Dr David Chan

For patients who have recently undergone ICL surgery, the general advice would be to keep away from contact sports for a month as the eye is still undergoing physical healing. Subsequently, you may return to contact sports. Do keep in mind that whether or not one has had any form of eye surgery done, it is never a good idea to get hit in the eye. That risk, of course, increases with contact sports. There is a whole host of complications that may occur with blunt trauma to the eye, regardless of whether an ICL is in place.

It really depends on how low is your myopia as it could means anything below two to three hundred degrees (-2. 00 to -3. 00). Some individuals with 25 to 75 degrees (-0. 25 to -0. 75) could even perform daily tasks without any form of vision correction. Ultimately, laser vision correction (LVC) is an option available for individuals who wish to be free from glasses or contact lenses. Whether it is surface ablation (i. e PRK, transPRK, epi-LASIK, LASEK), LASIK or SMILE, each LVC technique has their own set of pros and cons.

There are 3 main types of lasers: surface ablation (aka PRK, epi-LASIK, LASEK) LASIK and Relex SMILE. All 3 are able to correct levels of astigmatism of about -4. 00. However, the degree of astigmatism isn't the only limiting factor. More importantly, we also have to consider corneal shape and thickness. All factors are important for consideration before the surgeon decides on what is best for you in terms of safety as well as stability of the cornea after the lasers.

Regression refers to the eye returning back to its original state. Just to clarify, LASIK is a permanent surgery that removes tissue from your cornea thus the eyes technically will not revert to its original state. Although rare, it is still possible for your vision to change after a refractive surgery. + Here are some ways to lessen the risk of regression after LASIK.

In short, the answer is yes. Collagen cross-linking (CXL) activates collagen fibres in the cornea to cross-link and thereby strengthening the cornea. Laser vision correction aside, CXL is a treatment option for certain progressing cornea weaknesses like keratoconus, keratopathy or keratitis. In these conditions, the cornea is constantly changing in shape or structure resulting in vision deterioration. Potentially, it halts the rapid advancement of such degeneration. Today, CXL is usually performed together with LASIK as a prophylactic treatment.

The key to diagnosis is in the history-taking when a patient comes in for a pre-LASIK evaluation. If a patient is seen the first time, an optometrist is able to gather some information on the patient's prescription stability. For example, patient's age, performance of current glasses, previous vision correction aids etc. Certainly, a manifest refraction (degree check) would be performed and thereafter cross-checked with all the above information obtained.

The corneal integrity is never “fully restored” to its pre-operative state after undergoing LASIK. This means that should a patient require an enhancement surgery years after, the corneal flap created during the first surgery can be lifted up for that purpose. It must be noted that only an eye surgeon with a special instrument is able to re-lift the flap. To be fair to LASIK, it is not common for the corneal flap to move by itself under most normal circumstances. This re-lifting does not mean the corneal flap adherence will further weaken.

In terms of residual degree after the surgery, we have to consider the accuracy of the pre-operative manifest refraction, which can be affected by various factors such as accommodation (the focusing ability that can be too strong, commonly noted in children and young adults). This is the reason why your ophthalmologist may choose to do a cycloplegic refraction during your pre-laser evaluation. During the cycloplegic refraction, your eyes will be dilated and the internal eye muscles thoroughly relaxed.

Do understand that LASIK or any kind of laser vision correction (PRK, ReLEx SMILE) is aimed at correcting the degree of the eye to enable the patient to see well without glasses. Should your degree not be stable, the laser applied to correct that amount of prescription will not be accurate. For example, if a person mentions that his degree has not stabilised and his degree 2 years ago was 500 degrees. One year ago, let’s say his degree increased to 600 degrees. At that point, he decided to wait and not proceed with LASIK. Today, let’s say his degree is 700.

There are many causes for red eyes. From simple conditions such as dry eyes to serious conditions such as angle-closure glaucoma. It is important to notice if your red eye comes with other symptoms such as pain, tearing, headache or nausea. You may try putting non-preserved lubricating eyedrops just before going to bed and first thing in the morning. If that helps with the redness, it might just be due to dryness. Do take note not to use eyedrops that are vasoconstrictors as these temporarily gets rid of the redness and masks the actual underlying condition.

During pregnancy, there are a lot of changes in a woman’s anatomy and physiology. In the eye, these changes can affect the cornea and crystalline lens, most likely due to water retention, especially in the last stage of pregnancy. There could be an increase in the thickness and curvature of the cornea and lens. Thus it can cause a temporary change in the refractive error. In the event that a woman is considering to go for laser vision correction, it is recommended to go for the pre-laser evaluation.

There is usually minimal risk involved for post-double eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) in patients who wish to have laser vision correction (PRK, LASIK, ReLEx SMILE). Post-blepharoplasty patients may experience dry eye after the surgery. If you are experiencing any long-term dryness, do let your ophthalmologist know. Your ophthalmologist will measure your tear production and also observe if your eyes are able to close properly during the pre-laser evaluation. If you do have dry eye, you might be more suited for PRK and SMILE as they give a lower incidence of dry eye compared to LASIK.

Astigmatism is a type of refractive error, just like hyperopia (long-sightedness) and myopia (short-sightedness). Hence, it can be effectively corrected through LASIK To be clear, there are three types of laser vision correction (LVC) available in Singapore: LASIK PRK ReLEx SMILE LVC can potentially correct up to -4. 00 diopters of astigmatism. Anything higher can result in a higher rate of regression and more unpredictable results. Based on the shape of your cornea, your surgeon may recommend including collagen cross-linking on top of your LASIK.

Dry eye is a common and often chronic condition nowadays regardless whether one has had any laser surgery done. This is especially so when most of our days revolve around working at a computer or other electronic devices, where we tend to blink less fully and less frequently. Blinking actually helps in lubricating the surface of the eye. A healthy tear film consists of the lipid, aqueous and mucous layers on the corneal surface.

It is common to experience some level of dryness after laser vision correction (ReLEx SMILE, LASIK, PRK). Typically, SMILE and PRK have a lower incidence rate of dryness as compared to LASIK. Having said that, as every patient heals differently, there may be some variation in the recovery time for each individual. Patients may experience dry eye for a few weeks to months after SMILE and will thereafter improve gradually. It usually take about 3 months for the vision to stabilise. Generous use of artificial tears after surgery may help to alleviate the symptoms of dryness.