A LASIK Eye Surgery Checklist

If you are considering going through Lasik eye surgery here are a few things you will want to take into consideration :- Will there be any impact on your career - does your job prohibit refractive surgery? Is the financial cost to high - can you really afford this procedure? Existing medical conditions - e.g., do you have an autoimmune disease or other major illness? Do you have a chronic illness that might slow or alter healing? Current eye conditions - do you have or have you ever had any difficulties with your eyes except needing glasses or contact lenses? Are you taking any medication - do you take steroids or other drugs that might prevent healing? Are your eyes in a stable condition - has your prescription altered in the last year? How strong or weak are your glasses - do you use glasses/contacts only some of the time? Do you need an exceptionaly strong prescription? Do you have an unusual pupil size - are your pupils extra large in dim circumstances? Is the thickness of your Cornea ok - do you have thin corneas? Dry eye - do you have dry eyes or is your tear gland working properly? Overtreatment or undertreatment - are you willing and able to have extra surgery to get the desired result? You may still need reading glasses - do you have presbyopia? The results may not be lasting - do you think this is the last correction you will ever need? Do you realize that long-term results are not known? You could suffer permanent loss of vision - do you know some patients may lose some vision or experience blindness? Dry eyes - do you know that if you have dry eyes they could become worse, or if you don't have dry eyes before you could develop chronic dry eyes as a result of surgery? You could develop various visual symptoms - do you know about glare, halos, starbursts, etc. and that night driving may be difficult? Contrast sensitivity - do you know your vision could be severely reduced in dim light circumstances? Bilateral treatment - do you know the additional risks of having both eyes treated at the same time? Patient information - have you read the patient data booklet about the laser being used for your procedure? What is your doctors experience - how many eyes has your doctor performed LASIK surgery on with the same laser? Does he have the correct equipment - does your doctor use a FDA-approved laser for the procedure you need? Have you been given all the Information - is your doctor keen to spend the time to answer all your concerns? Will your doctor provide long-term care - does your doctor encourage follow-up and management of you as a patient? Your preop and postop care may be provided by a doctor other than the surgeon. Make sure you are comfortable - do you feel you know your doctor and are comfortable with an equal exchange of information? No contact lenses prior to evaluation and surgery - can you go for an extended period of time not wearing contact lenses? Have a thorough exam - have you arranged not to drive or work after the exam? Read and understand the informed consent - has your doctor given you an informed consent form to take home and answered all your queries? No makeup before surgery - can you go 24-36 hours without makeup prior to surgery? Arrange for transportation - can someone drive you home after surgery? Plan to take a few days to recover - can you take time off to take it easy for a couple of days if necessary? Expect not to see clearly for a few days - do you know you will not see clearly immediately? Know sights, smells, sounds of surgery - has your doctor made you feel comfortable with the actual steps of the procedure? Be prepared to take drops/medications- are you willing and able to put drops in your eyes at regular intervals? Be prepared to wear an eye shield - do you know you need to protect the eye for a period of time after surgery to avoid injury? Expect some pain/discomfort - do you know how much pain to expect? Know when to seek help - do you recognize what problems could occur and when to seek medical intervention? Know when to expect your vision to stop changing - are you aware that final results could take a long time? Make sure your refraction is stable before any further surgery - if you don't get the desired outcome, do you know not to have an enhancement until the prescription stops changing? This may all sound very daunting but the vast majority of people who have Lasik eye surgery experience a very good result, by taking the time to prepare properly, you will greatly increase your prospects of a good result also.