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Eye Care (Expert Forum)
Lasik eye surgery: what to look for
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Lasik eye surgery: what to look for
by Megan__0__0, Mar 11, 1999 12:00AM
I am thinking about getting Lasik laser-eye-surgery. I am told that I am a perfect candidate for this type of surgery being of moderate short-sightedness with some but not a lot of astigmatism. In order for me to make a decision I need information and much of it seems to be too technical or belongs to doctors promoting this type of surgery.
I would like to know:
1. What are the percentage risks of having worse eye-sight after wards than before, % of complications, % of regression, % of people not being able to wear contact-lenses again if the operation is not successful and % of any other side effects.
2. Is this method now approved by the FDA
3. What reservations would a conservative opthelmologist have about the procedure
4. What is the best equipment/laser to make sure the doctor has
5. What specific questions should I ask the doctor about regarding his experience in order to make sure I have the best surgeon possible.eg: should doctors be certified etc
6. How many pre-surgery visits should I make to the doctor and how thoroughly should he be checking and measuring my eyes
7. I understand the flap should be of a certain width and if its too thin the flap should closed and left for 4 months before the surgery is done again otherwise the patient could get serious astigmatism. How thick should the flap be?
any other information that you think is important for a patient to take into account in order to make an informed the decision
Thank-you for your assistance.
Regards
Megan
Doctor's Answer
by HFHS MD KE, Mar 11, 1999 12:00AM
_
MEGAN-
WOW!!! MANY QUESTIONS, BUT ALL VERY GOOD. I WILL TRY TO TAKE THEM IN ORDER;
1. THE CHANCES OF HAVING WORSE EYESIGHT ARE SLIM, BUT REAL- PROBABLY ON THE ORDER OF 0.5-1%- OF ANY REAL
SIGNIFICANCE ( I.E MORE THEN 2 LINES OF VISION ) LESS THE THAT. THE OVERALL RATE
OF COMPLICATIONS IS 3-5%, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE ARE NOT SERIOUS AND EASILY TREATABLE, SUCH AS DELAYED HEALING.
IN TERMS OF VERY SERIOUS RATES OF COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS INFECTION OR SEVERE CORNEAL SCARRING, THE
RISK IS LESS THEN 0.5%. OVERALL, SOME PEOPLE CAN WEAR CONTACTS AFTER, WHILE OTHERS CANNOT- NO SPECIFIC
NUMBER SORRY. FINALLY REGRESSION, WHILE IT OCCURS, IS USUALLY MILD AND NOT REAL
SIGNIFIcant.
2.well, it is approved as off label use- so for your purposes it is approved.
3.a few, such as why operate on a perfectly healthy eye and take any risk. that is why
this must be a personal well thought out decision.
4. eithe rof the fda approved lasers , summit or visx and an approved keratome, such as the ACS or the
chiron hansatome, or the innovatome
5. well the truth is you can simply go find the MD with the most surgerires, but i would advise you first to pick a person that you are comfortable with
regardless of his experience, as long as you know he has been a practicing eye surgeon for some time
6.1-2 visits, and he needs to be very thorough with a full eye exam , careful repeated refractions and other measurements.
7. the flap should be at least 160 microns thick- in my opinion
make sure that whatever surgeon you choose is very up front and honest with you about risks and expectations
and you need to be very honest with them- this is a real surgery with real risks
when done properly it can be a life changer !!!!
i hope this helped
