Frequently Asked Questions on LASIK & Laser Vision Correction

To ensure the best results from your procedure, your eyes need to be “back to normal”. Contact lenses actually reshape your eye somewhat. So, you should allow for time without contacts—and yes, this means wearing glasses for several weeks. Your eye doctor can best advise you how long in your particular case.

Allow time for several appointments prior to your procedure. You should have several refractive measurements taken by your eye doctor to make sure the laser will be programmed to give you the optimal treatment.

How much experience does your team have? Do not be rushed in the pre-operative side of the procedure.

Quality = Time.

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While LASIK has been the most common laser procedure for several years, PRK has recently become the procedure of choice in many cases. Patients who want a procedure without creating a flap, whose corneas are too thin for LASIK, or whose occupations or vision requirements may preclude them from having the LASIK procedure, choose PRK. You will have ample time for an in depth discussion as to which type of Laser Vision Correction is right for you.

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This is the most important question to consider when choosing this life changing procedure. When you choose Pacific Laser Eye Center, you are selecting an entire team of professionals from the various fields of eye care. Your surgeon is one of the most experienced in the region—selected for experience, background and outcomes. Additionally, our surgeons have a long track record of service to the medical community here in Sonoma County, and have vast experience both with laser vision correction and comprehensive eye care. Our model of Co-management between our surgeons and your eye doctor ensure that you are in the best hands from the preoperative measurements through the follow-up examinations and the continued checkups with your eye doctor.

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Our team approach to patient care is unique in itself. Our mission is to give you the best experience and the best possible outcome from the entire process. In a word:

• The Trusted Choice of Vision Experts!
• Respected Surgeons
• Unsurpassed Patient Experience
• Superior Outcomes
• Technology at the Forefront
• Excellence in All We Do
• Dedicated, Well-Trained Employees Who Provide Caring, Compassionate, Quality Care
• We are dedicated to providing the best care on an individual basis for each patient, even if that means we don’t recommend Laser Vision Correction.

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Patients who are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism can most likely be treated with one of our laser techniques. The only way to truly know if you are a good candidate is to schedule a no-cost consultation and Advanced Diagnostic Testing with the professionals at Pacific Laser Eye Center. From there, we can help you to find out if this is the right procedure for your visual needs. We have the technology to quickly and easily check your current prescription and perform some important corneal measurements and mapping of the surface of your eye. If you are a candidate, your eye doctor will perform the precise preoperative measurements before your procedure. There are some medical conditions that affect the advisability of having Laser Vision Correction, which your doctor will discuss with you.

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LASIK is a two-step process. First a flap is created in the cornea with a precise laser known as VisuMax. The flap is then gently lifted to move to the second step. The Allegretto Wavelight® excimer laser then sculpts your prescription to the middle layer of the cornea. The flap is then laid back into place where it adheres like a decal, without sutures. An advantage to LASIK is that the surface cells of the cornea remain intact. This allows for faster stabilization of your vision and enhanced comfort.

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Laser Vision Correction is a surgical procedure and thus has some risk. When Laser Vision Correction is performed by a skilled and experienced surgeon in a professional setting the risks are minimal. Your postoperative care with your eye doctor is critical for early diagnosis and treatment of complications so you can maintain your good vision. It is very important to follow your doctor’s postoperative instructions completely. Complications may include loss of best-corrected visual acuity, reduced contrast sensitivity, glare, dry eyes, and infection. This is not a complete list of possible side effects and complications. It is very important to discuss the potential risks with your doctor prior to consenting to surgery.

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Your procedure will include prep time in the surgery suite and then your Laser Vision Correction all of which takes about 15 minutes for both eyes to be treated. The Allegretto Wavelight ® excimer laser corrects most prescriptions in less than a minute. To allow adequate time for preoperative preparation and postoperative examination, expect to spend approximately 60 minutes at Pacific Laser Eye Center. We schedule plenty of time for each patient to ensure personalized care and attention to detail.

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Many patients can return to near-normal activities the day after the procedure. Your eye doctor will advise you of any activities you should avoid during the immediate postoperative period. LASIK patients usually return to work in 2 days. PRK patients take a few days longer.

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The current fee is $2700 per eye. This fee includes all your pre-operative care, the surgery itself, and your post-operative care at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year (or more often if needed). The fee also includes any enhancements or touch-ups you may need for one year at no additional cost from the surgeon or laser center. This is covered through most Flex Spending Plans and Health Savings Accounts. We also offer financing through CareCredit. Ask us about the details!

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Most insurance companies still see Laser Vision Correction as an elective procedure, and do not cover the procedure.

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Ask an expert in vision care—your eye doctor! Pacific Laser Eye Center is based upon a strong relationship between the family eye doctor and the refractive surgeon specialist. Our surgeons are held to a high standard in order to maintain the confidence of both you as the patient and the skilled and experienced independent network eye doctors. To have so many eye doctors choosing to manage their patient care with Pacific Laser Eye Center is a testament to the skill, experience, and personality of the refractive surgical specialists.

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Absolutely! We are dealing with some of the most incredibly sophisticated medical equipment available. It is designed to be used by certified personnel under very controlled conditions that can be maintained only in a specialized environment. The manufacturers regularly update software and hardware components to take advantage of more capabilities. Many centers or independent doctors cannot afford the continuing costs of upgrades. You can have confidence that Pacific Laser Eye Center will always have the latest proven technology available.

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We have all heard the old adage, “If it sounds too good to be true…”. Laser Vision Correction is a surgical procedure that should only be performed by experts in vision care, providing the necessary preoperative time to comprehensively measure your required correction. There should be numerous follow-up appointments over the course of a year to monitor your healing process. If needed, secondary treatments should be included. You should have a team checking and double-checking the treatment process. We have seen many of the national low cost providers simply go out of business, leaving patients without care. With your eyesight, should you select anyone but the best?

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Glare, halos and ghosting (which may become most noticeable at night) were previously common side effects of laser procedures early on with the use of older technology. If you did not have any glare, halo or ghosting issues before Laser Vision Correction you will not likely have it after the procedure. Pacific Laser Eye Center has invested in the latest excimer laser equipment and protocols to substantially reduce the occurrence of these symptoms. Every set of eyes is different, as is each and every treatment. Talk to your eye doctor to determine the likelihood of your night vision being affected.

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Laser Vision Correction is not painful since anesthetizing eye drops are used during the procedure. After surgery, most patients experience little or no discomfort. You may feel a burning sensation, scratchy, watery or dry eyes, and your vision will be foggy on the first day. These symptoms are temporary and are not a problem for most patients. These symptoms usually disappear within 2-3 days.

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Due to the advanced technology used to perform Laser Vision Correction both eyes are usually treated on the same visit.

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Laser Vision Correction is considered to be a permanent procedure. However, it will not prevent any age-related conditions such as presbyopia or cataracts. They would need to be treated in the usual manner.

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