Will my procedure hurt?
Most patients find their procedure to be mildly uncomfortable if at all. A great way to learn more about how it might feel is to talk to someone who has had the procedure, such as a friend or relative, or a staff member at the doctor’s office. For most patients, the feeling of anxiety and the fear of the unknown is worse than the actual procedure. Anesthetic drops are used to numb the eye just before surgery begins and you may be given a mild sedative. After your procedure, your eye may feel a foreign body sensation or irritation for a few hours, but most patients are quite comfortable after taking a short nap. You will be given drops for your eyes to counteract the potential dryness you may experience for several days following the surgery.
Am I a good candidate for Laser Vision Correction?
The only way for you to determine this is with a thorough exam from your eye doctor. Appropriate candidates must be at least 18 years old, in good general health, and have good eye health. Laser vision correction can treat a very broad range of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
Through an initial consultation with your eye doctor or at The Laser Center of Coral Gables, your doctor will confirm if you are a good candidate, explain the procedure, and answer your questions so that you can make an informed decision. He or she will explain what results you can reasonably expect by measuring your prescription and thoroughly examining your eyes.
What are Custom Procedures?
Custom procedures involves the use of a wavefront analyzer and enables your surgeon to customize the laser procedure to your individual eyes. This can result in patients seeing clearer and sharper compared with conventional laser treatments.
What is the recovery like?
Most laser and lens procedure patients see exceptionally well the day following their procedure and may be able to resume most of their normal daily activities. Some procedures and certain patients with higher prescriptions may recover more slowly. Although the speed of visual recovery depends on the specific procedure and individual healing, the majority of patients will notice dramtic improvemnts in thier vision within the first few days postoperatively.
What are the risks?
There are risks with refractive surgical procedures. However, the chance of having a vision reducing complication has been documented in a number of clinical studies to be very minimal. Remember, millions of people have had excellent results from refractive surgery.
Some potential complications include conditions such as dryness, complications in making the surgical flap, night glare, under or over-correction, infection, inflammmation, and loss of best-corrected vision. At the Laser Center of Coral Gables, these and other risks of the surgery are discussed fully with the patient prior to the procedure. Proper preoperative screening ensures that we proceed with the procedure only when it is medically advisable. As well, diligent post-operative care helps to identify and address any potential healing complications. Perhaps the best way to help prevent surgical complications is to choose a surgeon who is experienced and respected in the community. This is one of the advantages of choosing our center.
What is the difference between Conventional LASIK and Custom LASIK?
Custom LASIK uses a tool called the wavefront analyzer to accurately measure the way light travels through your eye. The resulting map of your eye is then programmed into the laser, and the laser treats your eye based upon that personalized 3D map. Custom LASIK helps to treat “higher order” aberrations, which are tiny imperfections in the eye that can have a significant impact on one’s quality of vision. In fact, higher order aberrations have been linked to visual glare and halos. Higher order aberrations have not been previously treatable with contacts, glasses or Conventional LASIK.
Conventional LASIK is still a very good choice for many patients, though most will prefer the higher level of customization that Custom LASIK can provide. Ultimately, you need to discuss the options with your doctor. You can trust your eye care professional to help you make the correct decision.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about refractive surgery. What can it do for me?
While refractive surgery has proven overwhelmingly successful in reducing dependence on glasses and contact lenses, the degree of improvement may vary among individuals. How well and how quickly your vision improves depends on how well you heal and the severity of your prescription. Although no one can promise patients “perfect” or 20/20 vision, most patients with mild to moderate prescriptions do achieve 20/20 vision or are within 1 to 2 lines of 20/20 vision on an eye chart. This means they no longer need glasses or contacts to drive, play sports, watch movies and TV, or participate in careers requiring excellent vision such as police and fire departments. Additionally, Custom LASIK has proven to be an exciting development. Clinical studies have shown that Custom LASIK can improve not only what you can see but how well you can see it. In the past, all vision was measured using a standard vision chart. If you could see the letters, the doctor would proclaim your vision as a number, such as 20/20, 20/100, etc. But now, with Custom LASIK, doctors are able to focus on the quantity and quality of your vision.
Your consultation with your doctor will help determine the range of your probable outcome based on your particular prescription, healing profile and expectations.. Keep in mind, as a patient ages the need for reading glasses is quite common. The Laser Center of Coral Gables is a TLC Associate Center and stands behind its patients’ distance vision results for life because we have confidence in the stability of results over the long-term. The TLC Lifetime Commitment program ensures a no charge enhancement procedures for life for qualified nearsighted patients – and this commitment will be honored by any TLC Laser Eye Centers location in North America. Be sure to ask your us for important details about this program.
How will I know what procedure I need to have?
Your eye care professional is the best person to tell you that. Custom LASIK is necessary for some and desirable for many. Everyone’s eyes are different and your eyes may best be treated with Custom LASIK, Traditional LASIK, Epi-LASIK, or an implantable refractive lens procedure. This will be determined at your complimantary consultation.
Who will my doctors be and what will they do?
Doctors are involved in all three phases of your laser vision correction procedure: the pre-procedure consultation, the laser procedure, and post-procedure care. Two doctors are involved in the overall procedure: Alberto Aran, M.D. who will perform the procedure itself and Adam Stelzer, O.D. who will perfrom the consultaion and select the appropriate procedure for each individual patient. Your own eye doctor can provide your pre and post-operative care (if you do not currently have an eye doctor, your pre and post- operative care can also be provided at our center). All doctors working with The Laser Center of Coral Gables, including your own eye doctor, have been educated in all aspects of refractive surgery. Although our center’s doctors are renown for their training and expertise, the outcome of your laser procedure also depends upon the right care before and after your surgery. We recommend you consult with your own eye doctor who is more familiar with your eyes, your history, and will continue to care for you years after your procedure. If you don’t have an eye doctor who can help, we’ll provide you with one. We will work very closely with your eye doctor to provide you with a high level of care and results.