Laser Eye Surgery Christchurch Laservision Lasik Eye Surgery New Zealand

April 2007

Laservision Eye Clinic celebrates its first decade.

Thousands of South Islanders have changed the way they look at life, after treatment at Christchurch’s Laservision Eye Clinic over the last 10 years.

This month Laservision is celebrating its first decade since opening facilities in Merivale for LASIK surgery for people wanting to correct eye conditions such as short sightedness (myopia), long sightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism.

Wearing glasses or contact lens often impacts on sporting, leisure, job or lifestyle choices and increasingly, people are opting for laser treatment. Completed in seconds, it delivers a lifelong result. Most patients enjoy the benefits of vastly improved sight within 24 hours.

Ophthalmologist and clinic director, Dr Ian Dallison, has witnessed the “wow’ factor many times, as patients have their patches removed the day after surgery to discover a changed world. “They may have been searching for glasses to put on first thing every day for 30 years or dealing with contact lenses. Suddenly, they can see clearly unaided for the first time in years.”

He believes New Zealanders have embraced the concept at higher rates than people in other countries because we are “an outdoorsy nation”, with many jobs and recreational pursuits taking place in all weathers. Although there was some nervousness surrounding laser eye surgery in earlier times, this has long since faded with the completion of thousands of successful treatments, Dallison said.

“In the 10 years we’ve been going, we’ve helped people from all walks of life to see better. At the same time, we ensure their expectations are realistic. All the laser surgery is going to do is give you the vision you have with glasses or contact lens no longer needing them.” However, it cannot be used to rectify presbyopia, the condition which forces most middle-aged people to need reading glasses.

There have been dramatic advances in laser surgery in the last decade, prompting the clinic to buy a German-manufactured system, costing just under $1 million, in 2004. The Allegretto Wave Eye-Q Laser System is new generation equipment, built from the ground up with many innovations. Dallison said that it delivers superior clinical results, more options and a maximum level of safety for both patient and physician. Significantly, it has cut the need for follow-up minor enhancements from 12 per cent to just 3 per cent of patients.

Another milestone for the clinic was the installation two years ago of an Amadeus microkeratome. It is used to create the corneal flap, which is folded back gently to reveal the middle part of the cornea. Pulses from the laser then vaporise a portion of the cornea for just a few seconds before the flap is replaced.

Although ‘blade-free’ technology is now available, Laservision considers the microkeratome currently provides one of the safest and most proven options. In a recent study (Woodhams, JT. Ophthalmol Manage), 95 per cent of patients who chose LASIK surgery using the Amadeus Microkeratome obtained 20/20 vision, compared with 82 per cent, who chose LASIK surgery with blade-free Intralase.

While the quality of the equipment used at the clinic is of the highest standard, it is backed up by a stable, professional staff. Dr Malcolm McKellar, who joined the clinic in 2002, is the only person in New Zealand trained as both an ophthamologist (specialist in eye disease and eye surgery) and optometrist (specialist in glasses and contact lenses).

Marketing Manager, Vicky Coates and Clinical Co-ordinator Jo Gray perform other key roles within the clinic along with Nurses Gaylene Thomas, Wendy Dixon and Wendy Oliver who have years of experience in the field.

Treatment for both eyes costs $4500, which includes all consultations, post operative follow ups and enhancements. Laservision staff can advise on finance specially tailored for medical procedures.

For a free assessment, call Laservision Eye Clinic on 03 355-0223
or 0800 527 371.