Femtolasik Lux® Light for your eyes

Solutions in sightwww.seri-lugano.ch

We can see because our eyes capture the light reflected by objects around us, and our brains, with the experience they carry, interpret and decode the stimuli transmitted through the eyes.

Vision is not a mere mechanical recording of reality. Other factors (physical, physiological, and mental) concur to make sight.

The rays of light reflected by an object penetrate the transparent outer layer of the eyeball (cornea) and pass through the pupil, a hole at the centre of the iris, which dilates or contracts according to the light in the surrounding environment.

The iris, the coloured part of the eye, is made of muscle tissue, and its function is to automatically regulate the diameter of the pupil. After passing through the pupil, the rays of light project their in-formation upside down on the retina, which is lo-cated inside the eye, and the brain then correctly interprets and decodes these images.

Roberto Pinelli MD FMH specialist in ophthalmology and eye surgery

Sight defects

A comprehensive eye exam is a necessary step to start building up an accurate clinical picture of a patient and to identify the most appropriate solu-tions or vision correction procedures that may be required.

MyopiaMyopia is a condition whereby a person can read with ease but cannot focus on distant objects with-out the aid of glasses or contact lenses. It may have several causes: excessive corneal curvature, ac-centuated curvature of the crystalline lens or ex-cessive elongation of the eyeball.

HyperopiaHyperopia (farsightedness) can be considered the opposite of myopia. It is a condition in which insuf-ficient corneal curvature causes images to focus behind the retina. People with hyperopia, which can affect the old as well as the young, can see distant objects clearly, while their close-up vision is blurred.

AstigmatismAstigmatism is a sight defect caused by the irregular curvature of the cornea. It results in light rays from an object not being refracted evenly on the cornea, thus producing different degrees of focus at differ-ent points. People suffering from astigmatism have difficulty focusing both at a distance and close up.

PresbyopiaA physiological condition that develops with age, presbyopia occurs when the crystalline lens, which allows the eye to focus, thickens and becomes in-creasingly resistant to the process of accommoda-tion. A dwindling capacity to focus is a natural aspect of the ageing process.

Femtolasik Lux®

Femtolasik Lux® is the latest and most innovative development of the well-known LASIK, common-ly recognised as the most exciting procedure in refractive surgery.

SERI Lugano is the first centre in Ticino to use the latest and most advanced technology available to-day in eye surgery. This new bladeless technology uses a type of femtosecond laser device to produce low-frequency coherent light. It does not touch the eye with any mechanical tool, nor does it require any surgical instruments to restore crystal-clear vision to those who wear glasses or contact lenses.

The procedure starts with the creation of an ex-tremely thin flap of tissue in the outer layer of the cornea in which no blades or scalpels are used, only the femtosecond laser. The curvature of the cornea is then reshaped with an excimer laser to correct any vision defect. In addition to these two sources of light, a third light source is used, in the form of osmotic corneal cross-linking with ParaCel®, a strengthening treatment, based on the combined action of riboflavin and UV-A (ultraviolet) light. Femtolasik Lux® is based purely on light.

What are the advantages?Femtolasik Lux® uses only “smart photons” to reshape corneal tissue and restore clear vision. During Femtolasik Lux® the patient’s eyes are not touched by any mechanical tool. No scalpels, blades or other surgical instrument are used, as this three-step procedure is based exclusively on light. The surgeon uses three different sources of smart photons to remove any visual defect, includ-ing presbyopia.

Femtolasik Lux® is a totally pain-free, bilateral treatment that allows the patients to resume their daily life immediately after the procedure. It is a non-surgical, non-invasive, totally safe treatment, which is why it’s extremely popular among patients.In addition, accelerated corneal cross-linking, with drops of ParaCel® (a riboflavin-based eyewash de-veloped and patented by Dr Pinelli) and ultraviolet light, ensures a significant strengthening of the cornea in just a few seconds for even greater safety.

Who is Femtolasik Lux® suitable for?Would contact lens and glasses wearers benefit from Femto Laser Lux®?

Young people who need to wear glasses or con-tact lenses because they have short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism are the ideal candidates for this non-surgical procedure, that is based exclusively on 3 light sources: femtosecond laser, excimer laser and UV-A (ultraviolet) light. Similarly, people over 40 who need reading glass-es to see small print or text messages can get rid of presbyopia with a technique specially designed for them by Dr Pinelli: the Pinelli Presby Profile®. Glasses for distance and near vision can both be eliminated thanks to Dr Pinelli’s light-based proce-dure to modify the shape of the cornea.

Previous eye surgery is not a contraindication to Femtolasik Lux®. In fact, Femtolasik Lux® is ideally suited to improving on the unsatisfactory results of previous eye operations.In addition, the strengthening treatment included in the Femtolasik Lux® procedure now allows many previously ineligible patients to benefit from this treatment.

How is the procedure performed? Femtolasik Lux® is a totally safe, non-surgical procedure performed without using any scalpels, blades or other surgical instruments.

Using a natural, totally safe procedure, without any need for incision, the surgeon manipulates the fem-tosecond laser to isolate a thin flap of tissue in the epithelium, the outer section of the cornea, which is naturally made up of several layers. This flap is subsequently lifted by the surgeon to expose the un-derlying tissue of the cornea, known as the corneal bed. Using excimer laser, the surgeon then vaporis-es a small quantity of stromal cells to reshape the corneal curve.

After these two types of laser are used, the third step of the procedure will also be based exclusively on the use of light. First, a few drops of riboflavin (B2 vitamin) are applied to the cornea and allowed to spread for approximately 60 seconds. Then the flap is placed back over the reshaped surface of the cornea and it, too, is soaked in ParaCel® riboflavin. Riboflavin is administered as eye drops in the for-mulation developed by Dr Pinelli and market world-wide under the trade name ParaCel®.Accelerated corneal cross-linking (C3-R) is then performed for about 75 seconds, during which time the combined action of ParaCel® and UV-A rays strengthens the bonds between the collagen fibres in the corneal tissue. With Femtolasik Lux® requires no stitches, as the corneal flap will merge back into the underlying tis-sue naturally and physiologically within a few hours from the procedure.

Riboflavin is instilled onto the corneal surface

SERI Switzerland Eye Research Institute SA Riva Paradiso 2 CH-6900 Lugano-Paradiso T +41 (0)91 993 13 01 F +41 (0)91 993 13 02 info@seri-lugano.ch www.seri-lugano.chPhoto by F. Simonetti - Studio Camponovo archive.

SERI Switzerland Eye Research Institute is a centre for vision science research and innovation in the fi eld of eye surgery. Founded in 2013 in Lugano, it offers non-invasive, bilateral, and painless corrective sur-gery for all kinds of sight defect (including presbyopia).

Alongside refractive surgery, SERI Switzerland Eye Research Institute also offers tailored LAMal-recog-nised diagnosis and treatment in all areas of ophthal-mology, from retinal disorders to paediatric ophthal-mology.

Under the scientifi c guidance of Roberto Pinelli MD, SERI Switzerland Eye Research Institute is constantly breaking new ground in the fi elds of refractive sur-gery, clinical ophthalmology, eye surgery, and paedi-atric ophthalmology.

Treatment and surgery at SERI Lugano is always in line with the latest, safest, and most effective scien-tifi c developments available. This is made possible thanks to ongoing research and the use of state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical technology.

SERI Lugano offers a wide range of surgical options and a highly personalised approach, as well as the latest generation of laser eye surgery technology, coupled with the expertise and relational skills of qualifi ed specialists.

The institutional culture at SERI Lugano is geared entirely to achieving excellence in the fi eld of vision sciences and full patient satisfaction.

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