20 Questions for Your LASIK Surgeons

Before you have LASIK eye surgery, you should ask questions of your surgeons, and be comfortable with the answers. Below are 20 questions you should ask, along with the answers you should expect. If your surgeon does not take the time to answer these questions to your satisfaction, change surgeons.

1... How long have you been doing LASIK surgery? (at least three years)

2... How many successful LASIK procedures have you done? (at least 500)

3... How many have you done in the past year? (at least 250)

4... How many with this particular laser equipment? (at least 100)

5... Do my occupation, leisure activities, and hobbies have any bearing on my candidacy for LASIK eye surgery? (Absolutely)

6... How many patients do you turn away as being unsuitable for this procedure? (Answer should never be "none".)

7... How many of your patients achieve Snellen UCVA scores of 20/40 or better after this surgery? (90% is normal)

8... How many of your patients achieve Snellen UCVA scores of 20/20 or better after this surgery? (50% is normal)

9... Six months after LASIK surgery, how many of your patients still have unresolved complications? (should be less than 3%)

10... Have you ever been denied malpractice insurance coverage? (Should be "never".)11... Have you ever had your hospital privileges revoked? (Should be "no.")

12... Has the FDA specifically approved the equipment you will use for this procedure? (If no, should justify the off-label use to your satisfaction.)

13... Will you measure the thickness of my cornea, perform a contrast sensitivity test, a glare sensitivity test and corneal topography before and after LASIK surgery? (Should be "yes," but if "no",       then surgeons should arrange for you to be tested elsewhere at your own expense.)

14... Will you perform tear volume (Schirmer) and tear breakup (TBUT) tests before recommending LASIK eye surgery? (Should be "yes." These reveal whether you have unusually dry eyes, and should not have LASIK eye surgery.)

15... What certifications do you hold? (should have American Board of Ophthalmology, American Board of Eye Surgery, and/or the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance.)

16... Is there any reason why I would not have excellent LASIK eye surgery results? (If you or the surgeons have doubts about achieving what you consider to be a successful result, don't have the surgery.)

17... What is the worst LASIK eye surgery outcome experienced by your patients? What was done to rectify the situation? (Should be fully honest. If no bad outcomes, change surgeons. NO one is perfect.)

18... If I need an enhancement surgery, what is the charge for the additional procedure? (Should be no charge for enhancement within a year after surgery.)19... If other surgeons will be handling my pre- and/or postoperative care, may I see you at any time without their authorization? (Should be yes.)

20... What should I expect the first few weeks after surgery? How long is the healing period? (Answer should include explanations of side effects that may occur.)If your surgeons can answer the above questions to your satisfaction, then you should be able to go into LASIK eye surgery with confidence. If they appear uncomfortable about these questions, or seems too hurried to explain, find other doctors. Your vision is too important to risk.
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