LASIK Frequently Asked Questions
What specialized diagnostic tests should I expect during my initial evaluation?
Does it hurt?
During application of the suction ring, you will feel a firm pressure on the eye-similar to that when one pushes on the eyeball. The fashioning of the flap and laser treatment is painless.
How long until I see better?
Within 18 hours there is usually a dramatic improvement. The refraction is usually stable within 3 to 6 weeks.
How long must I take eye drops?
Patients typically administer antibiotics and steroid drops for 5 days after surgery.
Why must I stop wearing my contacts before my evaluation or surgery?
Contact lenses mold the cornea. For accuracy, we must allow the cornea to resume its natural shape prior to the pre-operative surgical measurements, refraction, and keratotomy. The cornea resumes its shape in 3 days after discontinuance of soft lenses, but requires 3 weeks to resume its shape for hard or gas permeable lenses.
What if I regress or am under corrected?
Less than 4% of our LASIK patients require an enhancement, which is generally performed 12 weeks post-operatively.
Will I need reading glasses?
That depends on your age. From 18 to 40, patients usually do not require reading glasses. Those over 40 almost always require reading glasses.
Some patients choose a monovision correction (i.e., one eye corrected for distance and the other for near tasks). This can allow for good distance and near vision without glasses. However, many patients cannot tolerate monovision correction unless they have been successful monovision contact lens wearers.
What are my odds of good vision without glasses or contact lenses with the use of Bausch and Lomb’s Technolas 217z?
99.7% of patients read 20/40 or better
87.3% of patients read 20/20 or better
*These are the actual results reported by the FDA during the approval studies performed on the Technolas 217z. Commonwealth Eye Surgery will provide you with our expectations based on our own real world historical data during your complimetary initial evaluation.
What are my odds of good vision without glasses or contact lenses with the Wavefront Customized (Zyoptix) treatment?
99.4% of patients read 20/40 or better
91.3% of patients read 20/20 or better
70.3% of patients read 20/16, which is BETTER than 20/20
*These are the actual results reported by the FDA during the approval studies performed on the Technolas 217z. Commonwealth Eye Surgery will provide you with our expectations based on our own real world historical data during your complimentary initial evaluation.
What if I accidentally rub my eye and my vision is suddenly poor?
We provide eye shields as prophylaxis, but in the rare event that an accident occurs, simply cover the eye with the shield and return. If the flap has been displaced, we can gently float the flap back into position and seal it.
What about halo effects at night?
Halo effects are highly variable in our patients’ subjective experiences. If one’s pupil enlarges past 8 mm, then some light can pass through untreated cornea outside the ablation zone of 6.5 mm. These uncorrected light rays can cause a halo effect which can be noticed during night driving. Sometimes, increasing the size of ablation zone for these patients would require an excessive amount of tissue removal centrally, and would lead to long-term regression and haze.
Accurate pupil size measurement is essential for patients considering laser refractive surgery, and yet, most measuring techniques are subjective in nature. A notable exception is the Procyon Digital Pupillometer, which digitally scans and records the pupil in dim, medium, and bright light, taking the guesswork out of pupil measurement. Commonwealth Eye Surgery is the first practice in Kentucky to utilize this technology, which clarifies your surgical options and maximizes your safety and results.
