Complete cooperation between Thailand's first private eye hospital and Canada's world-famous institute for excimer laser eye surgery.

Rutnin Eye Hospital, a well-known eye institute founded in 1964, is among the first private hospitals in Thailand to perform eye refractive surgery with the excimer laser in 1992.

Gimbel Eye Centre, Calgary, Canada, is world renowned. Also founded in 1964, it started performing laser refractive surgery in 1990. By the end of 1998, over 40,000 eyes had been corrected for nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism in its 15 centres around the world.

Rutnin-Gimbel Excimer laser Eye Centre is the jointventure of these two institutes, each with over 30 years of experience in the practice of Ophthalmology and years of expertise in laser refractive surgery. Our team of Ophthalmologists has corrected over 2,000 eyes, by the end of 1998.

Nearsightedness or myopia
Nearsighted people can see things that are close, but they cannot see clearly in the distance. Nearsightedness usually results from an eye that is too long in relation to its focusing parts. Because of this extra length, the lenses cannot focus the light rays from distant objects on the retina. Instead, the images focus in the centre cavity of the eye and then diverge into a blur by the time they reach the retina.

A procedure called LASIK may be the way to achieve clear, natural vision. This procedure had its origins back in the 1960's and has evolved over the years into a safe and effective operation. The current technique involves both the use of conventional and laser surgery to correct nearsightedness. Farsightedness and astigmatism.

In performing LASIK, the surgeon first uses a special oscillation blade to make a partial cut through about the 1/3 of the front surface of the cornea, creating a flap of clear tissue on the central part of the eye. The Patient is then positioned under the excimer laser which has been programmed to vaporize away some of the internal corneal tissue under the flap. Central tissue is removed to reduce curvature and correct nearsightedness. Peripheral tissue is removed to increase curvature and correct farsightedness. Astigmatism can be corrected by removing selected tissue to even out the curvature of the cornea.

After the laser has removed the selected tissue, the flap is closed over the eye. The corneal tissue has extraordinary natural bonding qualities that allow effective healing without the use of stitches.

PRK was first performed in Berlin, Germany in 1987. Since that time, over two million procedures have been performed for people in 48 countries around the world. Rutnin Eye Hospital has performed the PRK procedure since 1992. PRK is a surgical procedure effective in correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. After extensive analysis of the eye, surgeons and technicians work together to program an excimer laser to vaporize away microscopic layers of corneal tissue. With a modified curvature, focusing problems are reduced or eliminated. The excimer laser is a unique type of "cold" laser that does not burn or cut tissue, it gently breaks the molecular bonds between tissue cells so that controlled amounts of tissue can be literally vaporized away, one microscopic layer at a time. The tissue can be removed from the surface of the cornea, as in the PRK procedure, or from the interior of the cornea after a thin flap of surface tissue has been lifted, as in the LASIK procedure.

• Be at least 18 years of age (21 for some procedures)
• Have stable vision for one year-minor fluctuations may not disqualify you.
• Have a correctable vision problem
• Have eyes free of complication in juries and diseases (assessed individually)
• Must not be pregnant or nursing

Note: Since the contact lens distorts the cornea, please remove soft lenses 3 days (7 days for hard or gas permeable lenses) before the assessment and the operation.

Will the LASIK procedure be painful?
You should not feel any sharp pain. Only the slight pressure from the surgeon's hands and instruments.

When can I go back to work?
This will vary depending on the type of work performed, and how fast you heal. Some patients return to work the next day, while for others it may be several days before they are ready.

Is there pain after LASIK surgery?
Once the numbing medication wears off (approx. 1 hour after surgery), you may notice tearing, irritation, and sensitivity to light. Make sure you take the pain medication provided and try to take a nap. After a few hours most patients are noticeably more comfortable.

What can I do to make the results better.., or worse..?
The best way to ensure desired results is to relax, concentrate on the surgeon's instructions and follow the post operative regimen as closely as possible. To complicate things you could try to close your eye during the procedure, rub or push on your LASIK eye afterwards or fail to use the medicated drops as instructed.