Checklist for LASIK Eye Surgery
 Career impact - does your job
prohibit refractive surgery?
Costs - can you
afford the procedure?
Medical
condition - do
you have an autoimmune disease or other major illness? Do you have a
chronic illness that might slow or alter healing?
Eye
condition - have you ever had any problems with your eyes other than needing
glasses or contacts?
Medications - do you take
drugs that might prevent healing?
Stable refraction - has your
prescription changed in the last year?
High or Low refractive error -
do you use glasses/contacts only some of the time? Do you need an
unusually strong prescription?
Pupil size - are your pupils
extra large in dim conditions?
Corneal thickness - do you
have thin corneas?
Tear production - do you have
dry eyes?
Know the risks and procedure limitations
Over- or
undertreatment - are you willing to have more than one
surgery to get the desired result?
May still need reading glasses
- do you have presbyopia?
Results may not be lasting -
do you
realize that long-term results are not known?
May permanently lose vision -
some patients may lose some vision or experience blindness?
Dry eyes –
if you have dry eyes they could become worse, or if you don’t have dry
eyes before you could develop chronic dry eyes as result of the surgery?
Development of visual symptoms
- do you know about glare, halos, starbursts, etc. and that night
driving might be difficult?
Contrast sensitivity -
your vision could be significantly reduced in dim light conditions?
Bilateral treatment -
additional risks of having both eyes treated at the same time?
Patient information - have
you read the patient information booklet about the laser being used for
your procedure?
Know how to find the right doctor
Experienced - how many
eyes has your doctor performed LASIK surgery on with the same laser?
Equipment - does your doctor
use an FDA-approved laser for the procedure you need? Does your doctor
use each microkeratome blade only once?
Informative - is your doctor
willing to spend the time to answer all your questions?
Long-term Care - does your
doctor encourage follow-up and management of you as a patient?
Your preop and postop care may be provided by a doctor other than the
surgeon.
Be Comfortable - do you feel
you know your doctor and are comfortable with an equal exchange of
information?
Know preoperative, operative, and postoperative expectations
No contact lenses prior to
evaluation and surgery - can you go for an extended period of time
without wearing contact lenses?
Have a thorough exam - have
you arranged not to drive or work after the exam?
Read and understand the informed
consent - has your doctor given you an informed consent form to take
home and answered all your questions?
No makeup before surgery -
can you go 24-36 hours without makeup prior to surgery?
Arrange for transportation -
can someone drive you home after surgery?
Plan to take a few days to
recover - can you take time off to take it easy for a couple of days
if necessary?
Expect not to see clearly for a
few days - do you know you will not see clearly immediately?
Know sights, smells, sounds of
surgery - has your doctor made you feel comfortable with the actual
steps of the procedure?
Be prepared to take
drops/medications- are you willing and able to put drops in your
eyes at regular intervals?
Be prepared to wear an eye shield
- do you know you need to protect the eye for a period of time after
surgery to avoid injury?
Expect some pain/discomfort -
do you know how much pain to expect?
Know when to seek help - do
you understand what problems could occur and when to seek medical
intervention?
Know when to expect your vision
to stop changing - are you aware that final results could take
months?
Make sure your refraction is
stable before any further surgery - if you don't get the desired
result, do you know not to have an enhancement until the prescription
stops changing?
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