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Who is a
potential candidate for laser vision correction?
One must be at least 18-21 years of age, have a proven
record of vision stability and fit within the FDA-approved
treatment range.
How long do I have to keep my
contacts out before surgery?
Daily-wear soft lenses - three days
Extended-wear
soft lenses - two weeks
Toric soft lenses - two weeks
Hard or gas permeable lenses - three
weeks
Why do
contacts have to be
out for so long before surgery?
Contact lenses can cause swelling and reshaping
of the cornea. Discontinuing the use of contact lenses allows
the cornea to return to its most natural shape. This makes
it possible for us to get the most accurate results from
your eye exam, and this has a direct effect on the success
of your treatment.
Can I do both eyes at the same
time?
We routinely perform LASIK on both eyes at the
same sitting, but will perform surgery on one eye at a time
if that is the patient's preference. Surface procedures
such as PRK and LASEK are always performed one eye at a
time.
How long does
surgery take?
You will be at the laser center approximately one hour on
the day of surgery. The surgery itself takes about 10-15
minutes.
Is the surgery painful?
There is little to no discomfort with the LASIK procedure.
Your eyes are numbed before surgery with anesthetic
eye drops. During LASIK, you may feel a small lid support
holding your eye open and feel a pressure sensation during
creation of the flap. Most patients do not
report this as being painful.
PRK and LASEK
are essentially pain free.
What are the risks and
potential complications
associated with laser vision correction?
We have listed the most common concerns elsewhere on this
website. Please see Page 8 of our LASIK
Book for a general discussion of these issues and the Success
Rates II page of our Statistics section for our actual
numbers.
Prior to
surgery, you will be given an Informed Consent document that
lists the risks and possible complications of your procedure
comprehensively.
May I speak with any of the patients
on whom you've done this procedure?
Definitely. We have a long list of past patients who have
offered their phone numbers to anyone considering surgery.
In fact, we have such a collection of patients that we can
often connect you with past patients who are of similar
prescription, age, or who enjoy the same recreational activities,
such as golf or tennis.
Will I be 20/20 after surgery?
No surgeon can guarantee the outcome of a surgical procedure
beforehand. However, our rate of success is extremely high,
as evidenced by the fact that we are one of the only centers in the
nation to publish our exact success rates online:
For a
general review of our results, please see the Success
Rates I page in our Statistics section.
To see our
actual results for your exact prescription, please see the Results
Calculator in our Statistics section.
Will I be able to see up close
after surgery?
If you are under the age of 40, you may not experience any
trouble seeing up close after surgery for some time.
However, due to the natural aging of the eye, around age
40, people usually have trouble seeing up close and must
resort to store-bought magnifying glasses to read small
print.
This reduction
of near vision will develop eventually regardless of whether
or not you undergo laser eye surgery. If you do not have surgery, you will need to wear reading glasses
over your contacts or go into bifocals. If you already
need reading glasses prior to surgery, your dependence upon them will remain and may even
be increased as a result of your distance vision being improved.
Monovision is
an option for patients over 40 who would like to see up
close and far away. With monovision, one eye is treated for
distance and the other eye is treated for near vision.
How soon can I drive?
Since 99% of our LASIK patients will be at least 20/40 or better
(legal driving vision) without their glasses the morning after surgery, chances
are you will be able to drive the following day. Don't forget
to change your driver's license status.
PRK and LASEK
patients can almost always drive the day after surgery, but
only because the non-operated eye sees clearly. The operated
eye will take several days to a few weeks to clear enough to
drive.
How many operations has Dr. Hale
personally performed?
Dr. Hale has been a general Ophthalmologist for 23 years
and 18 of those years have been spent performing refractive
surgeries including Radial Keratotomy (RK), Astigmatic Keratotomy
(AK), Automated Lamellar Keratoplasty (ALK), and now, the procedures of choice:
LASIK, LASEK and PRK.
The estimated number of refractive procedures Dr. Hale has
performed over the past 18 years exceeds the 12,000 mark. LASIK cases performed by Dr. Hale are estimated
at about 8,600 (Nov. 2002). While the high number of cases
Dr. Hale has performed is reassuring to the patient, equally
valuable is his comprehensive experience in all refractive
procedures.
I have dry
eyes. Will laser vision correction make them worse?
Yes, temporarily. Laser vision correction causes a
transient decrease in tear production that results in dry eye symptoms.
This problem can generally be alleviated by the use of artificial
tears until the eye begins to produce an adequate quantity
of tears on its own. If there are particular dry eye
concerns found during your preoperative examination, steps can be taken
to minimize the effects of the dryness.
Will I have glare or halos at
night after surgery?
For many people, glare and halos are a fact of life regardless
of whether or not they have had laser vision correction.
During your preoperative exam, there are three things we
look for to determine if you are at a higher risk
for this effect. We consider the amount of nearsightedness,
astigmatism, and the size of your pupils to approximate whether
or not you should specifically consider glare when
making your decision. With the VISX Star S4 Active Trak
Laser, the incidence of glare and halo is further reduced.
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