LASIK Eye Surgery - FAQ
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Q. Who is a candidate
for LASIK?
Q. Why is LASIK the preferred procedure at this
time?
Q. Am I awake during the procedure and will I
feel any pain?
Q. How long does the procedure take?
Q. How long is the recovery time and what should I expect
during this time?
Q. What are the risks?
Q. Is LASIK considered permanent or does it need
to be repeated? E-mail Dr.
Siepser Your Questions Q. Who is a candidate for LASIK?
A. Anyone dependent on glasses and contact lenses,
who is at least 18 years old, may benefit
from the LASIK procedure. Dr. Siepser can correct nearsightedness,
farsightedness, and/or astigmatism with LASIK. The
best way for you to find out if you are a candidate for LASIK
is to
schedule an evaluation with Dr. Siepser, LASIK surgeon,
or your current eye care professional or refractive
surgeon .
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Q. Why is LASIK the preferred procedure
at this time?
A. The LASIK procedure is extremely accurate
and treats a broader range of patients with a more rapid and
more comfortable recovery time than other refractive surgery
procedures.
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Q. Am I awake during the procedure
and will I feel any pain?
A. You are fully awake during the LASIK procedure.
You eyes will be numbed with topical eye drops so you should
not feel any pain. Most patients report very minimal discomfort,
and report only a feeling of slight pressure on the eye. Your
laser surgeon may give you a mild sedative, but the
majority of our patients do not feel the need for any medication.
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Q. How long does the procedure take?
A. The actual laser vision correction procedure
takes about five to ten minutes for each eye. You can expect
to be at the laser center for approximately 3 hours
including pre-operative preparation and post-operative examination.
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Q. How long is the recovery
time and what should I expect during this time?
A. Recovery from LASIK is very rapid and is
one of the reasons it is the preferred procedure. Immediately
following laser surgery, most patients see a marked
improvement and within 12-24 hours have return to functional
vision and can return to work the next day.
During the first week after your LASIK surgery,
you may notice some fluctuations in your vision. This is normal
and is part of the healing process. Night glare and halos
may be present for the first few weeks, but usually cease
by the end of the two to three month healing process.
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Q. What are the risks?
A. Almost everything in life that we do carries some
level of risk. The risk associated with LASIK surgery
has been compared to the risk of potential damage due
to wearing contact lenses. The risk of a serious complication
arising is <1%. All risks will be explained to the patient
at the time of their consultation. Click
here to schedule your consultation.
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Q. Is LASIK considered permanent
or does it need to be repeated?
A. LASIK has undergone numerous clinical trials
and has been done for many years in Canada and Europe. Patients
that have had this procedure done many years ago are still
enjoying remarkable vision. Dr. Siepser feels so confident
that LASIK is permanent that he offers to do any additional
laser vision correction needed at no cost to you. Some
patients do not achieve full correction with the initial procedure
and may have a need for an enhancement. An enhancement is
a secondary procedure where additional laser eye surgery
is added to achieve the full correction. This is more common
in patients who are moderately to extremely nearsighted or
have a lot of astigmatism before their initial procedure.
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