Refractive Eye Surgery

Laser surgery to correct refractive errors of the eye is a safe, fast and easy way of doing away with eyeglasses. Almost all types of refractive error can be corrected using this procedure. In Finnish refractive eye surgery, Mehiläinen is a pioneer and is in the vanguard of development - above all, in its use of state-of-the-art procedural safety technology. Several surgical techniques for refractive operations have been developed, but LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) i.e. corneal flap eye surgery has been established as the primary method for performing this operation, providing the fastest and best results.

FemtoLasik - a safe and painless laser alternative to going under the knife

During the fast, painless and highly accurate FemtoLasik procedure, a thin, 0.1 millimetre thick flap is made in the cornea. The cornea is then reshapen under the flap with the laser. Earlier, the flap was made with a mechanical plane, which slid along the surface of the eye while its blade made the incision for the flap. The new FemtoLasik method does not use a plane or a blade, rather the flap is made with a computer-controlled femtosecond laser.

Cornea shaped using an Excimer laser beam

Laser surgery to correct a refractive error is done using an Excimer laser under a flap constructed onto the cornea. The Excimer laser beams invisible ultraviolet light onto the cornea at a wavelength of 193 nanometres. The laser beam opens molecular bonds and vaporises the tissue of the cornea. To correct a refractive error, laser beams sand down the cornea and change the shape of its surface. The beam does not burn, cut, or weaken the flexibility or durability of the cornea. During refractive laser surgery, the laser is only used for a few seconds, and the natural, prolate shape of the eye is retained.

Who is a candidate for laser surgery?

Laser refractive eye surgery is especially suited to correcting short or long-sightedness and astigmatism. Laser surgery can also correct presbyopia. Surgery to correct refractive errors is planned individually for every customer. Before the operation, thorough consultations are carried out, after which an optician will choose the best possible method of treatment and plan the entire procedure according to the individual needs of the patient.

It is possible to receive refractive eye surgery on the same day as the consultation.  It is the patient's decision as to when the operation takes place, and the operation is carried out only after

• the doctor has confirmed that the operation is possible
• the patient, after having received the necessary information, wishes to have the operation on the same day (in which case the patient is to fill out a separate consent form).

It is up to the patient to decide whether to have the operation on the same day, or to take time to think the decision over.

99% of those with myopia (short-sightedness) and over 80% of those with hyperopia (long-sightedness) who underwent laser surgery between 2002 and 2005 have remained glasses-free. After an initial consultation the operating doctor will give the patient an estimate of what kind of results to expect on an individual basis.