A clear view, a beautiful future.

The goal of laser surgery is to free the person from eyeglasses or lenses. Achieving this means the laser surgery was successful. We plan laser treatment so that the patient is left with no diopter at all. However, due to individual differences, some people may be left with a low residual diopter such as 0.25, 0.50, or even 0.75. These residual diopters usually do not create a need for eyeglasses and are therefore not considered a failure. We never tell our patients “your diopter will be reset to zero”; instead we say, “our goal is for you to no longer need eyeglasses or lenses.” The term “reset to zero” is a marketing expression, not a scientific one.

Excimer laser eye surgery does not cause cataracts. If someone who has had excimer laser eye surgery develops cataracts later in life, there is no obstacle whatsoever to having cataract surgery. The belief that “people who have had laser eye surgery cannot have cataract surgery” is completely false.

No pain is felt during excimer laser eye surgery.

The likelihood of the diopter returning after excimer laser surgery is very low. The likelihood is somewhat higher for procedures performed at a young age, before the diopter has stabilized, and at high diopters. However, when the suitable patient criteria mentioned above are met, the likelihood of the diopter returning is very low. If some diopter does return in the future, laser surgery can be performed again.

The common belief that “laser surgery cannot correct astigmatism” is false. Astigmatism is successfully treated with excimer laser.

The most common side effect after laser surgery is dry eye. In almost all patients this dryness is temporary and resolves with medication. However, caution is needed if the patient has severe dry eye before surgery. This once again highlights the importance of having laser surgery performed by an ophthalmologist experienced in laser and corneal surgery, and of a careful preoperative exam.

Even if the eye moves, the laser device detects it immediately and adjusts the laser pulse accordingly.

You can return to your daily routine the day after LASIK, or on day 3 after PRK.

One common misconception is that doctors don't have laser eye surgery. Because of their long and demanding training, doctors in fact have a higher rate of vision problems, and therefore of wearing eyeglasses. Many of our colleagues have solved this problem with laser surgery. A significant proportion of physicians who do not wear eyeglasses have, in fact, had laser surgery. A study published in one of the world's most prestigious ophthalmology journals confirms this. In this study, ophthalmologists who perform laser surgery (refractive surgeons) were surveyed. According to the results, 62.6% of refractive surgeons whose eyes were suitable for laser surgery had the procedure themselves, and more than 90% said they would recommend laser surgery to their close relatives. (Guy M Kezirian et al. Prevalence of laser vision correction in ophthalmologists who perform refractive surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg 2015; 41:1826-1832)