We live in fast moving times where things are granted instantaneously. Shouldn’t eye surgery be the same? Some clinics are offering same day consultation with LASIK eye surgery. It’s extremely convenient, and if the surgery would be discounted even cheaper, it seems a great deal. What about the associated risks though? Is it too good to be true?
Why LASIK consult should be done separately
Your eyes must be dilated during a comprehensive LASIK consultation to see if you are an ideal candidate for surgery. Checking these three things are extremely important to guarantee you have long-term optimal results.
- Assessing the health of your eyes, specifically the retina
- Verifying stability and accuracy of the amount of vision correction required.
- Ensuring there is no onset of cataracts
Dangers of same day LASIK eye surgery
Simply put, the eye tracker on the laser used to reshape your cornea during LASIK surgery does not work when your eyes are dilated. Imagine, your pupils are enlarged from the dilation, the eye tracker is unable to track or will track it inaccurately. Keep in mind, dilation can take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours to reverse! Therefore, LASIK consultation and surgery performed on the same day is unsafe.
Breaking down the risks of same day LASIK eye surgery
If you are being offered the option of same day LASIK as part of your consultant, then it’s likely your eyes have not been dilated resulting in not being completely evaluated. Possible risks of proceeding with LASIK surgery:
- Your prescription level has not been verified as stable and your LASIK results will not last.
- If you have undetected retina tears they could get worse resulting in vision loss.
- In case you have cataracts that have progressed, LASIK results could be very brief.
Making an informed decision
Thoroughly understanding both the risks and benefits of any surgery is something your doctor should make a priority. Ethically they are obliged to provide enough time for you to properly read and understand consent, allow time for questions, and make a confident decision. Cramming all of this into a brief consultation visit is simply rushing through things that would require at least an overnight period.
How do we feel about LASIK consult and same day eye surgery?
Praga Medica wants the safest, healthiest results for our patients. Every patient will be dilated in order to be properly evaluated prior to surgery. Ensuring long-term vision health far outweighs the risks of fast treatment. The soonest you may have surgery is the day after consultation.
Are you interested in LASIK eye surgery? Contact us!
Contributing writer: Lorna Straka