What To Expect During LASIK: The Procedure

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Part Three Of Three Detailing The Steps Of LASIK Vision Correction

After you’ve done your free consultation and had your pre-operative exam before a LASIK procedure, it’s time for the big day: the actual LASIK vision correction surgery.

The procedure itself normally takes about 15 minutes. But there are a few things you need to do to prepare.

There are no diet restrictions before your surgery, but you should not wear makeup, and you should avoid perfume or cologne, because fragrances can interfere with the laser. Wear comfortable clothes. Being relaxed and comfortable can help both you and the Campbell Cunningham Laser Center Staff.

After the procedure, you won’t be able to drive, so you will need someone to drive you home. The staff at Campbell Cunningham Laser Center will have given you paperwork to complete before the procedure; make sure you have it with you and that you’ve completed it.

Campbell Cunningham Laser Center uses the VISX STAR S4™ Excimer Laser System. This state-of-the art technology works in conjunction with Advanced CustomVue™ laser vision correction to provide optimum outcomes. With our technology, every procedure is customized to the patient, because we make a detailed map of each eye. The physician knows precisely where to direct the laser–even if it’s a tiny correction–to provide the best possible results.

Our technology has also allowed some patients who were previously not eligible for LASIK vision correction to have the procedure. In the past, a thin cornea may have disqualified some people interested in LASIK. With our blade-free technology, a thinner flap is possible, thus allowing many persons with thin corneas to have laser vision correction. Also, a flap that is individualized to each patient can result in better postoperative outcomes. More patients in clinical trials achieved 20/20 or better vision when their procedure was performed using our Blade Free Intralase™ System. Patients also report better quality vision overall, particularly in terms of their ability to see well in low light, such as at dusk or at night.

Once you are ready for the procedure, the Blade Free Intralase System uses tiny, rapid pulses of laser light to create the corneal flap during the first step of LASIK. Each pulse of light passes through the top layers of the cornea and forms a microscopic bubble at a specific depth and position within your eye that is determined by your surgeon.

Our surgeon will ask you to look at a flashing red light as he begins your procedure. He will monitor your eye through the microscope at all times. You will hear a clicking sound the laser makes during the surgery. This is perfectly normal.

After your procedure, Drs. Philip D. Campbell and Leslie B. Cunningham will examine your eyes in the post-op exam room. The technician will review your post-operative instructions and give you a time the next day to come back for your post-operative follow-up exam.

You will then be allowed to leave with your driver to go home to rest. You will take home post-operative instructions and a post-operative kit to help you care for your eye.

Following your surgery, you will typically come back for follow-up examinations one day after your procedure and then at the following intervals: two weeks, one month, three months, six months and 12 months. At any time, if you have any reason for additional post-operative care on other occasions, you may be seen at no additional cost.

Want to see if LASIK is right for you? Click here to get started with a free consultation. Our staff will provide you will full details about LASIK vision correction, financing, and other details, including our special Fall Discount.