Lasik eye surgeries are big business. The cost of Lasik equipment is staggering. Lasik doctors are in a for profit business, which is all fine, but elective surgeries like Lasik bring up ethical questions. For example, if you are not a very good candidate for Lasik because your eyes are borderline, for whatever reason, often times a Lasik doctor will play the risks down and "go for it" because it is another customer.

Home
Lasik Procedure
Lasik or PRK
Lasik Problems
Choose Lasik Doctor
Common Lasik Questions
Common Vision Problems
How Do Eyes Work
Lasik Terms
Lasik News

This is not to say that all Lasik surgeons are out to get rich irregardless of the risks to you, but it is human nature so be aware. Here is what to look for when choosing a Lasik doctor to perform Lasik surgery on your precious eyes.

HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD LASIK DOCTOR:

1) Get many opinions from different Lasik surgeons if you are a good candidate for Lasik surgery. Only choose a Lasik doctor who has extensive experience irregardless of the price...you only have one pair of eyes. Note: when researching Lasik doctors be specific when asking them how many LASIK surgeries they have done. Lasik surgeons can be deceptive, how many refractive eye surgeries they have done is not the same as how many Lasik surgeries they have done. Also are they counting Lasik surgeries per eye or per individual.

2) This may be a little annoying to the Lasik surgeon, but who cares..., be sure to ask the Lasik surgeon how old his equipment is. You don't want to be the first person with Lasik equipment that is straight out of the box and you don't want to be the person with Lasik equipment that is more than a couple years old. Lasik equipment changes every year as the technology gets better. You want the latest lasik equipment and the most experienced Lasik surgeon (note: a very experienced Lasik doctor with a older laser is better than a inexperienced Lasik doctor with the newest laser).

3) Ask your prospective Lasik doctor who will be performing any follow up operations. Complications happen often enough with Lasik and it is often more difficult surgically to make Lasik repairs then it is to do the initial Lasik surgery.

4) Don't believe the advertising. Lasik doctors are allowed to advertise their services and often show misleading success rates, testimonials, etc. Get the facts, don't trust the advertising, get actual data on the surgeons you are interested in. When asked the prospective lasik doctor should provide you with some statistics and detailed information. If they don't be wary that they could be hiding something. Try to get third party information on a prospective Lasik doctor. this can sometimes be difficult but if there have been any lawsuits, or other public information this can help you determine there credibility.

5) Try to talk with other people your same age about there Lasik experiences. Often times you can talk with the prospective Lasik doctors other patients.

6) Ask your prospective Lasik doctor what the costs include. how much pre-surgical, follow-up care, & refinements are included.

7) Ask your prospective Lasik doctor about there education and experience. Find out if they have published any medical articles in ophthalmology journals. Find out if they have any specialty training in corneal surgery...in other words how much experience do they have on operating on the cornea's inner layers. Find out ;how many of their patients have 20/20 vision after the procedure & how many have 20/25, 20/30, 20/40, and worse.

8) Lastly, if a Lasik doctor is unwilling to give you the amount of time you want to ask your questions, or if they are rushed and distracted then you should consider looking elsewhere because they will probably treat your eyes the same. If they paint too rosy a picture of how easy it all is then be aware of inexperience. If they are not forthright with information or if they seem to be disingenuous then trust your instance and find someone else. Remember it is absolutely crucial that you find a very experienced Lasik doctor to minimize potential risks.