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FAQ Laser Surgery

The preliminary exam

  • Please do not wear your contact lenses for at least two before after the preliminary examination. This is absolutely necessary because otherwise the measurements taken at the preliminary exam will not be precise enough.
  • After the preliminary examination, your contact lenses can be worn again until the day before the operation.
  • Your pupils will be dilated during the preliminary exam, so you may have trouble reading or doing close work. Accordingly, please do not plan any important work on this day.
  • Please do not drive yourself to or from the appointment
It can take up to 2 hours to complete all of these comprehensive assessments so that we can plan the safest surgery with the best-possible visual outcomes.
We use the SCHWIND AMARIS excimer laser (which we co-developed). It is currently the fastest and safest excimer laser available in the world.

The surgery

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.

After the surgery

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.

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Augeninstitut ELZA
4.8
Based on 109 reviews
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mike
mike
09:02 04 Jan 23
Overall as a 50 year old, who wanted to continue to avoid wearing glasses and/or contact lenses, my goal was 100%... achieved with ELZA and Dr. Hafezi. I greatly appreciated the overall approach by Dr. Hafezi and his friendly and competent team in reviewing my vision at the start and following a comprehensive eye exam- the explanations of my options. For me I chose PRK in one eye for a monovision solution to correct short sightedness which was becoming more prevalent in night driving and sports such as skiing and cycling. PRK heals slowly but the outcome is worth the wait- and the cost- you use your eyes every waking moment- and for me I cannot see any reason not to pursue better vision with the ELZA team! A great quality of life enhancement!read more
Zuzana Fecko
Zuzana Fecko
21:48 31 Oct 22
Thank you so much, Dr. Torres and prof. Hafezi. 26 years I was only “dreaming” about the eye surgery due to possible... complications. I was worried ..Thank you for encouraging me to make a decision and thank you for your professionalism, explanations and great work!I wish you all the best, lots of success and only happy patients!read more
Serena Fazio
Serena Fazio
11:15 06 Mar 22
I have been to the ELZA clinic to have surgery for my miopy, as my eyes were rejecting the contacts and I was tired of... wearing glasses. From the first preliminary visit, to the actual surgery and post-surgery care Dr. Hafezi and all his collaborators have been extremely professional, considerate and helpful. All the steps of the (very short!) surgery were thoroughly explained to me in order to be as calm as possible, together with the medication plan and precautions to be aware of so that my eyes could heal in the best way possible. By following their exact instructions, the healing process has been very successful and smooth, and after about one week I was able to see perfectly. I absolutely recommend this team and their expertise!read more
Robin A
Robin A
11:43 16 Feb 22
Top experts and professional team. Highly recommended
Thunder Shiviah
Thunder Shiviah
14:05 23 Nov 21
After some research on local options I decided to go with ELZA since it stood out as the best. The operation and the... post-operation recovery went extremely smooth (something I was worried about with PRK). Now my vision is much better than I had hoped and I have no side effects such as dry eye or night vision problems. Thank you!read more
Thomas S.
Thomas S.
09:37 07 Jul 21
My left eye had to be operated on because of a cataract. As I had an Artiflex lens implanted a few years ago, it had to... be removed first before a modern lens could be implanted to correct the cataract. Prof. Hafezi treated me in an very competent and friendly manner. I am very happy with the result.read more
Selma A. Rahim
Selma A. Rahim
19:45 02 Jul 21
Dr. Hafezi.. the KING OF CXL🤴
Gianluca Ricci
Gianluca Ricci
12:46 10 Apr 21
Great team and service!
rehaneyecare
rehaneyecare
05:36 08 Apr 21
Excellent surgeon
Steven H.A
Steven H.A
16:13 11 Jan 21
Prof. F. Hafezi s expertise is enormous and he has a very pleasant and calm nature which gives the patient... security.Thank youread more
Online Commande
Online Commande
09:19 05 Dec 20
Totally creepy, very arrogant Prof.He just want your money.It may explain, why this Prof. is not in the center of the... city of Zürich and why he has been thrown away from University of Geneva.read more
Elena Churilova
Elena Churilova
10:06 17 Nov 20
At the moment, 3 months have passed since the moment I made laser vision correction in this clinic. and I can say that... I am happy that I chose this particular clinic and Prof. F. Hafezi. The entire staff of the clinic is very friendly, treats patients with sympathy and patience if they are nervous before surgery (my big gratitude to Aida Alili for all support and patience). The doctor Hafezi and other doctors of the clinic are very professional and ready to explain to you as many times as you need. I can only recommend!read more
Michele Aggiato
Michele Aggiato
18:17 10 Jan 20
The day I had Prof Hafezi checking my keratoconus I knew I was finally in the right place after years of searching for... a good ophthalmologist. Prof Hafezi recommended a surgery due to a drastic degeneration of my cornea. The surgery was performed by himself with the assistance of Dr Rodriguez, one more collaborator of Prof Hafezi’s team who got my full trust.read more
Ashley Faulkes
Ashley Faulkes
15:30 21 Mar 16
Professor Hafezi and the team at the ELZA Institute have done an amazing job of creating a first class eye clinic, with... cutting edge technology and support. I went there for a dry eye issue and other issues with my prescription, and they were easily able to help me and put me on the road to better vision! High recommend them to anyone in the Zurich/Aargau area.read more
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Augeninstitut ELZA
4.8
Based on 109 reviews
powered by Google
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