Laser Vision Correction in Cape Town South Africa

The First refractive eye laser surgery in Cape Town, was done in 1993. At the Tygervalley Eye and Laser Clinic, we do revolutionary eye laser vision correction with the industry-leading Schwind AMARIS laser technology that offers the safest, fastest and most high-precision treatment available worldwide.  

What is Eye Laser Vision Correction?

Individualized laser vision correction is an excimer laser technology, where a personal and unique laser vision correction is designed for each individual eye. Just like a fingerprint, each person’s vision is 100 percent unique to their eyes. Up until now, a -2.00 diopter treatment for two different people has been the same. But no two people’s corneal curvatures and aberrations are exactly the same, even if their prescriptions are the same. With our advanced eye laser Schwind AMARIS technology, uniqueness is taken into account when designing a personalized laser pattern, and no two “treatment prescriptions” are identical. It therefore makes sense that better results are expected for each individual with this system.

All eye laser candidates receive a thorough diagnostic screening using specialized equipment. The Pentacam corneal topographer, Schwind Peramis, MS-39 Wavefront Analyzes the entire cornea and measures the corneal curvature and thickness. The Wavefront-based digital technology determines the presence of pre-operative higher-order aberrations and unique imperfections in each individual’s vision. It produces a detailed map of the eye – much like a fingerprint. The information captured using the Wavefront technology is transferred to the laser, providing a new level of precision and accuracy. This new level of measurement provides 25 times more precision than with standard methods used for glasses and contact lenses.

During this state-of-the-art procedure, your eye surgeon will:

1. Measure and map the surface of your cornea.

Your ophthalmologist will check the thickness of your cornea and take a detailed scan of the cornea’s surface. Your eye surgeon uses these measurements to program the computer-based laser used during surgery. During the procedure your eye will be numbed with eye drops. Your eye surgeon will place an eyelid holder on your eye to keep you from blinking.

2. Reshaping the cornea

You will be asked to stare at a light so that your eye does not move. Trans PRK is performed with an excimer laser, which uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove very tiny bits of tissue from the surface of the cornea in order to reshape it. When you reshape the cornea in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before. Excimer lasers can also correct astigmatism, by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

3. Bandage contact lens

You will wear a special “bandage” contact lens, use antibiotic drops for a few days, and apply anti-inflammatory drops for several weeks.

4. Vision after transPRK

Immediately after PRK, the doctor will have you rest for a bit, then you can go home (someone else must drive). At home, you should relax for at least a few hours. The doctor will prescribe medication for any postoperative pain that includes scratchiness and lasts a few days. Most doctors advise a couple of days of rest. By about the third day after surgery re-epithelialization has occurred, so the doctor may remove the contact lenses. Vision will probably not be perfect immediately: in three days many patients do have 20/40 or even 20/20 vision, but others take longer – around 6 weeks – to reach their final result. Usually people can drive in about a week after surgery. These recovery times are significantly longer than with Lasik.

Ideal candidates for PRK include:

– Patients who are nearsighted, slightly farsighted, and/or have astigmatism
– Patients who have a thin cornea and do not qualify for Lasik surgery
– Patients who are 18 or older, or have had a stable prescription for 2+ years, and are in otherwise good health
– Patients who have no current eye diseases
– Patients who wish to reduce or eliminate their dependence on glasses or contact lenses

PRK Recovery

Immediately after PRK, the doctor will have you rest for a bit, then you can go home (someone else must drive). At home, you should relax for at least a few hours. The doctor will prescribe medication for any postoperative pain that includes scratchiness and lasts a few days. Most doctors advise a couple of days of rest. By about the third day after surgery re-epithelialization has occurred, so the doctor may remove the contact lenses. Vision will probably not be perfect immediately: in three days many patients do have 20/40 or even 20/20 vision, but others take longer – around 6 weeks – to reach their final result. Usually people can drive in about a week after surgery. These recovery times are significantly longer than with Lasik.

For further information about advanced eye laser PRK surgery please contact The Tygervalley Eye & Laser Centre on 021 9100 300 or info@eyelaserclinic.co.za