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After you’ve had your thorough eye examination and discussion with your surgeon Dr Reece Hall, who has confirmed that you are a suitable for SMILE® Pro, you are now ready to prepare for the special day. It’s natural to feel a little nervous and excited, so we’ve put together some notes of what to expect to help you prepare and feel more comfortable.
Before the day
If you wear contact lenses, we will ask you to switch to glasses 2 days prior to your treatment day. Please don’t wear any make-up or perfume for 3 days prior to surgery so as to reduce the amount of foreign substances near your eyes. Arrange for someone to drive you home afterwards and bring a pair of sunglasses to wear on the way home.
How long does the SMILE® Pro treatment take?
You will be at the clinic for around 45 minutes. Dr Hall will talk to you beforehand and answer any questions you may have. The entire procedure takes about 10 - 15 minutes and the laser part takes only 10 seconds. After the procedure you will rest for a while and Dr Hall will check your eyes and discuss your eye drop regime with you.
What happens during the SMILE® Pro procedure?
Step 1. Numbing the eye.
Before you go into the laser room, Dr Hall will put some topical anaesthetic drops on your eyes. You will then walk into our purpose built laser facility room and lie down on the treatment bed. An eyelid drape is placed on your eye to prevent you from blinking during the procedure.Dr Hall will talk you through the procedure as it is happening.
Step 2. The laser creates the lenticule.
Dr Hall will place a special device gently between your eyelids to keep your eye in the correct position during the procedure. You might feel a slight pressure on your eye. He will ask you to look at a light above you while the high precision femtosecond laser creates a lenticule (lens-shaped disc of corneal tissue) within the substance of the cornea itself. The exact shape of the lenticule is customised to correct the specific shape of your cornea. The laser then creates a connection tunnel to access the lenticule. This laser part of the procedure is quick and completed in 10 seconds.
Step 3. Removing the lenticule and correcting the refractive error.
Dr Hall will use surgical instruments to remove the lenticule created by the laser from the eye through the connecting tunnel, under the microscope. The corneal curvature is now flatter, in the case of nearsightedness, and more rounded, in the case of astigmatism, changing the focusing power of your cornea and correcting your vision. This is completely painless and takes only a few minutes. The site of the incision closes immediately and self seals so no stitches are required.
We then repeat the steps for your other eye.
Step 4.
Dr Hall will administer some eye antibiotic eye drops and then walk with you to the consultation room for you to rest for approximately 15 minutes.
Does it hurt?
No, you won’t feel any pain during the procedure due to the numbing anaesthetic eye drops. You may feel slight pressure.
After the surgery
We will give you a post op pack to take home. This will have eye drop medication to use and eye shields to wear after the surgery to protect your eyes during sleep, so you don’t rub them. Because SMILE®Pro doesn’t create a large incision flap in the cornea the recovery is quick. You will need someone to drive you home but you should be able to return to work and normal life within 1-2 days and return to sporting activities within a few days.
Follow up care
The next day you will have a check up appointment with Dr Hall and then again at one week, one month and three months post-treatment. All follow up care is with Dr Hall at one of the clinics nearest to where you live.
Book to have a free eye assessment for your suitability for SMILE® Pro laser eye surgery.
Phone 0800 69 2020 or email: info@boweneye.co.nz