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Frequently asked questions
- Am I a candidate for refractive surgery?
- How can I contact VEIC
- What is the preoperative control?
- Which is the surgical procedure?
- When will I be able to see fine?
- How much does it cost?
- Is surgery painful?
- Is the result permanent?
- Residual myopia/hyperopia/astigmatism?
- Are there any dangers?
- Which symptom should worry me after surgery?
- How often should I be postoperatively examined?
- What is VEIC and why should I choose it for my surgery?
1. Am I a candidate for refractive surgery?
In order to proceed with the surgery you have: -to be at least 17 years old -not to suffer from chronic retinal or corneal diseases or any other eye pathology -to have more than one degree of myopia/hyperopia/astigmatism -stable refractive error for at least a year -not to be pregnant or recently have given birth if you are a woman -to ask your cardiologist in case you have a pacemaker.
For information and appointments please call 0030 - 2810371800 from Monday to Friday (8:30 - 16:30) or send an email at veic@med.uoc.gr
3. What is the preoperative control?
The preoperative control will determine whether refractive surgery is suitable for your eyes which procedure is the best for you. This controls takes 2 - 3 hours and during it you may discuss with your doctor all your worries and get answers to all your questions. In case you wear contact lenses you have to remove them at least 1 month before the preoperative control. Surgery can take place the next day, if you agree.
Please avoid driving after your preoperative control. Eating and smoking inside VEIC are prohibited.
4. Which is the surgical procedure?
Surgery lasts 10 - 15 minutes for both eyes. Only local anaesthesia with eye drops is needed. You do not have to worry since the whole procedure is simple and painless and results are immediately obvious. The doctor will place a threurapeutical contact lens in both of your eyes at the end of surgery. This lens helps the wound healing and will be removed only by your doctor within 3-4 days after surgery. You have to follow carefully all advices of your doctor and please do not forget to bring a pair of dark eyeglasses with you.
Please avoid driving after your surgery
5. When will I be able to see fine?
Your vision will be a blurred during the first day after surgery, but you will be able to move around and care for your personal hygiene. The next day your vision will be better but the third day you will notice a reduction in visual acuity, due to the normal process of the wound healing. You should worry about that, it is transient. In general you will be able to return to your normal activity within 2 - 5 days after surgery. Your life without glasses starts immediately! Please keep in mind that for the next 6 months your refraction may have variances.
Each procedure has a different cost. You will get an exact estimation of the cost after your preoperative control. In any case refractive surgery is much more economical that glasses or contact lenses. For a first rough estimation of the cost please contact our secretariat. All incomes of VEIC are managed by the Special Research Account of the University of Crete and are used for research promotion and financing.
During surgery anaesthetic drops are used, thus it is painless. You may feel uncomfortable the day of surgery. Some sleep and a painkiller will help you a lot to calm down. Your eyes will have a sensitivity to light for some days after surgery.
Based on the results of numerous clinical tests, refractive correction is permanent. The only exception is cases that our vision changes due to our age (ie presbyopia) or other special conditions. In these cases additional correction might be needed.
9. Residual myopia/hyperopia/astigmatism?
Residual refractive error less than +- 1 degree may be left due to unexpected reaction of your eye to the laser beam. In any case you can be competely active at your work and personal life without glasses or contact lenses. We do not recommend a second procedure for residual refractive error except from the case of residual error >1 degree. Then a second surgery will take place within 6 months after the first one free of charge.
If you approach the age that presbyopia comes up (35 - 40 years old), your myopia may be knowingly undercorrected in your non-dominant eye. This way you will be able to have a satisfying near vision without glasses for long.
The chances for serious comlications are minimum. A lot of experience is acquired during the past 20 years and we can now support that complications of refractive surgery are less possible than an infection due to the use of contact lenses.
11. Which symptoms should worry me after surgery?
Each refractive procedure has its own technical characteristics and thus it is accompanied by different symptoms during the first postoperative days (0-10 days). You should follow your doctor's instructions carefully and contact him immediately in case:
1. pain is intolerable
2. your eye is strongly red
3. you feel that your eye throbs
4. the contact lens is removed
DO NOT RE-PLACE THE CONTACT LENS IN YOUR EYE! CONTACT US AND YOUR DOCTOR WILL PLACE A NEW CONTACT LENS IN IT!
12. How often should I be postoperatively examined?
The first few days after surgery and until we remove the therapeutical contact lens you will have to come almost every day for a short examination. Follow ups are arranged in 1,3,6,9 months and 1 year after surgery. Then you may come once a year for a routine control of your refraction. Your personal ophthalmologist could also run your follow up controls. In this case our secretariat will provide you with the "Postoperative Control Form" that should be completed and sent to us by your ophthalmologist.
13. What is VEIC and why should I choose it for my surgery?
VEIC (Vardinoyanion Eye Institute of Crete) is a laboratory of the Medical School of the University of Crete. It is a leader in research, education and health services provision in the field of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences. The LASIK procedure for the correction of myopia was firstly applied in VEIC in 1989 by its founder and Director Prof. IG Pallikaris.
In our Institute, many scientists from different fields are employed: medical doctors, physicists, optometrists, biologists, biomedical engineers, since we strongly believe that team work and collaboration result in progress of science. VEIC is an International Ophthalmology Training Center and is recognised by International Societies such as ISRS, ASCRS, ESCRS and the LASIK Institute of USA.
Although more surgical procedures of refractive surgery are quite simple, they presume experience in preoperative control in order to choose the most suitable technique and to ensure that the refraction correction will be correct. Our Institute's first priority is your safety and satisfaction. We believe that each patient is unique and has special needs. We have the longest experience in performing LASIK worldwide and we afford medical equipment of the most modern technology such as the 5th generation IFS Femtoecond Laser. All medical doctors who work in our Institute are continuously trained and informed about developments in the field refractive surgery.
