Refractive Eye Surgery FAQs

More than 800,000 Americans have the LASIK procedure annually. Experienced LASIK surgeons report a lower than 1% complication rate. Many ophthalmologists believe the long term-risk of wearing contact lenses can exceed the one-time risk of LASIK by a factor as high as 5 times.*

*Sources: Mathers, W.D. Archives of Ophthalmology, October 2006; vol 124: pp 1510-1511. Williams Mathers, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Oregon Health & Science University Casey Eye Institute, Portland, OR.
 

By choosing all-laser LASIK with the right doctor and advanced technology, the typical person age 18 to 40 will not need prescription glasses at all. Between ages 40 and 50, a person will likely begin needing reading glasses whether they have had LASIK or not, due to the reduced flexibility of their eyes’ internal lenses. This condition is called presbyopia and can be effectively handled through a special LASIK technique known as monovision, or with refractive lens exchange using presbyopia correcting IOLs. Both afford the ability to see both close up and far away. Ask your LASIK surgeon if monovision will work for you.

Most people over age 18 who suffer from nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism can be helped with LASIK, but a thorough eye exam is the only way to determine if LASIK can achieve your expectations. The exam should include full corneal mapping (topography), Wavefront diagnostic technology, corneal thickness measurement, tear film evaluation and measurement of your pupil size to ensure that LASIK is right for you. Your doctor should discuss your goals and expectations as well as the risks and benefits of the procedure. You should feel comfortable with your doctor’s assessment of your anticipated outcome before proceeding.

For most people in the hands of an experienced surgeon who is using advanced technology, the procedure is virtually painless. Some people report feeling a slight discomfort, but nothing that they equate to painful. After a good night’s sleep, most people awaken to the joy of seeing the world clearly without contacts or glasses, usually for the first time in many years. Most people are able to return to work within 24-48 hours after their LASIK procedure.

No. Many of the procedures described in this guide such as PRK, LASIK and others are all forms of laser vision correction because they all utilize a laser to reshape the cornea. The primary difference is in how the cornea’s surface is prepared for the reshaping procedure. All-laser LASIK is the fastest and most comfortable of these procedures when performed by highly skilled surgeons using the most advanced equipment. Not all laser vision correction technology is similar. Laser vision technology continually advances allowing for more precise treatment and maximizing visual outcomes. Your laser vision center should have the most advanced technology for the procedure you require.

There have been reports about people having difficulty driving at night after refractive surgery. In the early years of laser vision correction, nighttime side effects sometimes included halos, starbursts, glare around lights and sometimes blurry vision. These effects usually diminished in the first three months as the eye healed. Today’s advanced laser systems have been developed to help decrease the nighttime side effects. Make sure your center has the most up-to-date technology.

Sometimes patients worry that they will affect the surgery by nervous or uncontrollable twitches or jumps of their eyes, called saccadic eye movements. The lasers used by Davis Duehr Dean in LASIK are married to an ultra-high speed eye tracking system with a response time of milliseconds – much faster than your eye can move. This eye tracker completely neutralizes these eye movements to assure a quality treatment and increased patient safety.

The results produced in LASIK are the result of the surgeon’s skill and the quality of the lasers. Having the most up-to-date technology is a significant investment for the surgeon, but this investment delivers more precision, greater accuracy, and outcomes that are more reliable.