4: Is LASIK and Laser Eye Surgery Safe?

This is the fourth installment of Nine Things You Must Know About LASIK Surgery 

There have been over 10 million Laser Vision Correction procedures performed worldwide in the past 10 years. Data that has been obtained during extensive clinical trials shows that all patients experienced a significant improvement in uncorrected vision (vision without glasses or contact lenses) after laser vision correction.

The FDA has approved LASIK as a safe and effective procedure. However, LASIK is not the right choice for everybody….

It is important that you receive a thorough pre-operative evaluation to determine if LASIK is right for you.

As with any form of surgery, you should seek the care and guidance of an experienced LASIK surgeon. This minimizes the risk of any possible complications. Also, when it comes to your eye health, you should not choose a surgeon simply because they are less expensive. You want to be certain you select a health care professional with appropriate credentials and experience performing LASIK procedures.

Below is a checklist from the FDA’s website regarding what you should consider when choosing your LASIK surgeon.

Experienced – How many eyes has your doctor performed LASIK surgery on with the same laser?

Equipment – Does your doctor use an FDA-approved laser for the procedure you need? Is the equipment kept on site or is it mobile? Equipment that is transported may be damaged during transport and not be as accurate. Also, who maintains the equipment? If the practice owns the equipment, you may be assured that they also take on the responsibility of routine maintenance and updates.

Informative – Is your doctor willing to spend the time to answer all your questions?

Long-term care – Does your doctor encourage follow-up and management of you as a patient? Your pre-op and post-op care may be provided by a doctor other than the surgeon.

Be comfortable – Do you feel you know your doctor and are comfortable with an equal exchange of information?

Now that you know LASIK is safe and performed regularly, you can trust in us to meet your vision needs. Our physicians at Eye Centers of Florida have years of experience in laser vision correction and other corrective eye procedures, and will help you decide which procedure is best suited to correcting your vision problems. If you have further questions or if you would like more information contact us online, call (888) 393-2778, or connect with Eye Centers of Florida on Facebook.