Lasers and injections
Laser treatment and intravitreal injection are carried out in the consulting room, with no hospital stay and under local anaesthetic from a simple eye drop. They take a few minutes, and you go home the same day.
YAG laser, after cataract surgery
Months or years after cataract surgery, the thin membrane holding the implant in place can cloud over in its turn — what is commonly called “secondary cataract”. Vision goes hazy again, exactly as it was before the operation, which often feels like the surgery has failed. It has not. A YAG laser opens that membrane in about a minute, painlessly and without any incision. The effect is immediate, and permanent: it does not need doing again.
SLT laser, for glaucoma
The SLT laser stimulates the trabecular meshwork, the filter through which the eye drains its fluid, in order to bring the pressure down. It is offered as an alternative to drops, or alongside them, particularly when a daily treatment is poorly tolerated or hard to keep up with. The session takes a few minutes, the effect settles in over several weeks, and the treatment can be repeated if it fades with time.
Retinal laser
This treats a retinal tear, a weakened area at the periphery, or damage caused by diabetes. The laser creates tiny scars that weld the retina down around a tear, or make abnormal vessels regress. It is above all a preventive treatment: it protects the vision you have rather than improving it. That is also what makes it so valuable when done in time — once a retinal detachment has formed, laser is no longer the answer.
Intravitreal injections
These deliver the medicine directly inside the eye, as close as possible to the retina, to treat wet AMD, diabetic macular oedema or a vein occlusion. The eye is anaesthetised with drops and the lid held open; the injection itself takes a few seconds, and most people describe pressure rather than pain. The rhythm is set by how things evolve, checked on OCT at every visit: it tightens or spaces out according to how your retina responds.
Afterwards
Whichever technique is used, plan not to drive home: the pupil is dilated and vision stays blurred for a few hours.
- Come with someone, or by public transport
- Glare, mild discomfort and floaters for a day or two are expected
- After an injection, follow the prescribed drops to the letter
- Do not rub the treated eye
- Increasing pain, a red eye or falling vision in the following days: call without delay
This page gives general information and is not a substitute for a consultation. Only an examination can establish a diagnosis and tailor treatment to your situation.
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