Undergoing corrective eye surgery such as LASIK can be a stressful and scary experience, so the most important decision you can make is finding the best surgeon for you. Everyone is different and finding someone who you can trust to help you achieve your vision goals and to make you feel as comfortable and secure as possible can be just as important as the surgery itself.
Here is a quick guide to help you choose an excellent LASIK surgeon for you at Laser vision correction center in Los Angeles.
How To Find The Best LASIK Surgeon:
Here are some aspects to consider when you check the qualifications, skills, and reputation of a refractive surgeon:
Board certification: Investigate whether your surgeon is certified apart from a basic license to practice medicine. This means a qualification that is acknowledged by the American Board of Medical Specialities which certifies the surgeon to practice his or her specialty.
Another trusted entity is the American Board of Ophthalmology since they require board-certified physicians to finish particular training and continue their education related to their specialty.
Licensing: If you aren’t too certain about a surgeon’s credentials, a state licensing board can confirm them. Also, you can validate a surgeon’s credentials through the National Practitioner Data Bank.
American College of Surgeons (ACS) membership: The ACS endorses ethical standards of conduct for all members, who have to be board certified. Surgeons who designate themselves with the acronym “FACS” after their names are Fellows of the American College of Surgeons.
Advertisements: From time to time, you may have seen refractive surgeons promote their corrective eye surgery services on radio, television and the Internet. Most of these adverts are a mixed bag of being informative to endorsing their affordable costs. Although this could be a place to start, an ad or a reasonably priced procedure should not be your main basis when choosing a doctor.
Referrals: If you are looking for a good refractive surgeon, then asking for a referral from your regular eye care practitioner is a good starting point. Make sure to inform your doctor that you are seeking a LASIK surgeon in your area with the best reputation in the profession.
Besides your eye doctor, the best LASIK surgeons themselves can be a good guide for referrals. If you or someone you know are aware of a refractive surgeon who is well respected in another state, get in touch with his or her office and ask for recommendations on the best eye surgeons in your area.
Other Resources: If you are looking for other ways to find an appropriate surgeon for corrective eye surgery, check out the eye surgeon directories on the websites of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).
You can also consult “Google” to search for LASIK surgeons in your area. For instance, do a search for “ LASIK Orange County” and research more about these doctors from their own websites.
What To Ask A Refractive Surgeon?
After you have pinpointed a surgeon in Los Angeles, make an appointment for a LASIK consultation. This is a crucial meeting, so don’t rush anything and take full advantage of it! Take note of any relevant questions you want to ask him or her and ask as many questions about LASIK and corrective eye surgery that you can think of. Don’t be afraid to ask anything because the surgeons are experts and are there to make you feel as confident and comfortable as possible.
Here are a few questions you should ask during your consultation with your refractive surgeon:
- How many procedures have you performed?
- What is your complication rate, and how does this correlate with the national averages?
- Is the surgery performed at your own clinic, or do I need to travel somewhere else?
- Has the surgical center you use ever had an onset of serious eye infections? If so, what triggers this?
- If I have any complications, what is your policy regarding follow-ups?
- If an enhancement is needed, do you charge extra?
- If you charge extra for enhancements, what reduction in price can you offer?
- If you do not charge extra for enhancements, what is your cut off date for addressing problems after the first procedure?
- Does your accountant department send out an itemized bill of all costs associated with LASIK or other Laser vision correction procedures?
Asking these questions and getting the right responses will make you feel confident that you have chosen the right doctor for your procedure. If you are not happy with any answers to your questions, move on to another consultation with a different surgeon.
Keep Other Refractive Procedures in Mind
Along with the above matters, you will also have to think about the surgeon’s flexibility and competence in several different refractive procedures. LASIK isn’t the only type of eye corrective surgery, and it isn’t a suitable procedure for everybody.
Pick a surgeon who is comfortable and experienced with a wide variety of procedures such as LASIK, PRK, LASEK and clear lens replacement (refractive lens exchange), and of course, make sure the surgeon is up-to-date with the latest technology.
If the doctor you have chosen proves to you that they have a thorough understanding of these different procedures, he or she can undoubtedly choose the one that best suits you to correct your specific vision issues.
It is not a bad idea to find out if the surgical center you are going to attend, has had any strange or recurrent outbreaks of eye infections – which can be very serious. Nowadays, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has made it a necessity for surgical center personnel to maintain an impeccable level of sanitation and sterilization when it comes to instruments and equipment.
If you want further information about LASIK surgery, other eye surgery procedures and choosing a reputable surgeon, give Excel Laser Vision Institute a call at + (818) 907-8606 today.
