Yes, presbyopia can be treated with laser surgery. Get in contact – we would be more than happy to discuss the possibilities modern refractive surgery offers.
In principle, this is possible, but the restriction of not wearing contact lenses for two weeks beforehand still applies.
The surgery will take place in our own operating room at the ELZA Institute.
The surgeon will discuss the risks directly with you during the preliminary examination. Generally speaking, the risk of serious complications is well below 1 percent. Eye laser surgery has become one of the safest surgical procedures in the world these days. The immense experience of our surgeons helps to reduce this risk even more.
No syringes: the eye is anesthetized with eye drops and the entire operation is painless.
We don’t recommend it. Immediately after the operation, 3D vision is limited and it is better not to use public transport alone – and of course, driving immediately after the operation is prohibited by Swiss law.
No. We only require local anesthesia (which comes in the form of eyedrops) so there’s no need to fast before the surgery.
It can last 30 to 45 minutes from entering the room to leaving (fully checked and briefed by the surgeon) – but you’re only under the laser for around two minutes, and the laser procedure itself usually takes less than 20 seconds.
No. You need to completely free of make-up on the day of surgery so we recommend you thoroughly remove make up the previous night. Please do not wear makeup for at least a week after surgery.
You will not experience any pain before or during the trans-PRK surgery. You might experience some stinging and scratching sensations in the first 24 hours after the operation, but we provide you with effective medications that will relieve this effectively.
You will always be operated on by the surgeon that performs the preliminary eye examination.
No. After TransPRK, the eye is covered with a bandage contact lens. An eye bandage is not necessary.
Ideally, you should take a week off work, but it’s usually possible to return to work after about four days (although the vision on the operated eye would not have fully recovered by this point).
After a week, you’ll be able to perform all of those activities – but remember to avoid rubbing your eyes!
Absolutely – but only up to the neck. Take care to ensure that no water gets in the eyes, as even the famously “clean” Swiss water can contain bacteria and even parasites.
Vision will be blurry, similar to what you were used to when being without glasses or contact lenses. But you will be able to orientate yourself and even take the public transportation on day 2 after surgery.
We examine your eyes every day for the first 3–4 days, then at 1, 4 and 12 weeks.
On the first day after TransPRK, you recover about 10% and 30% of your vision; after that, the recovery is very fast. After 4 weeks, your vision is usually about 60–90% of its final quality, and it will continue to improve after that. There might be some good days and bad days, especially in the second to third weeks, but this is normal and is nothing to worry about.
We will give you a pack full of everything you need to take after the surgery, and explain how and when to use the eyedrops.
You might experience one or more of these symptoms in the 72 hours after a TransPRK procedure, but the eyedrops we supply should help. But if you’re in any doubt, please feel free to call us at the office or visit ELZA during office hours. We also give you the surgeon’s telephone number after the operation so that you can get in contact outside of ELZA’s opening hours should you feel that you need to. We will be there for you if you need us.
The reason we place a bandage contact lens in your eye after TransPRK is mostly for your own comfort. If you lose the bandage contact lens in the evening, you can wait until the next day to see us.
You can fly, without restriction, 5 days after undergoing TransPRK, although as airplane cabins are very dry environments, we encourage you to use lubricating eyedrops liberally during the flight.
In principle, it’s a lifelong effect. Your distance vision will remain unchanged over decades. The only issue might be the onset of presbyopia (the stiffening of the eye’s lens), which starts at around the age of 45 years, which can make it harder for people to see objects nearby.
