What to expect during your LASIK consultation

Many patients ask me what is going to happen when they come in for a LASIK consultation and I wanted to take this blog to address those concerns in this blog.

Our LASIK consultation last about one hour. At Mann Eye Institute, we feel it is necessary to give our patients the best possible vision correction outcome. We perform multiple tests on our patients to ensure each person is a great candidate for LASIK.

The first test to be performed is mapping of the cornea. The cornea is the tissue at the front of the eye that is reshaped during LASIK. We must ensure that it has a normal shape and that it will not become too steep or too flat after surgery.

The next test is to determine the prescription of the eye. We also check the eye for any signs of diseases that could affect the outcome of LASIK such as dry eyes, cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

Part of determining your prescription, is dilation as it is necessary to fully inspect every part of the eye. Dilating the eye also allows us to get a cycloplegic refraction. The cycloplegic refraction allows us to check the prescription of the eye once the lens is in its relaxed position. This is more important for patients who are getting in their forties. When patients reach their forties, glasses become needed for reading because the lens stays in that relaxed position more frequently. By checking the prescription in this way, we are able to predict how your vision needs will change through the years and account for that change when customizing your LASIK procedure.

Patients appreciate that we have one of the most thorough screening processes in town. Choosing a surgeon to trust with your eyes is a decision that is not to be taken lightly. We have the most advanced diagnostic equipment and lasers at Mann Eye Institute, and we strive to give every patient our complete attention and care. Call us today, 800-MY-VISION, to schedule your free consultation and experience Mann Eye Institute for yourself.

What does it take to be a candidate for LASIK?

You may be considering LASIK, but are curious as to weather or not you are a candidate. Most people are LASIK candidates, but even those who are not can often have their vision improved by another procedure.

The first criterion is that your vision must be correctable with glasses. Some people are not able to see well with glasses or contact lenses. When that is the case, there is a good chance that a different procedure may be more beneficial.

We will also want to make sure that your prescription hasn't changed much recently. If you wear glasses, be sure to bring them in so that we can measure them. If you wear contact lenses, write down the prescription or bring the contact lens package with you.

The thickness of your corneas will be measured as a part of your pre-op evaluation. Thickness is important because LASIK surgery reshapes and thins the corneas. We need to make sure that your corneas will have the thickness that they need to hold their shape after LASIK surgery.

Another important factor is the shape of the cornea. We will create a topographic map of your cornea to see if there are irregular peaks which are not treated well with LASIK.

Irregular areas of steepness may indicate that the cornea is not stable. In order for LASIK to have a lasting effect, the cornea needs to be thick, strong and stable.

Contact lenses will warp the cornea temporarily and distort the corneal topography mapping. It is important to take your contacts out prior to your screening evaluation to avoid making extra trips to the office. Normal soft contact lenses should be taken out one full week prior to your examination. Toric lenses should be out for two full weeks, and hard contact lenses should be out for at least one full month prior to the examination.

We use strict screening criteria because we want every patient to have a wonderful lasting result following LASIK surgery. Approximately 90% of the patients that we see are great LASIK candidates. Those who are not suited for LASIK surgery can still have lasting vision improvements with another procedure such as an Active Life Lens procedure, Intacs or collagen crosslinking depending on each persons individual needs.

If you're ready to schedule your free consultation and find out if you're a candidate for LASIK at Mann Eye Institute, give us a call today, 1-800-MY-VISION. I look forward to seeing many of you in the Austin office soon.