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Before you undergo LASIK surgery, be sure to ask your doctor these questions!
LASIK Eye Surgery has become such a common vision-correcting procedure throughout the world that many people do not even think of it as a complicated, high-tech surgery. This is partly because nearly everyone knows someone, or knows someone that knows someone, who has undergone LASIK surgery and has amazing, life-changing results, all with minimal side effects and downtime.
However, despite LASIK being one of the most successful, risk-free procedures currently available to patients, it is still important to remember that this is an intricate surgical procedure that should not be taken lightly. In fact, just as with any other medical procedure, there are many questions that you should be asking your surgeon before having LASIK to ensure that you are prepared for the surgery and the results that are to follow.
To get you started, here are eight important questions you should be asking your LASIK doctor before having surgery:
1. Am I eligible for LASIK surgery?
The first step to undergoing LASIK vision correction surgery is to first make sure that you are eligible for the procedure. Many LASIK offices, including OCLI, will often offer complimentary LASIK surgery consultations that will examine your vision and determine whether or not LASIK is the best vision correction procedure for you. Unfortunately, LASIK is not always a good option for everyone. For example, people with certain corneal diseases or severely dry eyes should not undergo LASIK. They should instead ask their doctor about an alternative to LASIK.
2. What are possible alternatives to LASIK?
There are many vision correction procedures (other than LASIK) that will help you to improve your vision, including LASEK, PRK, Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) and many more. Therefore, do not be afraid to ask your vision doctor whether not there may be another surgery that may work better for your vision and your situation. Many experienced eye surgeons often know multiple ways to manage the same patient, so they should have no problem explaining the pros and cons of each procedure to you.
3. Can you walk me step-by-step through the procedure I’m going to have?
During the LASIK procedure, you are awake throughout the entire process. And while the procedure in itself is very short and simple, it can still be nerve-racking for the person who is laying down, having the surgery. Therefore, ask your doctor to walk you step-by-step through the procedure that you are going to have before you get started so that you know what is happening each step of the way and you know what to expect.
4. Are there any limitations to this procedure?
As with any other medical procedure, there may be a limit to how far LASIK surgery may be able to help improve your vision. For instance, many LASIK patients still find that they will need help from corrective lenses to read later in life, just like other seniors who need reading glasses. While you can expect to have better vision following your LASIK procedure, you may want to ask your surgeon exactly what kind of results you should expect and what kind of limitations you can expect to have both now and in the future.
5. What are the risks of this procedure?
Before undergoing any medical procedure, it is important to ask your doctor what kind of risks you could be facing from the surgery. Even with such a low-risk procedure such as LASIK surgery, it is always better to know about complications such as under-correction, over-correction, halos or dry eye, which, while uncommon, are possible following LASIK. A good LASIK surgeon should be able to walk you through these risks, as well as advise you on how they would go about fixing them if they were to occur. Do not believe a doctor that tells you there is zero risk!
6. Who will be taking care of me during each step of the procedure?
While you may speak with one LASIK surgeon during each of your pre-LASIK appointments, is this going to be the surgeon that will actually be performing your procedure the day of? If so, will they also be the doctor that you speak with in each of your follow-up appointments? Who will you be directed to if you have any post-procedure questions or concerns? You want to be sure that you know who will be taking care of you each step of the way before you get started.
7. What should I be doing to care for my vision post-procedure?
While being prepared before LASIK surgery is important, it is even more important that you are prepared for what you should be doing to care for your vision post-LASIK procedure. Making sure that everything heals correctly is the best way to ensure that you have successful results from your surgery. Therefore, talk to your surgeon about any limitations you may have following your surgery (such as work or sports), and be sure to carefully follow any post-surgery instructions they give you.
To learn more about LASIK surgery and whether or not this vision-correction procedure would be a good choice for you, be sure to contact OCLI today! Our experienced team will be able to answer the above questions and more!
