"No Touch" Epi-Lasik procedure

Treatment for: Myopia

Cost: $3,000 for both eyes

Eagle Eye Centre at Mount Alvernia Hospital offers the "no touch" Epi-Lasik procedure (T-PRK).

This does not require the use of surgical instruments on the eye. Neither does it require a suction device to hold the eye, as in regular Lasik. The procedure uses a laser to remove the cornea's surface layer - the epithelium.

This is unlike Lasik, which involves the creation of a flap by cutting into the cornea and lifting it. The laser then reshapes the cornea by removing the exact amount of corneal stromal tissue needed to achieve better vision.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, an ophthalmologist and chief executive officer of the Eagle Eye Centre at Mount Alvernia Hospital, said: "Many patients get very anxious about instruments touching their eye. We are looking at new techniques to help this group of patients. This is where the "no touch" procedure comes in."

He added that the new service is ideal for people with small, deep set eyes as those anatomical features make holding the eye with a suction device challenging for regular Lasik procedure.

A small risk of this new service includes the possibility of corneal scarring especially if patients are not diligent in controlling inflammation or in using their eye-drops after the operation, said Dr Lim.