Ophthalmology

LASIK is laser vision correction that reshapes the cornea to reduce or remove your dependence on glasses and contact lenses for short-sight, long-sight and astigmatism.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens that develops with age, causing blurring, glare and faded colours. Surgery is the only effective treatment and one of the most common and successful operations performed.

Retinal detachment is when the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye peels away from its blood supply. It is an emergency — the longer it is left, the more permanent the vision loss.

Glaucoma is a group of conditions that damage the optic nerve, usually linked to raised eye pressure, and slowly erode peripheral vision. It has no early symptoms, which is why regular checks matter.

A squint (strabismus) is when the eyes are not aligned — one may turn in, out, up or down. In children it can affect the development of vision (lazy eye); in adults it can cause double vision and affect confidence.

Diabetic retinopathy is damage to the retina's blood vessels from long-standing high blood sugar. Early on there are no symptoms; advanced disease causes bleeding, swelling of the central retina and, if untreated, severe vision loss.

Vitrectomy is keyhole surgery inside the eye. The vitreous gel is removed and replaced with fluid, gas or oil, giving the surgeon access to treat the retina.

PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is a surface laser vision correction that reshapes the cornea without creating a flap. The outer skin of the cornea is gently removed and regrows over a few days.

SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction) is a flapless laser vision correction for short-sight and astigmatism. A femtosecond laser shapes a thin disc of tissue (lenticule) inside the cornea, which is removed through a 2–4 mm incision.

Femto-LASIK (bladeless LASIK) uses a femtosecond laser instead of a blade to create the corneal flap, before an excimer laser reshapes the cornea underneath. It is the most widely used form of modern LASIK.

ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) surgery places a soft, biocompatible lens inside the eye, behind the iris and in front of the natural lens, to correct high degrees of short-sight, long-sight and astigmatism.

Contoura Vision is a topography-guided LASIK that maps thousands of points on the surface of your cornea and treats its unique irregularities, not just your spectacle number.

Phacoemulsification ('phaco') is the standard technique for cataract removal. Ultrasound energy breaks up the cloudy lens so it can be gently suctioned out through an incision of about 2 mm, and a foldable artificial lens is inserted.