Epi-LASIK (Part 1)

Myopia has been a pretty big part of my life as I've had to wear glasses since I was about 8 years old!

Both my parents have myopia so it was pretty much set in stone that I'd inherit it too & plus I used to read a lot when I was young. Fast forward 17 years, I'm 25 years old (soon!) & my myopia stabilised at ~600 degrees. Most people I know have degrees ranging between 100-400 & only a few of us break that 500 degree barrier. LOL.

If you don't have a high degree like I do, you don't get how it's like to have a person stand in front of you & not be able to make out who it is... It's that bad!

I have worn contact lens on a daily basis since I was 15 years old & anytime I'm not wearing them, I'm in my spectacles. I put them on as soon as I wake up & take them off only right before I sleep. I even wear them into the shower & only take them off when I need to get my face wet!

You can say... I'm pretty handicapped due to my low vision.

Me in 2012!

The only 2 pictures of myself in spectacles that I've ever put on my blog (other than childhood ones).

I've always known I would be going for LASIK. It has always been my plan & a definite eventuality.

As I got older it became a simple matter of when to get round to it...

And that time is now!!!!

I went for a consultation with Clearvision Eye Clinic & LASIK Centre some time back.

Their clinic is very conveniently located in town, just behind Lucky Plaza & next to Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre (where you will also go for some follow-ups with the eye doctor).

I'm sure most of you have heard of LASIK.

However recently there have actually been new procedures that are much, much better than LASIK!

You may have also heard of Epi-LASIK & ReLEx SMILE.

Those 2 are much newer procedures than LASIK & frankly I wouldn't recommend LASIK to anyone.

The procedure I will be going for is Epi-LASIK!

It's a better procedure than LASIK in sooo many ways.

You should set aside about 2-3 hours for your consultation, which will involve checking your cornea thickness, subjective refraction & so on. Your eyes will be dilated beforehand which means your near vision may be affected for a few hours afterwards! However personally I've gone through this eye dilation a few times (for this consultation & other eye checks when I was younger) & I've never had any problems afterwards; my vision was pretty much normal.

And essentially why Epi-LASIK is much better than LASIK:

Epi-LASIK is a non-invasive, surface based procedure, safer procedure that is suitable for almost everyone, even if you have been rejected for LASIK.

LASIK:

- Cornea is cut, flap is lifted up for the laser to remove tissue & reshape the cornea

- Duration: 15-20 mins per eye

Epi-LASIK:

- Topmost surface epithelium cells are removed before a laser reshapes the cornea

- The epithelium cells will self-heal

- Duration: About 5 mins per eye

Individuals with these characteristics below are still able to go for Epi-LASIK!

Myopia: Up to 1200 degrees

Hyperopia: Up to 300 degrees

Astigmatism: Up to 500 degrees

P.S. Both LASIK & ReLEx SMILE can only accept patients with myopia up to 1000 degrees.

There are a TON of benefits of opting for a flapless & bladeless technique (Epi-LASIK)!

# Cutting a flap in your cornea can result in many complications such as flap wrinkles, infection, flap dislodgement & inflammation.

# You do not need to worry about suffering from long term dry eyes after LASIK as cornea nerves are not cut. Thousands of cornea nerve endings are cut when the cornea flap is created!

# You need not worry about the higher risk of traumatic cornea flap damage when engaging in sports.

And most importantly,

# You want to preserve precious cornea tissue for other possible procedures

This is very important as there is NO improvements or refinements that can be done after LASIK. Furthermore, as we age we may also face problems of "lau hua" (long-sighteness), which can still be corrected after an Epi-LASIK surgery.

Regarding ReLEx SMILE, it also has similar benefits to Epi-LASIK of being flapless & bladeless.

However, here are some important cons of ReLEx SMILE:

# It can only be done once, any enhancements are only possible using Epi-LASIK

# Still a very new procedure & thus long-term side effects & success rates are yet to be established

# It is more expensive. LOL.

Here are some price comparisons for your perusal:

LASIK - ranges from $2364 (SNEC) to $2888 (Shinagawa)

Epi-LASIK - ranges from $3388 (Clearvision) to $3600 (SNEC)

ReLEx SMILE - ranges from $4376 (SNEC) to $5289 (LASIK Surgery)

SNEC refers to Singapore National Eye Centre by the way!

So as you can see, Clearvision Eye Clinic & LASIK Centre is priced very competitively.

And honestly at $3000+ I think it's a pretty good investment for perfect vision the rest of your life!

If you add up the total cost of contact lens over the years & decades... 

Pretty sure permanent myopia correction is more worthwhile.

You can check out their website below (click image):

Their website is actually crazily informative, covering the procedure of Epi-LASIK as well as FAQs regarding medical leave & even claiming from insurance/Medisave.

Find out if you're suitable for Epi-LASIK by giving them a call at +65 6100 2020 or email them at doctor@clearvision.com.sg. Website: www.clearvision.com.sg

Clearvision Eye Clinic & LASIK Centre

6 Nutmeg Road

S(228337)

Quote "Sophie Willocq" at the counter to get S$121 off your Epi-LASIK package!