Here is my list-to-date of questions regarding the decision whether to have LASIK surgery to correct my vision. I post these in case they are useful to others. I’d still appreciate any additions to the list!
Decision factors
- Am I a good candidate for this surgery?
- How many procedures has the doctor done?
- What is her success rate?
- What technology is he using?
- How many points are the eyes measured at?
- How high is the risk of night vision issues?
- How big are my pupils? (Can be a contributing factor to night vision issues, if the pupil’s naturally dilated state is larger than the corrected area.)
- Is the surgery likely to damage my near vision? Am I likely to need reading glasses soon?
- What is the likelihood that I will still need glasses for far vision after surgery?
- If my vision is corrected to 20/20, how is that likely to change as I age?
- What other complications are possible? How likely are they?
Other stuff I need to know:
- What is the expected recovery time / experience?
- What are the restictions on my activities while I recover?
- What follow-up care will I need?
- What is the likelihood of needing an “enhancement”? What technology would be used for that?
- How good is the doctor’s English? The nurse’s, and other office personnel? (Note: not a decision factor in whether to have surgery, but it is one in where to have it.)
- How much will it cost and how much of that will insurance pay?
All very good and necessary info. Any doc who blows any or all of those off….RUN! ~LA