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Eye lasers: experience with lasik and new laser techniques


Eye lasers: experience with Lasik and new laser techniques

Collecting experience and information about risks and hazards prior to eye lasers is a top priority if you are considering operating a Lasik OP. What you should consider before making such an important decision and which reports of experience and studies are available in Germany and abroad can be found in our overview.

Eye lasers have become more and more in the focus as an alternative to glasses or contact lenses in recent years. Every year around 120,000 people in Germany opt for laser eye surgery. Many eye laser providers are now even in shopping malls, where you quickly make contact with the patient while he is in a buying mood.

Critics see this as a problem: the eye surgery is sold as a fancy product, as if you would order an iPad in the Apple Store.

Experienced providers clarify completely

At information desks or distribution outlets, you should always keep in mind that staff are usually not ophthalmologists with surgical experience, but often just simple salespeople who have been given short training. So do not be tempted to make a quick decision, do not sign contracts, and do not hesitate to find out more about the operation method, the location of the laser surgery and the operating ophthalmologist.

Good eye laser provider clarify in detail about possible Risks and follow-up costs on. Caution is advised if the procedure is considered completely harmless, extremely cheap and only with positive results advertised. After all, it is still an operation on a sensitive sensory organ. You should also be particularly critical of laser operations that are to take place abroad.

There are a few Eye clinics in Turkey, Poland and the Czech Republic, who promote very cheap operations for Germans. Remember that a good surgery includes a follow-up visit, so eye surgery should not be done on vacation.

The costs in this country are just under 1,500 to 2,000 euros per eye. For more information about costs, see Eye Lasers & Costs. As a rule, patients have to pay for the procedure themselves. Health insurances only take over in a few cases, see eye lasers & health insurance.

In general, the following applies to eye lasers: Experience has shown predominantly positive results, the method is considered reliable and safe. There are many positive testimonials from patients with values ​​of up to -3.5 dioptres, in this area the success rate is very high. The positive experiences speak for the intervention. However, other factors are crucial for success: hygienic conditions in the operating room, modern instruments, the precise surgical procedure, the experience of the surgeon and much more … Find out more about the methods and procedure in our great guide Eye lasers.

Lasik experiences – facts and long-term studies

Although the Lasik procedure has seen more than 20 million procedures worldwide since its introduction, there is a lack of long-term studies on the topic. Reasons for this are to be found in the costs for long-term studies as well as in the constant progress of the surgical technique.

In Spain, a study was published in 2008 documenting eye laser experience of 70 patients over a ten-year period. 97 eyes were used for the test. The patients selected for the study had a visual impairment of less than -10 dioptres.

Here is an overview of the basic data:

Older sphere cylinder
17 to 57 years -1.00 to -9.5 dioptres 0.00 to -5.00 dioptres

The investigation of the study participants took place

  • a quarter
  • twelve months
  • 24 Months
  • five years
  • and ten years

after eye-lasering. During the study period underwent every fifth patient Another surgery, as complications occurred or he did not satisfy the result.

The reasons for the reoperation were in order of frequency in:

  1. undercorrection
  2. overcorrection
  3. Regression of myopia
  4. Overcorrection and regression
  5. Astigmatism mixtus

Severe complications, such as rarely occurring corneal ectasia, did not occur in the 97 eyes tested. In summary, the study concluded that Lasik is a safe procedure for low to medium myopia. A complete waiver of glasses or contact lenses can not be guaranteed. About a quarter of those patients continue to correct their eyes with glasses or contact lenses. Twenty to thirty percent of the operated eyes had to be reoperated one more time.

The relevance of this study is very low for a current decision for or against eye lasers. Today, much more precise surgical and measuring methods are used, such as the modern methods Femto Lasik and ReLEx Smile.

Current study on experience with eye lasers

Currently, the Department of Ophthalmology at the Hospital of the Goethe University Frankfurt conducted a study to scientifically evaluate experiences with a modern procedure for femtosecond laser treatment. The experience reports 2016 will be incorporated into the further research work of the Laser Eye Center. The provider is looking for the introduction of this laser surgery subjects who meet the following criteria:

  • older than 18 years
  • general health
  • Myopia between -6 and -10 diopters and / or
  • Corneal curvature up to a maximum of 5 dioptres
  • the desire to do without a pair of glasses

Study participants will receive a Femto Lasik treatment on both eyes for free. One eye is treated with the classic Femto Lasik method and one eye is operated on according to the novel XTRA LASIK procedure. As soon as the results of this treatment method are available, we will report here.

Modern femtosecond laser: Good experience with Femto Lasik

Eye surgery – never without residual risk!

The above Lasik experiences do not exclude risks. Individual healing reactions can be responsible for the fact that the Lasik OP does not achieve the desired result, as a study on the Eye center in Cologne in this context.

A US study confirms patients’ 90% eye satisfaction. In the largest English-language Laser Eye Forum experiences are mostly positive, most of the reports, however, were written immediately after the operation (a few weeks to months after the laser procedure).

Some patients from NRW and Frankfurt stated that they had dry eyes and a foreign body sensation right after the operation. In about 95 percent of those treated normalized the symptoms a few weeks after the procedure.

The chance of a permanent impairment, such as by glare and night blindness, is 1: 200,000. For today’s success rate with very low residual risk makes the head of the surgical center at the University Clinic Mainz responsible for the use of Femto Lasik and Relex Smile. Experienced ophthalmologists carry out the operations Femto Lasik and Relex Smile through, then run away 99 percent of the interventions without major complaints.

Reports from patients after eye-laser

There remains a tradeoff between a completely new attitude to life and a low residual risk. Anyone who has the experience of being dependent on glasses or contact lenses in everyday life will greatly appreciate the quality of life after successful surgery. Immediately after leaving the eye clinic, those affected can see with pin-sharp sharpness and are no longer dependent on visual aids during sports and everyday activities. The patient experience after the eye correction is almost entirely positive. One of the ophthalmologists came to this conclusion carried out in South Carolina meta-analysis:

Subject of the analysis Number of subjects Testimonials on Lasik versus PRK

Lasik is the most common method of laser vision. Therefore, most experience reports are also available for this procedure. With a knife or with Femto Lasik with a special laser, the upper layer of the cornea is removed and folded away during this outpatient procedure. Now the laser can act on the deeper layers and after treatment, the detached cornea is folded back.

Very good experiences are made if the following guidelines are not exceeded:

  • If myopia is present: – 10 dioptres
  • Farsightedness is present: + 4 dioptres
  • If there is astigmatism: – 4 dioptres

In comparison, the PRK method (see photorefractive keratectomy) can be used for defects of the cornea. This procedure can also be done on an outpatient basis. In the follow-up treatment, the patients have had good experience with ointments and eye drops. Most experience reports mention as a negative aspect that patients have to use a tear substitute for several months.

Lasik or Lasek? Patients report

Experience has Lasik the advantage that the procedure is hardly associated with pain and only a little time passes until the patient can see again sharp. In Lasek surgery, sufferers report a negative experience of lack of visual acuity and a foreign body sensation following surgery. The symptoms disappeared in the study participants after a few days. However, this phenomenon is known. In contrast to Lasik, the vision of Lasek is impaired immediately after the operation. First the epithelial layer has to grow again. For a final result, one must therefore expect up to 10 days of healing time.

Whether PRK, Lasek or Lasik comes into question for your eyes, preliminary investigations must be clarified. Depending on the ametropia and thickness of the cornea, the surgeon chooses the right method.

Reports on risks & side effects

Even if most empirical values ​​show a predominantly positive statistic, every operation carries risks and also possible side effects have to be planned. This applies to German eye-pawing in Berlin, Cologne or Munich, as well as to the controversial treatment abroad.

Based on current surveys, studies and reports, we evaluated the experiences in 2016 and 2015. Bad experiences in the form of the most commonly observed side effects are:

  • Dryness of the eyes (see for remedy: remedies for dry eyes – symptoms, causes)
  • Impairment of visibility in the dark
  • photosensitivity
  • drooping eyel >Positive eye lasers experiences

If you have already performed an eye laser surgery yourself, you can share your experience with our readers by writing to us. Representing the numerous positive eye laser experience reports, the report of a 35-year-old is to be singled out. She had her eyes lasered in Munich. In advance, the iLASIK method was used to check whether the patient’s eyes are suitable for lasers. The eyes were anesthetized before the procedure.

The patient alone found the pressure of the ring placed on the eye unpleasant during the treatment. In less than ten minutes both eyes were treated. The vision had improved noticeably immediately after the procedure and within the next few days a further improvement set in. In retrospect, several examinations took place and the patient was given drops for moistening and disinfecting the eye. One month after surgery, the eyesight of those affected was 160 percent.

What limitations are there for eye lasers??

Laser eye surgery is not fully practicable. The age at which a corneal curvature should be lasered, the Commission Refractive Surgery of the German Ophthalmological Society firmly:

  • At -8 dioptres it is recommended to have myopia lasered.
  • Lets farsightedness, promises success at up to +3 dioptres.
  • With presbyopia, the recommendation for surgery is somewhat reduced, since with increasing age lower chances of recovery exist. See further details: Lasering presbyopia.
  • Age: Eye lasers are supported between the ages of 19 and 50 years.

Lasers abroad: experience with low-cost suppliers

The costs of lasering the eyes are generally borne by the patient himself and amount to an average of 2,000 euros per eye. The prices are the decisive factor to make those affected think about an operation abroad, because these interventions are priced well below the costs for, for example, Relex Smile in Bavaria, NRW or Hamburg.

A study carried out by the Ergo insurance have already been 5 percent of all Germans go abroad for an operation. Of this, 13 percent is due to laser eye surgery

  • in Turkey
  • in Poland
  • in Czech Republic
  • or in non-European countries.

Eye lasers and negative testimonials therefore often remain unavoidable. But not only bad experiences, also positive things have to report to those affected. In a German forum, a 31-year-old reported from her Experience with eye surgery in Istanbul:

After the Lasik costs in Germany seemed too high, the person in Munich made an eye check and then agreed on the surgery date in Istanbul. The flight to Turkey, hotel and transfers were organized by the clinic. The price of 1,200 euros was collected in advance.

The internationally respected doctor Leyla Kandur enjoys many recommendations. According to the report, she performed the surgery the next day. Somewhat strangely, the patient found that she had been given the anesthesia drops before surgery by the chauffeur who picked her up from the airport. The procedure itself was completed in ten minutes and caused no pain or complications. Whether such reports are verifiable or paid marketing (fake experiences) is behind it, can hardly be determined.

Many questions remain open: What happens in the event of a complication? What medical (?) Education and experience did that driver enjoy providing patients with anesthetic drops after picking them up at the airport? What does communication and language skills look like locally??

To be on the safe side – Femto Lasik in Germany

One thing is certain: eye operations abroad are not always as smooth as described in forum comments. in the Specialist magazine “Ophthalmoscope” Twenty cases were recently listed in which those affected had negative experiences. For an eye surgery in Germany speak the medical experience of the doctors, the most modern technologies and the strict guidelines that are used in German eye clinics.

Where can eyes be lasered? recommendations

Several studies have confirmed that the risk of laser eye surgery can be significantly reduced by choosing experienced physicians and leading eye centers. More than 20 eye clinics in Germany carry this Lasik-TÜV seal of quality. This privilege is granted only if the device is in the test in terms of

  • domestic equipments
  • hygiene
  • Experience of the doctors
  • and patient satisfaction

to convince knows. We have listed a selection of recommended eye laser centers with positive testimonials from patients and reputable certificates for you here: Suppliers and clinics in Germany.

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Christina Cherry
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