Persons considering giving up their glasses or contact lenses in exchange for lasik eye surgery will want to make sure they are under the care of a competent and experienced lasik eye doctor. Patient care does not end when the surgery is concluded and quality and caring follow up examinations play and important role in the patient's recovery process. In reality, all potential patients should meet with the lasik eye doctor a minimum of three times, before the surgery, during the surgery and after laser eye surgery to make sure everything goes according to plan.
Prior to any decision being made about whether the procedure is their best option, the lasik eye doctor will take the patient's medical history and determine the cause of their vision impairment. There may be aspects of the person's medical condition that do not make lasik eye surgery the best choice and they could be turned down for the procedure. Some illnesses and medications may hinder the patient's ability to recover after surgery and the operation can not take place.
Even if the patient is healthy enough to undergo lasik eye surgery, the lasik eye doctor will look at their lifestyle and occupation to determine if it is the best move they can make to correct their vision. Some persons with an active lifestyle who participate in activities such as boxing which could have a detrimental affect on the healing process may not be accepted by the lasik eye doctor for surgery.
Another factor that helps the lasik eye doctor decide if a patient should undergo the operation is their ability to accept the risks of laser eye surgery. In addition to the physical risks involved, lasik eye surgery can be expensive, depending on the surgeon performing the operation, the type of equipment used and the need for follow up care. Most insurance companies view this procedure as an elective operation and will not cover it, leaving the patient with the full cost of the procedure and any complications.
During the surgery, patients will be awake and hopefully alert after receiving a mild sedative. A local anesthetic will be used in the eyes to reduce the discomfort they may feel during the procedure. The operation begins with a small flap of the surface of the cornea being cut, either with a small knife or laser, which is folded back to expose the surface of the cornea. A laser is then used to reshape the cornea and smooth out the surface before the flap is replaced. It is held in place by simply adhering to itself.
After lasik eye surgery, special goggles will need to be worn at night to eliminate the chance of the patient touching their eyes while sleeping and care will need to be taken to avoid any sudden impacts to the face, which could jar the flap of skin loose, creating serious problems. Although most patients are released after this outpatient procedure, they will need to wear special sunglasses to fight off light in their dilated pupils and will most likely require someone else to drive them home.
