Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different eye conditions?

Myopia

Myopia or nearsightedness is an eye condition where light rays that enter the focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. This causes images to be blurry and indistinct. The reason for this is either the eyeball itself is too long or the curvature of the front part of the eye, the cornea, is too steep.

Hyperopia

Hyperopia or farsightedness is an eye condition where the light rays are focused behind the retina. People with this have trouble seeing clearly for distance and near although their near focus is blurrier than the distance.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism occurs when the eyeball is shaped more like a football rather than a basketball. This causes the light rays that enter the eye to be focused on two spots instead of one. Many patients will complain of seeing two images if they are not wearing corrective lenses.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is the eye condition which all people will eventually have. This normally manifests itself from 40-45 years old and affects near vision. The lens inside the eye loses its ability to change shape easily so that it can no longer focus on up close objects.

What are the age ranges for LASIK?

A patient must be at least 18 years old to be eligible for the procedure. As for how old a patient can be, that can be as high as 80, it just depends on how the health of the eye is. More importantly is to have a stable prescription before considering surgery.

How long does the procedure take?

The actual surgery takes 10-15 minutes per eye but plan to be in the surgicenter for approximately 2 hours and be sure to bring a driver as you will be given a valium to relax you.

What restrictions are there after the surgery?

You will not be allowed to wear eye makeup for 1 week, avoid dusty dirty environments for 2 weeks, no swimming or hottubs for 2 weeks, and most importantly no eye rubbing for a few months.

How long will I have to be off work?

Most patients will be able to work the next day as long as they are comfortable and do not violate any of the restrictions given above. With PRK surgery healing can take longer patients may need to be off for one week or longer.

How often do I need to come back for postoperative visits?

You will be seen 1 day after the surgery, 1 week after, 6 weeks after, and 6 months after the surgery. Some patients may also be seen at the 3 month time period as well.

If I wear contact lenses, do I have to have these taken out before the preoperative exam?

Yes, you will need to have your contacts out before the exam. The reason for this is so that your corneas will go back to its original shape. If we did surgery on a cornea that is still changing, our measurements will not be accurate and it may cause you to have suboptimal visual results. If you wear soft contacts, you need to be out for 2 weeks, if you wear soft torics you need to be out for 3 weeks, and if you wear rigid gas permeables (RGP) or hard lenses then you need to be out for 6 weeks.