Smile your way to better vision
THE UK’s eyesight seems to be deteriorating, with 90 per cent of opticians seeing more eye health problems now than five years ago.
Work is the likely culprit, with threequarters of British adults saying that their eyes feel strained after a long day at the office. Around 90 per cent work on computer screens, and face the biggest risk of eye health problems.
Matters are not helped by the fact that seven in ten adults fail to take a regular break from focused tasks, such as using a computer or driving, according to a Vision of Britain study by an international group operating seven leading private eye hospitals and five clinics across Britain.
For those wanting to say goodbye to contact lenses and glasses, an innovative laser eye surgery procedure could be the answer.
ReLex SMILE ( SMall Incision Lenticule Extraction) is a minimally invasive, bladeless keyhole laser eye surgery. The ground- breaking treatment offers a great alternative to traditional LASEK and LASIK laser eye surgeries, thanks to its speedier recovery time. The procedure is also a lot faster to carry out.
This revolutionary treatment is carried out at the group’s flagship eye hospital on Queen Anne Street, in London’s Harley Street district. SMILE surgery is a good choice for patients who may have previously not been suited to tradi- tional laser treatment, due to dry eyes or a thinner than average cornea. The increasingly popular procedure is also suitable for patients with or without astigmatism.
It takes less than 15 minutes and vision is typically 80 per cent better within a few hours. After a few days, vision is excellent, reaching 100 per cent within a few weeks, according to the study of more than 1,000 patients in the UK, Germany, France and Denmark.
With SMILE, no flap is created, so the eye is more comfortable postoperatively. There is also less risk of developing dry eyes than with conventional surgery and there is no discomfort as numbing drops are used.
Patients at all seven eye hospitals benefit from a consultant-led approach with specialist NHS-trained surgeons, as well as specialist optometrists and healthcare technicians.
The A to Z of eye care is also offered, including lens replacement and treatment for conditions such as cataracts, AMD, floaters, retinal tears and glaucoma.
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