Laser Eye Surgery Articles                

Tips on finding a good laser eye surgeon....9th Aug 2009

You have decided that glasses/contact lenses are no longer for you and you intend to have vision correction surgery.

What a pleasure it will be to look into a mirror without your glasses.

Now you have made your decision regarding vision correction surgery, you need to find a suitably qualified eye doctor.

If you want to buy a new pair of shoes or a dress you don't purchase them from the first boutique do you?

You shop around, and this principle applies to not only vision correction surgery but any kind of cosmetic surgical procedure.

In an ideal world, you will know several people who have already had such surgery, but how many of your friends/relatives have had this sort of treatment?

Let's assume we are commencing a fresh search for an eye doctor.

Of course, an obvious place to start searching for information is the internet and if you are lucky you may find advertisements for vision correction surgeons close to where you live, however, you must assess each eye doctor carefully irrespective of their location.

You will find details of various eye problems and procedures as well as a series of "frequently asked questions" complete with answers. Confusing isn't it? If you are employed by a large organisation or a company with branches across the country, it is worth sending a "round Robin" email to see if any other employees have had this sort of vision correction surgery and what results have been achieved.

You will be amazed how kind people who have undergone these sorts of procedures can be and how keen they are to recommend a good eye doctor.

Try asking your friends to contact their friends and family - the friend of a friend network is quite often successful in these instances.

Once you have made a short list of prospective surgeons, telephone their clinics explaining your situation, stressing you are at the enquiry stage and see if you can go and have a look around.

Remember, this is your decision and your eyes that are about to be operated on, and you must feel entirely happy, not only with your choice of venue for this surgery, but also with the eye doctor who will perform your procedure. It is imperative to ensure your surgeon will be available should you have any post-operative problems.

Some surgeons are really helpful and might be able to arrange for you to meet previous patients if you would like to. Of course, the surgeon has to have the previous patient's agreement to such a meeting in view of patient confidentiality.

Having decided which surgeon and clinic you wish to attend for your corrective eye surgery, telephone to make an appointment for an initial consultation with the surgeon. Before you go to meet them draw up a list of questions you would like to ask - for example what exactly is vision correction surgery, how is it performed, what is the success rate, am I a suitable candidate, and what does it cost?

After your meeting with the surgeon, you should be armed with sufficient information to enable you to decide whether or not you wish to proceed.