26
06
2009
What Should I Expect Before Laser Eye Surgery?
Posted by: admin in Los Angeles Lasik surgeon, tags: Andrew Caster MD, laser eye surgery Los Angeles, los angeles lasik, Los Angeles Lasik surgeonWhat to expect before surgery will vary from doctor to doctor and patient to patient. The US FDA provides a compilation of patient information developed by manufacturers and healthcare professionals, but cannot replace the dialogue you should have with your Los Angeles Lasik surgeon. Read this information carefully and with the checklist, discuss your expectations with your doctor.
If you decide to go ahead with LASIK laser eye surgery Los Angeles eye specialists advise that you will need an initial or baseline evaluation by your eye doctor to determine if you are a good candidate. This is what you need to know to prepare for the exam and what you should expect:
If you wear contact lenses, it is a good idea to stop wearing them before your baseline evaluation and switch to wearing your glasses full-time. Contact lenses change the shape of your cornea for up to several weeks after you have stopped using them depending on the type of contact lenses you wear. Not leaving your contact lenses out long enough for your cornea to assume its natural shape before surgery can have negative consequences. These consequences include inaccurate measurements and a poor surgical plan, resulting in poor vision after surgery. These measurements, which determine how much corneal tissue to remove, may need to be repeated at least a week after your initial evaluation and before surgery to make sure they have not changed, especially if you wear RGP or hard lenses. If you wear:
- soft contact lenses, you should stop wearing them for 2 weeks before your initial evaluation.
- toric soft lenses or rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses, you should stop wearing them for at least 3 weeks before your initial evaluation.
- hard lenses, you should stop wearing them for at least 4 weeks before your initial evaluation.
You should have the opportunity to ask your Los Angeles Lasik doctor questions during this discussion. Give yourself plenty of time to think about the risk/benefit discussion, to review any informational literature provided by your doctor, and to have any additional questions answered by your doctor before deciding to go through with surgery and before signing the informed consent form.
You should not feel pressured by your doctor, family, friends, or anyone else to make a decision about having surgery. Carefully consider the pros and cons.
The day before surgery, you should stop using:
- creams
- lotions
- makeup
- perfumes
These products as well as debris along the eyelashes may increase the risk of infection during and after surgery. Your doctor may ask you to scrub your eyelashes for a period of time before surgery to get rid of residues and debris along the lashes.
Also before surgery, top laser eye doctor Andrew Caster MD recommends arranging for transportation to and from your surgery and your first follow-up visit. On the day of surgery, your doctor may give you some medicine to make you relax. Because this medicine impairs your ability to drive and because your vision may be blurry, even if you don’t drive make sure someone can bring you home after surgery.
