Your procedure will be performed at Rocky Mountain Surgery Centre, Dr. Demong’s private ambulatory surgical facility adjacent to his Calgary office. Although you will be awake during your procedure, local anesthetic drops (freezing) cause loss of sensation so there is no discomfort at the time of treatment. Our nursing staff will describe the anticipated process and answer your questions as they prepare you and make you comfortable.
Dr. Demong performs the treatment one eye at a time, with the fellow eye patched. He uses a spring-like device to gently part your eyelids to prevent blinking throughout the procedure. Then, he softly brushes the front layer of the cornea, called the epithelium, to remove the outer surface. Our nurse administers the Riboflavin drops, as well as extra anesthetic drops at intervals over 6 to 10 minutes, depending upon the desired depth of Cross Linking. Upon rechecking the thickness of your cornea, Dr. Demong then starts the UVA treatment, which is less than 3 minutes in duration.
Upon completion, medicated eye drops will be instilled and the treated area will be protected with a soft, neutral contact lens (a “bandage” lens). The bandage lens promotes comfort until the epithelium heals and the contact lens can be removed, usually in 5 – 7 days. If both eyes are treated on the same day, the entire process is repeated for the fellow eye.
Following treatment, you can anticipate watery eyes, light sensitivity and a gritty, burning sensation for up to 48 hours. Discomfort is managed with a mild oral anagesic, preservative-free artificial tear drops and dark glasses. Vision is typically slightly blurry for up to a month but functional vision is attained within the first week or two. Individual results vary depending upon your personal healing pattern.
Combined CCXL and Laser Surgery
Many people can benefit from a combined procedure wherein the corneal irregularity is smoothed and a degree of astigmatism is corrected at the same time the cornea is strengthened. This
reduces time away from work
minimizes the potential of haze formation
makes contact lenses fit better with less dependency upon correction
Dr. Demong begins the treatment as described above. Then, once the outer layer of the cornea has been gently removed, he performs a refractive treatment with the Excimer Laser.
Following the laser treatment, Dr. Demong instills Riboflavin drops directly to the newly treated surface. After a minute, he flushes the area with sterile saline. Then, the UVA treatment proceeds for 1 more minute. Medicated drops are instilled and the treated area is protected with a soft, neutral contact lens (a “bandage” lens) The bandage lens promotes comfort until the epithelium heals and the contact lens can be removed, usually in 5 – 7 days.
