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Your eyes are your most priceless assets. This makes, making the right decision even more crucial. Before you consider LASIK, here are some things to point you in the right direction.
Finding the right doctor is the most important factor when it comes to LASIK surgery. Below are the 3 most important qualities you should look for in a good LASIK surgeon.
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A safe surgeon is one that is conscientious and thorough with his work. He does nothing to compromise the safety of his patients.
Ask: Has the doctor ever been booked or sued for malpractice before?
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An efficient doctor is an experienced doctor.
Ask: How many successful LASIK surgeries has this doctor done?
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You will know if the doctor is ethical, by how he charges you. A good surgeon will also take time to answer all your questions, with no obligations. You must feel comfortable and confident with the doctor who is going to operate on you.
Ask yourself this: Do you feel at ease giving and receiving information with this doctor? or Do you prefer a “sales consultant” asking you about budgets?
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Most medical insurance will not pay for this surgery. A good doctor only charges one rate for all his patients undergoing the same procedure. Watch out for those unscrupulous ones who try to charge you extra for the degree of your refractive problem. Also be aware of asterisks (*) in their conditions of charges.
LASIK won’t work on you if your refractive power is still changing.
Has your refractive power changed in the past year?
Vision changes are more likely to happen if you are:
- In your early 20’s
- Diabetic or suffering from a certain disease
- Pregnant or breast-feeding
- Taking medications that can cause vision to change (e.g. steroids)
Certain jobs do not allow workers to have certain kinds of eye surgery. You might want to check with your employer first.
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This is a guide to asking the right questions. Treat this like the answer sheet to an examination, as these are the desired response of a good LASIK surgeon. As such, use this as a comparison to the response of the surgeon you have interviewed. |
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1 |
Did you undertake formal refractive surgery training?
For how long? |
Yes.
For at least 2 years with 100 eyes supervised by a qualified refractive surgeon.
This is definitely a must and not a procedure that can be mastered in a two-weekend course. |
2 |
How long have you been performing laser refractive surgery? |
The longer the better. |
3 |
How many refractive procedures have you performed in total? |
The more the better.
For a good surgeon, the number should be at least in the thousands. The surgeon should also have a constant regular figure of 500 procedures yearly, to ensure that the skills are kept properly honed. |
4 |
Do you have patients who complain of unbearable night vision? |
NO.
If the answer is YES, it might be due to misshapen pupil size and treatment zone, implying poor patient selection. |
5 |
How many eyes have you treated that have ended up with a best spectacle corrected vision of 6/9 (20/40) or worse? |
The answer should be ZERO. If not, clear explanation should be forthcoming about such a particular case. |
6 |
Do you have any patients who have ended up with chronic dry eye syndrome? |
This should only be in the initial period. Otherwise, screening for pre-existing dry eye condition has not been performed. |
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1 |
What percentages of patients that you have consulted are turned down for medical reasons? |
5%-10% are generally unsuitable candidates. |
2 |
What is your enhancement rate and do you charge extra for it? |
This varies from centre to centre. However the fee charge should not be exorbitant. |
3 |
Will you perform a complete refractive examination including the evaluation of the medical health of my eyes? |
Yes, full anterior segment examination, tonometry (intraocular pressure measurement) and full dilated retinal examination. |
4 |
Do you perform corneal topography? |
Yes, and should be performed before and after treatment. |
5 |
Will you perform tests to screen for dry eyes before surgery? |
Yes.
Dry eyes are one of the contraindication to laser eye surgery. |
6 |
Will you measure the size of my pupils when naturally dilated in a dark room prior to making a recommendation about surgery? |
Yes, should be the answer. |
7 |
Will my treatment prescription be based on dilation (cyclopegic) refractive error as well as manifest refractive error? |
Yes, both measurements should be obtained. |
8 |
Will you measure the thickness of my cornea prior to making a recommendation about surgery? What is used to measure this? |
Yes. First with Orbscan and further confirmatively with a hand-held ultrasound device. |
9 |
Do you have wavefront analysis capabilities to detect corneal aberrations? |
Yes, but always ask for actual study data to support claims for suggesting the use of wavefront information for your treatment. |
10 |
Does your laser have ‘eye-tracking’ technology to ensure my safety when my eye moves during the procedure? |
Yes, should be the answer. |
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1 |
Have you ever had malpractice insurance coverage denied or restricted? |
No, should be the answer.
Yes, should be followed by clear explanation. |
2 |
Have you ever had medical license or practice privileges revoked, suspended or restricted? |
No, should be the answer.
Yes, should be followed by clear explanation. |
3 |
Have you ever been brought up on charges of professional misconduct or any other professional disciplinary hearing? |
No, should be the answer.
Yes, should be followed by clear explanation. |
4 |
Do I have direct access to my doctor, or do I have to consult through a sales person? |
Direct access to a doctor is best. Never allow anyone to treat your eyes like sales items. |
5 |
Is this center operated and owned by doctors or investors? |
Preferably doctors of course. A commercial centre may direct you to take on unnecessary packages. |
6 |
Why have you so many price differences in your choice of surgery? |
Ethically, there shouldn’t be. It is never the “dearer the better” or “cheap means more painful”. No one except a highly experienced and ethical doctor would be able to review and explain well to a patient. |
7 |
Does you center use the “latest technology” |
This should not be priority. Beware of “latest technology” claims, as you should be aiming for technology with a good track of record. There are no such things as latest as you can never trade your eyes for even more “latest technology” in time to come.
It is the doctor you should seek, not the machine you read in the papers. Trust the doctor, not the gimmick the company decides to impress you with. |
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Note: To see if surgeon (and not the sales personnel) is truly genuine about helping you obtain better eye sight, look for these 3 qualities: Safe, Efficient & Ethical. |
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For further information please contact:
Dr Yeoh Phee Liang, Advance Vision Eye Specialist Centre, Tel: +603-7724 1392 |
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