Do you wish you could enjoy life freely without your glasses and contact lenses holding you back? Do you often imagine what life is like not having to contend with the daily hassle of glasses and contact lenses?
Laser eye surgery is an effective treatment to correct common vision problems and free you from glasses and contact lenses. It involves reshaping the front surface of the eye to correct for your prescription. LASIK and PRK are two common methods for achieving this.
What is LASIK?
LASIK is the most common laser corrective procedure performed to correct short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. LASIK involves creating a thin flap on the front surface of the cornea, lifting the flap, and re-shaping the cornea beneath the flap to correct for your prescription. LASIK is the most popular laser vision correction procedure performed today because it causes minimal discomfort and very little downtime. Visual recovery is very rapid, allowing you to return to your usual activities almost immediately.
Am I suitable for LASIK?
To be a suitable candidate for LASIK, you should:
- Be at least 20 years old.
- Have a stable spectacle or contact lens prescription for at least a year.
- Have healthy eyes.
- Not be pregnant or breastfeeding.
There are limits to how much myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism that can be corrected with LASIK and this largely depends on the thickness of your cornea. The best way to find out if you are eligible is to book in for a laser eye surgery assessment.
At this appointment, you will have several tests done to determine your prescription, corneal shape, thickness and general eye health. This is followed by a consultation with Dr Goh where your eyes will be examined and your suitability for LASIK or other treatment options discussed with you.
What alternatives are there to LASIK?
If you are not suitable for LASIK, you may be offered other treatment options. These include PRK, ICL, or refractive lens exchange.
How does LASIK work?
LASIK works by using a specialised laser to remove corneal tissue in an extremely precise fashion. This changes the curvature of the cornea, and hence the focus of the eye. In myopia, the cornea is made flatter, and in hyperopia, the cornea is made steeper, allowing light to focus sharply at the back of the eye. For astigmatism, the cornea is made more spherical, allowing light to focus on a single point instead of having multiple points of focus. This improved focus of the eye allows you to see clearly without glasses or contact lenses.
How is LASIK performed?
LASIK surgery is a two-step procedure. In the first step, a thin corneal flap is created with a femtosecond laser. The flap is then gently lifted and folded over to expose the underlying cornea. In the second step, an excimer laser re-shapes the exposed cornea, correcting for your prescription. Finally, the flap is put back in its original position where it re-adheres naturally to the underlying corneal tissue.
WHY CHOOSE DR JOANNE GOH?
Specialist refractive surgeon
Personalised care
Customised treatment
Cutting edge, state-of-the-art technology
We are committed to helping you achieve your goal of 20/20 vision
Specialised team
Book a laser eye surgery assessment
Dr Joanne Goh is a leading vision correction specialist in Melbourne and is dedicated to achieving the best results for her patients. If you’d like to find out if you are suitable for LASIK surgery, please contact us on (03) 9070 0955 to book a consultation, or click on the button below to request a call back.
LASIK Laser Eye Surgery FAQs
Laser eye surgery is considered discretionary surgery and therefore does not attract any Medicare rebates. There are, however, a limited number of health funds that will cover some or all of the cost of laser eye surgery. It is always worth contacting your health fund to check if you are eligible for any rebates.
Your surgery fee includes:
- All postoperative appointments with Dr Goh for 12 months.
- All tests and investigations carried out within the first year of surgery.
- Any enhancements required within the first year of surgery.
Vision recovery following LASIK is very quick. We recommend two days off work.
Laser eye surgery does not specifically address the need for reading glasses, which usually occurs in your 40s. If you’re over 40 and having laser eye surgery, you may be recommended monovision, where your dominant eye is fully corrected for distance vision and the non-dominant eye left slightly short-sighted for reading, thus reducing your dependence on reading glasses.