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YOUR MOST COMMON QUESTIONS ANSWERED ABOUT LASER EYE SURGERY
Q: Will I see 20/20 after my procedure?
A: While 99% of our patients see 20/20 or better without correction, more than half of our patients achieve 20/15 vision with custom wavefront laser treatment. At your consultion, we can be more specific relative to your personal eyeglass or contact lens prescription.
Q: What is custom or wavefront-driven LASIK and how does it differ from standard LASIK?
A: Standard LASIK or PRK/LASEK and custom LASIK or PRK/LASEK are identical surgical procedures with the exception of the way the laser treatment is designed. In the standard procedure, the treatment is based on your eyeglass prescription. Treatment in a custom procedure is based on a wavefront analysis. Wavefront analysis measures not only the eyeglass prescription in a highly accurate fashion, it also maps the irregularities of the entire visual system. These irregularities are minimized by a custom wavefront-based laser treatment, which results in a higher chance of being 20/20 or better, and minimizes the risk of night vision problems such as halo and glare. Please see the section on custom treatment for more info.
Q: Will it be painful?
A: Prior to surgery the eye is anesthetized with eye drops, as a result there is no pain during the surgery. Approximately 1-3 hours after the surgery you may experience some mild tearing or a foreign body sensation. It is rare to have any discomfort beyond a few hours. Most patients describe the initial discomfort as being similar to the usual discomfort that they experienced with contact lenses.
Q: Can I wear glasses or contact lenses after the procedure?
A: If you can wear glasses or contact lenses now in comfort, you will be able to after the procedure, if required.
Q: What are the most common side effects?
A: The most common side effects are: fluctuating vision (which only lasts for the first few days), night glare (which typically lasts for the first few weeks), and dry eye (which only lasts for the first few weeks).
Q: Is Laser Eye Surgery permanent?
A: Yes, the laser is in effect permanently engraving the shape of your glasses or contact lens into your cornea.
Q: Does insurance cover the procedure?
A: Although most health plans do not cover Laser Eye Surgery, it is best to check with your carrier. However, many flexible benefit plans do pay for Laser Eye Surgery.
Q: What does your fee cover?
A: The fee for this procedure includes all preoperative visits, your Laser Eye Surgery procedure, your postoperative drops, all postoperative visits for one year, and any retreatments (if needed) for a lifetime. Some restrictions apply. We offer financing and accept major credit cards.
Q: Can I go blind?
A: Nobody has ever gone blind from this procedure to our knowledge.
Q: What about long-term side effects of Laser Eye Surgery?
A: LASIK is a more advanced form of keratomeliusis which was developed over 20 years ago. The advances in laser technology and microkeratomes has made the LASIK procedure precise and predictable.
Q: Which technique is better for me, PRK or LASIK?
A: Both procedures are highly effective in correcting myopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia. We perform LASIK in most patients except in patients with thin corneas and certain corneal mapping irregularities. We recommend LASIK over PRK because there are several advantages in most patients.
1. Minimal discomfort for only a few hours.
2. Recovery of functional vision overnight in most cases.
3. Ability to perform an enhancement procedure when necessary at 3 months following the initial procedure.
There are many factors that should be considered when choosing the best procedure for any particular individual. We recommend PRK/LASEK for 10-20% of our patients to achieve the best and safest outcome. Our staff will be glad to review both procedures when you come in for your complimentary consultation.
Q: How long does the procedure actually take?
A: The laser treatment time is typically less than one minute. Most patients will be in the laser room for about 15 minutes for the actual laser Eye Surgery procedure. Total time spent at the laser center on the day of surgery is usually about three hours.
Q: How much time will I miss from work?
A: The time missed from work with a LASIK procedure is minimal. Most patients are back to work by the next day. After a PRK/LASEK procedure, most patients return to work anywhere fron 3-7 days following surgery. It may, however, take as much as several weeks for the vision to become as sharp as it was preoperatively with your glasses or contact lenses.
Q: Will I need reading glasses?
A: The need for reading glasses is a natural process of the eye related to age. This begins to effect most people in their early 40's. Following Laser Eye Surgery you will still need reading glasses at that time of your life.
SEE MONOVISION UNDER YOUR VISION.
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