The day has come for you to consider LASIK—an excellent option for correcting your vision.
You’ve done your homework, and you’ve asked for recommendations. Now, you’ve scheduled an appointment for a LASIK consultation at one of our Lubbock clinics.
Here’s exactly what to expect during your consultation—and how we’ll help put you at ease when determining if LASIK is right for you. First, understanding why a comprehensive eye exam is a critical first step to gaining the quality of life you want to achieve with restored vision without lenses or glasses.
Why is a comprehensive eye exam essential for LASIK surgery?
When considering LASIK, a comprehensive eye exam is the first step. This determines the health status of your eyes, including your refractive error (eyeglass prescription), and the health of the front (cornea) and back (retina) of your eyes.
This assessment looks for any anomalies that could potentially prevent you from getting excellent results during your LASIK surgery. The doctor also looks at your health history and medications for anything that might complicate the surgery.
You can get a comprehensive eye exam from your eye doctor or the LASIK clinic, whichever you prefer. However, the LASIK clinic will repeat some tests that are important for surgical decision-making, using sophisticated diagnostic instruments to get detailed measurements. These tests are comfortable and pain-free.
For example, a corneal topographer is used to measure the corneal surface’s peaks and valleys. This maps out, in great detail, exactly where the laser needs to reshape the surface of the eye. The corneal topographer also measures the cornea’s thickness, which must meet a minimum requirement for surgery.
The retinal assessment is done via a special scanner and camera, which allows your eye doctor to see if there are any retinal issues. In the past, this test was done with a dilated eye exam, the side effects of which were inconvenient and made it difficult to go back to work after your consult. Now, fortunately, you can resume your day right after the consult.
Determining eligibility
After your eye tests, the doctor will look at the data and review it with you. They will also look at your refraction, check your eye pressure, and make sure there are no issues with the front of the eye (cornea).
After going over your data, your eye specialist optometrist will answer any questions or concerns and discuss what your vision will be like after surgery. He or she will not advise you to proceed unless you are a great candidate for LASIK who can expect a very good outcome. If applicable, they will readily recommend other refractive surgeries that could be a better fit for you.
Some of the factors that influence your candidacy include:
- Age – You must be at least 18 years old.
- Health – You must be in good health without any uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, or autoimmune disease.
- Eye health – Your eyes must be free of any chronic problems like dry eyes, cataracts, glaucoma, or retinal diseases.
- Stable eyeglasses or contact lens prescription – Your prescription should be stable for at least 12 months before LASIK surgery.
- Pregnancy – It’s best to wait until after delivery since pregnancy has the potential to fluctuate the health of the eyes and your eyeglass prescription.
- Expectations – Our doctor will discuss LASIK’s benefits to see if it aligns with your expectations (i.e., your lifestyle, specific goals for the surgery, and reasons for pursuing LASIK, etc.).
What LASIK is and what to expect
After the doctor goes over your eye information, expectations, questions, and concerns, he will talk about the LASIK surgery itself and what to expect during the surgery and post-surgery (recovery) period.
You’ll then meet with the vision correction counselor, who will answer any further questions about the procedure, go over what to expect on surgery day, explain the cost, and schedule the procedure.
LASIK eye surgery (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) is an elective surgery usually not covered by insurance. The surgeon uses specialized lasers to reshape the cornea (front part of the eye) to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
The surgery itself only lasts 5 -10 minutes per eye, and under ideal circumstances, you should expect to see much better without your contacts or eyeglasses within 24-48 hours after the procedure.
LASIK eye surgery can be financed or paid in full at the time of consultation.
In terms of cost, CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit are available for those who qualify, as well as a flexible spending account (FSA) that many employers offer.
West Texas Eye Associates offers various ways to help make LASIK affordable to patients interested in undergoing the procedure. Ask any of our vision correction counselors for more information about financing options.