Preparing for LASIK laser vision correction surgery isn’t difficult. Here are a few things you can expect:
- A surgical coordinator will talk to you about preparation and aftercare, and take a medical history.
- Eye tests, like corneal thickness, refraction, and pupil dilation.
- Evaluation of your vision correction prescription (using your glasses/contact lenses).
- A meeting with the surgeon to ask any questions you may have.
- You may be asked to not wear contact lenses for several days before the procedure. If you wear rigid gas permeable contact lenses, you may be asked to not wear them for several weeks before the procedure.
On the day of the procedure, you should not wear any eye makeup or bulky hair accessories — these can interfere with positioning your head underneath the laser.
The surgery itself is relatively quick — around ten minutes! You will be under local anesthesia while the surgery is performed. A microkeratome will cut a thin flap in the cornea. Your cornea will be peeled back, and the underlying tissue will be reshaped using a laser. When reshaping is done, the flap will be put back into place. That’s it!
After the LASIK vision correction surgery, healing is pretty quick. You may notice a vision improvement the same day you have the surgery; you will almost definitely see an improvement within a few days. You may also experience a bit of blurred or hazy vision for the first day — so you will need someone to drive you home after the procedure. Your eyes will be dry, though they may not feel dry. The doctor will send you home with eye drops to help keep your eyes moist and prevent infection. Don’t use any eye drops that your doctor has not approved!
You’ll probably go back to see the doctor within the first day or two after your LASIK vision correction surgery. Expect to see the doctor a few times more over the first six months. In most cases — approximately eighty percent of patients — the vision correction is a huge success.