Preparing for an operation

Appointments

Please arrive 30 minutes in advance

Post-operative examinations

Post-operative examinations are scheduled on the first day after surgery and after 6 weeks

Patients who experience problems, will have the possibility to see one of the doctors of the practice on demandIf you were recommended to Dr. Vryghem by your ophthalmologist your post-operative examinations may take place at the latter’s address.

POST-OP EXAMINATION 1st DAY
POST-OP EXAMINATION 10th DAY
POST-OP EXAMINATION 6th WEEK

Procedure

One week before surgery:

  • Remove your soft contact lenses.
  • Hard or oxygen-permeable contact lenses must be removed at least 2 weeks in advance, especially if you have been wearing them for a long time.

One day before surgery:

  • Obtain the following medication which will have been prescribed during the pre-operative examination: Dafalgan Codeine (tranquiliser), De Icol collyre (anti-inflammatory), Aculare (pain killer) and Systane and Hylo-gel (artificial tears).
  • No mascara.
  • Contact the driver who is to bring you.

On the day fixed for the surgery:

  • No mascara, cosmetics or perfume.
  • 1/2 hour before your appointment: (this is your time of arrival) : take 1 Dafalgan Codeine tablet to calm you. It may make you feel sleepy.
  • Bring with you: Aculare, De Icol collyre and Systane and Hylo-gel (do not open the bottles).
  • The examination and the surgery will take approximately 1 hour. If there is a delay in Dr. Vryghem’s operation list your surgery time may be retarded.

During surgery:

The anaesthesia consists of three drops a few minutes before surgery.
The ophthalmologist will explain everything to you carefully : expect no surprises!
Your eye will be kept open by an eyelid-speculum to prevent you from blinking. A suction ring will be placed on your eye. This will be slightly noisy and you will feel tension in your eyeball. For a few seconds your sight will disappear completely. The keratome will be placed on the suction ring and will glide on your eye like a toy train. The corneal flap is thereby made and the keratome and suction ring will be removed. The flap will be lifted and the laser activated. It is essential that you look at the small red or green light in the microscope during treatment. You will hear a crackling noise and sense a faint smell of burning. This is caused by the burning of tissue and is entirely normal. Your eye will then be irrigated and the corneal flap put back in place and dried. Surgery will last about ten minutes. If both eyes are to be treated, the right eye will be dealt with first.

After surgery:

At the secretariat you will receive the transparant eye caps which you will have to wear during one week at night.
Once the effect of the anaesthesia has worn off you may feel a prickling sensation. This will disappear after 2 or 3 hours.

During the first 3 weeks after surgery : no eye rubbing!
If you feel any serious pain or are worried, contact the surgeon.

Drops must be used as indicated below

From the day on which the surgery takes place:
  • De Icol collyre (anti-inflammatory): 4 times per day during the week following surgery.
  • Aculare (pain killer): as required, if you feel any sensation of sand or burning in the eye(s).
From the day aftrer surgery you will have to add:
  • Systane and Hylo-gel (artificial tears): as required, up to 8 times per day, especially during the first week following surgery.  If your eyes feel dry after using Systane, you will take Hyal-gel in stead, these drops are more greasy.

When you apply the drops you must take care not to touch the eyeball : pull the lower eyelid downwards while looking up and then insert the drop. Then you can close your eye.

  • You will be back to normal the following morning except that your sight will not be perfect because of a loss in contrast sensitivity. Reading may be difficult at the beginning.
  • Do not schedule any important or sporting activities for the next few days.
  • During the first two weeks after surgery: no mascara.
  • During the first 3 weeks : no swimming!

If only one eye has had surgery, it is advisable to remove the lens of your glasses on the operated side, because this lens will no longer be suitable. The difference between the two eyes will now be quite plain, especially if the correction was significant (e.g. more than 3 dioptres) and you will find it difficult to use your glasses. If you have to drive be aware that your depth perception is impaired until such time as the other eye has been treated.

Take careful note of the post-operative controls to be done by your ophthalmologist on the first and tenth days after surgery, by which time the wound should be healed. The final result will be examined after 6 weeks, when any necessary extra treatment will be scheduled.

If you want more information, or would like to make an appointment:
Contact us or call 0032 (0)2 741 69 99