LASIK - Frequently Asked Questions
Am I a good candidate?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
The best way for you to determine this is with a thorough exam from your eye doctor.
Appropriate candidates must be at least 18 years old, in good general health, and have good eye health with no diseases such as cataracts or glaucoma. Laser vision correction can treat a very broad range of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
Through an initial consultation with your eye doctor or at the nearest TLC Center, (you can book a consultation on line) your doctor will confirm if you are a good candidate, explain the procedure, and answer your questions so that you can make an informed decision. He or she will explain what results you can reasonably expect by measuring your prescription and thoroughly examining your eyes. Because eyesight does change with age, if you're not a candidate now, you may become one in the future.
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What kind of results can I expect?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
While laser vision correction has proven overwhelmingly successful in reducing dependence on glasses and contact lenses, the degree of improvement may vary among individuals. How well and how quickly your vision improves depends on how well you heal and the severity of your prescription.
Although TLC cannot promise patients "perfect" or 20/20 vision, most laser patients with mild to moderate prescriptions do achieve 20/20 vision or are within 1 to 2 lines of 20/20 vision on an eye chart. This means they no longer need glasses or contacts to drive, play sports, watch movies and TV, or participate in careers requiring excellent vision such as police and fire departments.
Your pre-procedure consultation with your doctor will help determine the range of your probable outcome based on your particular prescription, healing profile and expectations. The results and research gained from tens of thousands of TLC procedures are shared throughout our network, allowing doctors to continually fine-tune techniques, more effectively forecast visual results, and counsel new patients.
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Will my vision be corrected forever?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
People often ask how long the benefits of their procedure will last. The first nearsighted patient's eye ever treated with laser vision correction was in the United States in 1987. That patient achieved 20/20 vision following treatment and is still 20/20 more than a decade later. Today, most experts around the world are confident that they will discover no long-term problems with laser vision correction. They also believe, based on the excellent results seen to date, that laser vision correction will become the most commonly performed refractive procedure in the world. Many of the more than 200,000 patients TLC doctors have treated have achieved 20/20 vision following the procedure, and are still 20/20 today with no difficulties.
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Who will my doctors be and what will they do?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
Doctors are involved in all three phases of your laser vision correction procedure: the pre-procedure consultation, the laser procedure, and post-procedure care. Two doctors are involved in the overall procedure: the TLC affiliated doctor who performs the procedure itself at the TLC center, and your own eye doctor who can provide your pre- and post-operative care (if you do not currently have an eye doctor, your pre- and post- operative care can also be provided at TLC).
All doctors working with TLC, including your own eye doctor, have been educated in all aspects of laser vision correction. Although TLC surgeons are renowned for their training and expertise, the outcome of your laser procedure also depends upon the right care before and after your surgery. We recommend you consult with your own eye doctor who is more familiar with your eyes, your history, and will continue to care for you years after your procedure. If you don't have an eye doctor who can help, we'll provide you with one. We will work very closely with your eye doctor to provide you with a high level of care and results.
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How should pupil size be measured?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
Proper pre-operative screening should involve a number of tests including the evaluation of pupil size. TLC centers use a device called the Colvard Pupilometer. This infrared instrument enables TLC to precisely measure the size of the pupil in the darkest environment, when the pupil reaches its largest diameter. Generally speaking, a pupil size of less than 7 mm falls within the criteria for LASIK candidacy, although there are some lasers and patient prescriptions which may be effectively treated even if the pupil is measured at greater than 7 mm.
It is important to note that large pupils do not perfectly correlate with post-operative glare. Post-operative night glare is normal and temporary with most patients. Pupil measurements along with other aspects of a complete pre-operative consultation and testing with your TLC doctor all help to accurately determine if LASIK is right for you.
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What do I need to know about different laser technologies?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
TLC, through our network of more than 50 centers, has access to the latest laser technologies including eye trackers and scanning lasers. All TLC centers in the United States use only FDA-approved lasers to gently reshape the cornea during LASIK. These excimer lasers use cool, computer-controlled beams of ultra-violet light.
The best technology and laser for you is determined during the personal TLC consultation and is dependent on such things as prescription, thickness of the cornea, size of the pupil and ocular anatomy.
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Will the procedure hurt?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
The LASIK procedure itself is completely painless. There are no needles. Instead, anesthetic drops are used to numb the eye just before surgery begins. After your procedure, your eye may feel a foreign body sensation or irritation for a few hours, but most patients are quite comfortable after taking a short nap. You will be given drops for your eyes to counteract the potential dryness you may experience for several days following the surgery.
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What will my recovery be like?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
Most LASIK patients usually see quite well the day following their procedure and may be able to resume most of their normal daily activities, but patients with higher prescriptions may recover more slowly. Although the speed of visual recovery depends on personal healing patterns, most patients notice dramatic visual results within the first few days following their procedure.
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How long does it take the corneal flap to heal?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
The surface cells of the cornea seal the flap within 24 hours. Most doctors consider the vast majority of the flap healing to occur during the first four weeks. As a precaution, it is commonly recommended that post-LASIK patients protect their eyes from trauma, such as rubbing ones eyes or accidental poking during sports, for at least one month following the procedure.
Although the flap is secure after this period, it may be lifted by a surgeon with special techniques and instruments for up to six months, and in some cases even longer, after the initial procedure.
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What are the risks?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
There are risks of having a laser vision correction procedure. However, the chance of having a vision-reducing complication has been documented in a number of clinical studies to be less than 1%.
Some potential complications include conditions such as dryness, complications in making the surgical flap, night glare, under or over-correction, and loss of best-corrected vision. At TLC, these and other risks of the surgery are discussed fully with the patient prior to the procedure. Proper pre-operative screening ensures that we proceed with the procedure only when it is medically advisable. As well, diligent post-operative care helps to identify and address any potential healing complications. TLC is committed to quality patient care before, during, and after your procedure.
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What is the relationship between LASIK and dry eyes?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
Every LASIK patient has a temporary dry eye, which is effectively treated by regular application of artificial tears. Most studies indicate this is from the temporary disturbance of the corneal nerves during the creation of the protective flap. Normal corneal sensation and tearing returns in 8-12 weeks except in rare cases, which may take longer.
Some patients, due to their professions or work environments (computer workers, airline pilots and flight attendants, those living at high altitude or dry climates) may experience more significant dry eye symptoms. These symptoms are normally treated with regular application of eye drops. Patients with current severe dry eye are not candidates for LASIK. At TLC, patients are screened for dry eyes during the consultation process.
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How can I tell if dry eyes will be a problem for me? What is the proper pre-operative test for this?
Note: The following information does not replace personal medical advice from your doctor. Please read our disclaimer.
Pre-operative testing and evaluation is important to detect dry eye and to determine if you are a LASIK candidate. TLC doctors use a number of tests, including but not limited to:
- tear break up time, which measures the quality of the tear film
- slit lamp detection of surface cell irritation
- the Schirmers test, which measures the amount of tear volume in a specific period of time as compared to normal patients
No one test can perfectly predict who will experience significant dry eye following the LASIK procedure. A thorough evaluation of your current medications, medical history, and work environment all contribute to determining if you may have more significant post-operative dry eye. Compliance to post-operative medications and follow-up visits ensure that the eye doctor can detect and treat the early signs of post-LASIK dry eye before the patient even becomes aware of the symptoms.
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