What is Involved?

Initial free suitability assessment

Will take around an hour and will involve a series of examinations and testing of your eyes. Not all people who want to have refractive surgery are suitable. It is necessary to go through a series of steps to ensure that someone seeking surgery has a good chance of a successful result and understands the risks as well as the benefits. Laser Vision Clinic Central Coast has the some of the most sophisticated diagnostic equipment for assessment of patients.

You will be asked to provide your current glasses prescription, ideally containing recent measurements by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.

If you wear soft contact lenses you will be asked to leave these out for 48 hours prior to initial assessment. If you wear hard or RGP contact lenses, you will need to change to soft lenses and have regular visits with your eye care provider until your refractive error stabilises. This can take several months.

At the initial suitability assessment we will:

• Ask you about your eyes and general medical health;
• Make a map of your corneas to check the eye shape; and
• Do some simple eye measurements

You will have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

If after the initial suitability assessment you appear suitable for vision correction, then you can proceed to a full medical assessment.

Medical assessment

The medical assessment is with the eye surgeon. During this appointment we will check your focusing carefully and the general health of your eyes.
The eye surgeon will further examine your eyes and determine your suitability. The eye surgeon will then discuss the right type of procedure for you (if any) as well as likely results and possible risks. Once again you’ll have an opportunity to ask further questions.
It is important to understand that you will be under no obligation to proceed with the surgery and you can withdraw at any time if you wish. You will be charged a fee for this medical consultation.
If you decide to proceed an appointment for surgery will be made at a convenient time for you.

Procedure

LASIK is a “day surgery” procedure where you walk in and walk out afterwards. The entire experience will take around two hours, but the procedure itself is usually over in less than 30 minutes.
When you arrive at Laser Vision Clinic Central Coast on the day of the procedure:

• We will check your informed consent document and ensure that any additional questions have been answered
• A member of staff will spend time with you to explain the procedure and what you will need to do following surgery
• Prior to surgery you will be seen again by the eye surgeon who will discuss any points necessary. Following this, refractive surgery will be performed.

Most people experience little or no pain, though some discomfort is possible. You’ll be awake for the procedure and typically only the eyes need to be numbed usually with anaesthetic drops. In some cases, your eye surgeon may give a mild oral sedative, as well, to help keep you relaxed and comfortable.

Immediately after the procedure
Your eye surgeon will want you to rest and when satisfied with your condition, you will be released to go home. You won’t be ready to drive yet, so someone should be with you. Your eye surgeon may give you protective sunglasses or shields to wear to protect your eyes.

1 day after
Following bladeless LASIK visual recovery is rapid with most patients seeing very well the next day and their eyes feeling fairly normal.

Following ASA / PRK vision will be quite fuzzy during the first week. However, most people have good functional vision even at the first day after surgery with most patients seeing at least 6/12 (half way down the eye chart).

1 week after
Following ASA / PRK by the 6th day, when the contact lens is removed, most patients are expected to be well enough to drive. About 90% of ASA / PRK patients will be seeing well enough to return to normal activities by day 6 or 7. Full time computer workers may need a few extra days to recover.

Your vision will improve rapidly in the first few weeks after surgery, but can take one to three months to fully stabilise.