5 Questions to Ask Your Surgeon About LASIK

Thinking about having LASIK surgery? During your consultation, ask the LASIK surgeon these five questions to help you make the right decision for you.

1. Are You the LASIK Surgeon Who Will Perform My Surgery?

If the answer to this is no, then it is really in your best interest to start over and find another LASIK surgeon. It is critically important to be evaluated by the surgeon who will be performing the surgery. Additionally, as the patient, you want to feel good about the person who will be operating on your eyes, and the only way you can do that is by meeting them prior to your surgery day.

2. Are You a Fellowship-Trained Cornea/Refractive Surgeon?

LASIK surgery is surgery on your cornea, and ophthalmologists who become cornea specialists are required to do an extra year of training focusing exclusively on the cornea. This provides them with a depth and breadth of knowledge and experience that gives them additional insight when evaluating patients for LASIK surgery.

3. How Consistently Do You Perform LASIK Surgery and Approximately How Many Per Month?

This can be a tricky question. Most LASIK surgeons do not want to reveal exactly how many procedures they do, which is fair. It’s important to have a LASIK surgeon who is experienced with many LASIK surgeries, but is also focused on patient care.

Situations You Want to Avoid:

• A LASIK surgeon who only does intermittent surgery because their practice is really focused on something else.
• A surgeon who consistently performs LASIK surgery, but only a few patients every month.
• A LASIK surgeon who flies in to perform a number of surgeries in one day, then flies onto another center to do the same.
• A volume-focused LASIK surgeon who tries to do as many eyes as possible with little regard for the patient as a person. This kind of surgeon will often leave the consultations, preparation, and post-op care to someone else so they can focus on numbers.

4. Will the Flap Be Made with a Laser or a Blade?

If the answer you hear is a blade, then you should move on. Blade LASIK was abandoned in 2000 with the release of the IntraLase femtosecond laser. Technological advancements continued and in 2010 the Wavelight FS200 was released to replace the IntraLase. The WaveLight FS200 femtosecond laser brought improved speed, precision and predictability to LASIK surgery.

5. What Makes You an Excellent LASIK Surgeon?

This is obviously a very subjective question. You can ask ophthalmic technicians questions about post-operative care, medications, contacts lens wear prior to surgery, restrictions after surgery etc. Take advantage of this quality time with your LASIK surgeon to get to know their experience and make yourself comfortable with them.

Rarely will you have an opportunity to have a surgeon answer in their own words what makes them an excellent surgeon. Their answer will likely give you insight as to what type of person and what type of surgeon they are. It is this dialogue that will enable you to listen to your heart and your gut and make a decision that feels right to you!

After you have satisfactory answers to all your questions about LASIK surgery, read online reviews, and done your research then you are ready to have LASIK.

If you are ready to take the first step and have a complimentary LASIK consultation with a LASIK surgery expert, contact us and get ready to see more and live better.