What Is LASIK?
LASIK allows patients to experience life as they may never have before: Clear and Hassle-Free. Free from contacts or glasses. As many of my patients have said, ‘Clearer than glasses or contacts’, ‘reduced to eliminated night glare that I had with my contacts!’ LASIK is a laser procedure performed on the surface of the eye (cornea) to reshape it to give you clearer vision at near (nearsightedness-myopia), distance (farsightedness-hyperopia), or even clearer reading (Presbyopia).
Is LASIK Right For You?
Dr. Z offers a Free Lasik Consultation to help you to determine if LASIK is right for you. With many vision correction options out there, it is usually difficult to sift through all the information. Dr. Z is an educator at heart so he is able to explain it in a way that you will be able to understand. The most common misconception I hear from my patients is, “I was told that since I have Dry Eyes I can’t have LASIK”. There are several available treatments to help manage dry eyes before and after your LASIK procedure. Dry Eyes may be something we have to address and treat but it should not stop you from enjoying clear vision from LASIK.
There are definitely things to consider or general criteria to follow. Below is a list of items but a custom-tailored LASIK consultation will review items that are specific to you and your needs.
Age: Candidates must be 18 years old.
General Health: Candidates must be in good general health. Talk to Dr. Z about your specific health to determine if a path to LASIK is a possibility.
Eye health/Eye problems/Eye injury: The FREE LASIK Consultation is the perfect place for you to discuss any specific eye problems you may have experienced in the past or if you have amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (muscle imbalance), or any recurrent, residual or active eye conditions that may influence healing. Generally, candidates should be free of eye diseases corneal diseases, and certain retinal and optic nerve diseases.
Nursing/pregnancy: Candidates should not be nursing or pregnant when undergoing the LASIK Procedure. Every situation is different and it is best to talk with Dr. Z about your specific situation, needs, and goals.
Contacts: You will be required to be without your contact lenses for a period of time. A backup pair of glasses may be required. The amount of time will be determined by Dr. Z and your specific situation. A general rule of thumb is the longer you have been wearing contacts (consistently) the longer you should go without your contacts prior to your “LASIK Work-up”. If you only wear soft contact lenses every so often, (~2 days a week) then Dr. Z might determine that you will need to be without your contacts for only a few days prior to your “LASIK Work-up”. If you have been wearing hard contact lenses for several decades, then Dr. Z may determine that you will need to go without your hard contact lenses for up to a year (depending on your cornea fluctuations). The precise length will be determined by Dr. Z based on your individual situation and eyeballs.
Corneal thickness plays an important role in determining candidacy for LASIK. The thickness of your cornea will be measured on the day of your “LASIK Work-up”.
Although the above is not a complete list, there are many factors that go into determining if you are a good candidate for LASIK. It is important to talk to Dr. Z, inform him of your situation, your eyeballs, your health, and the two of you can make a good decision together. Unlike the large LASIK Centers, every exam is with Dr. Zdenek, your eye surgeon. He is the one performing the exam and calculations, he performs the surgery, and also your follow up care as well.
Why Choose Dr. Z?
Dr. Z has been performing LASIK since 1998 and has corrected vision in over 45,000 patients. Although LASIK has become the most popular vision-correcting procedure, it is not the only option. Dr. Z believes in a strong doctor-patient relationship which quickly becomes the cornerstone of success in vision correction surgery. He believes that if his patients understand what is happening then they can make a better, well-informed decision with amazing results.
Your first step is saying, ‘YES’ to wanting to get rid of your glasses or contacts and the coming in to see Dr. Z for a FREE LASIK Consultation.