Laser eye surgery for a life without glasses:

Doing sports without restrictions, going on vacation without worries, or simply getting up in the morning and seeing the world with clear eyes.

Millions of people worldwide have already had their eyes lasered. Refractive eye surgery is the most popular form of elective surgery.

The world’s first laser eye surgery was performed in 1987 by Theo Seiler, with whom our head eye surgeon learned his trade.

Since then, the scientifically recognized procedure has been continuously developed and perfected. Numerous long-term studies confirm the high success rate and rapid healing – the medical procedure is even approved for jet pilots and astronauts.

The most common form of laser eye surgery is LASIK or Femto-LASIK – the majority of our patients are also treated with this extremely safe and precise method. However, the various laser eye treatment options have one thing in common: they use high-precision lasers to reshape the cornea of the eye so that you have razor-sharp vision.

Highly professional laser eye surgery such as EyeLaser is safe, quick and painless. The treatment only takes 15 to 20 minutes, and within a few hours to days you can see clearly again without visual aids. We take a lot of time for you and your individual visual impairment.

Your eyes will be thoroughly examined and tested so that we can determine the perfect treatment method for you. Using state-of-the-art equipment, diagnostics and laser technology, we ensure that your treatment meets the highest standards of safety, quality and comfort.

LASIK is the best known and most commonly performed laser eye surgery.
After this treatment, you have made the wise decision to live your life on your own terms and no longer need outdated glasses or contact lenses to see. You can live your life with the exceptional natural vision you deserve – without compromise.

PRK is a good solution if you want to do without glasses and contact lenses but are not eligible for LASIK. Sobald wir Ihre Sehkraft verbessert haben, werden alltägliche Aktivitäten mit Schweizer Präzision optimiert. Whether you’re making a cup of coffee, applying make-up or exercising – you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve without glasses or contact lenses.

SmartSight (ReLEx SMILE) is the most modern and minimally invasive form of eye laser surgery. After this treatment, you will feel confident and ready for everything life brings, without the fear of glasses and contact lenses standing in your way.

ICLs free you from glasses and contact lenses if you are not suitable for laser eye treatment. Even if you have already been told that laser treatment is not an option for you, or you would like a reversible procedure to correct your visual defect, a life without glasses is possible with ICL surgery.

During lens replacement, also known as cataract surgery, the eye’s cloudy lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens to improve vision. This procedure is one of the most common and safest operations worldwide and helps patients regain their sight.

Are you suitable for laser eye surgery?

First of all: we can treat 99% of the patients who contact us. However, if you are not suitable for a surgical procedure, we will tell you so and unfortunately must decline you as a patient. For us as reputable eye surgeons, this is a matter of course. Naturally, we do everything in our power to enable better visual performance for you. At EyeLaser, this decision lies in the hands of specialists.

No two eyes are the same. Our primary concern is therefore to determine your vision or refractive error with the utmost precision. To achieve this, we use only the most modern technologies and highly qualified personnel for the initial preliminary examination.

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

In principle, you should meet the following criteria for eye surgery:

• You are of legal age, i.e. at least 18 years old.
• Your visual acuity has been stable for at least one year.
• Your eye is healthy, there are no relevant eye diseases.
• You are in a generally good state of health.

If you meet these criteria, you are generally a candidate for eye laser treatment, and we can determine which treatment method is best suited for you during a consultation and preliminary examination. The following methods are recommended depending on your specific refractive error:

Laser eye surgery for short-sightedness

up to approx. -10 diopters Femto-LASIK/LASIK/SmartSight up to approx. -6 diopters Femto-LASIK/LASIK/LASEK/SmartSight approx. -6 to -25 diopters Phakic lenses (ICLs) / Lens replacement

Laser eye surgery for long-sightedness

up to max. +4 diopters Femto-LASIK / LASIK / Phakic lenses (ICLs) / Lens replacement approx. +5 to +10 diopters Phakic lenses (ICLs) / Lens replacement

Laser eye surgery for astigmatism

up to 5 diopters Femto-LASIK/LASIK/LASEK/Phakic lenses/Lens replacement/SmartSight

Laser eye surgery for presbyopia

without other refractive errors PresbyMax / Femto-LASIK/Monovision/Lens replacement Hyperopia/Myopia +3 to -5 dpt PresbyMax / Femto-LASIK / Monovision/ Presbyopia-LASIK All refractive errors Lens replacement with

monofocal/multifocal implants from Physiol, Zeiss, Precizon Presbyopic, Hoya or Panoptix (Alcon)

On the respective subpages, you can find detailed information about refractive errors and the appropriate methods for correcting them. We would also be happy to advise you personally. Simply arrange a free initial consultation.

One of our core 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 for refractive and intraocular eye surgery, only the highest quality and most modern devices on the market are used and meticulously maintained by us.

The femtosecond laser

The femtosecond laser is an infrared laser and is used to make an incision in the cornea and create the “flap”: the corneal lid that is lifted and closed again after the laser treatment. At EyeLaser, we use the Swiss Leonardo Da Vinci LDV Z6 femto laser from Ziemer and the German Schwind ATOS laser, both state-of-the-art devices for femto LASIK and corneal lens extraction.

The special features of this laser are the high laser frequency (MHz), the lowest pulse energy (nJ) and the smallest pulse area. Thanks to these unique properties, the quality and precision of the corneal incision has been improved even further. Several million procedures have already been performed using this modern technology.

The excimer laser

With the excimer laser (UV laser), your cornea is reshaped in just a few seconds during laser eye surgery. We have 2 modern eye laser systems:

• The Schwind AMARIS 1050 RS from Schwind is a premium eye laser among excimer laser devices in refractive surgery. It features the fastest 7-dimensional video-assisted eye-tracking system currently available on the market, which compensates for eye movements during the laser process without latency (without delay). With the Schwind AMARIS 1050 RS, both wavefront-optimized and personalized treatments are possible.

The crosslinking device

In UV crosslinking, the diseased cornea in keratoconus and other corneal weaknesses is reshaped using special eye drops (riboflavin) and subsequent UV irradiation. EyeLaser has the most modern UV irradiation device for this purpose, the IROC UV-X 2000/ AVEDRO KXL. The device was developed by a team of experts in collaboration with the inventors of the crosslinking procedure in eye surgery: Prof. Theo Seiler and Prof. Eberhard Spörl. Thanks to his close collaboration with Prof. Seiler in Zurich, Dr. Derhartunian is very familiar with the device and its precise application.

We will be happy to show you our devices and explain their function in detail at a non-binding information evening!

Risks and side effects of laser eye surgery

As with any operation, there are certain risks and side effects associated with eye surgery, which this page and your surgeon will explain to you in detail.

However, the complication rate for laser eye surgery is well below 1% and, depending on the method chosen, patients may experience different levels of discomfort. With most laser eye surgery methods, however, the pain disappears after a few hours and the patient has good vision the very next day.

Laser eye surgery has been a scientifically recognized procedure for decades and is one of the most frequently performed operations worldwide. The risks are therefore extremely low. Thanks to the critical selection of our patients, meticulous preliminary examinations and years of experience, we reduce them even further.

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

• Pain lasting up to three days and fluctuating visual performance for several months after the operation can occur (mainly with the Trans-PRK/PRK/LASEK method).
• With Femto-LASIK, watery eyes and a foreign body sensation in the eye may persist for 2 to 4 hours after the operation.
• Dryness of the eyes is usually temporary. You can moisten the eye sufficiently with commercially available eye drops.
• Laser treatment can temporarily or permanently increase the sensitivity of the eyes to light.
• In the weeks following the operation, increased sensitivity to glare may occur, which can lead to the perception of halos or reduced visual acuity at dusk and dazzle (e.g. from oncoming cars). Drive carefully! However, the risk can be significantly reduced by using so-called wavefront technology, i.e. appropriate laser programming.
• A post-operative infection is counteracted by the use of antibiotic/cortisone eye drops in the first week. Please contact us immediately if you experience inflammation or pain in the eye. The use of these cortisone eye drops can also lead to increased dryness and increased intraocular pressure.
• A possible over- or undercorrection of up to 20% of the desired visual acuity can occur due to fluctuations in wound healing and laser power and can be corrected within the care period you have chosen after the operation.
• Incision errors when creating the corneal flap are very rare and have been further reduced by the introduction of femtosecond laser technology. They are negligible with appropriate aftercare.
• Softening of the cornea (keratectasia) is extremely rare (in 1 in 10,000 to 40,000 cases) and can be remedied by using corneal crosslinking.
• An ingrowth or displacement of the corneal flap can occur and can be corrected with a short procedure. Therefore, please be sure to keep your check-up appointments!
• Patients over the age of 45 are likely to need reading glasses after myopia correction due to the onset of presbyopia. An exception to this is the use of monovision, hyperopia or PresbyMax.

During the preliminary examination at the EyeLaser Eye Laser Center in Zurich, we will discuss directly with you which risks and side effects your individual clinical picture may cause. ultimately, you should only decide on eye laser surgery in Zurich without hesitation once you have gained confidence in the treating surgeon.

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

• Complex ophthalmologic examination
• Your exact eyeglass prescription
• Digital retinal examination and pressure measurement
• Measurement of the eye (biometry, topography, OCT, corneal pattern, tomography, wavefront)

Important for the preliminary examination for laser eye surgery:

• Please do not wear soft contact lenses for 1 week before the preliminary examination.
• Please do not wear hard contact lenses for 4 weeks before the preliminary examination.
• Please do not wear Ortho-K contact lenses for 3 months before the preliminary examination.
• Eye drops that dilate your pupils are used for the examination. Afterwards, your eyes will be more sensitive to light for 4 hours and you should not drive or operate machinery.

Choice of surgical method

After the preliminary examination, you will find out whether you are suitable for laser eye surgery or lens surgery and which method is most likely to be recommended to you. We will inform you about the course of the operation, the risks and side effects and the follow-up treatment. Of course, we will also be happy to answer all your questions!

You can then make an appointment for an operation either on site or – after sufficient time to think it over – by telephone. We make every effort to accommodate patients as well as possible when making appointments. The waiting time between the preliminary examination and the operation is between one day and a few weeks – whichever you prefer. Contact lenses can be worn again after the preliminary examination.

Before your treatment:

• Please do not wear soft contact lenses for 2 days before the operation.
• Please do not wear hard contact lenses for 7 days before the operation.

On the day of the operation, you will come to our practice with an accompanying person. Please refrain from using face cream, aftershave, make-up etc. in the facial area on this day. You will only be anaesthetized locally with eye drops and can therefore eat and drink normally.

At this point, any final questions can be clarified and, if in doubt, we will carry out another examination to be on the safe side. We will give you medication and instructions for the time after the operation. We will also make an appointment with you for the follow-up examination the next day (in the morning). You can find detailed information about the treatment procedure for your chosen surgical method under Methods. The operation itself only takes 10 to 20 minutes. Afterwards, we will provide you with protective goggles and all important documents and medication and your accompanying person will take you home.

What you should consider after laser eye surgery

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

• Light sensitivity
• Burning eyes
• Foreign body sensation
• strong lacrimation
• After the operation, keep your eyes closed for the rest of the day if possible and only open them to eat, go to the toilet, etc. The eyelids exert a natural pressure on the cornea, which accelerates healing. This means: no cell phone, no computer, no reading, no television. Listen to music or an audio book until you go to bed.
• Wear sunglasses indoors (even at night) to avoid catching your eyes.
• Use the eye drops we provide to lubricate your eyes regularly. You will also receive dosage instructions from us.
• Avoid rubbing or squeezing your eyes.
• Please do not apply make-up to your eyes for 1-2 weeks after the treatment.
• Avoid baths, spas and saunas for 2 weeks and do not hold your face directly under the water jet when showering.
• Avoid windy, draughty, dusty and smoky environments and physical exertion for 2 weeks.

On the day after the successful operation, you will come to our practice for the first follow-up examination. Normally, you will already have little to no discomfort on this day and a visual acuity of approx. 90%. If your healing is progressing well and the postoperative checks are satisfactory, the next examination will be scheduled for one month later.

Optimal vision is achieved after a few weeks. The results may fluctuate slightly during this time depending on the day – please give your eyes some time.

We recommend an annual follow-up check (cost 180 CHF/year). This is to detect any changes at an early stage. If you attend the annual follow-up checks, you will also benefit from our lifelong guarantee*. In the event of a deviation, we will correct your visual acuity free of charge in this case.

Following the eye laser treatment: Enjoy your new quality of life without glasses or contact lenses!

*The lifelong guarantee includes a free follow-up correction if the target correction deviates due to measurement deviations, laser beam variations, and wound healing, provided a correction is medically sensible 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 aging/cataracts, glaucoma, AMD… etc.) as well as the progression of presbyopia.

Nearsightedness or farsightedness can be corrected by laser. Who is suitable for the procedure? The most important facts about the method whose pioneers received the Nobel Prize in Physics. Click here to read more.

Studies show comparable refractive results after PRK and SMILE as well as a comparison between Femto-LASIK and SMILE. Click here to read more.

Since 1989, around 16 million people have had their vision impairment treated with LASIK. A meta-study has now shown that worldwide, about 95 percent of all patients are still satisfied with the results years after the treatment. Click here to read more.