AM I A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR LASER VISION CORRECTION?
In general, good candidates for laser vision correction must:
- Be over the age of 18 years.
- Be free of eye disease.
- Have myopia (nearsightedness) of no more than -12.00 diopters with astigmatism no higher than -3.50 diopters (For higher prescriptions, intraocular contact lenses are an option)
- Have hyperopia (farsightedness) of no more than +5.00 diopters with astigmatism no higher than -3.00 diopters.
- Understand that, while rare, complications can occur.
WILL I HAVE PERFECT VISION AFTER MY PROCEDURE, OR WILL I STILL NEED GLASSES?
Nearly all patients achieve 20/20 distance visual acuity without glasses or contacts after surgery. About three percent of patients may need an enhancement treatment to achieve their visual goals. The need for enhancement therapy in no way implies a complication of treatment. Rather, it speaks to the patient’s own healing pattern.
WILL I NEED READING GLASSES AFTER SURGERY?
If you are under the age of 40, your ability to perform reading and other near tasks will not change following laser vision corrections. After the age of 40 everyone’s eyes naturally begin to lose the ability to change focus from distance to near. This is called presbyopia and is corrected with reading glasses. Since the eye cannot be corrected for both distance and near at the same time, patients who undergo laser vision correction will need reading glasses at some point. An alternative to reading glasses is monovision. Here the patient’s non-dominant eye is deliberately left mildly undercorrected by the laser to allow for improved reading function. Whether to have monovision correction is a decision that Dr. Levine and you can make before your surgery.
IS THERE ANY PAIN WITH LASIK SURGERY?
Forturnately, LASIK treatment is generally pain-free. After LASIK, most patients find that there is a short time of mild post-operative discomfort. This tends to be stinging and burning, which can last for a few hours. Your eyes may feel dry and tired for a few days. Light painkillers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) help relieve this brief irritation.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF LASER VISION CORRECTION?
As with any surgery, there are risks. Yet LASIK is one of the safest eye procedures. The risks of serious vision-threatening complications are small. Side effects of surgery can include undercorrection and overcorrection, infection, haze on the cornea (which may blur vision in some patients), glare at night, loss of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, slippage of the LASIK flap and contact lens intolerance. Most of these problems can be treated, with good results. For instance, enhancement procedures can fix undercorrection or overcorrection.
ARE BOTH EYES DONE AT THE SAME SITTING?
Yes. We recommend that you have both eyes corrected on the same day. ¨We believe that surgery on both eyes is safe and effective.
WILL I BE AWAKE FOR MY PROCEDURE?
Yes. All laser and refractive procedures use only a topical anesthetic to numb the eye. Some patients may also receive light sedation if needed. We try to make your experience as pleasant and stress free as possible.
