|
 These
are the important questions you need to ask to determine if you have chosen
a good place to have LASIK eye surgery, and if your doctor has done a
thorough job of determining if you are a good candidate for LASIK eye
surgery. Some of these questions can be answered by staff
members, but many of them you need to ask specifically to your surgeon after
your eye exam.
 Are
you the doctor who will be doing LASIK eye surgery on my eyes?
Best:
yes, I do all the laser surgeries here
Good: no, but your surgeon is coming in next to go over things with
you
Go Somewhere Else: no, we have different doctor different days, or
that
doctor is only here for your surgery, or that
doctor doesn't have time to
meet with you until surgery
How
many LASIK eye surgeries have you done?
Best:
more than 5000
Good: more than 1000
Go Somewhere Else: less than 1000
What
laser will you use for my eyes?
Best:
Alcon LadarVision
Good: VISX Star S3/S4, Bausch&Lomb 217
Go Somewhere Else: Nidek, Summit, VISX STAR S2
What
percentage of patients do you turn down for LASIK eye surgery?
Best:
5% to 15%
Go Somewhere Else: the WRONG answer is none!
Saying "no" to patients that are poor
candidates for LASIK eye surgery can prevent
many of the complications that people have reported.
What
city does my surgeon live in and how can I reach them if I have an
emergency?
Best:
your surgeon is from your area, well established, and offers you a number to
contact them 24 hours hours a day
Good: your surgeon is within 45 minutes away and offers you a number
to
contact them 24 hours hours a day
Go Somewhere Else: your surgeon is only at the center that day, and
lives
in a different city or state (sometimes flown in just
for the day, then gone)
What
size are my pupils?
Best:
6mm or less
Fair: 6.5 to 7.0mm
Be Careful: 7.5mm or more
Go Somewhere Else: we didn't measure it
If your pupils are larger than the laser treatment
zone, of if you have a high
prescription, or you have flat corneas, you may be at risk for night glare
and halos.
Ask if your treatment zone can be bigger than your dim light pupil size.
Often your
treatment zone depends on your corneal thickness, see below.
How
thick are my corneas?
Best:
more than 540um
Good: 500um to 540um
Be Careful: less than 500um
Go Somewhere Else: we didn't measure it
If your corneas are too thin, you may want to consider
PRK instead of LASIK,
both are still laser vision correction. The larger your prescription
and the larger
your pupils, the more tissue that needs to be removed with laser eye
surgery.
Ask if you have sufficient tissue to proceed safely for your eyes.
How
is my tear function (eye dryness)?
Best:
normal
Fair: slightly dry
Be Careful: very dry
Go Somewhere Else: we didn't measure it
There are two good tests of tears, Tear Breakup Time (TBUT)
and Schirmer
tests. If there is some question about dryness, or if you are taking
medicines that
cause extra dryness (anti-histamines, anti-depressants, others), or you have
thyroid
problems, or you have arthritis, then tear function should be evaluated
closely.
What
percentage of patients get to 20/25 or better with one treatment?
How about 20/40?
Best:
90% 20/25, 99% 20/40
Fair: 75% 20/25, 97% 20/40
Go Somewhere Else: WRONG answers include 100% for both (they are
lying),
or they don't know or
keep track
Not everyone will be 20/20 after LASIK eye surgery.
Most people are still
happy if they achieve 20/25 or the next from the bottom row. 20/40 is what
most
states require to pass your driver's test. Your chances are dependent
on your
prescription, age, and amount of astigmatism as well as the skill of your
surgeon
and the laser being used.
Are
there any special concerns or risks for my eyes in particular that you have?
Best:
no, you are a very good candidate
Good: these are the special concerns I have, if you are comfortable
with these,
then I think you are still OK to proceed
Be Careful: You have cataracts, very dry eyes, very large,
pupils, very thin corneas,
or other eye diseases.
What
is the worst complication that you have seen and what is the worst that
could happen to me?
This is where you get to determine what kind of person you have chosen to do
surgery on your eyes. You aren't really concerned about what the
answer to this
question is, but HOW it is answered. It's a psychology test.
Is your doctor being
frank and honest with you? Or are they trying to sugar coat things or
deny that they
ever have complications. If you are having questions or doubts about
the reputability
of where you are at, or the answers your are getting, then GO SOMEWHERE
ELSE! |
Updated
03/21/2006 10:02 AM EST