Laser Eye Surgery For Very High Prescriptions

In the 21st century, despite pretty undisputable evidence to the contrary, many people still believe the world is flat and that we’ve never actually been to space.

Some people still believe, particularly in India, that the ancient religious practice of drinking your own urine is a cure-all remedy that can even lead to enlightenment.

And other people still believe that this whole global warming thing is a complete sham, being fabricated as simply another way to exercise political influence and control people.

Such believes can be hard to shift, particularly when there was once some truth in them.

One of these myths in the Laser Eye Surgery world is that the treatment is not an option for those with very high prescriptions, with the only option on the table being synthetic lens implants.

Not too long ago — much more recent than ancient India — this used to be the case. If you wanted to free yourself from glasses or contact lenses, then you could opt to have an artificial lens implanted to replace your eye’s faulty natural lens.

Even today this is still the recommended option at some clinics. However, this is usually a matter of the clinic lacking the technology or expertise to treat very high prescriptions. And so today, the belief that the only way to treat high prescriptions is with synthetic lenses is nothing but an old-world myth.

A new age of high profile treatments

Just like the moon landing footage to flat Earthers, our clinic is clear and indisputable evidence that Laser Eye Surgery can treat high prescriptions.

For almost a decade now we’ve been treating patients with very high prescriptions. We’re able to do this due to a combination of world-class technology, the expertise of our surgeons, and the fact we believe in giving every patient the best possible outcome.

Our pioneering approach to developing ‘High Profile’ treatments has established London Vision Clinic as world-leaders in treating very high prescriptions.

To give you an idea of where the rest of the industry is at, Professor Dan Reinstein, lead laser eye surgeon at London Vision Clinic, says that, “generally speaking, traditional Laser Eye Surgery can only correct prescriptions up to a maximum of between -8 and -10.

This is because, in LASIK, the most widespread version of Laser Eye Surgery, in order to get to the corneal bed and remove refractive errors, the surgeon cuts a circular flap in the surface of the eye — a bit like creating a doorway to the underlying tissue.

The higher the refractive error (ie the higher the prescription), the more tissue needs to be removed to correct it. Therefore, the cornea must be thick enough to allow for the procedure to take place. Most people simply don’t have thick enough corneas to allow enough the necessary reshaping to correct high prescriptions – making them unsuitable for treatment.

However, although LASIK has become somewhat synonymous with the words Laser Eye Surgery, today it is only one of a number of options available. For example, when it comes to treating presbyopia we have PRESBYOND® Laser Blended Vision. And when it comes to treating high prescriptions, at least at London Vision Clinic, we have the revolutionary ReLEx SMILE treatment.

With SMILE, people with thinner corneas and who have prescriptions of higher than -10 can be treated simply because there is no need to make a flap in the corneal surface.

Instead, we remove the tissue from the centre of the cornea through a tiny hole made at the side of the eye, leaving the front of the cornea intact.

To do this, SMILE uses an extremely precise laser to create micro-pulses beneath the surface of the cornea. The patient feels virtually nothing during the surgery thanks to anaesthetic eye drops and the fact that contact with the eye is minimal and gentle.

What’s more, thanks to the minimally-invasive technique, SMILE can significantly reduce or even eliminate the side-effect of post-operative dry eye, which people often experience temporarily after traditional Laser Eye Surgery.

If you’d like to find out more about Laser Eye Surgery for high prescriptions or book a consultation at London Vision Clinic, give us a call on 020 7224 1005 or send a message to our friendly team.