Process

Pre-operative

1^st visit: The first step in the process is a pre-operative visit that will be conducted by the opticians and ophthalmologists at Eurocanarias Oftalmológica, which will enable us to confirm the suitability of the patient for surgery.

Requirements for the 1^st visit: For patients who wear contact lenses, an essential requirement to conduct the pre-operative visit is that they must refrain from wearing contact lenses for at least 10 days before the visit.

Tests before the procedure: Tests conducted before the procedure make it possible to verify the patient's ocular and corneal characteristics. Tests to be performed will include: tonometry, topography, endothelial cell count, aberrometry, subjective and objective refraction with and without dilation, tomography for suspected damage to retina, pupillometry, biomicroscopy and fundus examination.

Financial information and methods of financing - Patient Services Department Once the patient’s suitability for the procedure has been confirmed and all of the pertinent tests have been conducted, the Patient Services Department will inform the patient about prices and methods of financing and a day to perform the surgery can be set.

Patients that are not suitable: The doctor will let those patients who are not suitable for surgery know about treatment options where applicable, given the wide range of possibilities currently provided by technology.

The day of the surgery

How to come to the appointment: Patients may eat a light breakfast, but it is extremely important that they not use any product on their face or hair. It is forbidden to use creams, makeup, cologne, perfume, hairspray, mousse, aftershave, etc.

Before entering the operating theatre: The opticians and ophthalmologists will repeat necessary tests to confirm whether or not any changes have occurred since the day of the pre-operative visit. Relevant eye drops will also be put into the patient's eyes so that cornea dilates, which is necessary to perform the surgical procedure.

In the operating theatre: First of all, topical anaesthesia will be applied with anaesthetic eye drops and the patient’s eye will be immobilised to prevent it from blinking during the procedure. Afterwards, the surgical procedure will begin, which entails two stages:

1^st stage: Consists of lifting the corneal flap. At Eurocanarias Oftalmológica, this part of the procedure is done with the latest technology of the IntraLase femtosecond laser, which enables us to create a more uniform size flap. The IntraLase laser increases the precision of the entire process and the possibility of creating a thin flap, thus preserving a larger amount of corneal tissue. This stage is completed in a few seconds.

2^nd stage: Once the flap is made, the area where the Excimer laser must be used is freed. This laser will then be applied on the corneal surface, allowing refractive errors to be corrected. This stage will also be completed in a few seconds.

When patients leave the operating theatre after having rested properly, the surgeon will check patients’ eyes again using a slit lamp examination. Patients may subsequently return home, without needing to cover their eyes, where they will begin post-operative treatment with indicated eye drops.

Post-operative

The advantage of laser surgery is that it allows patients to almost immediately return to everyday life, without the need for special care. Nonetheless, it is extremely important that they strictly follow the ophthalmologist’s instructions and advice.

Post-operative advice: Don’t rub your eyes; avoid blows or trauma to the eye; avoid atmospheres with dust and/or smoke; don't swim in swimming pools for at least one month or at the beach for at least one week; don't open your eyes under water until indicated by the doctor.

Routine check-ups will be performed after the surgery; they may vary based on medical criteria:

1^st check-up: 24 hours after the surgery
2^nd check-up: one week after the surgery
3^rd check-up: one month after the surgery
4^th check-up: three months after the surgery; this is usually the check-up in which patients are discharged