Theatre Booking

• After your consultation with Dr Botha, you will return to Reception to make your refractive theatre booking. 

  • ALL procedures will be done at our practice.

• An exact procedure time cannot be provided at this stage but you will be given an approximate time period for planning purposes. 

  • The day before your procedure, we will contact you to communicate what time you will need to arrive at our practice. 

Procedure Cost and Payment

• Medical aids in South Africa see this procedure as aesthetic.  Therefore, it is not covered by them. 

• For various regulatory reasons, the cost of our LASIK Evaluation and Surgery cannot be provided on our website. Please contact our practice via the WhatsApp Link below or on our landline number for information pertaining to the cost of this procedure.

• The cost of your procedure needs to be settled by you beforehand.

What to Bring and How to Prepare

• Whether your procedure will involve one or both eyes, it will be necessary to arrange transportation for after surgery. 

  • This will be confirmed when you make your refractive theatre booking.

• NO CHANGE in eating and medication routines is necessary.

• Avoid bringing excessive accessories.

• Be sure to dress comfortably. The theatre gown provided to you on the day of surgery will be worn over your own clothes.

• Please do not wear any mascara or eye make-up on the day of surgery.

Anaesthesia, Eating and Drinking 

• The procedure is done under TOPICAL ANAESTHESIA. This means that drops are used to numb the eye/s.

  • The procedure is very quick. As a routine doing more than topical anesthesia is excessive.

• As the patient needs to be awake to fixate on a light and give certain feedback, no general anesthesia is used. 

  • If a patient is very anxious, then tablets are given to relax the patient. 

• You can eat and drink as normal before your procedure.

• NO PAIN is felt during the procedure.  

Admission Process

• Please arrive at Reception at the time provided to you the day before.

• You will be given a CONSENT FORM to read and sign before we begin the refractive theatre preparation process.

• One of our skilled Ophthalmic Assistants will then begin the procedure preparation process

Even though the procedure itself is usually quite short, the process surrounding the procedure can take some time. Preparation is also slightly different for each patient, therefore waiting times can vary. Please be patient during this process. We do the best we can to make the time in our practice as short and comfortable as possible.

Theatre Preparation

• Numbing drops will be used to prepare the eye/s for the procedure. 

• If you are feeling very anxious please communicate this to one of our Ophthalmic Assistants. 

  • Tablets can be provided to help you feel more relaxed.

Operation 

• Although the procedure is usually the same in its nature, variability in procedure type and techniques used will have different time factors. 

• You will be awake during the procedure as you will need to fixate on a light and provide certain feedback.

• The procedure should be comfortable for you. NO PAIN should be present during the procedure.

  • You can verbalize if there is any discomfort and we will immediately react to this. 

LASIK Post-Procedure Information

• SHIELDS are placed over the eyes immediately post-operatively. 

  • These are to be worn for 3 HOURS. They can then removed and the patient can continue as before.  

• Please SLEEP with the SHIELD/S for 1 night after the procedure only.

• DROPS will be prescribed. A SCRIPT will be provided immediately post-operation.

  • Drops are to be used until finished.

• You will receive a BAG with an APPOINTMENT CARD. This card gives the time of your post-operative consultation with Dr Botha the next morning.

• The eyes are reviewed on Day 1 and a routine follow-up is usually done 3 months post-operatively.

  • Patients can, however, contact the practice at any time if there are any issues or concerns.

• The only constraint post-operatively is NO EYE RUBBING.

• Recovery is quick. Expect to be close to refractive target on Day 1.

• The major post-operative issue is dry eyes for a few weeks to months.

You can go out to party the evening of the surgery, usually. Expect some blur that evening though.

• Remove all make-up. Please do not wear any mascara or eye make-up on the day of surgery. Be sure to clean all make-up off thoroughly. Make-up on the eyelid at the time of surgery is not a good idea.

• Arrange transportation. Whether your procedure will involve one or both eyes, it will be necessary to arrange transportation for after surgery. 

• Avoid bringing excessive accessories and dress comfortably. Dress comfortably. The theatre gown provided will be worn over your own clothes.

With surface ablations we wait for the epithelium to heal. With LASIK surgery, sea swimming within a couple of days. But avoid dirty freshwater pools, rivers, dams, or lakes for at least 2 weeks. Chlorinated pools areusually safe within a week. In terms of physical activity, you can bungy jump on the weekend. There is no limitation to weight training.