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Certification by the American Board of Ophthalmology. Founded in 1916, the American Board of Ophthalmology is an independent, non-profit organization that is responsible for certifying ophthalmologists (eye physicians and surgeons) in the United States.
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Be a cornea specialist. Pretty self expanatory. Who better to care for your corneas than a surgeon who knows all about corneas? A surgeon who also does cataract surgery and corneal transplants, as well as treating diseases of the cornea, would be better equipped and trained to recognize complications, and more likely to be able to treat them in a timely and appropriate manner, than one who was not. |
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Additional training in LASIK. Ask the surgeon what his/her credentials are regarding refractive surgery in general, and LASIK in particular. It takes time and training to develop skill in performing LASIK. It's not something one can learn from a textbook and observation. Satisfy yourself that the surgeon has adequate training. |
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Experience. Experience is the best teacher. Find out how many LASIK procedures the surgeon has done, and with what results. The surgeon should be able to tell you how many of his/her patients, with refractive errors and pupil size in dim light similar to yours, ended up with 20/20 vision, or 20/30, or 20/40 vision. Also, does the surgeon have experience in other areas of ophthalmology, as well, giving him/her the ability to handle a host of problems? |
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Personality. Skill is the most important quality you can find in your surgeon. But--remember, you are shopping around for a LASIK surgeon. It is very important that you can establish a good rapport with the surgeon and his/her staff. This will make you more comfortable asking questions. It is also important to be made to feel that your questions have merit. "Bedside manner" is still important when you're the patient. |
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Does own followups. This is also especially important to me. It is not uncommon for pre-op and post-op checkups to be done by a general practice opthalmologist or optomotrist (called co-management), however, I would want the physician who did the surgery to do my follow-up checks. I figure no one knows as well as he/she what was done, and be able to recognize problems quickly. |
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Time for your questions. Other questions to ask include: What is your rate of infection and complications? What is his/her measurement of success? Is it just numbers on a chart, or is it a happy patient? There are those who end up with 20/20 vision, but ghosting, double vision, glare, halos, starbursts, and poor night vision cause them to be very unhappy with their results. According to the numbers, they had "perfect" results, but if you take into account their happiness, the results were poor. Find out how he/she deals with problems like ghosting, double vision, glare, halos, starbursts, and poor night vision, which are real potential problems. If you feel that the surgeon is evading your questions (taking into account that problems do arise, even in the best of circumstances), raise the red flag! |
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Own criteria for LASIK candidates. Before your evaluation, ask the surgeon how he/she will determine whether or not you are a good LASIK candidate. Does he/she decline patients who may not be good candidates, and how does he/she determine this. How many people does he/she turn away, and for what reasons(s)? You should be mentally, as well as physically, prepared for LASIK. Are you prepared to accept that you may not get the results you want? You had better be; you'll be asked to sign a consent form saying just that. |
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The best equipment. The surgeon should be using the best equipment available. Some facilities use mobile lasers that travel from site to site. I would use only a facility with a stationary laser--to lessen potential damage to delicate adjustments. |
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Performs comprehensive pre-op examination. Your pre-op evaluation should include (but not be limited to) a corneal topography (map of your cornea), pupil measurement in dim light, dilated refraction (gives the truest refraction), glaucoma test, and slit lamp examination to check cornea, lens, and retina. |
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Enhancement rate of under 10%. Ask the surgeon what his/her rate of enhancement is, minus those done for patients who were unhappy with monovision. Some are not able to accomodate adequately with monovision, and request to be enhanced for distance. If these patients are included, the overall enhancement rate will be skewed, and will not provide a true indication of the surgeon's success. Specifically, ask the enhancement rate for people with refractive errors similar to your own. High myopes have a higher chance of needing enhancement than low to moderate myopes. Be sure to compare apples to apples here. |
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Long-term followup. How long does the surgeon provide follow-ups, enhancements, and address problems related to LASIK at no additional cost? The minimum acceptable is one year. Two is better. Some people take up to a year or more to realize the full results of refractive surgery. You want a surgeon/facility that will support you as long as you need them. LASIK is not cheap. Expect to pay from $2,000 to $2,500 per eye. Beware of facilities/surgeons offering "bargain prices." This may be one of those cases where "you get what you pay for." |
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