Are you a good candidate for LASIK surgery? Consider the following...

• Career impact - does your job prohibit refractive surgery?
• Cost - can you really afford this procedure?
• Medical conditions - e.g., do you have an autoimmune disease or other major illness? Do you have a chronic illness that might slow or alter healing?
• Eye conditions - do you have or have you ever had any problems with your eyes other than needing glasses or contacts?
• Medications - do you take steroids or other 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 how to find the right doctor

• Experience - 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?
• 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 pre-op and post-op 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?