What to Expect During Your Laser Eye Surgery Consultation
- Posted on: Sep 15 2014
Laser eye surgery may sound like a complex procedure for many. However, laser vision correction is generally an outpatient procedure which aims to address refractive eye errors. The most common types of refractive errors include myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, and presbyopia.
Blurred vision is the most common symptom of refractive errors, alongside one or more of the following: double vision, eye strain, headaches, squinting, haziness, or glare/halos around bright lights. If you’ve been experiencing the aforementioned, laser eye surgery is one of the treatment options you can look into.
One of the initial steps you can take in helping you decide on whether or not you should have laser eye surgery is to schedule an appointment for a personal consultation. Although what happens during each consultation may vary, below is a glimpse of what to expect.
Before the Consultation
You will be asked to stop wearing contacts a few weeks before the consultation. At the Roholt Vision Institute, it’s 2 weeks for those who are wearing soft contacts and 4 weeks for individuals wearing gas permeable contact lenses.
During the Consultation
By and large, your goals and expectations from the procedure will be thoroughly discussed during the consultation. The expectation to be totally independent from glasses and lenses after laser surgery may be unrealistic. A more realistic goal would be to have laser surgery to reduce the need for glasses and lenses, particularly if you’re leading an active lifestyle.
Additionally, a complete health history will be obtained, ranging from previous hospitalizations to past reactions to drugs and supplements. It is crucial to disclose pre-existing conditions as they can significantly affect surgical outcomes. Other lifestyle factors such as smoking habits and alcohol consumption will also be assessed.
After the detailed assessment, a comprehensive eye exam will follow suit. The tests may vary from one patient to another but you can generally expect for standard tests such as prescription measurement and pupil dilation exams and detailed tests such as corneal measurements (thickness, topography, and curvature).
Lastly, your eye doctor will discuss your candidacy for laser vision correction depending on the results of the assessment. Do not hesitate to ask questions during discussions and do not be pressured to make decisions right there and then.
Free LASIK Consultation at the Roholt Vision Institute
If you’ve been considering LASIK for a while now, we invite you to our 2 hour Free LASIK consultation to help determine if you are a candidate for LASIK! Call us at 330-305-2200 today to set up an appointment. We look forward to helping you improve your life through vision correction!
Posted in: Laser Eye Surgery, LASIK