Laser Eye Surgery for Myopia/Short-Sightedness Treatment

How Does Laser Eye Surgery Correct Short Sightedness?

Guided with precise movements using the state-of-the-art Zeiss VISUMAX software, Dr Graham Fraenkel uses a femtosecond laser to ablate the corneal stroma, effectively thinning it out to flatten the cornea and pushing your eye’s focal point backwards onto the retina.

This enables you to see with crisp 20/20 or 6/6 vision, so you can put your glasses away for good.

Laser Eye Surgery Options for Myopia

Myopia can be treated with laser eye surgery. The most common types of laser eye surgery for myopia are:

SMILE® Pro for Short Sightedness (Minimally Invasive, Low Dry Eye Risk)

SMILE Pro with OcuLign. As the least invasive vision correction technology for myopia, it involves creating a very superficial 2mm short incision in the surface of your cornea and removing a very thin amount of cornea to correct astigmatism.

 Learn more about our exclusive SMILE Pro technology

LASIK for Myopia

LASIK (Laser Assisted In-situ Keratomileusis) involves creating a thin flap in the cornea, reshaping the underlying corneal tissue with a laser to correct the refractive error, and then repositioning the flap. Although this procedure has been around for a long time already, it is still widely used due to its ability to correct the widest range of refractive errors with a high success rate. Like many other modern vision correction procedures, it still offers clear vision the following day after treatment.

OcuLign - for Astigmatism Correction

For many patients with myopia who also have astigmatism, OcuLign offers an accurate and reliable treatment.

OcuLign overlays a computerised digital image of your eye taken in your initial assessment to ensure the laser astigmatism correction is placed as exactly on your eye as possible. Laser Vision SA is one of the first eye clinics in the world to be appointed by Zeiss to offer OcuLign treatments for patients.

How Do the Procedures Compare? 

With many possible different treatment options, here’s a breakdown of the different types of myopia vision correction that we offer at Laser Vision SA:

Am I Suitable for Laser Eye Surgery for Short Sightedness?

Discover if short sighted vision correction is best for you by completing our quick Suitability Quiz.

Take our Suitability Quiz

Eligibility Criteria (Age, Prescription Strength, Corneal Thickness, Health Conditions)

To be suitable for myopia laser eye surgery, you’ll need to:

• Be over age 21

• Have myopia under -6.00DS and/or astigmatism under -2.50DC

• Have a stable prescription for at least 18 months

•  Have a pre-operative corneal thickness of at least 500 microns

•   Have good ocular health

•  Not be pregnant or breastfeeding

Want to know if you’re the right fit for short-sighted vision correction? Take our Suitability Quiz here

Not sure if you qualify? Take our 60-second Online Suitability Test

When Lens Replacement May Be More Suitable

For patients who aren’t eligible for traditional laser vision correction, we have the following options available, including:

ICL

A reversible treatment suitable for very high myopes with dry eyes and/or thin corneas, Dr Graham Fraenkel can insert an Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) behind your iris and in front of your lens, as shown in Figure 1 below. This technique achieves the same result as laser surgery, without disturbing the cornea. 

Lens Replacement Implant

For patients with high myopia who are showing signs of cataract, a lens replacement implant is likely to be a better option as it will prevent the need for additional cataract surgery later on. Dr Graham Fraenkel will remove the existing lens within the eye and replace it with an Intraocular lens (IOL) that will correct your vision, as shown below in Figure 2, allowing you to be glasses free for decades to come.

Success Rates of Laser Eye Surgery for Myopia

It’s been well established that laser vision correction is highly effective at treating myopia, with over 90% of patients achieving better than 20/40 or 6/12 vision, which is within 1 Dioptre of their target vision1.

Furthermore, there is a high rate of patient satisfaction of over 91% as far as 5 years post-surgery2.

 [1] Sandoval, H.P., Donnenfeld, E.D. et al. Modern laser in situ keratomileusis outcomes. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2016;42(8):1224-34.

[2] Gao, R, Ha, Y et al. Functional outcome and patient satisfaction 5y after laser vision correction. Int J Ophthalmol. 2026;19(1):123-131

The Procedure and Recovery Process

Short sighted vision correction only requires a fast outpatient procedure that results in minimal downtime before you can leave the clinic.

What to Expect on the Day

As we use local rather than general anaesthetics for your procedure, this enables you to stay awake and be pain-free throughout the entire process.

The surgery itself takes up to 20 minutes for both eyes. During your treatment, Dr Graham Fraenkel uses a ZEISS VISUCAM guided femtosecond laser to precisely reshape the cornea.

Recovery Timeline After Laser Eye Surgery for Short Sightedness

Within a day of your treatment, you’ll be able to enjoy approximately 90% clarity of your target vision goal, compared with the photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) procedure which can take longer. Most people can drive and return to work within 2 days post-surgery.

In some people, it can take up to 6 months post-LASIK to fully adapt to the vision changes.

Day 1: You’ll attend a post-treatment review with Dr Graham Fraenkel. It’s normal to experience mild post-surgery discomfort during this time, but it can be managed easily with over-the-counter painkillers and rest. Continue using the prescribed eye drops and lubricating drops to promote healing. Don’t forget to tape the shields over your eyes before you go to sleep.

Days 2-7: Vision will start to stabilise.

1 month: Reduction in glare symptoms.

Driving, Work, Sport and Flying

You can get back to doing your regular routine quickly after laser surgery for short-sightedness, including:

• Driving: 1-2 days
• Going to work: 1-2 days
• Flying: 1-2 days
• Playing sport: 1-2 days for non-contact activities and wait at least 4 weeks for contact sports

Potential Risks and Side Effects

Like all types of surgeries, laser vision correction carries potential risks and side effects. You may experience some discomfort, dry eyes, glare and haloes, particularly at night, but these symptoms are often temporary. Serious complications such as refractive regression, infections and corneal ectasia are relatively rare, and make up 1-2%3 of all cases.

[3] Sahay, P, Kumar Bafnar, R. et al. Complications of laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2021;69(7):1658-1669.

Why Choose Laser Vision SA for Short Sightedness Treatment?

A pioneer in short sighted corrective surgery in Australia, Dr Graham Fraenkel has performed over 35,000 vision procedures in his career. He has completed more SMILE treatments in Australia and New Zealand compared to any other eye surgeon, so you’re in good hands when you choose Laser Vision SA for laser vision correction.

View our pricing and flexible payment plans