FAQ - Frequently asked questions
1. Are costs reimbursed by my health insurance company?
2. Can treatment be deducted from from income tax?
3. What does: "Refractive laser treatment is scientifically-recognised" actually mean?
4. Both eyes together or one after the other?
5. Possible risks of refractive laser treatment:
6. What benefits does Femto-LASIK offer?
7. Removal of contact lenses
8. How should I prepare for treatment?
9. Should I bring someone with me on treatment day?
10. Can the visual defect be eliminated 100%?
11. Does the result remain stable?
12. Does vision become impaired with increasing age or over time?
13. How will I feel directly after treatment?
14. Rules of behaviour after refractive laser treatment
15. Can I go blind because of laser treatment?
16. How long will I have to remain off work after refractive laser treatment?
1. Are costs reimbursed by my health insurance company?
Since refractive laser treatment is considered an individual service by German statutory health insurance, people under such insurance usually have to pay the costs themselves, including the costs for all accompanying preliminary and post-procedural examinations, as well as the necessary medicaments (eye drops) during post-procedural treatment. Private health insurance companies offer more freedom in their business policies than the statutory insurance companies. We would advise taking a look at your conditions of insurance. Refractive laser treatment is a recognised method of treating visual defects. Ask your insurance company about your individual case.
We will be happy to assist you in writing a medically-justified certificate.
2. Can treatment be deducted from income tax?
Ask your tax advisor to check whether you can deduct the treatment costs as an "exceptional expenditure" according to 33 of the German Income Tax Law without submitting an official certificate from a state-approved doctor. You will receive confirmation from us when we have received your payment.
3. What does: "Refractive laser treatment is scientifically-recognised" actually mean?
The LASIK method was classified as a scientifically-recognised procedure for the correction of visual defects (short-sightedness up to approx. - 10 dpt and astigmatism up to approx. 5 dpt) in 1999 by the Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft (DOG/German Ophthalmological Society) and the Berufsverband der Augenrzte (BVA/Professional League of Ophthalmologists). Definition: A procedure is classed as scientifically-recognised when long-term results are available, which indicate that late complications are unlikely, when all the advantages and disadvantages are largely known, and the scope of application can be clearly defined.
4. Both eyes together or one after the other?
With LASIK, both eyes can be treated on the same day in a single session (bilateral). However, with Trans-PRK or LASEK, the eyes are treated with an intermission of one week. Dr Haug will discuss the individual procedure for your particular case with you during the preliminary examination.
5. Possible risks of refractive laser treatment:
The decision for or against refractive laser treatment is dependent on many factors. The better you are informed, the easier this decision will be. Refractive laser treatment is one of the most commonly performed medical treatments in the world and is one of the operations with the lowest risk rate.
The statistical risk rate of refractive treatment is under 1% and is comparable to long-term wearing of contact lenses and the concurrent risk of inflammations or corneal damage caused by oxygen. We will inform you of possible residual risks as part of a comprehensive explanation and will only advise you to have the operation carried out when you discuss your expectations of the treatment and your individual conditions for such an operation. Your commitment is also vital for optimum convalescence. Therefore, we would also ask you to keep to our instructions after treatment and use the eye drops we give you conscientiously.
The side effects can be grouped into three categories:
Category 1 - affects 15% of patients:
No measures are required
- Feeling of a foreign body in the area of the treated cornea. This can be caused by injury to the layer containing nerves whilst the epithelium is being removed or the flap is being formed.
- Sensations of blindness during the regeneration process. In particular at night, it is possible that, in the first few weeks, there may be problems, e.g. whilst driving, caused by corneal oedemia during the healing process.
- Varying vision during the healing phase. This can last up to 6 weeks, according to the healing process.
Category 2 - affects 5% of patients:
Treatable with medicaments or post-operative treatment
- Residual visual defect through under or overcorrection. This can be dealt with through post-operative treatment after 4 months at the earliest.
- Sensations of blindness through tissue compaction and deposits in the treated area (so-called ""haze"" in the Trans-PRK and LASEK methods). These can be dealt with using suitable eye drops. Haze is unknown with the LASIK method.
- Varying vision during the healing phase. This can last more than 6 weeks, according to the healing process.
Category 3 - affects 0.5% of patients:
Lasting damage
- Clouding of the cornea due to therapy-resistant inflammations or excessive haze formation (PRK and LASEK).
- Visual asymmetries: Phantasmoscopic images behind numbers and letters, contrast problems depending on lighting conditions.
6. What benefits does Femto-LASIK offer?
- More rapid course of healing
- Pain-free healing
- High stability
- Good predictability
- Low risk of infection
- Low incision depth, so less tissue waste
- More residual tissue for possible re-operation
- Even more precise incision
- Exclusion of incision-related complications
- Better wound surface
7. Removal of contact lenses
- Before the preliminary examination: at leasr 12 hours before the examination.
- Before laser treatment:
Hard contact lenses: 4 weeks before treatment. People who wear hard contact lenses may wear soft contact lenses instead up to 2 weeks prior to the treatment.
Soft contact lenses: 2 weeks before treatment.
Depending on the topography findings, longer interruptions in wearing may be necessary.
8. How should I prepare for treatment?
On the day of treatment, please do not use any make-up, perfume, after-shave or hair spray.
9. Should I bring someone with me on treatment day?
Many things are easier when you're not alone! Bring someone with you for your treatment, who can then take you home again after treatment and the post-procedural examination.
10. Can the visual defect be eliminated 100%?
The laser works extremely precisely (in the range of a thousandth of a millimetre). Depending on your starting values, i.e. the level of your visual defect, correction of your visual impairment up to 100% is possible. However, not every refractive power error can be treated perfectly. If they are suitable for laser treatment, the correction usually (approx. 94%) works the first time round. Residual refractions can be eliminated through re-operation or compensated with weak visual aids (e.g. for driving).
The individually different corneal characteristics and healing properties mean that the result cannot be predicted exactly. Seen from a statistical point of view, treatment of short-sightedness produces very low deviations of up to 5%, far-sightedness and astigmatism up to 10%.
A deviation of up to 0.5 dpt is compensated by the eye and is merely subjective. In the case of greater deviations (up to 1.25 dpt), you will require additional correction in specific situations, e.g. driving at night. With such deviations, you will continue to require a permanent visual aid.
11. Does the result remain stable?
Yes, and long-term experience in PRK of approx. 20 years and in LASIK of over 10 years show this. There are changes in only approx. 5% of patients of 0.5 diopters within the first 6 months, so-called regressions. Re-operation can take place as necessary. After 6 months, the results usually remain stable.
12. Does vision become impaired with increasing age or over time?
Theoretically no, but slight impairment is possible through increased lengthening of the eyeball. Please take into account that, after roughly 45 years of age - age-dependent far-sightedness will begin, with or without previous laser treatment. This is usually corrected with reading glasses. Operative methods are being tested but have not yet become standard practice.
There is the chance that uneven correction of the eyes ("monovision") can considerably reduce the restrictions of ageing vision.
13. How will I feel directly after treatment?
After treatment, you will be treated with eye drops. You won't need bandages, just a good pair of sunglasses, and you'll already be able to see to approx. 40-50%. You'll stay around 30 minutes in the LASIK Zentrum for the first examination. Then, you can go home with the person accompanying you. After LASIK treatment, you'll feel slight friction and tears for the rest of the day - it's best to keep your eyes closed. You'll be free of pain by the evening.
After Trans-PRK and LASEK, you'll have a feeling that there is a foreign body in your lasered eye. For this reason, you'll be given painkillers and something to help you sleep, which you can take as necessary. During the time until the epithelium closes fully (usually three days after treatment), the protective lens will stay permanently in your eye. The lens is then removed on the fourth day and your vision will improve continuously.
14. Rules of behaviour after refractive laser treatment
Please wait 1-2 days before you wash your hair, put on make-up or shower, or drive a car. After the complete regeneration of the epithelium (approx. 1-2 weeks), you can engage in light sporting activities. There are no restrictions after 6 weeks.
15. Can I go blind because of laser treatment?
No, since the laser beam works only on the outermost layer of the cornea. The eye is measured exactly before treatment and the maximum ablation by the laser is limited to 380 m residual corneal thickness (100 m flap, 280 m corneal stroma), so that no injury to deeper structure of the eye (e.g. lens, retina, etc.) can occur.
16. How long will I have to remain off work after refractive laser treatment?
Depending on the treatment method, usually 1 to 4 days. As refractive laser treatment is a cosmetic operation, your ophthalmlist will unfortunately not be able to put you on the sick list. Please remember this in planning your holidays.
