Frequently Asked Questions
- Is LASIK a safe procedure?
- As with any surgical procedures, there are possible risks involved. However, serious complications are rare. In clinical studies, the chance of having a surgical complication which resulted in the reduction of best corrected vision was reported to be less than 1%. With a thorough preoperative evaluation by an experienced eye care professional, many of these risks can be further minimized. Of course, the experience level of the surgeon is also an extremely important factor.
- Are there any side effects from LASIK?
- After surgery, some patients do experience some mild side effects. The most commonly reported ones are glare and haloes around lights at nighttime along with dryness of the eyes. These are usually mild to begin with and gradually diminish over the period of a few weeks to months as the healing proceeds. There are various causes of glare/haloes/starbursts at night, including over- or undercorrection, higher order aberrations, and large pupil size. With over- or undercorrection, an enhancement procedure may be indicated, but only after three months of healing to allow the vision to stabilize. With higher order aberrations and large pupil size, a wavefront or custom LASIK procedure may be recommended to minimize any side effects. As for the issue of postoperative dryness, most cases are mild and transient and easily treated with supplemental artificial tears. Most patients report a period of eight to twelve weeks for the eyes to gradually regain their full moisture level. There is always the rare chance that some of these side effects may be permanent to some degree. A thorough evaluation and discussion with your doctor regarding medical history, current medications, along with work/home environments will help address these issues.
- Is there any pain involved with the LASIK procedure?
- Although, some patients experience some mild discomfort or pressure during the procedure, there is generally no pain due to the anesthetic drops administered to the eyes prior to and during the treatment. During the first few days of the healing process, some patients may report mild discomfort. However, this is mostly secondary to the dryness and easily treated with artificial tear supplementation.
- How long does the LASIK procedure take and will I need to take time off after surgery?
- The actual surgery takes only about five minutes per eye. In fact, the amount of time the laser is being administered to the eye depends on the prescription but is usually under a minute. However, the amount of time spent at the clinic on the day of surgery is usually between two to three hours, depending on the type of treatment (conventional versus wavefront LASIK). Most of this time is spent repeating tests already performed on the day of the initial consultation, to make sure that the eyes and the vision are stable. Most patients who have LASIK done are able to return to work the very next day. However, with alternative laser procedures, the recovery time may be a little longer. This should be discussed at the time of the initial evaluation.
- Do I need to be out of contact lenses prior to having the LASIK procedure?
- For all contact lens wearers, the response to this question is absolutely yes! The amount of time required to stay out of contact lenses varies, depending on the type of contacts worn. For spherical soft contact lens wearers, a one week period off contacts is usually sufficient. For toric soft contact lens patients, the average amount of time required is usually between two to three weeks. And for rigid gas permeable lens wearers, the waiting period is at least one month. The reason for these periods of no contact lens wear is that the cornea has a natural shape to it, which can be altered to various degrees by contact lens wear. To evaluate the cornea in its "natural" state, these are the recommended periods.
- How old do I have to be to be a LASIK candidate?
- The FDA stipulates a minmum age of 18 years for conventional LASIK and 21 years for wavefront LASIK. These are however just the FDA guidelines. Many patients who are over the necessary age are still not considered good LASIK candidates because the lack of stability in their vision and/or cornea. This is why it is essential to have as much information about the patient's ocular history prior to making that determination. In general, one can be considered a good candidate with respect to visual stability if the prescription has not changed for one year. There is no maximum age beyond which a patient cannot have LASIK, as long as there is no ocular pathology, which would be detrimental to the healing process and the long term visual outcome.
- Are the results of the LASIK procedure permanent?
- As the laser is removing corneal tissue in your eyes which does not grow back, the effects of LASIK are considered to be a permanent. However, since human vision is dynamic, there may be slight changes in the vision as the years go by. If these visual changes result in blurry distance vision, there may be a subsequent need for either glasses, contact lenses, or an enhancement procedure. The decrease in near vision which usually occurs when people reach the age of forty is known as presbyopia. This is a condition unrelated to LASIK, meaning presbyopia affects everyone whether they have had LASIK or not. LASIK neither treats nor accelerates this condition as it is a naturally occurring process in the human eye.
- If I am over forty years of age, will I still need reading glasses after the LASIK procedure?
- As discussed above, the need for reading glasses occurs in most people over the age of forty. This happens as a result of presbyopia, where the focusing system of the eye gradually deteriorates. For those patients who choose to have the full distance correction, they must understand that they will need reading glasses in varying degrees for near tasks involving small print, such as reading a newspaper. However, there is an option of correcting one eye fully and purposely leaving the other slightly nearsighted. This is called monovision, yielding "functional" vision at far and near and largely reducing the dependence on reading glasses for near tasks. The determination of whether one is a good candidate for monovision LASIK should be made by the doctor and the patient together upon thorough discussion of visual goals and needs, along with a trial period where the patient can experience what life would be like following monovision LASIK.
- Why is there such a vast difference in prices for LASIK? Isn't it all the same?
- Many of the discount LASIK centers want patients to believe that all LASIK procedures are the same. This could not be further from the truth. Often, we hear $499 LASIK advertisements. These ads fail to disclose that this price is only applicable to extremely low prescriptions, making it nearly impossible to qualify. Most patients end up paying at least double the advertised price after all is said and done! In addition, many of these centers do not disclose which laser they are using. It could very well be and likely is an older laser, which lacks the technological advances made throughout the years to yield a safer and better visual outcome for LASIK patients. Some discount centers have been known to limit follow-up care to three visits or one month after the LASIK procedure, then charge high office visit fees thereafter, knowing the patient will have to return.
- On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are those high-priced centers that charge as much as $6800 for bilateral LASIK. At Vision Plus Medical Group, patients can rest assured that they are being offered the latest and best in technology coupled with the most attractive of prices. We certainly hope that patients do not make a rash decision regarding the future of their eyes and vision solely based on economics. Hence, we would like patients to understand that although price may not be the primary concern of most people considering LASIK, ultimately, it is an issue to some degree for everyone.
