Femto-LASIK is a form of LASIK in which a femtosecond laser cuts the corneal flap; beneath it, the AMARIS 1050RS excimer laser reshapes the cornea. At EyeLaser Zurich, Dr. Victor Derhartunian performs Femto-LASIK personally. In Zurich it costs CHF 1’800 per eye, wavefront-guided CHF 2’500, and you are usually fit for everyday life the following day.
| Method | LASIK with a flap created by the femtosecond laser |
|---|---|
| Laser | SCHWIND ATOS (flap), SCHWIND AMARIS 1050RS with 7D eye tracker (correction) |
| Suitable for | Short-sightedness, long-sightedness (KRC limit usually at +3 to +4 D) and astigmatism; limits according to KRC and corneal thickness |
| Not suitable for | a thin or irregular cornea, keratoconus, contact sport or a profession with a risk of blows (then a procedure without a flap), pregnancy and breastfeeding |
| Duration | about 15 minutes for both eyes |
| Anaesthesia | Eye drops |
| Back at the office | usually after one to two days |
| Driving | after clearance at the check-up, usually after 1 to 3 days |
| Sport | Sport without body contact after one week; contact sport (with protective goggles), swimming and sauna after four weeks, in each case after clearance at the check-up |
| Follow-up checks | Day 1, week 1, month 1, month 3 included; thereafter annual check CHF 180 |
| Enhancement | included up to ten years after the procedure, provided you attend the annual check with us |
| Surgeon | Dr. med. univ. Victor Derhartunian personally |
| Price per eye | CHF 1’800; wavefront-guided CHF 2’500; pre-examination CHF 300, credited |
While newer procedures such as SmartSight are excellent options for certain eyes, Femto-LASIK 7D is the globally established and most thoroughly scientifically documented procedure in refractive surgery. It is a procedure that combines high precision, safety, and a very broad range of applications.
Femto-LASIK demonstrates its strengths particularly in the correction of farsightedness (hyperopia) as well as in the treatment of presbyopia in combination with our specialised PresbyMAX procedure.
Transparent, binding and without hidden costs — as Swiss medicine should be.
LASIK is the most widely studied laser procedure. The figures come from an analysis of 97 publications with 67’893 eyes (Sandoval 2016) and from a review of patient satisfaction (Solomon 2009).
99.5 %
saw better than 20/40 without glasses, the usual threshold for a driving licence
59’503 of 59’825 eyes (Sandoval 2016)
90.9 %
were within ±0.5 dioptres of the target correction
59’954 of 65’974 eyes (Sandoval 2016)
0.61 %
lost two or more lines of best-corrected visual acuity
359 of 58’653 eyes (Sandoval 2016)
95.4 %
were satisfied with the result
2’097 of 2’198 patients treated, 19 studies (Solomon 2009)
These values come from published studies and are not our own figures. They cover different devices and years; we will tell you what is realistic for your eye after the pre-examination.
Realistic guide values from practice; your personal course is closely monitored at the follow-up checks.
Transparency
The figures come from published LASIK studies, not from us.
| Risk | How common | Source | Course and what we do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry eyes | about 28 % of those previously free of symptoms had symptoms after three months | Eydelman 2017 | usually weeks to months; drops, and if you are prone to dry eyes, preferably a procedure without a flap |
| New light effects (halos, glare) | 43–46 % reported a new light-related symptom after three months | Eydelman 2017 | usually decreases; consider wavefront-guided treatment for large pupils |
| Enhancement needed | 6.3 % of eyes | Randleman 2009 | included for up to ten years, with annual check |
| Loss of two or more lines | 0.61 % | Sandoval 2016 | Clarify the cause, treatment depending on the findings |
| Infection | 0.035 % (72 of 204’586 eyes) | Llovet 2010 | Antibiotic drops, check-up the following day |
| Bulging of the cornea (ectasia) | 0.033 % over eight years (10 of 30’167 eyes); estimated 90 per 100’000 | Bohac 2018; Moshirfar 2021 | Tomography before the procedure, selection according to KRC; crosslinking if necessary |
| Problems with the flap | no reliable frequency figure for today’s femtosecond lasers | – | do not rub your eyes in the first few days; for contact sport, a procedure without a flap |
| Dissatisfaction with the result | 1.2 % (129 of 9’726) | Sandoval 2016 | Enhancement or another solution after measurement |
Imagine your refractive error like a fingerprint. The standard treatment corrects sphere and cylinder; the wavefront-guided treatment (CHF 2’500) also takes higher-order aberrations into account. Our strength lies in so-called “Customized Treatments”—wavefront-optimised, customised treatments.
Our team answers your questions about the procedure and costs. The pre-examination shows whether you are suitable.
About 90 minutes: tomography with the MS-39, wavefront, tear film, retina; consultation with Dr. Derhartunian. Credited if you go ahead with treatment.
About 15 minutes for both eyes, anaesthesia with drops; you feel pressure, but usually no pain. Then home with protective goggles.
The following day, after one week, after one and after three months, included in the price.
The decision to undergo laser eye treatment is often deeply emotional. Many of our patients from the Zurich region report a desire for more spontaneity and freedom in everyday life. At the same time, there are often uncertainties and fears: Is the procedure really safe? What if something goes wrong?
“I face these questions every day. My most important task is to build trust in a personal consultation and replace any uncertainty with well-founded facts. Many people in Zurich are extremely well informed and rightly expect precision and quality, and we align every step with this. The greatest joy for me is seeing patients’ emotional reaction the day after the procedure, when they see clearly for the first time without visual aids. This is more than a medical correction; it is a new chapter of life.”
🟢 Well suited: from 18 years of age, prescription stable for at least one year; short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism within the KRC recommendations and your corneal thickness; a wish to return to everyday life quickly.
🟡 Assessment needed: dry eyes, large pupils, a rather thin cornea; from about 45 we consider PresbyMAX, and with long-sightedness also lens replacement (otherwise from about 55).
🔴 Not suitable, but there is another route: contact sport or a profession with a risk of blows → SmartSight or Trans-PRK; cornea too thin → Trans-PRK, EASE or ICL lens; keratoconus → first crosslinking; pregnancy and breastfeeding → later.
| Feature | Femto-LASIK | SmartSight | Trans-PRK | EASE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principle | flap, excimer laser underneath | lenticule inside the cornea | ablation at the surface | lentoid at the surface |
| Long-sightedness | yes | no | no | no |
| Thin cornea | rather not | depending on reserve | yes | yes |
| Contact sport | rather not (flap) | yes | yes | yes |
| Clear vision | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 days | days to weeks | days to weeks |
| Price per eye | CHF 1’800 (wavefront-guided CHF 2’500) | CHF 2’500 | CHF 1’500 (wavefront-guided CHF 2’500) | CHF 2’000 |
From about 45 years of age: PresbyMAX (CHF 3’300). If no laser procedure is suitable: ICL lens (CHF 4’500). In detail: Eye laser methods compared.
Femto-LASIK is one of the most thoroughly studied procedures in eye surgery. Nevertheless, no procedure is 100% risk-free. Responsible patient information is a matter of course for us. Possible, mostly temporary side effects may include:
The first step is the most important. In just 15 minutes, find out in a free and non-binding suitability check whether you are a candidate for laser eye treatment. Our experienced team in Zurich will take time for you and answer all your questions in a relaxed and professional atmosphere.
Online appointmentOn the overview page laser eye surgery in Zurich you find all procedures side by side, with the suitability traffic light, documented results, healing timeline, fixed prices and instalment examples.
Other procedures at EyeLaser: SmartSight · Trans-PRK · SMILE or SmartSight? · PresbyMAX · ICL lens
By refractive error: Short-sightedness · Long-sightedness · Astigmatism · Presbyopia · Keratoconus
Costs and financing: All prices · Health insurance · Treatment process · Testimonials
Here we answer the questions that most often concern our patients from the Zurich region.
At EyeLaser Zurich, Femto-LASIK costs CHF 1’800 per eye, wavefront-guided CHF 2’500. Included are the procedure by Dr. Derhartunian, the follow-up checks of the first three months and an enhancement for up to ten years with an annual check (CHF 180). The pre-examination (CHF 300) is credited; you receive medication and eye drops on prescription from the pharmacy.
Basic insurance (KVG) pays for Femto-LASIK only in justified exceptional cases, for example if there is a large difference between the two eyes, and only with cost approval before the procedure. Supplementary insurance policies contribute depending on the product, often CHF 500 to CHF 1’500. EyeLaser Zurich supports you with the application. More under laser eye surgery and health insurance.
Most of our patients with office jobs can return to work after 1–2 days. We recommend taking the day of treatment and the following day off. A sick note for an elective procedure is unusual, but we are happy to provide you with a confirmation.
Sport without body contact such as jogging, cycling or fitness training is possible again after one week, after clearance at the check-up. Swimming in the lake or in an indoor pool and sauna after four weeks. Contact sport also after four weeks, with protective goggles; because the corneal flap permanently adheres less firmly than the surrounding tissue, we recommend them for ball and combat sports later on as well. Good sunglasses are important for skiing.
In both, a thin corneal flap is lifted and the correction is made underneath with the excimer laser. In classic LASIK, a blade (microkeratome) cuts the flap; in Femto-LASIK, a femtosecond laser does. EyeLaser Zurich performs only Femto-LASIK, with the SCHWIND ATOS for the flap and the AMARIS 1050RS for the correction.
Yes. At EyeLaser Zurich, Femto-LASIK also corrects long-sightedness; according to the KRC recommendations, the limit is usually +3 to +4 dioptres, depending on the cornea. Above that, the ICL lens (up to +10 dioptres) or lens replacement may be considered. SmartSight is not used for long-sightedness.
Both correct short-sightedness and astigmatism with similarly good results. SmartSight does not need a flap and is therefore suitable for contact sport and a tendency to dry eyes; Femto-LASIK also corrects long-sightedness and costs CHF 1’800 instead of CHF 2’500 per eye at EyeLaser Zurich. The pre-examination shows which method suits your cornea.
Before the pre-examination at EyeLaser Zurich, leave out soft contact lenses for one week and rigid lenses for four weeks (ortho-K lenses for three months), because they slightly deform the cornea and distort the measurement. You will receive the exact times with your appointment confirmation.
