Preliminary examinations before eye laser treatment

Before each eye laser operation, we examine very thoroughly whether eye laser surgery is possible for you. At the same time, the preliminary examination is used for exact planning of the operation. Good to know: On principle, we are performing more examinations than the amount required by the Kommission für Refraktive Chirurgie (Commission for Refractive Surgery). This provides both you and us with more safety. When our employee decided to have SMILE® surgery, we have accompanied him. You can watch the video on the preliminary examinations below.

For two to three weeks before the preliminary examination, you should not wear contact lenses

Contact lenses change the shape of your cornea even in the long term. Under certain circumstances, it can take weeks until the natural shape of the cornea establishes itself after removing the contact lens. If you did not remove the contact lens sufficiently long ago before the initial examination, this could result in planning of the surgical procedure not matching your actual eye conditions and thus being poor. The consequence would be a disappointing result with mostly poor vision after the procedure.

You should not wear soft contact lenses for two weeks before the preliminary examination. Soft toric and hard contact lenses should not be worn for two weeks or preferably three weeks before the initial examination, and you should also take a break from wearing contact lenses before the operation itself.

Specialist in this field

Portraitfoto von Dr. Detlev Breyer

Dr. Detlev Breyer

Ophthalmologist, eye surgeon and lead surgeon
Focus Top Mediziner Auszeichnungen

Dr. Breyer is a member of the teaching faculty of large specialist associations, not only in Germany but also in Europe and the US. Since 2011, he has been reporting on his experiences with ReLEx® SMILE on international congresses. In 2014, his presentation on the comparison of femto-LASIK and ReLEx® SMILE at the congress of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) received the prize of best presentation of the meeting. Since 2013, he has been included in the list of Focus-Top-Mediziner (list of top doctors curated by the magazine Focus).

Dr. Breyer will advise you personally without time constraints

Dr. Breyer, an eye surgeon recognized by international peers, and not just any employee will advise you. Have you been able to answer all of the criteria marked in green with YES? And does none of the adjacent criteria for exclusion apply to you, too? Then, an eye laser treatment could be a possible alternative to glasses or contact lenses for you. If you are not really sure regarding e.g. the corneal thickness or other criteria, we are inviting you to have your eyes examined in our practice in any case. We will be happy to check whether eye laser surgery would be possible for you.

By the way: Since the new ReLEx® smile procedure has been introduced, a thinner cornea or dry eyes are no longer criteria for exclusion. We will be happy to check whether this eye laser treatment would be possible anyway. You can be certain that we will use state-of-the-art technology for this preliminary examination only.

If your diopter values are higher, there are alternatives to laser surgery: Implanting contact lenses could enable you to have a life without glasses. Since this procedure is reversible and delivers excellent quality of vision, many patients even prefer it to eye laser treatment.

This is how we check if you are eligible

Before performing refractive treatment, we will check very thoroughly which kind of ametropia you have and whether your eyes are healthy and suitable for the procedure. These examinations are the basis for precise planning of the operation. Therefore, we are frequently using more devices than required. We obtain an accurate calculation of the ametropias by using diagnostics technology of various manufacturers in particular. This also contributes significantly to the treatment results. It includes laser measurement with the Visante® omni and Pentacam® HR which provide a high-resolution image of the anterior sector.

We identify high-risk patients by means of the Belin/Ambrosio chart

One of the most frequent complications after eye laser treatment is weakening of the cornea which is referred to as keratectasia or keratoconus. Identifying corneal diseases at an early stage prior to such a treatment is a top priority for us. The only way to do this is by imaging the surface structure of the cornea's front and back in combination with the data about the corneal thickness. Pentacam HR offers this diagnosis option which was developed by Belin and Ambrosio. Incidentally, 1 to 5 percent of all patients having weakness of the cornea are only discovered within the course of such a preliminary examination.

What’s precious to you belongs in good hands

If you are interested in having the best vision without glasses, please feel free to make an appointment with Dr. Breyer for a non-binding individual consultation or preliminary examination. You can make an appointment by phone, e-mail, WhatsApp or our appointment app. We are also happy to call you back. We are looking forward to your message.

Examination of the anterior sector with the Visante® omni

Measuring corneal thickness
Measuring corneal thickness

Visante® omni by Carl Zeiss Meditec enables us to perform a highly precise examination of the anterior sector and not only performs the measurement of the corneal thickness which is important for laser surgery but also checks whether the cornea is intact. Corneal clouding could be a sign of disease which would count against a refractive procedure. Before a lens is implanted, the Visante® omni is also used to perform full imaging and measuring of the iridocorneal angle. In addition, the residual corneal thickness remaining after the laser operation can be calculated accurately. All of this is a requirement for exact planning of the operation which is to provide you with the best possible quality of vision and maximum safety.

Examination of the cornea with the non-contact tonometer Corvis® ST

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Preventive eye care with the non-contact tonometer Corvis® ST by Oculus

To ensure that an eye laser treatment does not involve any risks for the patients, examination of the cornea is very important. The non-contact tonometer Corvis® ST by Oculus is an important step forward: It measures the corneal thickness, the intraocular pressure (IOP) and the biomechanical characteristics of the cornea after applying an air impulse. It records the oscillation of the cornea and compares them to the figures of a healthy eye. Some typical deviations from these figures could indicate weakness of the cornea, for example. This does not have to be dangerous to the patient but it would be a risk factor for a refractive procedure. We are very proud to be among the first able to offer our patients these modern diagnostics. We will evaluate our experiences with it scientifically and make them available in professional circles.

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Untersuchung mit dem Corvis ST.