Refractive Surgery FAQS

Thanks to technological advances, this really isn’t an issue. The new technology “tracks” your eye to compensate for even the slightest eye movement.

No. Your vision may be blurry in the first few hours after the procedure. You will also be given a mild sedative prior to surgery and, therefore, will need someone to drive you home. You may resume driving once you are visually confident, often by the next day.

You will be told to avoid rubbing your eyes and swimming for two weeks. Feel free to ask about specific activities that are important to you.

Most people are able to return to work the day after refractive surgery. With PRK, we usually recommend waiting two or three days.

It is recommended that you avoid using eye make-up for the first week after surgery to reduce the risk of infection.

Although uncommon, in order to deliver the best visual result possible, additional procedures or “enhancements” may be required or recommended.

For example, with laser vision correction, your eye may either over- or under-respond to the laser treatment. This can be addressed with an additional laser procedure to refine the result.

Laser procedures/enhancements can also be used to correct residual amounts of refractive error or astigmatism following lens implant surgery. There is no charge for enhancements performed within one year of surgery.

Insurance companies consider refractive surgery to be an elective procedure because it is not medically necessary. Therefore, it is not covered by insurance.

Your vision may fluctuate slightly for a few weeks following laser vision correction, especially with PRK. This should not be a dramatic fluctuation in your vision, but may be noticeable.

Vision stabilizes more quickly after lens implant procedures, and should improve day by day. Double vision, loss of depth perception, and/or unbalanced vision is common during the period of time between the two eye surgeries.

No.

Both the IOL and ICL implants are placed inside the eye (behind the iris) and are invisible to you, as well as others.

By middle age, everyone will need reading glasses. Typically, we aim to correct distance vision with refractive procedures, so nearsighted patients will lose their ability to remove their glasses to see clearly up close. The only refractive procedure that will reduce your dependence on reading glasses is a refractive lens exchange (RLE) using an expanded range of vision IOL.

Yes. You will use eye drops to prevent any possible chance of infection and promote healing. The drop type(s) and schedule may vary depending on your specific procedure. Lubricating drops are also recommended.

We accept cash, check and credit card payments. We also offer financing through Care Credit with “deferred interest” for two years. You may want to consider using a flex-spending account if you have one available through your place of employment.