Photo: djd
Expert Interview
The WUNDERWEIB expert for eye laser treatments: Dr. Ing. med. Volker Rasch
Dr. med. Volker Rasch is a specialist in ophthalmology, managing director and medical director of the Potsdam Eye Clinic in the Albrecht-von-Graefe-Haus, which has its own research and is considered one of the most modern eye centers in Europe.
In the large WUNDERWEIB interview, the expert explains whether eye lasering is appropriate for any type of ametropia and how long such a laser treatment lasts. In addition, he answers many other interesting questions around the topic of eye lasers and gives helpful tips.
Does lasering help with any kind of ametropia?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : With a laser treatment of the cornea, only a certain diopter range can be corrected for all types of refractive errors.
How long does such an eye laser treatment last? Do you have to repeat them after a certain time or is the refractive error corrected for life?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : Even an unoperated eye has at least slight fluctuations in dioptric values over the years - this also applies to a laser-treated eye. But most patients are still satisfied after years.
Which patients are basically suitable for eye laser treatment?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : The decisive factor for me is the personal suffering of the individual. He must have a real problem with glasses or contact lens at work, leisure or sport, otherwise I do not operate a healthy eye. But there are also cases in which, from a medical point of view, an operation can be actively recommended.
In which defective eyes would you generally advise against eye laser treatment?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : There are clear limits to treatment from the "Commission Refractive Surgery" (KRC) in Germany. Otherwise, the decision is individual - after a detailed preliminary examination and an intensive conversation.
Is an eye laser treatment actually in question at any age?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : Permitted is an operation from the age of 18 years. The eye should, however, be fully grown. For example, we recommend adolescents with contact lens problems to have their eyes measured every year to get a long-term overview of growth. In elderly, factors such as lens opacification or retinal changes may limit an indication for surgery.
Is it possible to have such an eye laser treatment performed as often as desired, or is this increasing the risk?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : For most eyes, a follow-up correction is possible, especially if enough "residual tissue" was calculated during the first operation. The patient is informed about this, a second correction is very rare.
How do you feel about having patients undergoing eye laser correction abroad for cost reasons?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : There are several things to consider here: diagnostics and information discussion should be at least one day before the operation. There must be no linguistic communication problems. For younger farsighted people, a further day to surgery should be maintained after the preliminary examination. Furthermore, the question of aftercare has to be clarified, deviating planning can quickly lead to a stay of several weeks abroad. For these and other reasons I personally can not recommend surgery tourism - even if the operation itself is not worse than in Germany.
What alternative procedures do you recommend for patients who are not eligible for a Lasik and still want to do without glasses and contact lenses?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : There are different types of artificial lenses that are additionally implanted in the eye or instead of the natural lens. Here we offer the entire repertoire.
Also for modern glaucoma therapy - in addition to eye drops and surgery - the laser treatment is used today. How do you judge this?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : Here you have to differentiate, in the treatment of glaucoma different procedures and laser types are available. What makes sense depends on the type of glaucoma and the anatomical conditions of the eye.
What experiences did you have with the after-treatment? Are the patients still satisfied some years after the Lasik?
Dr. med. Volker Rasch : A correction is rare, but at the latest then almost always the desired result is achieved. The last follow-up after a procedure is carried out after one year. After that, most patients do not come - unless, to reiterate the positive experiences.
For how many people with defective vision is it possible to undergo a laser surgery?
Download the survey results as PDF here!
