Questions to Ask Before LASIK
Questions for someone weighing up laser eye surgery: a few to settle with yourself, and the questions to ask your LASIK surgeon at the consultation. They cover what it would and would not fix, the full cost including follow-up, your measurements and the surgeon's own record, the day itself, time off work, driving and screen use afterwards, and what happens if the result falls short.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Before you book
What do I want that glasses or contact lenses are not giving me?
Why ask it
Worth answering before any clinic asks. Sport, an occupation, or persistent contact lens intolerance are solid reasons; general dislike of glasses is a reason to look harder at the risks.
Am I in the age range where this makes sense for me?
Why ask it
Prescriptions are still shifting for many people in their early twenties, and by the mid forties near vision is changing anyway. Both ends of that range change what surgery can offer.
Would I still need glasses for anything afterwards?
Why ask it
Reading glasses are the common answer for anyone over about forty, and some people still need a light prescription for night driving. Anyone promising total independence from glasses is overselling.
What is the total price, and what is not in it?
Why ask it
Compare the full amount rather than the advertised one: consultation, the procedure at your prescription, drops, follow-up visits, and any retreatment. Advertised prices usually describe the simplest case.
Does the price change depending on my prescription or the technique used?
Why ask it
Many clinics price in tiers, and the tier you are quoted at the assessment can differ from the one in the advertisement. Ask which tier you fall into before you pay a deposit.
If I pay a deposit, what happens if I am found unsuitable or change my mind?
Why ask it
Refund terms vary and are rarely volunteered. Get the cancellation policy in writing, particularly if you are being encouraged to book on the day of the assessment.
How would this affect my job or hobbies specifically?
Why ask it
Some occupations have their own rules on refractive surgery, including parts of the military, aviation, and emergency services. Check with the employer or licensing body rather than the clinic.
Do you have any complaints or regulatory findings on record?
Why ask it
Most countries publish inspection or registration information on clinics offering refractive surgery, and the clinic knows what is on its own record. Asking directly tells you how candidly they answer awkward questions.
If I decide against surgery, what would you expect my vision to do either way?
Why ask it
This asks the surgeon to describe the no-surgery path honestly, which is the one comparison consultations tend to skip. Reluctance to discuss it is itself informative.
Candidacy
Am I suitable for LASIK, and which of my measurements tells you that?
Why ask it
You want the numbers behind the answer: corneal thickness, pupil size, tear film, prescription range. A yes with no measurements attached is worth checking at a second clinic.
What is my prescription, and has it been stable?
Why ask it
A prescription still shifting is a reason to wait, because the correction is fixed to the measurement taken on the day. Ask how many years of records they want to see, and bring old prescriptions if you have them.
How thick are my corneas, and how much tissue would be removed?
Why ask it
This is the constraint that decides both whether treatment is safe and whether it can be repeated later. Ask what would be left afterwards, and whether that leaves room for an enhancement.
Do my scans show any sign of irregular or thinning cornea?
Why ask it
Early keratoconus is the finding that most often rules LASIK out, and it can be subtle. Ask whether corneal topography and tomography were both done, because they are not the same test.
How long do I need to be out of contact lenses before the measurements are valid?
Why ask it
Lenses change the shape of the cornea, and soft and rigid lenses require different periods out. If today's measurements were taken too soon after wearing them, they may need repeating before surgery is planned.
Who takes the measurements, and will you review them yourself before the day of surgery?
Why ask it
Workups are often done by technicians and the surgeon sometimes meets the patient only briefly beforehand. It is reasonable to want the person operating to have looked at your scans and to be able to discuss them.
Do my eyes show signs of dryness already, and would you treat that first?
Why ask it
Dry eye that is there before surgery is one of the things surgeons look for, because the procedure can add to it. Ask what your tear tests showed, and whether treating it for a few weeks and measuring again would change the plan.
Does anything in my health or the medication I take change your advice?
Why ask it
Bring the full list, including things that seem to have nothing to do with eyes: diabetes, autoimmune conditions, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and some long-term medicines can all bear on healing or on timing. The surgeon can only weigh what is on the form.
What would make you decline to operate on me?
Why ask it
Asking what rules a patient out reveals the criteria in use. If the answer is that hardly anyone gets turned away, that tells you how carefully patients are screened here.
What would you recommend for me if I were not a candidate for LASIK?
Why ask it
The alternative plan tells you whether the clinic reasons about eyes or sells one procedure. Surface treatments and implantable lenses each suit particular measurements.
Your LASIK surgeon
Who performs the surgery, and how many have they done in the last year?
Why ask it
At some clinics the person who assesses you is not the person operating. Ask for the surgeon's name and their recent volume rather than the clinic's total.
What is your training in refractive surgery, and where can I check your registration?
Why ask it
Titles and registers differ by country, so ask which body the surgeon is registered or certified with and look them up yourself afterwards. It takes two minutes, and a good surgeon expects it.
Which laser and technique would be used, and why that one for me?
Why ask it
Techniques differ, including whether a flap is created at all. Ask why this one suits your eyes rather than what the technology is called, and what the alternative would mean for healing.
What proportion of your patients with my prescription reach driving standard vision without glasses?
Why ask it
The relevant figure is for prescriptions like yours, not for all patients. Higher corrections have lower rates, and a clinic averaging everything together is obscuring that.
What result are you aiming for in each eye?
Why ask it
The target is not always sharp distance vision in both eyes: a surgeon may plan to leave one slightly short-sighted to help with reading later. Hearing the target in plain words tells you what the result will be judged against.
If monovision is being suggested, can I trial it in contact lenses first?
Why ask it
Deliberately correcting one eye for distance and one for near suits some people and is unbearable for others. A trial in lenses is reversible, and a reluctance to offer one is worth questioning.
Will both eyes be treated on the same day, and what would make you do them separately?
Why ask it
Same-day treatment is the usual arrangement, which is why the reasons for an exception are the useful part. Ask what would happen to the second eye if the first did not go to plan.
If you are unavailable on the day, would another surgeon operate or would I be rebooked?
Why ask it
Larger clinics sometimes run lists that more than one surgeon covers. If you chose this person on purpose, say that you would prefer a new date to a substitute, and ask for that to be noted on your file.
Can I reach you with more questions between this consultation and the day?
Why ask it
Questions tend to arrive at home, after the appointment is over. Find out whether they go to the surgeon, a nurse or a sales coordinator, and how long a reply usually takes.
Risks
What are the odds of needing a second procedure, and would I be able to have one?
Why ask it
Retreatment depends on having enough corneal tissue left, so the answer may be no regardless of policy. Ask both questions together, because a generous guarantee is worthless without the tissue.
What are the chances I end up with worse night vision than I have now?
Why ask it
Glare, halos, and starbursts around lights are among the more common lasting complaints. If you drive at night regularly, weigh this more heavily than the average patient would.
How likely is lasting dry eye, and what does it involve if I get it?
Why ask it
Ask what treatment looks like and how long it goes on, not just the probability. For most people it settles within months, and for a minority it becomes an ongoing routine of drops.
What is the most common complication you see, and how do you treat it?
Why ask it
Naming one produces something concrete rather than a risk list: dry eye, night glare, halos, flap problems, under-correction. Ask how each is managed and who pays for that.
What would make you stop mid-procedure, and what happens then?
Why ask it
Flap complications and suction loss are uncommon but real, and there is a standard response to each. A surgeon willing to talk through the abandoned case is one who has planned for it.
How long should the correction last, and will my eyesight drift over the years?
Why ask it
The reshaping does not wear off, but eyes carry on changing with age, and some prescriptions creep back a little. Ask what the surgeon sees in patients like you five or ten years on.
What would it mean for me if the result was poor?
Why ask it
This is a question for yourself rather than the clinic. Being clear about what you could tolerate is more useful than any risk percentage, because you are the one who lives with the outcome.
Surgery day
What are the pre-operative rules, and how far in advance do they start?
Why ask it
Lens wear, eye make-up, and some medications need stopping days or weeks before, and getting it wrong can mean rescheduling. Ask for the dates rather than the general instruction.
When do I sign the consent form, and can I take it home to read first?
Why ask it
Consent signed in the waiting room minutes before surgery is not much of a decision. Ask for the form at the consultation, read the risks it lists at your own pace, and bring back anything you do not follow.
What does the day itself involve, and what will I be able to do that evening?
Why ask it
Ask about the sedative, how long you will be in the building, and who must drive you home. Most people are functional the next day, but the first evening is uncomfortable and best planned for.
What will I see, hear and feel while it is happening?
Why ask it
Ask for it in order: the numbing drops, the pressure on the eye, the moment vision dims, the sounds and the smell while the laser works. A sensation you were told to expect is far less alarming when it arrives.
What happens if I move, blink or look away while the laser is running?
Why ask it
Nearly everyone worries about this one and few say so. Ask how the eyelids are held, whether the laser follows the eye and pauses if it drifts, and what the surgeon wants you to do if you need to stop.
Recovery
How much time should I take off work?
Why ask it
Most people manage a day or two, but screen-heavy work is uncomfortable for longer and dusty or physical work may need more. Give the clinic your actual job rather than accepting the standard answer.
When can I drive again, and who decides that?
Why ask it
It depends on meeting the legal standard rather than on how you feel, and it is checked at a follow-up appointment. Arrange lifts for the first days rather than assuming you will be cleared.
How long until my vision settles, and what will it be like in between?
Why ask it
Fluctuation over days or weeks is normal, and it can feel alarming if nobody said so. Ask what change would be normal healing and what would be a reason to ring.
What will my eyes feel like for the first week?
Why ask it
Grittiness, light sensitivity, and watering are usual for a few days. Knowing the ordinary version in advance makes it much easier to judge if something is going wrong.
What drops and medication will I need, for how long, and are they included?
Why ask it
Post-operative drops run for weeks and can be a real cost. Ask about preservative-free options if you already have dry eyes, since the standard drops can aggravate it.
What activities must I avoid, and for how long?
Why ask it
Swimming, contact sport, dusty work, and eye make-up all have separate timelines, and rubbing your eyes matters most in the first weeks. Get the list in writing rather than trusting memory.
Who do I call out of hours in the first week, and what counts as urgent?
Why ask it
Sudden pain, worsening vision, or a knock to the eye needs same-day assessment. Establish before the operation whether that means a phone number, a clinic, or a hospital eye department.
Who will I see at each follow-up visit, and how many visits are included?
Why ask it
Checks the next day and over the following months are often shared between the surgeon, the clinic's optometrists and sometimes your own. Ask for the schedule in writing, and which of those visits the surgeon does in person.
Who will treat me if something goes wrong, and what if the clinic closes?
Why ask it
Aftercare for a chain clinic in another city is a genuine practical problem. Ask whether your own optometrist can share follow-up and whether records would be released to them.
What is the long-term care after this, and would I still need eye tests?
Why ask it
You still need routine eye examinations afterwards, and your surgical measurements matter to any future cataract surgery. Ask for a written record of the treatment to keep.
Working out whether to go ahead
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Comparing clinics on the same basis
- 1Get two or three written quotes for your own prescription rather than the headline price.
- 2Write down what each includes: consultation, drops, number of follow-up visits, and the period covered.
- 3Ask each clinic which procedure they recommend and why. Disagreement between them is worth understanding before you choose.
- 4Check who performs the surgery and whether you would meet them before the day.
- 5Ask each what happens if you need retreatment, and whether your measurements would permit it.
Practical arrangements people forget
- Someone to drive you home, and lifts for the following day or two.
- Sunglasses for the journey home, since light sensitivity is immediate.
- Preservative-free drops to hand, and a note of when each type stops.
- Time booked off that allows for a bad first day rather than assuming a good one.
- No swimming, contact sport, or eye make-up for the period the clinic specifies, and no rubbing your eyes at all in the early weeks.
If you feel pushed
Deposits taken at the assessment
Being asked to book while your eyes are still dilated is a sales pattern rather than a clinical one. It is entirely reasonable to go home and confirm later.
Finance offered before the risks
If payment plans are discussed in more detail than dry eye and night vision, the conversation has the wrong shape. Ask for the risk discussion again, and take notes.
Reviews as evidence
Clinic-hosted testimonials tell you little. Regulatory records, your own optometrist's opinion, and people you know personally are all worth more.