Frequently Asked Questions About LASIK
Dr. Saunders and our staff are happy to answer your questions! Here is a list of the questions we hear most often, and may help you in making your LASIK decision.
Tennis pro Rafael Cabrebro, delighted with his vision shortly after LASIK!
How Do I Arrange to Have LASIK?
How Soon After LASIK Will I See Better?
How Soon After LASIK can I Drive?
Who Takes Care of Me After LASIK and What is Involved?
Can I Have LASIK in Both Eyes at the Same Time?
How Soon After LASIK Can I Swim?
How Soon After LASIK Can I Return To Work and Sports?
How Do I Arrange to Have LASIK?
Call (201) 612 0044 and make an appointment for a free LASIK consultation with Dr. Saunders. Bring your current contacts and glasses, and your prescription if you have it, and a list of your medicines. He will do some preliminary testing, have you watch a video about LASIK, and tell you if you are a good candidate. If you decide to have LASIK, further testing will be done to chose what kind of LASIK is better for you. Then, you’ll chose dates and times which work best for you.
How Soon After LASIK Will I See Better?
Everyone is different. Most people start to see better immediately after the LASIK procedure. Your vision dramatically improves after napping for 2 to 4 hours, and continues to improve over the next few weeks, getting sharper and crisper.
How Soon After LASIK can I Drive?
Most people can drive within one to two days after LASIK. Dr. Saunders will tell you when you are free to drive.
How Long Does It Take?
The entire LASIK treatment takes about 5 minutes per eye. We ask you to arrive 1 hour before the procedure, to take a pill to relax you and for further pre-op testing, and we will do an eye exam shortly after the LASIK procedure, before you leave. We ask you to have someone drive you to and from the LASIK procedure. You and your driver should plan about 1 ½ to 2 hours for the whole procedure.
Who Takes Care of Me After LASIK and What is Involved?
Dr. Saunders personally will see you after LASIK surgery and monitor your progress. He generally sees his LASIK patients in the Ridgewood Office one day, one month, and one month after LASIK, then in one year if needed. All of your care is done by Dr. Saunders, not a technician or nurse.
Can I Have LASIK in Both Eyes at the Same Time?
Yes. Most people do.
Does LASIK hurt?
LASIK does not hurt. Dr. Saunders uses numbing drops and you will take a pill to relax you. Sometimes people feel some pressure during the procedure but this is brief. You will be comfortable and awake during the LASIK procedure.
How Soon After LASIK Can I Swim?
Because of pool chemical and bacteria in fresh water lakes, we ask that you do not swim for 2 to three weeks after LASIK.
How Soon After LASIK Can I Return To Work and Sports?
Most people go back to work in one to two days. You can return to most sports, like weightlifting or working out or running, in one to two days, but ask Dr. Saunders about your specific sport—and always wear eye protection for sports like squash and basketball.
How Soon After LASIK Can I Wear Eye Makeup?
Dr. Saunders will ask you not to wear any eye makeup before the LASIK procedure, and to not wear eye makeup (mascara, eyeliner, shadow) for 2 weeks after the LASIK.
Am I a good candidate for LASIK? Why or not?
You are probably a good candidate for LASIK; most people are good candidates for LASIK. However, a few conditions prevent you from having it. LASIK will correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism; it will not correct needing reading glasses after 40. If you wear contacts or glasses to see better for distance, but you can see well up close, you are nearsighteded, and LASIK is likely to help you. You have to be over 21 (because your eyes are growing and your prescription is changing from 8 to about 19 or 20), and you have to have healthy eyes (no eye diseases or scarring of the eye from trauma or infection). People with certain eye diseases, like keratoconus, and certain medical problems, like rheumatoid arthritis, should never have LASIK. Dr. Saunders will do an evaluation of your eye health and prescription and tell you if you are a good candidate for LASIK.
What Is It Like to Have LASIK?
On arrival for LASIK, you’ll fill out some final forms. Then the staff will put some eye drops in your eyes to numb your eyes and make the surgery comfortable for you, and some antibiotic drops to prevent infection. You’ll also take a sedative to make you more relaxed during surgery.
Then, you’ll walk into the laser suite, where Dr. Saunders will greet you and the staff will help get you settled on the operating table. Dr. Saunders will make sure you are comfortable and relaxed. He will clean your eyes with sterile pads, then place a delicate retaining device around your eyelids. This will help you keep your eye open; you’ll feel some light pressure but no pain. At one point, while he is creating the flap, your vision will go slightly blurry and dark, then fuzzy; this is normal.
Once he’s made the flap, Dr. Saunders will do the LASIK procedure to re-shape your cornea. Dr. Saunders will ask you to focus on a light, and you’ll hear clicking noises and see a fuzzy light. The laser tracks your eye movements, but it’s important to focus on the light. Then Dr. Saunders put the flap back on, and rinses your eye with drops to help with healing. Then he’ll do the same procedure with your second eye.
Dr. Saunders will check your eyes at a slit lamp biomicroscope to make sure everything is in place, then send you home. Your eyes may feel a little scratchy, but you will not have any pain. It is a good idea to go home and take a nap; this helps the flaps secure into place, makes your eyes feel less scratchy, and lets your sedative wear off.
Dr. Saunders will ask you to use artificial tears to keep your eyes lubricated, and wear clear protective shields over eyes for the first day. You’ll notice an immediate improvement in your vision, which gets crisper and sharper with every hour.
