VISION

Patients of all ages visiting Latvia’s clinics can receive a diagnosis of the health of their eyes and vision, and treatment of illnesses, ranging from the complaints of the very youngest patients to complex eye operations such as corneal transplants. A wide range of sight correction options are available. Clinics specialise in diagnosing and treating cataracts, glaucoma, and eye alignment problems, as well as eye ailments caused by sugar diabetes. They also perform eyelid plastic surgery for both aesthetic reasons and because of medical indications.

Foreign patients rate the services received at Latvia’s clinics highly, because they receive complex examinations for an affordable price. In the process of treating patients, Latvia’s ophthalmologists use equipment and methods that guarantee maximum comfort for patients.

• Vision and eye health diagnostics: full examination of eye and vision health for children (including babies) and adults.
• Laser therapy: specialists use laser therapy to treat retinal ailments, block retinal tears, treat macular degeneration, and treat diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.
• Sight correction: High Definition Vision (EVO ICL) – sight correction without a laser with intraocular collamer lens implantation, as well as laser sight correction. Sometimes, in order to ensure that the patient gets the best possible quality of vision, both methods are used in the sight corrections process.
• Surgery: cataract operations with implants of various types of artificial lenses, including Premium lenses – multifocal, trifocal and bifocal lenses, in order to provide the patient with the best possible quality of vision after surgery; glaucoma operations; eye alignment surgery for children and adults, retinal detachment operations, cornea transplant operations, eyelid plastic corrections, and all types of outpatient eye operations – hail grain, cyst, pterygium removal, removal of new eyelid growths, etc.
• Eyelid plastic surgery: In cases of blepharoplasty medical indications, as well as for the aesthetic improvement of the patient’s outer looks. Surgery is performed by an eye doctor – surgeon, who specialises in eye plastic surgery.
• Eye prostheses: In Latvia, eye prostheses are made from top quality German cryolite glass, well as from plastic and silicon materials from Europe, the USA and Canada. The quality guaranteed by cutting edge technologies provides an outstanding cosmetic effect and maximum functionality.

INFANTS’ AND CHILDREN’S EYE DOCTOR

Many parents are amazed to discover that it is even possible to examine the sight of a new born baby. An experienced ophthalmologist can assess the sight of a child that has not yet learned to talk by examining the way in which the child looks at things and follows and bright lights and small toys. Children often do not complain about vision problems, because they have nothing to compare them to. Small children may not even notice that their sight in one eye is poor, because they can compensate its poor sight with the other eye. Illnesses discovered early or deviations from the normal development of vision and eye health make it possible to attain the best treatment result possible.

Procedures available for children:

• Strabismus diagnostics and surgical treatment;
• Congenital eye illness and refraction pathology diagnostics;
• Congenital glaucoma therapeutic and surgical treatment;
• Congenital and obtained cataract surgical treatment and recovery;
• Congenital slipping eyelid (ptosis) treatment;
• Other services according to individual requirements.

SIGHT CORRECTION OPERATION WITHOUT A LASER WITH AN INTRAOCULAR COLLAMER CONTACT LENS (EVO ICL) IMPLANT

High Definition Vision sight correction is a form of refractive surgery for correcting short-sightedness, far-sightedness and astigmatism without a laser. The procedure means that the patient can forget about glasses and contact lenses forever, because during treatment, special lenses are inserted into the patient’s eyes, which help to correct his sight. The main advantages of this sight correction method are that the procedure is gentle and reversible, with high vision quality indicators and a very short post-operation recovery period.

Procedure: A lens (ICL) Made from a special material – collamer – is inserted into the eye through a tiny three millimetre opening between the iris and the eye’s natural lens, where it opens fully and can remain for life without any special care. Visually, the lens cannot be seen, nor can it be felt. If necessary, an eye surgeon can remove the lens from the eye, because ICL does not change the eye or eye cornea tissue.

Result: Long-term sight correction. Clinical study results show that 99% of patients are satisfied with the post-operation results.

GLAUCOMA OPERATION

Glaucoma is a progressive eye disease that causes changes to the vision nerve. It is one of the main causes of blindness. Damage caused by glaucoma is irreversible, but if commenced in a timely manner, treatment can prevent the possibility of further damage and save the patient’s sight.

In the initial stage of its development, treatment for this ailment is usually provided in the form of prescribed eye drops and regular monitoring of eye pressure. In order to get good results, medicines must be used regularly and continually. If the patient does not tolerate medicines very well, or these do not reduce eye pressure, an operation is required.

Procedure: In simple cases – laser procedure; in complicated cases – surgical intervention in order to create the necessary drainage channel.

Result: Prevents subsequent progression of the illness and further damage.

CATARACT OPERATION

A cataract is cloudiness within the eye’s transparent lens, when it is hard for it to be penetrated by light and the patient’s vision clouds over. If the cloudiness has formed further away from the centre of the lens, it is possible not event to notice the existence of a cataract. During the initial stage of the development of a cataract, glasses can help a patient, but if loss of vision caused by the cataract disrupts the patient’s daily work, an operation is required.

Procedure: During the operation, the cloudy lens is removed from the eye. In order to restore clear vision, the removed lens is replaced with an artificial lens that is clear and transparent. It is also possible for the patient to wear contact lenses, which are placed over the eyes, or powerful glasses.

Result: In 90% of cases, it is possible to restore vision to the state in which it was before the onset of the illness.

EYE ALIGNMENT SURGERY

Strabismus is a pathology, which impairs the harmonised functioning of the eyes. The patient suffers from double vision, as well as losing the ability to see objects stereoscopically and to perceive depth.  Oftentimes, the acuity of vision in the misaligned eye decreases, which causes problems when it comes to ascertaining one’s bearings within the surrounding environment. Asymmetric functioning of the eyes is pathological and does not pass even with age.

Procedure: During the course of eye alignment surgery, the muscles controlling the movement of eyes are impacted. The muscle, whose impact is too powerful, is relaxed during the operation, while the muscle whose functioning is too weak is strengthened. If the objective is not only to improve the patient’s visual appearance, but also cooperation between the two eyes, the operation should be carried out as soon as possible. In order to achieve this, several operations may be required.

Result: An operation can help to achieve a significant improvement in the visual appearance of the eye.

CORNEA TRANSPLANT

The cornea is part of the eye’s fibrous and transparent coating’s frontal and optic system. Its task is to protect the eye from mechanical damage and infections. More often than not, cornea damage is caused by eye corneal infection and herniation. The cornea can also become cloudy after a cataract or other eye operations, particularly if the patient’s eye tissue turns out to be fragile and delicate.

The ophthalmologist’s first solution could be so-called “emergency method”, when the doctor tries to apply contact lenses. This is not always effective. If medicines do not help, a cornea transplant is required.

Procedure: It is possible to perform two types of cornea transplant operations.

• Firstly, a full cornea transplant, which has long been known globally and which is widely practiced. During this operation, all five layers of the cornea are transplanted without separating them.
• Secondly, a corneal inner layer DMEK, which is a new and much gentler and less invasive method. DMEK is Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty. In Latvia, the required transplants are provided in collaboration with a living tissue bank in the United States of America. DMEK is used in cases of corneal inner layer damage.

Result: DMEK has significantly improved transplant results for patients with corneal endothelial damage.

EYELID PLASTIC OPERATIONS

At the clinic, eye plastic surgery is conducted not only due to medical indications, but also in cases, when this is a consideration for the improvement of the outer appearance of the eye. It is used in order to prevent slipped eyelids and bags under the eyes making a person look older than their years, so that the patient does not appear tired without reason, as well as oftentimes to prevent the patient’s sight from being impaired.

Changes of a medical nature are such that cause vision impairments. For example, excessive skin folds usually affect older people, which causes impairments to the patient’s field of vision; a real slippage of the eyelid ptosis, which covers the pupil partly or even fully.

The group of problems of a cosmetic nature include all eyelid changes that do not affect human health. For example, this category includes an excessive eyelid skin fold that has formed over the years, making the patient look tired. Another example is “bags” above and below the eyes. Another problem of a cosmetic nature is small eyelid skin growth, most often papillomas, which do not affect the eye pupil, tiny benign cysts, as well as small yellow growths within the skin of the eyelid, which are usually cholesterol or other lipid deposits.

EYE PROSTHETICS

An eye prosthesis is an invaluable aid for any person who needs to fill his eye cavity. Every prosthesis in a unique example of handcraft, which testifies to the specialist’s skills and is comparable to a work of art, which it is impossible to replicate. The guaranteed quality of current edge technology and outstanding skills of specialists ensure an outstanding cosmetic effect and maximum functionality, which allows the patient to seamlessly blend in with the surrounding environment.

Procedure: modern instruments ensure that prostheses are made quickly and are extremely durable. Depending on the chosen material, eye prostheses are produced within 1–3 days. Every prosthesis is given a two year technical durability warrantee. For example, eye prostheses made from cryolite glass are produced using high-class materials of German origin with flawless quality, which are more durable and can serve the patient for 5-7 years. Moreover, they stand out because of their ability to eradicate a cosmetic defect at the highest level.

Result: prostheses have not only cosmetic, but also medical prophylactic functions, as a result of which permanent use of prostheses is compulsory.