ALL THINGS LASIK

Ready to ditch the glasses and contacts for LASIK surgery?! I’m sure you’ve heard some things about LASIK before, but not everyone knows the full details of the surgery itself, what makes them a good candidate for LASIK, or how to go about getting set up for surgery. Your optometrist is your best resource for these things specific to your eyes and your prescription, but we’re going to go over general guidelines to help get you started.

So first of all, what exactly is LASIK? LASIK stands for laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis. Ok we may have lost you, but that is just fancy wording for creating a flap on the front surface of your eye, or cornea, then treating with a laser to reshape the cornea. And that is exactly what happens! You are fully awake as you walk into the operating room. They will put numbing drops on the eye before the surgeon uses an instrument to make the corneal flap and lift it up. Next, a predetermined amount and pattern of laser based on your prescription is used to reshape the front surface. Finally, the flap is re-positioned along with some eye drops to promote healing and comfort. And just like that, in the matter of minutes, you’re done and you walk out of the clinic! We advise you to take the rest of the day easy. You’ll have an eye shield to protect your eyes as well. The next day, you’ll see your optometrist for a follow up and usually be seeing 20/20!

We often get asked here in Southern California, what happens if an earthquake starts during my LASIK or my eye moves? Well, this is not just any machine. These are top notch systems that are meant to stop the procedure if any bump, movement, or alignment is not right. There are specific backup systems as well… just in case.

Ok this all sounds great so far, but how do you know if you qualify for LASIK? As a typical rule of thumb, you need to be over the age of 18, with a stable glasses prescription for the past 2-3 years, and a prescription that’s not super high. Now, your optometrist who sees you for your annual eye exam is your best advocate to know for sure if your prescription is stable and if it falls under the “not super high” category. They will also be able to tell you based on the records and testing they have if your cornea is ready for surgery and assure you whether or not your eye shape is a good fit for LASIK. There are certain types of prescriptions or eye conditions that are more difficult to treat with LASIK than others, so always consult with your optometrist first and foremost. If you are not the best candidate for LASIK there are also other options for surgical vision correction that your optometrist can point you towards as well.

Let’s say you are 25 years old, have been a -4.00 in your contacts for several years, and your optometrist assured you that your cornea is in great shape and of no concern for complications, then you certainly would be considered a good candidate! What to do now? Your optometrist will typically take it from here! They will send a history of your eyes and your contact information to the surgery center. The surgery center will then reach out to you to set up a consultation appointment. This is where they get a few extra measurements of your eyes to make sure they are ready for surgery, they set up that surgery date, and go over all of the eye drop and financial details of the surgery itself.

After surgery, your optometrist will be your guide to recovery and will monitor you frequently the first year, then annually after that. You may experience some dryness after surgery, which is common, but basically you’ll just be enjoying amazing vision without the need for glasses or contacts! At Spectacle, we’d be happy to assist you in getting connected to our favorite LASIK centers Coastal Vision and NVISION for your LASIK surgery. Feel free to reach out or set up an appointment for your annual eye exam in our online appointment book so we can see if you’re a good candidate and ready for LASIK!