Q-LASIK Laser Eye Surgery

Medically reviewed by Op. Dr. Alim Hüseynov · Last updated: 8 September 2026

What is Q-LASIK?

Q-LASIK is a laser vision correction procedure in which the corneal flap is created with the FDA-cleared Med-Logics ML7 LASIK system. A thin flap is prepared in the cornea first. We then reshape the stromal layer underneath with an excimer laser. What sets the method apart is not the excimer step but how the flap is created.

What makes the ML7 system different?

The features that distinguish the ML7 system are these:

• The shortest time, at low vacuum (550 mmHg) — ML7 creates the flap in roughly 7 seconds including the vacuum phase. The eye is therefore under suction only for that time, which improves comfort and keeps corneal oedema to a minimum. No other LASIK system creates a flap in this short a time and at this vacuum level — femtosecond lasers and other microkeratomes included.
• Flap closest to the intended thickness (SD ±5 µm) — the deviation between the planned and the achieved flap thickness is very small. That lets us calculate the residual corneal tissue reliably from the outset.
• A uniform flap in any direction and on any axis — ML7 can cut the flap temporally, nasally, superiorly or at any angle relative to the astigmatic axis. The cut is planar, so thickness is consistent across the flap.
• The advantage of a temporal flap — the corneal sensory nerves enter mainly at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions. A temporal flap preserves part of these fibres, so corneal sensation returns faster and post-operative dry eye stays minimal.
• No speculum required — a lid speculum is not essential during flap creation. In patients with a narrow palpebral aperture the step can therefore be performed comfortably and without the risk of suction loss.
• Minimal corneal oedema — working briefly and at low pressure keeps oedema to a minimum, so visual recovery completes within 5–6 hours.

Patients notice the difference too: burning and stinging after surgery are minimal, and most people do not feel them at all. We plan the ablation with corneal asphericity (the Q value) in mind. The aim is to use tissue as efficiently as possible while correcting myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism in suitable eyes.

Who is Q-LASIK for?

Q-LASIK is used in patients with a suitable eye structure who have myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism. Age-related near vision loss (presbyopia) needs a separate plan; in suitable cases we assess presbyopia protocols.

Keratoconus is not on this list. In eyes with keratoconus or corneal thinning (ectasia) no corneal laser procedure is performed, Q-LASIK included. In those eyes we assess keratoconus treatment and, where appropriate, an intraocular lens (phakic ICL).

Recovery

Vision approaches 80–90% right after surgery. It then sharpens within 5–6 hours, and patients return to normal life the same day. Watering and light sensitivity during those first 5–6 hours are normal and settle quickly.

What follows is simple. You need to use your drops regularly. You should also avoid rubbing the eye and any contact with water during the first week. We schedule follow-up visits for the next day, at 1 week and at 1 month.

Coming from another city for Q-LASIK

Patients travelling from another city or from abroad can have the treatment in the morning. Once their checks are complete 5–6 hours later, they can return home the same day. An overnight stay in Istanbul is therefore not needed for most patients, which makes the method more economical for those travelling in. There is no objection to travelling once the checks are done.

How many items does a Q-LASIK plan require?

A Q-LASIK plan does not rest on a single measurement. It rests on a data set in which each item checks the others. For both eyes, the items to be collected, read and compared break down as follows:

Your surgeon already knows most of these items. The hard part is not knowing them; it is asking every single one, in the same order, in every case. Missing one line at the end of a busy day is a far more realistic risk than missing knowledge.

What does RLES AI screen in this plan?

• Keratoconus and ectasia screening — first we read the tomographic indices together. We do not count mathematically related indices as separate evidence, so both false alarms and false reassurance become less likely.
• Contact lens induced surface change — lens wear can temporarily distort the corneal shape. In that case the measurements mislead, so we do not finalise the plan.
• Dry eye assessment — untreated dry eye both distorts the measurements and increases post-operative complaints. We therefore stabilise the ocular surface first.
• Intraocular pressure and anterior chamber angle — we read the angle value on every pre-operative tomography; a narrow angle needs a separate assessment.

Does the plan fit the eye’s own measurements?

The software also checks whether the flap plan fits the eye’s own measurements:

• Tissue safety engine — we calculate the corneal thickness that will remain after treatment and compare it against the safety floors.
• ML7 nomogram check — ring diameter, vacuum level, blade choice and hinge direction are verified against the device’s own nomogram; the steepest keratometry reading and the white-to-white diameter drive that decision.
• Complication prerequisites — finally we go through the medication history and chronic disease questions in the same order in every case.

What does this screening give you?

Here is what it means for you: your surgeon makes the decision, but the fact that every one of these items was asked is on record. If an item was not asked or not measured, the report names it as “not reported”. In other words, nothing missing is quietly treated as “normal”.

More about RLES AI® →

More about this treatment

Useful links

• Laser eye treatments — all methods
• LASIK Laser Eye Surgery
• SMILE Pro Laser Eye Surgery
• No-Touch T-PRK Laser Eye Surgery
• Keratoconus treatment

Q-LASIK — frequently asked questions

Compare what you are actually comparing

You may think a cheap laser eye procedure is right for you. If you are buying a television cheaply that may well be fine; but it is not worth gambling with your eyesight. A cheap eye operation means giving up on technology, on the surgeon’s calibre, on medical care and sterile conditions — and above all it means taking on risk.

What a patient should look at most carefully is this: an excimer laser and imaging devices built on current technology, a hospital with a sterile environment, and an experienced surgeon and clinical team who know the field.

We remind every patient that they have only two eyes, and that the eye is the most delicate sensory organ they have. None of this is more important than your eye health, and we do not compromise on quality or on current technology.

Our pricing is clear, fair and reasonable. There are no hidden costs, and we work to keep laser eye surgery affordable and accessible for you.

Medically reviewed by

Op. Dr. Alim Hüseynov — Ophthalmologist — refractive laser surgery, cornea and oculoplastic surgery, Nişantaşı Hospital Eye Centre. Surgeon profile

The information on this page is for general guidance and does not replace an examination. Treatment decisions are made after the examination and test results have been assessed.