PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR EXCIMER LASER TREATMENT

Normally you will be able to leave after 1H30 

WHERE: ST-Martens-Latem 
X. De Cocklaan 68.3 – 9830 Sint- Martens-Latem

* There are parking spaces reserved for patients behind building No68 (numbered: LRC 001 to LRC 008) 
* If you unexpectedly would be too late, you can reach the doctor in the center at the following telephone number: 09.2812080

CHECKUP  (+ bring 1.500 €   per eye ) 
The checkup is always the next day,  in the Deken Darraslaan 85 – 8700 Tielt

PROCEDURE  :

 -   1 WEEK BEFORE :
  Take your soft lenses out the week before you will be operated (Note: a hard lens must be elated 2 weeks before surgery.
 

-   THE DAY BEFORE : 
Get all necessary medication that is prescribed: Tobradex,  Aculare oogdruppels (against pain) / Vidisic eyegel (against dry eyes) . You always need a driver, that can bring you tomorrow. You may not drive yourself after the laser treatment. No more make up 
 

-  DAY OF THE SURGERY 
2H  before your appointment: you may not eat  (you may drink) / take a shower and wash your hair
in the lasercentrum: 1/4H  before surgery you will get  Temesta expidet, that you have to melt under your tongue (this makes you calm and maybe a little muzzy: you can not drive the car after surgery !!)

*   bring to operation room  : unopened Aculare + Tobradex bottle // the procedure takes 45 min // however there can be delays, because there are also other patients that must be treated
 

-    DURING SURGERY  (+- 30 min)
 Your eye will be numbed with +-4 eyedrops.
A special device will keep your eyelids open, so you can't blink, you will feel the device very well because only your eyes are numbed, not your eyelids.
Try to keep your both eyes open without pinching.
You will have to look in a green light, to center the middle of your eye.
The doctor will bring on a little device on your eye, to cut the flap.
Because this device sucks pretty hard you will feel pressure.
Your view will get dark (everything can be black) you will experience pressure(doesn't hurt).
After cutting the (+- 25 - 30  seconds), you'll get your view back  and you will have to look right into the light for 20 seconds to 1 min.
In that period the laser will be activated: You'll hear a crackling noise and smell a special aroma.
Due to the evaporate of a part of the cornea, this is normal. Afterwards the doctor will put back the flap and dry it.
This takes about 3 min. 
It's important that you don't blink your eyelids to hard. When everything goes well with the first eye, the second eye will be done immediately. Afterwards you will have to wait 45 minutes and they will check if the flap is in its place.
 

-   AFTER SURGERY
The day : You will feel less pain. When it's necessary you can take a painkiller like Perdolan or Dafalgan. When your eye suddenly hurts a lot, you have to call the doctor immediately (within the hour !). Tips: don't look around to much and keep your eyes closed. Listen to some music. Drops: Aculare eyedrops for the pain + Tobradex (disinfection + inflammatory) + Vidisic eyegel 4 X /d ( +- every hour) . It is very important that you don't touch the eye while you put the drops in. Look up while someone else pulls down the under eyelid and drops a drop on the inside of the eyelid.  That your eye weeps can't hurt. Tears are disinfecting!  It is absolutely forbidden to rub your eyes  (you can rub the flap loose) !  It is normal that you can't keep your eyes open easily. Sunglasses can help, because you will be a little bit blinded by the light. In some cases the doctor will lay a lens on your eye. Don't try to remove the lens yourself! . The removing of this lens has to happen by your doctor! A special technique is needed to remove the lens without loosening the flap. Red spots on the white part of your eye is normal, this happens because of open broken capillaries (because of the sucking system). These spots will be present for +- 1 month but will disappear !
 

-   CONTROL SCHEDULE : 

Drop schedulle :
Tobradex: 4X/d during 1 week, followed by Vidisic eyegel. Usually this stops after the first week. The first 2 days you also have to use Aculare eyedrops 4 X/day. When you experience irritation or dryness you have to use the Vidisic eyegel during 1 to 3 months.   Dry eyes frequently give discomforts after surgery, because the nerve fibers of the cornea are cut while making the flap.  
 

General tips  :
*  1 week long :  no make-up / no rubbing in the eyes ( after showering/ beware of contamination: no soap around the eyes / no sports  / no swimming
*  2 weeks long :  wear a shell or goggles at night.
*  1 month long : wear sunglasses with bright light / no swimming
*  8 weeks long : don't rub in your eyes 
 

Evolution of the view  :
The first day after surgery you will see pretty good (a little bit contrast loss "soft focus". Reading and driving in the dark are difficult. Then your view will get better. It can be that your view will get worse the 2°- 3° week, because of the healing process of the eye. Than it will get better till the 3 month. A slight evolution afterwards is still possible. After 6 months the result is final. 
 
REMARK: you can reach the doctor on this number: 051.403664  (or GSM: 0495.175.393).  You have to call immediately when you feel pain or when your view gets bad