|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Laser & Corneal Surgery Associates is committed to providing the highest quality patient care and that care includes much more than just the actual surgery. Both your pre-operative and follow-up care are an integral part of the Laser Eye Surgery experience. We, at LCSA like to think of your procedure as consisting of:
1. Pre-operative care
2. Surgery
3. Follow-up care
The following is a discussion of your pre-operative care and your follow-up care. In order to get the most thorough care, we at LCSA, prefer to have our doctors concentrate on their own areas of expertise. Our surgeons are some of the most experienced surgeons in the New York area, but much of their time is spent in the operating room. Dr. Morschauser, who is LCSA's clinical director, oversees all of the pre-operative and follow-up care in conjunction with Dr. Speaker. She has worked with Dr. Speaker, since 1994 when he first began performing LASIK and was a study coordinator for the U.S. excimer clinical trials, which led to the FDA approval of Laser Eye Surgery.
Below is a more detailed description of what you can expect during you pre-operative exams and your follow-up care.
The first step, preoperstive care, requires an initial consultation to establish if you are a candidate for LASIK. During this time we will evaluate the health of you are a candidate for LASIK. During this time we will evaluate the health of your eyes; take some of the necessary measurements required for surgery, however, these are accurate only if you have not been wearing contact lenses for at least two weeks. In the case of Toric or bard contact lens wearers, it may require a greater period of time out of your contact lenses. If a preliminary determination is made that you are a candidate for laser eye surgery, a second measurement as well as a dilated exam is then performed, or scheduled at a convenient time.
1. Soft contact lens wearers must leave their lenses out for at least one week and hard lens or RGP wearers a minimum of one month for every decade of use. If you have not left your lenses out for a sufficient period of time, a dilated exam will have to be scheduled at a later date. This is because contact lens wear distorts the cornea and can produce erroneous measurements. If need be, we will ask you to return and have repeat measurements taken until stability is documented.
2. It generally takes 20 to 30 minutes for the eyes to become fully dilated.
3. Near vision is affected and your focusing ability will not return for roughly 2-4 hours.
4. Your distance vision will not be affected (you can still wear your glasses/contacts), but we do not recommend that you drive home while your eyes are still dilated.
5. Bring sunglasses. A common side effect while dilated is increased light sensitivity.
6. We at LCSA will not perform any type of Laser Eye Surgery without a dilated exam. We believe it is an essential part of achieving a good result.
7. The surgical evaluation involves multiple examinations including:
a) Biomicroscopy
b) Refraction
c) Tear film evaluation
d) Pachymetry
e) Placido topography
f) Elevation topography (Orbscan/Pentacam)
g) Intraocular pressure
h) Wavefront analysis
The third part of the Laser Eye Surgery process is your follow-up care. It begins with your day 1 post-op and will continue throughout your first year. Listed below is the schedule of necessary appointments.
1. Day 1
2. Week 1
3. Month 1
4. Month 3
5. Month 6
6. Year 1
These follow-up visits are an important part of your result. We will be monitoring your progress and assessing your results. Should you need an enhancement, we will be able to evaluate your outcome by the three-month visit. The chances of needing an enhancement are low, but are more common in patients with severe myopia and/or astigmatism.
ENHANCEMENTS
Enhancements are a routine part of Laser Eye Surgery. Many people worry, unnecessarily, about the need for an enhancement after their initial LASIK procedure. The following is a brief explanation of what to expect of your enhancement, to help alleviate some of your concerns.
If you require an enhancement following your LASIK procedure it is usually performed three months following your initial procedure. We like to make sure that your prescription has stabilized before doing an enhancement.
Then a brief laser treatment is performed. Then enhancement procedure is easier and faster than the original procedure.
The post-operative restrictions are the same as with your initial LASIK procedure. You will need someone to drive you home and you will need to keep you eyes closed as much as possible until the next morning. We ask that you keep make-up away from the eye, avoid swimming saunas or hot tubs for one week. Rubbing of the eye and contact sports should be avoided for several weeks. Eye protection is always recommended. Also, you will need to take the same eye drops as you did for your initial LASIK procedure. We will want to see you at one day, one week, one month, three months, six months, and one year following your enhancement to track your progress.
The staff at Laser & Corneal Surgery Associates is here to help you with any questions or concerns you may have in order to make your procedure as worry free as possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
