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

Are you suitable for laser eye surgery?

We can treat 99% of patients who contact us. However, if you are not suitable for a surgical procedure, we will, unfortunately, have to reject you as a patient. Of course, we will do everything in our power to enable you to have better visual performance. With EyeLaser, the decision is in the hands of ophthalmologists, not opticians, as is often the case with eye laser chains.

No two eyes are alike. Our first priority is to determine the details of your vision and ametropia. To do this, our highly qualified team will use the most modern technologies to perform an examination.

There are different methods for the surgical correction of visual defects. Not everyone is suitable for a classic laser eye treatment. The good news is, we have many alternatives, such as lens implantation, which we can use to correct higher ametropia or thin or irregular corneas.

You will need to meet the following criteria for an eye operation:

• You must be of legal age, i.e. at least 18 years old.
• Your eyesight must have remained stable for at least a year.
• Your eye must be healthy with no signs of disease.
• You must be in good health.

If you meet these criteria, you are generally eligible for an eye laser treatment. We can determine which treatment method is best for you during a consultation and a preliminary examination. The following methods are recommended depending on your particular visual defect:

Laser eye surgery for short-sightedness

Laser eye surgery for farsightedness

Laser eye surgery for astigmatism

Laser eye surgery for presbyopia

You can find out more about visual defects and the appropriate methods to correct them on the respective sub-pages. We would be happy to advise you personally on the phone, by email or in our practice. Simply make an appointment with us or visit one of our information evenings.

One of our basic principles is to always work with the latest technology. Why? Because this makes the operation less complicated, not only for us but above all for you. In our eye laser practice, we use only the highest quality and most modern devices on the market.

The femtosecond laser

The femtosecond laser is an infrared laser used to make an incision in the cornea. We also use this laser to create a “flap”, which we lift up and close again after the laser treatment.

We use two types of femtosecond lasers:

• The Swiss Leonardo Da Vinci LDV Z6 Femto-Laser from Ziemer
• The German Schwind ATOS laser

Several million interventions have already been carried out with this modern technology.

The excimer laser

With the excimer laser (UV laser), we can correct your prescription in a few seconds. We have two modern eye laser systems:

• Schwind AMARIS 1050 RS is a premium eye laser among the excimer laser devices used in refractive surgery. It currently has the fastest EyeTracking system available on the market. This compensates for eye movements during lasering without delay. With the Schwind AMARIS 1050 RS, both wavefront-optimized and personalized treatments are possible.

The cross linking device

We use the IROC UV-X 2000 / AVEDRO KXL. This modern UV radiation device reshapes the diseased cornea due to keratoconus and corneal weaknesses. The device was developed by a team of experts in collaboration with the inventors of the crosslinking procedure: Prof. Theo Seiler and Prof. Eberhard Spörl. Thanks to close collaboration with Prof. Seiler in Zurich, Dr. Derhartunian is very familiar with the device and its precise application.

At a non-binding information evening, we would be happy to show you our devices and explain their function to you in detail!

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.

Preliminary examination

The specialist will explain your options for eye surgery and record all relevant data. This will include:

• 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 the first follow-up examination. Your eyesight should be at 90% on this day, and your eyes will feel very comfortable. If your healing is going well, we will schedule the next examination one month later.

After a few weeks, you will have optimal eyesight. During this time, the results may vary slightly depending on the day – please give your eyes some time.

Depending on the package you have chosen, regular checks or follow-up treatments will take place for 1 to 5 years. During this time, you can contact us at any time with questions and arrange check-ups. In the event of a deviation, we will correct your eyesight again free of charge during this period.

We can’t wait for you to enjoy your new lifestyle without glasses and contact lenses!