Tips on Lasik Eye Surgery

If you’re tired of wearing glasses or contact lenses, you may be considering Lasik eye surgery, one of the newest procedures to correct vision problems. Before you sign up for Lasik surgery, get a clear picture of what you can expect.

Lasik and Understanding
Your Eyes

To see clearly, the cornea and the lens must bend — or refract — light rays so they focus on the retina — a layer of lightsensing cells that line the back of the eye. The retina converts the light rays into impulses that are sent to the brain, where they are recognized as images. If the light rays don’t focus on the retina, the image you see is blurry. This is called a refractive error. Glasses, contacts and refractive surgery attempt to reduce these errors by making light rays focus on the retina.

Refractive errors are caused by an imperfectly shaped eyeball, cornea or lens, and are of three basic types:

• myopia — nearsightedness; only nearby objects are clear.
• hyperopia — farsightedness; only objects far away are clear.
• astigmatism — images are blurred at a distance and near.

There’s also presbyopia — “aging eye.” The condition usually occurs between ages 40 and 50, and can be corrected with bifocals or reading glasses.

Finding a Lasik Eye Surgeon

Only ophthalmologists (Eye MDs) are permitted to perform Lasik. Ask your Eye MD or optometrist for a referral to an Eye MD who performs Lasik. The American Academy of Ophthalmology website www.aao.org feature “Find an Eye MD” can provide you with a list of their members who perform Lasik.

Ninety-five percent of all ophthalmologists (Eye MDs) are Academy members. Also, the International Society of Refractive Surgery website www.LocateAnEyeDoc.com will provide you with names of refractive surgeons.

Ask your Lasik Eye Surgeon the following Lasik questions:
1. How long have you been doing Lasik surgery?
2. How much experience do you have with the Lasik Eye Surgery procedure?
3. How do you define success with your Lasik procedure? What’s your Lasik procedure success rate? What is the chance for me (with my Lasik correction) to achieve 20/20? How many of your patients have achieved 20/20 or 20/40 vision after Lasik eye surgery? How many patients return for Lasik enhancements? In general 5-15% return.
4. What laser will you be using for my lasik surgery? Make sure your lasik surgeon is using a laser approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As of this publication’s printing, the FDA has approved five lasers for Lasik eye surgery; they are manufactured by VISX, Summit, Bausch and Lomb, Nidek and ATC. Contact the FDA for updates.
5. What’s involved in after-surgery care?
6. Who will handle after-surgery care? Who will be responsible?
7. What about risks and possible complications of lasik eye surgery?

Always stay informed about your lasik eye surgery choices prior to getting lasik eye surgery.

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