Free yourself from glasses and contact lenses with ultra-precise Swiss-optmised laser eye surgery

Are you suitable for laser eye surgery?

First things first: we can treat 99% of the patients who contact us. However, if you are not suitable for a surgical procedure, we will tell you this and unfortunately have to turn you away as a patient. This is a matter of course for us as serious eye surgeons. Of course, we will do everything in our power to help you achieve better vision. At EyeLaser, the decision is in the hands of specialists.

No two eyes are the same. Our primary concern is therefore to determine your visual acuity or defective vision as accurately as possible. To this end, we use only the most modern technologies and highly qualified personnel for the initial preliminary examination.

There are different methods for the surgical correction of visual defects. Not everyone is suitable for classic laser eye treatment. However, there are alternatives such as lens implantation, which can also be considered for more pronounced refractive errors or corneas that are too thin or irregular.

Are you suitable for laser eye surgery?

First things first: we can treat 99% of the patients who contact us. However, if you are not suitable for a surgical procedure, we will tell you this and unfortunately have to turn you away as a patient. This is a matter of course for us as serious eye surgeons. Of course, we will do everything in our power to help you achieve better vision. At EyeLaser, the decision is in the hands of specialists.

No two eyes are the same. Our primary concern is therefore to determine your visual acuity or defective vision as accurately as possible. To this end, we use only the most modern technologies and highly qualified personnel for the initial preliminary examination.

There are different methods for the surgical correction of visual defects. Not everyone is suitable for classic laser eye treatment. However, there are alternatives such as lens implantation, which can also be considered for more pronounced refractive errors or corneas that are too thin or irregular.

Basically, you should fulfil the following criteria for an eye operation:

– You are of age, i.e. at least 18 years old.
– Your visual acuity has been stable for at least one year.
– Your eye is healthy – you do not suffer from any relevant eye diseases.
– You are in a generally good state of health.
If you meet these criteria, you are generally eligible for laser eye surgery and we can determine which treatment method is best for you in a consultation and preliminary examination. The following methods are recommended depending on your specific visual defect:

Laser eye surgery for short-sightedness

Laser eye surgery for farsightedness

Laser eye surgery for astigmatism

Laser eye surgery for presbyopia

On the respective sub-pages you can find detailed information about the visual defects and the appropriate methods for their correction. We will also be happy to advise you personally. Simply arrange a free initial consultation.

Risks and side effects of laser eye surgery

As with any operation, eye surgery involves certain risks and side effects. The attending surgeon will explain these to you in detail at your consultation.

Although the complication rate with laser eye surgery is well below 1%, different paresthesia can occur. This depends on the vision correction method chosen. With most laser eye methods, any discomfort disappears after a few hours. You will have good eyesight the next day.

Laser eye surgery has been a scientifically recognized procedure for decades. It is one of the most frequently performed operations worldwide. The risks are extremely low. We reduce those risks even further through:

• The critical selection of our patients
• Meticulous preliminary examinations
• Extensive experience

Nevertheless, we would like to inform you about possible complications:

• Pain lasting up to three days
• Fluctuating visual performance for up to several months (mainly with the Trans-PRK/PRK/LASEK method).
• Watery eyes and a foreign body sensation in the eye can persist for 2 to 4 hours after the operation (With Femto-LASIK)
• Eye dryness. You can moisten the eye sufficiently with commercially available eye drops.
• Sensitivity to light
• Increased sensitivity to glare. This can lead to the perception of halos or reduced visual acuity at dusk. We can reduce this risk with wavefront technology and careful laser programming.
• Post-operative infection: You can counteract this by using antibiotic/steroid eye drops in the first week. Please report immediately if inflammation or pain occurs in the eye. Using these eye drops can also lead to increased dryness and increased intraocular pressure.
• A possible over-or under-correction of up to 20% of the desired visual acuity. This can occur due to fluctuations in the healing process and the laser power.
• We can correct this within the care time you choose after the operation.
• Incision errors occur very rarely. These have been reduced even further by the introduction of femtosecond laser technology. They are negligible with appropriate follow-up treatment.
• A softening of the cornea (keratectasia) is extremely rare (in 1 in 10,000 to 40,000 cases). We can correct this by using corneal crosslinking.
• Growing in or shifting of the corneal flap can occur and can be remedied with a short intervention. It is therefore imperative that you keep your check-ups!
• Patients over 45 years of age will likely need reading glasses after we have corrected their nearsightedness. This is due to the onset of presbyopia. The use of monovision, laser blended vision or PresbyMax is an exception.

During your preliminary examination, we will discuss these risks and side effects with you. Ultimately, you should only opt for an eye laser operation if you feel confident in the treating surgeon.

Free initial consultation

Together we will assess your needs and discuss possible treatments. During the first free consultation, you will get to know our practice and can clarify any questions you may have about laser treatments. We are also happy to conduct the consultation online as a video conference.

Preliminary examination

In this personal consultation with the specialist, possible options for eye surgery will be explained to you and all relevant data will be recorded:

• Complex ophthalmological examination
• Your exact glasses strength
• Digital retinal examination and pressure measurement
• Measurement of the eye (biometric, topography, tomography, wavefront, corneal epithelium pattern)

Ahead of the preliminary examination for laser eye surgery :

• Please do not wear soft contact lenses for one week before the preliminary examination.
• Please do not wear hard contact lenses for four weeks before the preliminary examination.
• Please do not wear Ortho-K contact lenses for three months before the preliminary examination.
• We will use eye drops that dilate your pupils for the examination. After that, the eyes are more sensitive to light for 4 hours, and you should not drive or use machines.

Choice of surgical method

After the preliminary investigation, we will inform you if you qualify for laser or lens surgery. We will also tell you about the course of the operation, the risks and side effects and the aftercare. Of course, we are happy to answer all your questions along the way.

You can then either make an appointment for your surgery on-site or – after sufficient time to think it over – by telephone. We try to allocate the appointments so that they fit into your schedule. The waiting time between the preliminary examination and the operation is one day to a few weeks – whatever works for you. After the initial examination, it is possible to wear contact lenses again.

Ahead of your treatment

• Please do not wear soft contact lenses for two days before the operation.
• Please do not wear hard contact lenses for seven days before the operation.

Your laser eye surgery

On the day of the operation, you will come to our practice with an accompanying person. Please do not use face cream, aftershave or make-up etc., on your face on this day. We will use eye drops to anaesthetize your eye locally. This means you can eat and drink normally.

If you have any final questions, your surgeon can clarify these and perform any further investigations if you have any doubt.

We will give you medication and instructions to use after the operation. We will also make an appointment with you for the follow-up examination the following morning.

The operation itself only takes 10 to 20 minutes. You will then receive protective goggles, and your companion will take you home.

What you should consider after the laser eye surgery

We recommend planning a downtime of one to several days. Your eyes are very sensitive, and most patients report:

• Sensitivity to light
• Burning eyes
• Foreign object sensation
• Heavy tearing.
• After the operation, keep your eyes closed for the rest of the day. You should only open them to eat, or go to the toilet, etc. The eyelids exert natural pressure on the cornea, which accelerates healing. That means no cell phone, no computer, no reading, no television. Listen to music or an audiobook until you go to sleep.
• Wear sunglasses indoors and sleep with them on for the first night
• Apply your eye drops according to your drip plan.
• Avoid eye rubbing or bruising.
• Please do not put make-up on your eyes for 1-2 weeks after the treatment.
• Avoid bathing, spa and sauna for two weeks and do not hold your face directly under the jet of water when showering.
• Avoid windy, draughty, dusty and smoky environments and physical exertion for two weeks.

Follow-up treatment

The day after the successful operation, you will come to our practice for your first follow-up examination. Normally, you will have little to no discomfort on this day and your vision will be around 90%. If your healing is going well and the post-operative checks are satisfactory, the next examination will be arranged for a month later.

After a few weeks, optimal vision is achieved. The results may fluctuate minimally during this time depending on the day – please give your eyes some time.

We recommend an annual follow-up examination (CHF 180/year). This is to detect any changes at an early stage. If you take advantage of the annual check-ups, you will also benefit from our lifetime guarantee.* In the event of a deviation, we will correct your visual acuity free of charge.

After the laser eye surgery: Enjoy your new life without glasses or contact lenses!

*The lifetime guarantee includes a free follow-up correction if the target correction deviates due to measurement deviations, laser beam variations and wound healing, and correction is medically reasonable and feasible according to international recommendations. Excluded from this are deviations due to changes in the eye as a result of eye diseases (such as lens ageing/clouding, glaucoma or AMD) and progression of presbyopia.