The LASIK Experience

Overview of the LASIK procedure
Screening & Pre-Operative Exam
The Day of Surgery: Preparation
In the Operating Room
Post-Op

Overview of the LASIK procedure

The day you have LASIK you should relax; the procedure is relatively quick and will be over before you know it. LASIK is performed in three steps. First, the doctor creates a small protective flap of corneal tissue that is gently lifted back. Next, the state-of-the-art VISX Star S4-IR excimer laser applies a cool beam of light which gently reshapes the cornea to correct your vision. Finally, the protective flap is place back in its original position and begins to heal immediately.

Following the procedure, we recommend patients spend the rest of the day relaxing. Many patients will experience significantly improved vision immediately. Patients are given protective eye shields, polarized sunglasses and eye drops to use.

Detailed LASIK Walkthrough

Are you curious about the details of the LASIK procedure? Here is a step-by-step walkthrough of a typical LASIK surgery experience with Eye Consultants.

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Screening & Pre-Operative Exam

Prior to the actual LASIK procedure the doctors at Eye Consultants will make a final determination of whether or not you are a candidate for laser vision correction. You can start with a free, short initial screening or proceed to a thorough pre-operative (pre-op) examination to measure your eyes and rule out any diseases, retinal problems or other conditions that might be contraindications for LASIK. The pre-op exam takes approximately two hours and includes more extensive testing than a routine eye exam, along with special measurements for CustomVue LASIK surgery. (This extensive pre-op exam and the special measurements are included in our global fee for CustomVue LASIK.)

Included in the pre-op exam will be a mapping of your eye, known as corneal topography. This map helps the surgeon select a nomogram, or surgery plan, for the laser pulses to make the refractive correction. Your refraction will be checked and double-checked using an auto-refractor, a phoropter and/or a computerized phoropter. Measurements of your corneal thickness will be taken with an instrument called a pachymeter.

If you are currently wearing contact lenses, you must discontinue wearing them prior to the pre-op exam: two weeks beforehand for soft contacts and one month for rigid gas permeable (hard) contacts. You will not wear them again in the interim period before your surgery because of the fact that they change the shape and curvature of your cornea, and LASIK needs to be performed on your eye´s natural shape.

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The Day of Surgery: Preparation

Our surgeries are performed Thursday mornings. On the day of your procedure you will need a driver to come with you to the EyeTech Laser Center, located inside the Eye Consultants office in the Holy Family Medical Building. You will check in at the front desk and wait to be taken back into the surgical suite. You should plan to arrive 45 minutes prior to your scheduled surgery time and expect to be at the surgery center for approximately 1 ½ hours from check-in to check-out. Since the laser is so sensitive to scents, patients must not use perfumes or colognes, after-shave, lotions, make-up or hair products. Earrings and facial jewelry will not be permitted during the LASIK procedure. Your eyelid will be "prepped", washed with an iodine solution and removed with sterile water, and you will be given a light sedative, usually Valium, to take the edge off of any nervousness, but not enough to prevent you from being an active participant in your procedure. Little adhesive stars affixed to your forehead will indicate which eye(s) will be treated. Any remaining questions will be answered and post-operative instructions will be review one final time before entering the operating room.

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In the Operating Room

You will be escorted into the laser room, where you will recline on a comfortable surgical bed, which will be gently rotated under the laser once you are properly positioned. Our LASIK surgeon is Dr. Fillmore. Numbing drops will be administered until you feel no sensation on the surface of your eye. The eye to be treated second, usually the left, will be taped closed. The eyelashes of the right eye will protected with a surgical drape, more numbing drops will be given, and a lid speculum will hold your eye open. Reference marks are made on the cornea so that the flap will be realigned in its original position. During the whole procedure Dr. Fillmore and his surgical assistants will be talking you through the procedure, letting you know what he is doing and communicating how you can best cooperate in this process.

The eye stabilizing ring holds your eye so that it does not move. For a few seconds your eye is covered and your vision will be dark. Then the stabilizing ring is removed and you will be able to focus on the amber-colored flashing fixating light as Dr. Fillmore begins the laser treatment. You will have already heard the ticking sound of the laser while it was being calibrated earlier. Now the ticking sound is heard as the cool, invisible beam of the laser gently vaporizes a microscopic amount of tissue to reshape the cornea. When the ticking stops, the flap is folded back to its original position, where it is smoothed and allowed to seal for a few minutes to begin the healing process. Antibiotic drops are administered and a soft "bandage" contact lens will be placed on the eye where it will remain until your post-op appointment the next morning. The flap adheres naturally without any need for stitches, but the use of the contact lens assures the smoothest result. The lash drapes and lid speculum are then removed and, if a bilateral procedure is scheduled, the process is repeated on the second eye. It is usual with LASIK to do both eyes on the same surgery day, but there are instances when only one eye is treated.

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Post-Op

Post-operatively, Dr. Fillmore will examine your eye under a microscope and confirm that your flap is perfectly aligned. Lubricating eye drops will be administered to your eyes and additional post-op instructions will be reiterated. Clear plastic shields will be placed over the treated eye(s); these will be worn throughout the remainder of the day and night, as well as every night for a week, to protect your eye(s) from accidentally touching or rubbing them while you are asleep and thereby disturbing the flap before it is fully healed. Dark wrap-around, polarized sunglasses will be given to make your trip home more comfortable. The critical importance of the preservative-free lubricating eye drops and the medicated drops will be carefully explained before you leave the surgery center, as well as the importance of rest and relaxation on surgery day. One of our surgical staff will call you later in the day to check on your progress and answer any questions. Although you will not be allowed to drive yourself home after surgery, most patients see well enough to drive themselves into the office for their one-day post-operative visit the next morning. In making your decision whether or not to drive yourself, remember that you will be using lubricating tears every ten minutes; so if you are coming a considerable distance you may wish to have a driver.

It usually takes a day or two for your vision to clear, and it is normal for it to be quite blurry or hazy, with fluctuations, during this initial healing period. Your vision will continue to fine-tune itself and stabilize during the first three to six months following surgery. You will be seen regularly in our office during the first year in order to maximize your individual progress toward your best possible visual acuity.