subject: What To Consider When Selecting A Lasik Doctor - Tips [print this page] Laser refractive surgery LASIK, in particular has transformed the lives of millions of patients who had once relied on glasses or contact lenses. Unfortunately, however, a tiny percentage of patients who underwent LASIK suffered significant damage to their vision. In most cases, this was due to the incompetence of the eye surgeon who performed the procedure. This is why it is highly important to look for the following traits in the laser eye surgeon you select to perform your LASIK eye surgery:
He or she should have at least five years of surgical experience and a history of consistent success. Everybody needs to start somewhere, of course. But you want to entrust your precious vision to a surgeon who has had years of training, education, and, most of all, experience in performing LASIK.
A good LASIK surgeon will allow you to read testimonials of actual patients. He or she will also have statistics about his or her success rate at his or her disposal.
Make sure that your LASIK surgeon participates in continuing education programs. In order to maintain his or her licensure, a LASIK doctor must participate in a certain number of hours of continuing education each year. Many of the best surgeons go above and beyond these requirements in order to stay abreast of the latest developments in LASIK technology and to offer the most beneficial techniques possible to their patients.
The best LASIK surgeon for you is not necessarily the least - or the most - expensive. Be wary of so-called discount LASIK providers; your vision is essential to you, and you do not want to take risks with it in order to save money. Likewise, the quality of a surgeons work is not necessarily reflected in how much he or she charges. Look carefully at a surgeons credentials, experience, success rate, and overall manner, as well as the technology he or she uses. The cost of LASIK surgery should be a secondary concern compared to these more accurate ways of measuring a doctors skills.
