My name
is D.R. Peck; CEO of LaserSurgeryForEyes.com. In order to make your
Search for a LASIK doctor easier, I have compiled a list of questions
that you can ask in order to help you decide if a doctor is the right
doctor for you and whether Custom LASIK is
a procedure you should receive. I know so much more now than when I
had my mild nearsightedness corrected with the "monovision"
option 3 years ago. Below is a list of questions that I'd ask if I were
starting my research into getting LASIK surgery today.
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Initial Consult
- Is
the initial LASIK consultation free?
Often,
the initial LASIK consult is free. Some Doctors may charge a small fee
to schedule the initial pre-LASIK eye exam/screening. They do this to
reduce the number of "no show" appointments.
If there is a fee,
ask if it is it applied to your surgery? The answer is usually "Yes."
If not, then you now know why their price for LASIK may be a little
lower than some of the other practices.
After the
consult if you decide to move forward with that practice and their process,
there is often a full-dilated eye exam. If you make your appointment
and receive the full exam but decide not to choose their practice for
your LASIK surgery, make sure you ask them if you are going to
be charged for the full eye exam.
Contact Lens
There are 2 questions you need to ask about your contacts.
- How
long before the initial LASIK consultation should I have my contact
lenses out?
- How
long before LASIK surgery should I have my contact lenses out?
The answer often
depends on whether you are: Nearsighted or farsighted, wear
hard or soft lenses and whether you sleep with your lens in or not.
Your eyes need some time to return to their natural shape as the contact
lens reshapes your eye. If you do not stop wearing your contacts for
long enough, the measurements that your Ophthalmologist takes will change
as your eye shape continues to change.
You can never be
out of your contacts too long. If you do not have a pair of glasses,
some practices will loan you a pair of prescription glasses. Making
sure you do not wear contacts is very important because the only one
you are hurting is yourself. Do not wear your contacts for as
long as possible.
I have asked various
LASIK surgeons this question and have found an incredibly wide range
of answers. I have been told anywhere from 48 hours to 10 days. Most
practices say at least 3 to 5 days. If you normally wear glasses, then
regardless of the time, you should not have a problem. Knowing the time
requirements before you go in for your initial appointment will help
you gauge when you can actually have the LASIK surgery performed.
Price
Have you seen the
ads saying advertise "LASIK for as low as $299 an eye?" If
you are going to choose the Doctor with the cheapest price to perform
LASIK surgery on you, you need to understand that the lowest price almost
always applies ONLY if you do not have any astigmatism and your vision
is only slightly worse than 20/20.
ALL EYES have at least SOME astigmatism. This is just one type of marketing
strategy to be able to advertise "LASIK for as low as..."
They want to get you in the door and then give you the bad news.
Also, if your vision
fits the lowest range that comes with the cheap price you probably would
not be considering LASIK surgery. Often this “lower price” does not
include post surgery visits, the cost of the full-dilated eye exam or
enhancements.
Enhancements
- Does
the cost of LASIK include "enhancements?"
If after 3-6 months
your vision needs some tweaking, the LASIK procedure can be redone to
further enhance your sight.
For me personally,
I need an enhancement. Turns out the 're-do' percentage happens
statistically more often for people over 40 than in younger LASIK patients.
Sometimes there
is a machine charge or a facility charge if your LASIK doctor does not
actually own the laser. Also, you should ask if there is a time limitation
on when you can get an enhancement under the original agreement. Better
to find out up front than later.
The Doctor
All LASIK doctors have done at least one excellent LASIK surgery.
The question is which one will do a great job on your eyes. Here
are some questions to ask.
- How
many surgeries has the LASIK surgeon performed?
While a doctor who
has performed 2000 LASIK procedures is not necessarily twice as skilled
as the doctor that has only done 1000 surgeries, significant experience
is good. Here too, I think it is very difficult to verify how many LASIK
eye surgeries a doctor has performed. I might make note of what the
LASIK Coordinator tells you on the phone and compare that number to
what the Doctor says in person when you go in for an initial consultation.
For
more information on choosing a surgeon click here
- What
type of Laser does the Doctor use?
I like asking this
question because it requires the person to at least know what machine
is used. A Patient Representative or LASIK Coordinator at a Doctor's
office that knows what laser is used, is to me, a practice that I put
a greater trust in (regarding the other information they provide) than
someone that does not know.
As for which machine
is better, when the FDA approved the laser for use the laser had already
met a host of criteria; knowing this shifts the focus to expertise and
ultimate outcome of the surgery in your Doctor's hands.
- What
is the LASIK doctor's Enhancement Percentage?
One of the best
ways to judge a good LASIK Surgeon is their Enhancement Percentage.
- Out
of 100 surgeries, how many patients need to go back for an enhancement?
After they tell
you, you can always ask, "Is there anyway I can confirm those numbers?"
While there really isn't a public way to confirm their claim, you can
generally judge by the tone of their voice whether they have been honest
with you or not.
- Does
the Doctor perform the laser surgery on site or at an off site location?
I especially like
this question when taken in context with the other questions/answers
to provide a more expanded view of the practice, the Doctor, and where
LASIK fits into their everyday operation.
The answer to this
question is double-sided. An Ophthalmologic practice that owns their
own laser machine (which costs about $350,000) is serious about making
LASIK a significant part of their eye care services. A LASIK surgeon
that uses an outside facility may (and I emphasize may) only do LASIK
part time.
The flip side is
that by "renting" the use of a facility and a Laser machine,
the Doctor is not financially pressured to continue using "old"
technology in which they have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Also, practices that do not own a laser have the freedom to use the
one that is right for the patient. While some Ophthalmologic practices
buy multiple laser machines to stay current with changing technology
it is the exception, not the rule when it comes to lasers.
Monovision
vs. Reading Glasses
- Will
I need reading glasses after LASIK?
If you have both
of your eyes corrected for distance viewing with LASIK, presbyopia will
require you to get reading glasses at some point in the future.
While my inner soul
has a problem accepting that ALL people in their 40's will experience
presbyopia. (Which is a natural part of the aging process of the eye
that makes it difficult to focus on close objects.) Presbyopia is responsible
for the need for reading glasses. It is not a disease, it cannot be
prevented and at this time laser eye surgery cannot correct it.
When you ask this
question, a good LASIK Coordinator will bring up something called monovision.
If monovision is not mentioned, ask about it
If you want to
delay this seemingly inevitable situation you can usually opt for a
LASIK surgery procedure that leaves one eye corrected for distance and
one eye for close up vision. This is called monovision. Monovision postpones
the need for reading glasses by allowing one eye to handle the up-close
vision duties for a while. Mostly this is a procedure for near-sighted
people.
I had monovision
LASIK surgery and am glad I did. One thing that was not offered to me
was a chance to "test drive" my new eyes to see if I was comfortable
with Monovision LASIK.
A way to “test drive”
your new eyes is by wearing contact lens that would simulate monovision.
Doing this first would allow you to know if you can handle using one
eye for distance vision and one eye for close up viewing. A good LASIK
Coordinator will normally discuss wearing "test drive" contact
lens for at least a few days BEFORE you decide whether you want it permanently.
I am happy with my monovision, but what if I wasn't comfortable using
one eye for distance and one eye for near vision?
- Can
I read some testimonials from patients (or talk with some patients)
that chose the monovision procedure?
Besides selecting
a laser eye surgeon to do your LASIK procedure, the only other decision
you really have to make is whether or not to undergo a monovision correction.
Talking with patients or reading monovision testimonials, if you are
considering this procedure, is a must.
Custom
LASIK vs. Traditional LASIK
In order to know whether you should get Custom LASIK, the LASIK
practice you talk with MUST have a Wavefront machine in order
to do a Custom LASIK Wavefront eye examination. So in talking with the
practice, you can ask, do you do Custom LASIK or do you have a Waveprint machine?
If they do not, there is no way they can tell you whether you have "higher
order aberrations" which are the primary justification to pay the
premium to get Custom LASIK.
To
learn more about Custom LASIK vs. Traditional LASIK click here.
With this
list of questions you are well on your way to making an informed LASIK
decision. Good Luck and thanks for using our site.
