FAQ - most popular

Will I be suitable for laser eye surgery?

Laser eye treatment is extremly popular and the majority of patients are suitible for life chaging treatment. At Ultralase, we advise that the only true way to know is to attend a free consultation.

We have vision correction solutions for long-sight, short-sight, astigmatism, presbyopia (the age related need for reading glasses) and those with strong prescriptions.

All options will can be discussed at in detail at the consultation so you can make an informed decision.

What happens at a consultation?

You’ll meet your personal advisor and your qualified Optometrist, who’ll take you through the consultation process and carry out your eye examination. You may be familiar with some of the tests and equipment as they are similar to those you’ve had before at your opticians - the difference is the information we gather during the examinations. This allows us to build up your personalised treatment plan. After we’ve had a good look at your eyes, there’s plenty of time to talk through your treatment options and to receive answers to all your questions. Your consultation is likely to last around 2 hours.

  • You won’t be able to wear contact lenses for a period of time before your consultation.
  • You will be advised not to drive for a few hours afterwards.
  • Your recommended personal treatment plan will be explained.
  • There’s plenty of time to ask questions.
  • Allow up to 2 hours for your consultation.
  • There’s no charge for an Ultralase consultation.

During your consultation, your personal treatment plan will have been explained in as much detail as you like and you’ll have plenty of time after your consultation to talk through this with your personal advisor.

Consultations at Ultralase are free and there’s absolutely no obligation. This means you can take as much time as you need to make the decision to go ahead. Different people work in different timescales so there’s no right or wrong amount of time you should take. To help manage your diary or reserve a specific treatment date, you’re able to hold a provisional date for your treatment when you book your consultation. However, if you know that your laser eye treatment is a matter of when, not if, you may not want to wait too long. Some offers are time limited and it would be a shame to miss out.

What happens during surgery?

ON THE DAY OF TREATMENT

Most people are nervous on their treatment day, which is absolutely normal and the clinic team are there to calm your nerves and reassure you. You’ll be in the clinic for around two hours, although the treatment itself takes just minutes. You’ll be in the treatment room for 10-20 minutes.

When you arrive, your surgeon will re-check your eyes and explain everything to you, giving you the opportunity to ask any questions that may have arisen since your consultation. You’ll also meet the team who’ll run through all you need to know about caring for your eyes after treatment and what to expect in the following days and weeks. Then your eyes are numbed using anaesthetic drops before you’re taken through to the treatment room.

TREATMENT

Once in the treatment room, you’ll be asked to lie down on a treatment bed with your head in a moulded headrest. We’ll place an eye shield on the eye that’s being treated second, to avoid distractions while your first eye is treated. While your eye is treated, your surgeon will place a lid guard against your eyelid to prevent you from blinking. While this should not be painful, some people find it a little uncomfortable.

To perform laser eye treatment, we need to treat your eye just under the thin protective layer on the surface of your eye (called the epithelium). For LASIK treatments, we use a cool laser to very precisely create a flap on the surface of your eye, which is then gently moved aside so that we can apply the corrective laser.

You’ll be asked to look at a light while your eye is being treated - this takes a matter of seconds. The laser will automatically stop should your eye move to ensure that the treatment is applied exactly where you need it.

Your eye will then be cleaned and the protective layer replaced. Your eye will start to heal immediately. This process is then repeated if you are having both eyes treated.

LASEK: The procedure is almost exactly the same except the protective layer of your eye isn’t lifted with the laser. It’s softened and then folded aside. After each eye is treated, a special contact lens is placed over the eye to act as a bandage as the eye heals. This is removed 4-7 days following treatment.

Post treatment

Once treatment is complete, you’ll be taken to a post-treatment lounge, where you’ll be able to rest before the surgeon then re-checks your eye(s) once more. You’re then able to return home.

Immediately after treatment your vision may seem milky and a little blurry. After the anaesthetic eye drops wear off, your eyes may start to sting and water and become more sensitive to the light. This is totally normal as your eyes heal. We advise our patients to close their eyes and rest for several hours - taking their usual pain relief medication should they feel it necessary. We’ll then see you for a series of aftercare appointments, the first on the day after treatment.

  • You’ll be in the treatment room for only 10-20 minutes.
  • The laser we use to perform the vision correction is only used for around 60 seconds.
  • You don’t need a general anaesthetic and there are no needles used in any part of laser eye treatment.
  • Ultralase is the only national provider to offer 100% blade-free treatments as standard.

After treatment?

Laser eye treatment is very successful and one of the simplest surgeries available anywhere. The vast majority of people require no further treatment or care. in the very rare instance that you might, Ultralase provide a Lifetime Care guarantee. This means you can return at any time for free help, advice or even re-treatment should you need it.