Questions to Ask Before LASIK Eye Surgery
Questions for a LASIK consultation, focused on who is operating and on what your own measurements show: candidacy, corneal thickness, dry eye and night vision risk, the surgeon's volume and complication rate, and what follow-up is included.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Based on my measurements, am I a suitable candidate, and which numbers decide that?
Why ask it
You want your own figures quoted back: corneal thickness, prescription, pupil size, tear film. A generic yes without reference to your scans means the assessment has not been explained to you.
Has my prescription been stable, and for how long?
Why ask it
Correcting an eye that is still changing means the change continues after surgery. Ask what records were used, since a stable reading over one year is a weaker basis than two.
How thick are my corneas, and how much tissue would be removed?
Why ask it
The tissue left behind is what limits both safety and any future retreatment. If the margin is slim, that is the point at which a surface procedure becomes the safer recommendation.
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.
What is my risk of dry eye, and do I have signs of it already?
Why ask it
Dry eye is the most common lasting complaint after LASIK, and pre-existing dryness raises the odds. If you already use drops, this should change the discussion rather than be noted in passing.
How large are my pupils in dim light, and what does that mean for night vision?
Why ask it
Larger pupils are associated with more glare, halos, and starbursts at night. If you drive for a living or at night regularly, that is a specific consideration rather than a general risk.
Would PRK, SMILE, or an implantable lens suit me better, and why?
Why ask it
A surgeon who performs several procedures can explain why yours was chosen. If only one procedure is offered at this clinic, weigh the recommendation accordingly.
How many of these procedures have you personally performed, and how many last year?
Why ask it
Career totals can be inflated by counting eyes rather than patients, and recent volume matters more than history. Ask both figures and note whether they are given without hesitation.
What is your own retreatment rate, and how do you track outcomes?
Why ask it
Surgeons who audit their results can quote a number and describe how it is measured. Not knowing tells you more than any figure quoted from industry literature.
Which laser will be used, and will you be operating or a colleague?
Why ask it
Some clinics book you with a consultant and operate with a visiting surgeon. Getting the name in writing now avoids meeting someone new on the day.
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.
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.
Will I still need reading glasses, and when?
Why ask it
LASIK does not prevent age-related loss of near focus, and patients in their forties often need readers soon after. If this was not raised before you asked, take the rest of the consultation more sceptically.
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 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.
Which follow-up visits are included in the price, and over what period?
Why ask it
Some clinics include a year of follow-up and some include one week. Ask what happens to the fee if you need to be seen repeatedly for slow healing or dryness.
If the result falls short, when could it be retreated and at whose cost?
Why ask it
Ask for the enhancement policy in writing, including the time limit and whether your corneal thickness would even allow it. Verbal lifetime guarantees usually have conditions attached.
How do you manage patients who develop persistent dryness or night glare?
Why ask it
A clinic that treats these often will describe a stepped plan. A clinic that says it does not happen is either unusually fortunate or not following patients up long enough to know.
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.
Getting a straight answer at the consultation
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you attend
- 1Come out of contact lenses for the period the clinic specifies, since lenses distort the measurements the whole assessment rests on.
- 2Bring your prescription history from as far back as you can get it, including old glasses records.
- 3List your medications and any autoimmune or dry eye diagnoses, both of which affect suitability.
- 4Write down what you actually want: driving without glasses, sport, reading, work at a screen. The best procedure differs by goal.
- 5Take someone with you, and expect your vision to be blurred by the dilating drops for hours afterwards.
Warning signs during the consultation
A price that expires today
Time-limited discounts belong to sales, not surgery. A clinic willing to hold the price for a month is telling you something useful about how it operates.
Never meeting the surgeon
If the whole assessment is done by an optometrist and counsellor with no surgeon consultation offered before the day, ask for one. Declining that request answers the question.
Risks raised only by you
Dry eye, night glare, and reading glasses should come up unprompted. A consultation where you introduce every downside has been designed to sell rather than to inform.
No discussion of alternatives
Being told LASIK suits everyone is not a clinical opinion. Suitability is decided by measurements, and some people who enquire are turned down, so ask what would have made you one of them.
Making the decision
Get the numbers in writing
Corneal thickness, prescription, planned tissue removal, and expected residual thickness. With these you can get a second opinion that means something.
A second assessment is cheap
This is elective surgery on healthy eyes. If two clinics disagree about your suitability, that disagreement is the most valuable thing you will learn.
Ask what your worst case looks like
Not the odds, the outcome. If the honest answer is chronic dryness or difficulty driving at night, decide whether you could live with it before booking.
Check the regulator and the professional body
Both the eye surgery regulator in your country and the relevant ophthalmology college publish patient information on laser vision correction, and it is written without a commercial interest in your decision.