are as precise as Swiss watches, and we treat patients with true Polish hospitality,” says Dr. Victor Derhartunian, the originator, creator and head of both Clinics.

There is a widespread belief that laser vision correction is a last resort. That we opt for it when an ophthalmologist, despite many attempts, is unable to select corrective eyeglasses that satisfy us, or we cannot tolerate contact lenses.

I would reverse the reasoning: we decide on glasses or lenses when an ophthalmologist announces to us that there are absolute contraindications to laser vision correction. Fortunately, absolute conditions, that is, conditions that indisputably prevent one from undergoing laser vision correction, are relatively few. These are primarily conditions related to the thickness, elasticity and degree of hydration of the cornea, as well as certain corneal lesions (corneal cone, congenital corneal pathologies, dystrophic diseases, corneal scars).

Because if an ophthalmologist says that there are temporarily contraindications to the procedure, but… then he is informing us of relative contraindications and setting conditions that we must meet in order to undergo laser vision correction in the future. Such most common relative contraindications, often confused with absolute ones, include, for example, autoimmune diseases. Stabilization of an autoimmune disease is just such a wicket….

A gateway to laser vision correction. The very vision of laser intervention within the eye is frightening to many people….

I understand this perfectly. Many patients imagine that this kind of surgical intervention is accompanied, like an action movie, by a beam of red light that burns everything in its path, and when it comes into contact with the eyeball, the stench of burned tissue rises in the operating room.

Meanwhile, the excimer lasers we use in vision correction belong to the group of non-thermal lasers. They provide the energy necessary to break molecular bonds, so the tissue is effectively vaporized: we get rid of it by ablation, not burning.

Is it possible not to tolerate contact lenses?

Of course! It happens that even despite all sanitary rigors, our eyes still do not tolerate contact lenses, and in glasses our visual comfort is unsatisfactory. Contact lenses deservedly enjoy a good reputation: they are cheap, comfortable, and guarantee optimal visual comfort for large visual defects.

But many patients do not realize that they suffer from dry eye syndrome (DRS) and find out just when wearing lenses – the eyes revolt: they burn, pinch, tear, we have a constant feeling of sand under the eyelids.

So let’s consider the following situation: we lead an active lifestyle, we have a stabilized visual defect, we have no absolute contraindications to laser correction of the defect, glasses serve us on average, we tolerate contact lenses, but there are days when we bear their presence in the eye poorly. And time is passing.

Apparently, our discomfort is not great enough to opt for diagnostic tests for laser vision correction. But it doesn’t get any better. It’s important to realize that short-sightedness or farsightedness (which are often accompanied by astigmatism) will be joined by other problems over time – presbyopia, known as presbyopia, and in some patients also cataracts, i.e. progressive clouding of the lens.

Then there is nothing more to consider, because the association of several ophthalmic problems most often motivates us to undergo surgery anyway – the comfort of life always comes first for the patient. When cataracts appear, we simply have no choice: surgery is essential. One should also be aware that the higher the myopia, the greater the risk of retinal detachment, its degenerative changes, cataracts or glaucoma.

It can also happen that an uncorrected eye defect leads to visual impairment: our brain stops using the eye that is not fully corrected and we develop poorer vision. Then our eye will not submit to correction with glasses, a contact lens or even a laser.

We are constantly moving toward proving the worth of undergoing laser vision correction….

Because it’s really worth it! We are already at this stage of development of refractive surgery that the procedures are not only very safe (the number of complications is less than 1% of cases; the risk of complications during and after laser vision correction is lower than when you wear contact lenses every day) and painless. They also already offer the possibility of almost immediate return to normal daily functioning.

It’s also important to know that the latest surgical technologies make it possible to combine surgery for short/far/charodopia with simultaneous removal of other visual defects, such as astigmatism. And one more argument: eye laser procedures are some of the most individualized medical procedures.

To say they are tailor-made is not figurative! A good example is SmartSight, a method in which all parameters are tailored and planned individually based on the unique physical properties of each patient’s eye. The method, for example, uses a system that tracks the parameters of the eyeball, which sets the correction profile perfectly where it should be, and any changes caused by changes in the patient’s position are automatically compensated by the laser.

And one more thing: I remind you that if our goal is to permanently eliminate the defect, the surgery must be performed on an eye with a stabilized defect. We are then assured that the laser correction of the vision defect will be permanent and there will be no need to repeat the operation in the future.

Let’s assume I decide. And, no. However, no. I’m panicky about anesthesia!

During laser eye surgery, the patient does not undergo general anesthesia. Laser vision correction is carried out under local anesthesia (anesthetic drops are instilled into the eyes) in an outpatient setting. None of the laser vision correction methods are also associated with pain sensations AFTER the operation, and the discomfort AFTER the operation can be alleviated by taking popular NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers, such as those containing ibuprofen or paracetamol). Is there anything else you are afraid of?

That I will have to take L-4 for an extended period of time, and I already have an interview scheduled with someone who will probably be as interesting an interviewee as Mr….

As I mentioned, each patient almost immediately, that is, 24 hours after the procedure, returns to normal daily activities. If it is necessary and we take up work the very next day, it is necessary to moisten the eyes very intensively and protect them with glasses so that no foreign body enters the eye. Of course, the phrase “daily activity” for some patients means a return to training at the pool or to work in the uniformed services, for others – simply the ability to shuffle around the house every day.

The type of activity will determine the rate of return to the daily routine. We can return to normal daily physical activity for good only after a month, although minor exercises of lower intensity can be performed for a few days after the procedure, but making sure that sweat does not get into the eyes and that they are not rubbed.

For you, I understand, “returning to daily activity” means returning to talking, reading and writing. Please do not be afraid. If we schedule a treatment for tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, in two days tops, you can schedule another interview.