This is a blog post made by one of our LASIK customers. Stephanie gave us a walk-through write-up of her LASIK experience at Commonwealth Eye Surgery and we wanted to share her experience with you….

The actually LASIK procedure, where the laser is reshaping the treatment zone to correct your vision, only takes a few seconds. After Dr. Ferguson cuts a flap on the surface of the eye using either a blade or a laser, he will lift the flap using a small tool. This part is interesting because you know this is happening and you almost see it happening, but I really wasn’t aware of how close to my eye the tool actually was. If your biggest fear about this procedure is having doctors and nurses come at you with tools and stuff, trust me, it isn’t nearly as scary as you may think. I know I was apprehensive about that part of it but it really didn’t bother me.

Dr. Ferguson then asked me to focus on a red light as the laser was reshaping my eye. The laser makes a loud clicking sound, as it moves around on the eye. A smell is also emitted from the use of the laser. These things are normal, so don’t be alarmed when your sense of sound and smell are heightened. It wasn’t hard to focus on the dot. I had fears that I wouldn’t be able to keep my eye on the dot and it would mess up my surgery… but Dr. Ferguson explained just how advanced the laser technology is at Commonwealth Eye Surgery. The laser actually locks onto the eye, so even if you accidentally look away, it will not do any damage because it will shut off immediately. The ideal situation is for this not to happen, but just in case of an emergency or you accidentally look away during the procedure, no harm will be done. I estimate that the laser was on my eye for 20-30 seconds and then we were done with the entire procedure! Dr. Ferguson carefully placed the flap back over my eye, smoothed it down, and then placed soothing drops into my eyes to help keep them lubricated and get the healing process started. He then slid the surgical bed back out in the open away from the laser and instructed me to look at the ceiling lights, which would help the flap to lay flat. After staring at the lights for a few minutes while he prepared for my left eye, the nurses placed drops in my eye and carefully shielded it so my left eye could be treated. The process is exactly the same for the other eye, and my entire procedure lasted about 20 minutes!

Of course Dr. Ferguson checked my eyes before I left to make sure the flaps were lying flat. He gave me some great advice: go home and sleep! Doctor’s orders!

View all of Stephanie’s Lasik Evaluation posts as they are published – HERE