Questions to Ask Your Laser Eye Surgeon – Part 1
The prospect of improved vision brings many people to Freedom Eye Laser for a consultation with our Medical Director, Dr James Genge. He believes good communication during this time is vital.
When you meet with Dr Genge, he starts by discussing your visual goals and wants to ensure you understand information regarding the procedure and follow-up. These consultations are a great opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have. We encourage patients to take an active role in their own vision care, so this is your time to be pro-active, to ask questions, and to let him know any time you feel concerns about your vision.
Sometimes patients are hesitant to ask questions because they’re afraid that the inquiries will seem as though they are questioning the doctor’s credentials, but Dr Genge stresses that questioning a prospective surgeon’s credentials are exactly what you should do! He encourages patients to ask whatever is on their mind, whether it is about his training and experience or what will happen during eye correction surgery. We’ve compiled our “top 5 list” of questions to help you achieve the best possible outcome with your eye correction surgery.
5 Questions to Ask Your Laser Eye Surgeon
At Freedom Eye Laser, every patient meets personally with Dr Genge for a consultation. That’s the way it should be. Sadly, some laser eye surgery clinics are run more like sausage factories than health care practices and are only offered the opportunity to meet their surgeon right before the surgery itself.
It is important that the person with whom you are consulting can answer these questions.
1. What is your experience?
Ask your surgeon about his/her specialty training and how many procedures, like the one you need, he/she has performed.
Dr Genge undertook advanced surgical training with a Laser Eye Surgery and Corneal Transplant Surgery Fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, one of the world’s leading eye institutions. Since his training, Dr Genge has performed thousands of laser eye surgery procedures.
2. What is your success rate with laser surgery for eyes?
Ask what percentage of patients have had successful procedures of the type you have in mind. You can also ask to see patient testimonials and ask how many have had serious complications following their eye correction surgery.
From a recent review (2018) of our last 100 patients undergoing primary LASIK with Contoura Vision, 100% of patients achieved 20/20 vision on first treatment. As the human body is organic, there is always a tiny possibility of variation of response to the laser. If corrections are needed, this occurs at no additional cost, once the eye has settled after 3 months.
Freedom Eye Laser achieves such precise outcomes by only using the most technologically advanced lasers and by Dr Genge’s meticulous attention to surgical technique detail.
3. What surgical technique do you recommend for me?
Ask your surgeon about the technology she/he will be using and then read up on it yourself. You will feel much more comfortable with your procedure armed with this knowledge.
Dr Genge favours the use of the Contoura Vision LASIK for eye correction surgery. This is the ALCON Refractive Suite – femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK using the Contoura Vision program. Unlike PRK and ASLA that cause 2 days of pain, increased risk of infection and 6-8 weeks for visual recovery, LASIK has a few hours of discomfort (which the patient typically sleeps through at home following the surgery) and excellent next day vision.
4. How long will the benefits of laser eye surgery last?
The superb vision achieved with the laser eye surgery at Freedom Eye Surgery will last a lifetime. There is a natural stiffening of the individual’s own lens that starts to make reading more difficult over the age of 45 years, although the distance vision remains the same. This occurs regardless of whether you have had laser or wear glasses or contact lenses. For this reason, Refractive Lens Exchange is performed over 45 years. Laser Vision Correction is more appropriate prior to this to take advantage of the natural lenses ability to change shape while it can and doesn’t affect the ability to have a lens replacement in the future.
5. What technology do you use?
You only have one pair of eyes, you obviously want the best for them. Freedom Eye Laser has the most advanced form of laser vision correction available, Contura Vision. As well as correcting your glasses prescription, it takes a 22,000 data point map of your cornea and then using this information, perfects all the subtle irregularities on the surface. It is the first time an eye procedure can achieve vision 2 lines on the chart better than what can be achieved with glasses.
If you’d like to know more about how Dr James Genge and the team at Freedom Eye Laser can help restore your vision with eye correction surgery, we hope you’ll contact us today for a consultation.
More on this topic: Questions to Ask Your Laser Eye Surgeon During Your Initial Consultation – Part 2
