Laser Eye Surgery and Sport

When it comes to your sport or exercise, your eyesight is a key player and having impaired vision can impact on your performance.

Wearing glasses simply isn’t feasible when it comes to playing sports and contact lenses can be equally frustrating as they can break, fall out or become irritated by dirt.

Thousands of Optilase patients have already chosen to undergo Laser Eye Surgery in order fully commit to their game without the inconvenience of glasses or contact lenses.

Which Laser Eye Surgery is best for players?

During your free consultation, you will be advised as to which procedure best suits your needs, taking into account healing time and individual sporting commitments.

LASIK: A small incision is made on the surface of the cornea to create a flap of tissue which is then folded back to allow the corneal reshaping to take place. This flap is then repositioned over the new corneal surface to complete the procedure.

PRK: Rather than creating a corneal flap, an Ethanol solution is applied to loosen the epithelial layer of the cornea which is then pushed aside to allow corrective laser treatment to take place. The loosened outside layer is smoothed back over once the laser procedure is finished.

WaveFront: An incredibly detailed 3-D map of your cornea is created using a WaveScan machine which outlines the various peaks and troughs of the cornea so that a more accurate correction is administered. WaveFront involves the creation of a corneal flap similar to the LASIK procedure.

IntraLase: Representing the latest advances in Laser Eye Surgery, IntraLase uses a Femtosecond Laser to administer pressurized air to the surface of the eye to create the corneal flap. This method allows for incredible results with a lower risk of flap complications.

Other factors to consider with Laser Eye Surgery and sport

• Cold weather can create very drying conditions which can exacerbate dryness in eyes post-surgery. To avoid irritation, it is vital that eye drops are used to keep eyes moist following surgery if you plan on playing sport in cold weather.
• If you play contact sports, the greatest concern is that the corneal flap may become dislodged so it is recommended that you wear protective goggles until the eye is fully healed.
• Because of the drying effect of saunas, steamrooms and swimming pools it is advisable to avoid for at least three weeks and wear goggles at all time for at least eight weeks.

To find out more, book your free Laser Eye Consultation on 08000 121 565 or at
www.optilase.co.uk/book-your-free-consultation/