5. PICK A SURGEON
If you've decided that you're completely willing to go through with the risks and costs, all that's left is to pick out a good surgeon. The first thing you should do is visit your optometrist (if you need the surgery, then you already have one) and ask for some recommendations. When meeting with the potential surgeons, ask them how many times they've performed the surgery, what their training was, how they prepare for the surgery, how long they have been performing the surgery, and what the newest and safest techniques are. By comparison shopping, you'll find out which surgeons are behind on the times, and which ones are up-to-date. Also make sure that the equipment the doctor is using has been approved by the FDA. (How? Just ask.) Finally, you should always ask for a list of patients that the doctor performed the surgery on, and talk to those patients. Don't worry about wasting their time. They're patient. (We like that joke.)If you don't have any friends to give you recommendations, then you are probably a loser. But that also means that you can visit the American Board of Ophthalmology to make sure your surgeon is certified.
So now that you know exactly how to get laser eye surgery, we'll quickly walk you through the procedure, just so that you can know exactly what's involved. You'll lay down, and the surgeon will give you some anesthetic eye drops. In a couple of seconds, you won't be able to see out of that eye. Then a tube will be placed over your eye, and you'll feel a tiny bit of pressure. The laser will be placed on the other end of the tube, the doctor will fix your eye, and that's it! In a couple of minutes, your vision will return (albeit blurry vision), and then the doctor will do the same thing to your other eye, if needed. You shouldn't drive for 24 hours (so remember to bring a friend to drive you home), but you can go back to work the next day, as long as your job isn't vision intensive. You'll use eye drops for about a week to keep any infection away, and you'll be done.
You now know as much about laser eye surgery as any non-ophthalmologist has a right to know. You know about the risks, the different procedures, and the prices. So regardless of your decision, we wish you the best in your future viewing experiences. Remember, though: there's nothing wrong with glasses. Most people choose to have the surgery because they simply can't stand having glasses or contacts. Athletes, for instance. Be sure that you really really hate your glasses, and are dying to get rid of them.
So good luck! The eyes have it.
