IN DEPTH TECHNIQUES
WITH CORNEAL CUTTING :
LASIK - FEMTOLASIKK

History

LASIK is being performed since 1990 and FemtoLASIK since 2005.

Indications

  • Myopia: up to 12 diopters. Learn all about the techniques for correcting myopia
  • Hyperopia: up to 6 Diopters. Learn all about the techniques for correcting hyperopia.
  • Astigmatism: up to 6 Diopters. Learn all about the techniques for correcting astigmatism.
  • Presbyopia (see PresbyLASIK). Learn more about presbyLASIK and other presbyopia surgeries.

Surgical technique

The ambulatory treatment is performed under topical anaesthesia (with eye drops).

A cutting of a corneal cap or flap is made in the cornea using a microkeratome (LASIK) or a Femtoseconde laser (FemtoLASIK).

The surface layer (epithelium) is lifted with a thin portion of the deeper layer (stroma). The correction is performed with the excimer laser.

Then, the corneal flap is put back in place. It will spontaneously adhere to the cornea.

The procedure is painless and lasts 10 minutes per eye. The duration of the laser treatment varies according to the defect to be corrected (1.3 seconds per treated diopter).

 

Video Explanation

Indications

  • Surgery of light to medium myopia (up to 5 diopters)
  • Surgery of light myopic astigmatism (up to 2 Dioptres)

 

Post-operative evolution

In the hours following the surgery, vision is blurred. There is no pain but a feeling of dryness, of sand grains in the eyes.

Usually, vision is compatible with daily activities the day after surgery.

Patients are asked not to rub their eyes and to wear protective eye-covers at night during the first post-operative week to prevent any decentration of the corneal flap.

Visual acuity is usually 8 to 10/10 the next day following surgery, but visual quality gradually improves during the first postoperative month.

 

Possible Complications

The possible complications are the same as for the surface techniques (over- or under- correction, halos, ...).  To these ones, we must add the complications related to cutting of the corneal flap (1%):

• Complications that may occur during the procedure and may require a delay of 3 months of the treatment with a new cutting (incomplete cutting, off-center cutting, abnormal cutting (buttonhole), free cover (free cap)

• Post-operative complications that may require lifting the cap: no cap, DLK (postoperative inflammatory keratitis), epithelial invasion, ...

 

Conclusions

LASIK and FemtoLASIK are the techniques offering the fastest recovery and the greatest comfort. Daily activities are usually possible the day following the surgery. These techniques also have the advantage of allowing the correction of a wide range of defects ranging from +6 Diopters for the hyperopic to -12 Dioptres for the myopic. Corneal cutting however exposes the eye to certain complications in a small number of cases (1%). Most of these complications don’t impact the end result.

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