Choosing a surgeon for any procedure can be a daunting task. This is especially true when choosing a
surgeon for laser vision correction, as there are few things more precious than
sight. LASIK is a surgeon dependant procedure. Akin to a master carpenter with master tools,
a highly skilled surgeon and the most advanced technological equipment are
required for an optimal result.
With that in mind, below are some important questions to
consider when choosing your laser vision correction surgeon:
Were
you told to discontinue the use of your contact lenses prior to your procedure?
Contact lenses, even the soft type, can distort the
wavefront reading of your cornea for a week or two after the contact lens is
removed. Because the treatment is so
precise and contact lens wear can distort that reading, it’s recommended that
patients discontinue their soft contact lenses for 1 to 2 weeks and toric and
gas permeable contact lenses for 2 to 3 weeks prior to laser vision
correction. This is to ensure that the
most accurate measurements can be obtained.
You want to be certain the measurements are obtained on the natural
shape of your cornea and not a cornea molded to the shape of a contact lens. New wavefront analysis measurements should be
taken on the day of your surgery.
Does
the surgeon personally examine you during your evaluation, educate and answer
your questions, and personally perform the procedure as well as your
post-operative care?
LASIK should be a procedure that is customized to each
patient’s individual needs. To achieve
this, a surgeon needs to get to know the patient, their profession, hobbies and
the specific goal they would like to accomplish with laser vision
correction. Additionally, there are
often adjustments that need to be made with post operative medications to
achieve an optimal result, so it’s important that the surgeon follow the
patient personally after laser vision correction.
Is
the surgeon using the most advanced pre-screening equipment available?
Pentacam analysis is one of the most sophisticated
screening technologies available. It is not necessary to perform on everyone, but
a significant number of patients are turned away as less than optimal
candidates because of findings that only this machine is able to uncover.
Is
the surgeon using the most advanced technology to perform refractive surgery?
iLASIK is the latest technology and the only advanced
all-laser procedure that NASA has approved for use on astronauts. This technology combines the VISX Wavescan
mapping technology with iris registration, the all-laser method of flap
creation with the IntraLase Femtosecond (FS) Laser and the CustomVue wavefront
guided vision correction procedure with the VISX excimer laser.
Did
you receive a thorough medical eye examination as a part of the laser vision
consultation?
The evaluation process should consist of a comprehensive
medical eye examination which includes an extremely precise refraction
(measured both before and after dilation), a glaucoma screening, dilation, as
well as extensive corneal curvature (topography) and corneal thickness
(pachymetry) measurements. This exam
should take a minimum of one hour to complete.
Is the
surgeon a corneal specialist?
LASIK is a corneal procedure. The corneal flaps created in LASIK are
thinner than a human hair. Surgeons who
are cornea-fellowship trained are best equipped to perform LASIK, as they are
specifically trained in microsurgical techniques of the cornea.
Is the
surgeon Board Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO)?
The ABO was the first medical specialty board founded in
the U.S. and awards the only medical specialty certificate in ophthalmology
recognized by both the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the
American Medical Association (AMA).[1] Board certification provides assurance to the
public that a physician has successfully completed an evaluation designed to
assess the knowledge, experience and skills requisite to the delivery of high
standards of patient care in ophthalmology.[2]
In summary, it’s important to get to know your laser
vision correction surgeon prior to undergoing this elective procedure. In the hands of a skilled corneal specialist, laser
vision correction is a safe and very effective procedure.
About
Dr. Mandel:
Dr.
Mandel has been a true pioneer in laser vision correction research since
1984. Dr. Mandel has been board
certified by the ABO, in good standing since 1988. Dr. Mandel is a Harvard trained corneal
specialist and is the author of the ophthalmic textbook entitled: Atlas of Corneal Disease. Dr. Mandel has performed tens of thousands of
refractive surgical procedures. At
Mandel Vision, Dr. Mandel personally examines you before and after your
procedure and will patiently answer all of your questions. Dr. Mandel is also the only exclusive laser
vision surgeon in New York named in America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly,
the most discriminating of the peer surveys, for eleven consecutive years.
