Laser eye surgery:
What you need to know
Laser eye surgery can help reduce your need for glasses and contact lenses in your day-to-day life. Along with guidance from your eye doctor, the information below can help you understand your options for laser eye surgery.
Laser eye surgery: What you need to know
Laser eye surgery can help reduce your need for glasses and contact lenses in your day-to-day life. Along with guidance from your eye doctor, the information below can help you understand your options for laser eye surgery.
Commonly performed procedures
Did you know that LASIK and Lenticule Extraction are two of the most common refractive surgical procedures performed?1
Enhanced quality of life
Laser eye surgery can help reduce your need for glasses and contact lenses so you can enjoy your favourite activities with less dependence on glasses.1
Accessible treatments
There are many skilled and experienced laser eye surgeons available.
What is laser eye surgery?
Laser eye surgery or refractive surgery, is a common procedure that can potentially correct vision to reduce your dependence on glasses or contact lenses.1
During surgery, your surgeon will use an advanced laser to change the shape of the front of your eye (the cornea) to improve your vision.2
Reduced dependence on glasses or contact lenses is a potential benefit of laser eye surgery – individual patient results may vary.
As with any surgical procedure, there are risk factors associated with laser eye surgery. Please consult your eye care professional to determine if this procedure is right for you.
What laser eye surgery options are available?
Whether you have been diagnosed with nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or a combination, there are many types of procedures available to potentially help correct these conditions and to improve your vision and your quality of life. Alongside discussions with your doctor, the information below can help you to choose the type of surgery that is right for you.
Non-customised procedures
Non-customised laser vision correction uses a standard eye model or simple formulas.3 No two eyes are identical, but non-customised surgeries typically provide visual outcomes and vision sharpness similar to a basic eyeglasses prescription.4
Customised procedures
With customised laser eye surgery, like wavelight® plus, your doctor will consider the unique features of your eye when developing your surgical plan.5,6 Using this detailed information, a fully customised procedure can improve on the sharpness and quality of vision that you will achieve after surgery.7
Consult your eye doctor to see if laser vision correction with wavelight plus is suitable for you. Wavelight® plus is a surgical treatment and any surgical procedure carries risk. Individual results may vary. This product is not available for purchase by the general public.
What is Lenticule Extraction?
Lenticule extraction, commonly referred to as SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction), is a frequently performed laser vision correction procedure9.
This procedure uses a laser to remove a small, disc-shaped piece of tissue (called a lenticule) from inside the cornea through a tiny cut. Unlike traditional LASIK, it doesn’t create a flap. This helps keep the cornea stronger and lowers the risk of dry eyes. While it is less customised than other treatments, it is a good option for people who play contact sports or are prone to dry eyes9.
Wavelight® plus is a laser eye surgery treatment that can offer vision correction for people with myopia with and without astigmatism10.
- Consult your eye doctor to see if laser vision correction with wavelight® plus is suitable for you.
- Wavelight® plus is a surgical treatment and any surgical procedure carries risk. Individual results may vary.
*This product is not available for purchase by the general public.
How does laser eye surgery work?
Laser eye surgery is a very common, quick procedure that is often completed in a matter of minutes. Your eye doctor will apply numbing eyedrops and use a laser to reshape the surface of the cornea, correcting your refractive error.*1,2
After the surgery, your doctor may prescribe medication or eye drops to help reduce any discomfort, although most patients experience little pain. Your doctor will also schedule follow-up appointments in the months following the procedure to check your healing progress.1
Reduced dependence on glasses or contact lenses is a potential benefit of laser eye surgery – individual patient results may vary.
As with any surgical procedure, there are risk factors associated with laser eye surgery. Please consult your eye care professional to determine if this procedure is right for you.
Types of vision conditions that can be treated with laser eye surgery
Most common conditions are caused by refractive error, which means that the eye’s ability to focus images is reduced. In an eye with clear vision, the light passing through the eye lands on the retina at the back of the eye, transmitting a signal to the brain that creates a clearly focused and sharp image.1
The most common types of refractive error are nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, which are often treated with glasses and contact lenses. Laser eye surgery is another option to correct refractive error by reshaping the cornea and improving your vision while reducing the need for glasses or contact lenses.1
What is nearsightedness?
Nearsightedness occurs because the shape of eye is elongated, so light focuses in front of the retina. This causes distant objects to appear blurry and indistinct, while close objects remain clear and in focus.1
What is nearsightedness?
What is astigmatism?
Corneal astigmatism is a common condition that can occur in combination with nearsightedness and farsightedness in which the front of the eye (the cornea) has an oval shape rather than a round shape. This causes light to scatter as it enters the eye, focusing both in front of and behind the retina. People with astigmatism can have difficulty focusing on both near and distant objects and may experience streaks or halos around sources of light.1
What is astigmatism?
Am I an ideal candidate for laser eye surgery?
If you want to improve your vision while potentially reducing your need for glasses or contact lenses, laser eye surgery may be a good option. Discuss your eye health and lifestyle with your eye care professional using the information below to help you prepare for your surgical consultation.
What qualifies me for laser eye surgery?
The following criteria can be used as a general guide to determine if you may be a candidate for laser eye surgery2:
- Moderate vision conditions (nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism)
- No pre-existing eye conditions (such as dry eye disease)
- Good physical health
- Stable vision (meaning that your current vision is no longer worsening)
Is laser eye surgery safe?
Laser eye surgery is one of the most commonly performed procedures to correct refractive error.1 After surgery, many patients no longer require glasses or contact lenses to correct their vision and are satisfied with their vision.2
Reduced dependence on glasses or contact lenses is a potential benefit of laser eye surgery – individual patient results may vary.
As with any surgical procedure, there are risk factors associated with laser eye surgery. Please consult your eye care professional to determine if this procedure is right for you.
How much does laser eye surgery cost?
The cost of laser eye surgery can depend on a variety of factors. When considering the cost of surgery, think about how much money you typically spend and will continue to spend on glasses and contact lenses.
Your eye doctor can provide you with more specific pricing information and can help you to make the decision that is right for you and your vision goals.
References:
1. Mayo Clinic. LASIK Eye Surgery. Accessed May 3, 2022. Accessed from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/about/pac-20384774.
Bastawrous A, Silvester A, Batterbury M. Laser refractive eye surgery. BMJ. 2011;342:d2345. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d2345.
2. Mrochen M, Bueler M, Donitzky C, Seiler T. Optical ray tracing for the calculation of optimized corneal ablation profiles in refractive treatment planning. J Refract Surg. 2008;24:S446-S451.
3. Simon D et al. Ray tracing: The future of refractive surgery. Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today Europe. August 2011.
4. WaveLight InnovEyes™ Sightmap Diagnostic Device User Manual. 2018.
5. Kanellopoulos AJ, Maus M, Bala C, et al. International Multicenter, Myopic and Myopic Astigmatism Femto LASIK, Customized by Automated Ray-Tracing Ablation Profile Calculation: A Post market Study. Clin Ophthalmol. 2024;18:525-536. [REF-18191].
6. Schumacher S, Seiler T, Cummings A, Maus M & Mrochen M. Optical ray tracing-guided laser in situ keratomileusis for moderate to high myopic astigmatism. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2012;38:28-34.
7. Turbert D, Huffman JM. AAO: What is Small Incision Lenticule Extraction? Accessed from: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/treatments/what-is-small-incision-lenticule-extraction.
8. Moshirfar M, Somani SN, Patel BC. Small Incision Lenticule Extraction. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; February 26, 2024. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549896/; [REF-25123].
9. Moshirfar M, Bennett P, Ronquillo Y. Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) [Updated 2023 Jul 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555970/; [REF-19149].
