LASIK Eye Surgery Questions and Answers

Question:

My husband had lasik on both eyes. As of now he has very little vision,the cornia was damaged and is no longer round.What can be done to correct this problem?

Answer:

If your husband had surgery and cannot see with any correction, you may want the surgeon to explain what to expect as well as obtaining a second opinion if you feel uncomfortable with the answer you are receiving. David Cano, M.D. www.Canovision.com w.palm

Question:

Based on my correction of -3.75 Diopters for my right eye and -3.5 Diopters for my left eye, what is the mimimum thickness that my corneas need to be in order to be a good candidate for LASIK or PRK surgery?

Answer:

Dear Richard, For you a safe corneal thickness would need to be greater than 500 microns centrally. David B. Cano, M.D. www. canovision.com W. Palm Beach, FL

Question:

What instrument is used to measure cornea thickness and what is the thickness needed to qualify as a good candidate for LASIK surgery?

Answer:

Dear Richard, Your corneal thickness is a very important factor in LASIK surgery. Devices that I use are a Pachymeter (an ultrasonic measurement device) and the Orbscan topographer (an optical 3-D recreation of the corneal surfaces and thickness by the using a slit beam of light). The thickness you need is determined by the amount of correction that you need. (i.e. you need more cornea for higher nearsighted corrections to be in a safe zone and prevent corneal ectasia which can lead to progressive cornea steepening that sometimes can only be corrected with a corneal transplant!) So make sure your cornea is thick enough! David B. Cano, M.D. WWW.Canovision.com W. Palm Beach, FL

Question:

I've been diagnosed as having Chroidal Folds (which I can't find any information on) in my left eye. Am I still a candidate for LASIK?

Answer:

Mr. Smith, Choroidal folds are not commonly seen in a normal eye. I would have a retinal specialist evaluate your eye before considering any type of eye surgery. David Cano, M.D. W. Palm Beach Canovision.

Question:

How do you find a Lasik physician with the best reputation?

Answer:

Dear Harold, Important things to consider are his training or experience (Corneal/ Refractive Fellowship or number of cases as well as his results / retreatment rate). Does he see you before and after your surgery? Is he available if you have a problem 24/7. His pre-op exam should be very thorough and he should let you know clearly about the risks and benefits of the surgery. Also, you may want to check with your state's medical board to see if any action has been taken against the surgeon. Other things to consider are Board certification, and membership to the ASCRS and the ISRS. Sincerely, Dave Cano, M.D. W. Palm Beach

Question:

I am a 40 year old female with nearsightedness and astigmatism. I have been told by an eye surgeon that I am a good candidate for Lasik. I am currently planning to have Lasik surgery in the next few months. I have a few concerns about after effects of Lasik. My Grandmother had Cataracts and my Mother has Glaucoma. If I develope any one of or both of these conditions later in years after the lasik surgery, will this become a problem to treat them? I thank you for your answer.

Answer:

Debby, I general, LASIK will not be a problem with either of these in the future, but you should keep your medical records about your pre-operative information about your eyes and the amount of treatment you had for future reference. It may be important if you ever need cataract surgery. Also, you may have lower eye pressure readings because of chaanges in your corneal curvature after surgery that may not reflect your actual eye pressure, so you need to be aware of this. It has also been shown in some studies that the elevation of your eye pressure during the surgery may not be good for the nerve of the eye esp. if you truly have glaucoma. Sincerely, David B. Cano, M.D. W

Question:

I had Lasik surgery a year ago. I now have 20/20 vision but need reading glasses. Recently I went to my original Ophamoligist(sp) for a glaucoma test because it runs in my family. Pressures were fine but he said I have cataracts in both eyes and because I had laser surgury, I would not be able to have surgury to fix the cataracts. Is this the case? Why can't I find any information regarding this very serious problem? Needless to say I am very worried. My Doctor said I have five years before my vision will be impaired enough to require surgery. Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Debra

Answer:

Dear Debra, LASIK surgery does not preclude you from having cataaract surgery at all. Calculation need to be based on the treatment that you had and the original corneal curvature before your LASIK, so you may want to get those numbers. These are need for the implant that you will have after cataract surgery. Also, your intraoculaar pressures may be falsely low because of your surgery and its affect on your cornea curvature, so bewaare of this also. Daavid Cano, M.D. West Palm Beach, FL www.can

Question:

On a recent eye exam, my eye doctor commented that my eyes looked like they had "chicken scratch" on them. He said that there were many scratches on my eye lens. What causes this? I wear contact lenses. Will these "scratches" interfere with me having lasik surgery? Thank You! t.g

Answer 1:

Dirty contact lenses can cause tiny scratches on the corneas. This will not interfere with LASIK. Andrew Caster, MD www.castervision.com

Andrew Caster, MD, FACS
Beverly Hills, CA

Answer 2:

Dear Tammy, You probably need to get new contacts or out of them A.S.A.P. These "scratches" are a sign of an unhappy corneal surface. When healed in a few days, they should not interfere with your surgery. David Cano, M.D. www.canovision.com

Question:

Hello- My eyes were Very bothered by any kind of light. My eyes would overtear terribly even on a cloudy day. I had a permanant tear duct replacement surgery in 1992. Will these duct replacements interfere with being a lasik canidate? Light still bothers me only occasinaly now. Thanks! Tammy

Answer:

Dear Tammy, As long as you do not have a dry eye problem as a result of this surgery, I do not believe that it will interfere with this surgery. You will need a complete evaluation first before having your surgery. David Cano, M.D. West Palm Beach, FL

Question:

I had an evaluation on my eyes for lasik surgery and because I'm far sighted the cost is very high comparred to the price my husband paid for his near sighted correction surgery. Is this always the case?

Answer 1:

Some of the very highly discounted centers do not perform farsighted surgery, which they consider more difficult. I believe that most doctors charge the same fee for nearsighted and farsighted LASIK. Andrew Caster, MD www.castervision.com

Andrew Caster, MD, FACS
Beverly Hills, CA

Answer 2:

Dear Tara, Unfortunately some of the pricing is unfair because it really should not cost much more for any kind of LASIK procedure unless it is being done on a different machine or with a "double card" treatment on some of the lasers that can't treat mixed astigmatism. There are high volume laser centers that will treat only very low degrees of myopia without astigmatism at a low price, but will double and even triple the cost to the patient even if they find a little astigmatism or a slightly higher correction out of this narrow range (Basically no one gets the advertised price!). It is the old "bait and switch" deal with you sitting in a chair while the go off to talk to their "manager" (i.e. they go off for a cup of coffee - just like in some car dealerships!) Buyer beware! David Cano, M.D.

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