Ask The Doctors About

Refractive Surgery

 

Many of our patients are asking questions about LASIK, PRK, and Radial Keratotomy (RK). All these are procedures that fall under the heading of refractive surgery. The aim of refractive surgery is reshaping the front of the eye (cornea) so that images can be focused on the retina without glasses or contact lenses.

Who is a good candidate for refractive surgery?

 Dr. Bumgardner: With advances that have been made in the last few years in this field, two things have happened. #1- and most importantly, we’ve reached a point where I feel comfortable recommending refractive surgery for the right patient in terms of safety and predictable results. #2 is that the group of patients who are good candidates is bigger now than it has been in the past since larger degrees of near-sightedness can be corrected and astigmatism can be surgically managed as well.

Dr. Boyle: I would add that it is important to have a stable prescription prior to refractive surgery to make sure that we’ll get a lasting result. As Dr. Bumgardner said, the range of prescriptions that can be done is larger now than it used to be, but there still are some limitations. A moderately near-sighted patient probably has a better chance of not needing glasses at all, while a patient with severe near-sightedness would more reasonably expect to wear much thinner lenses, or maybe even no lenses for certain activities after refractive surgery. As you can see, expectations will play a role in determining who will be a good candidate. Any procedure would be contraindicated in children as their eyes are far more likely to be changing during the growing years.    

What role does the optometrist play in refractive surgery?         

 Dr. Bumgardner: As the family eye doctor, my role is to help my patients make a good decision. This requires some fairly extensive testing prior to consulting with a surgeon. We’ll need a prescription determination under dilation after not wearing contact lenses for a period of time in order to measure the refraction precisely. This is critical information the surgeon will need to reshape the cornea for the best possible vision after surgery. 

Dr. Boyle: We’ll also need to spend some time talking about the risks and possible complications associated with the procedure we’re recommending. We want our patients to have all the information they need to make a decision they are comfortable with. We also will spend some time talking about expectations. What a patient expects in terms of the outcome is extremely important in the decision they are making. 

Dr. Bumgardner: Refractive surgery does involve a big decision on the part of our patients. Because this is so important, we have committed ourselves to take the reins in this process. Dr. Boyle and I are here to guide you through the decision making, the preoperative measurements, and the post-op care which typically involves 3-5 visits after surgery.

 Dr. Boyle: We do become well acquainted with our refractive surgery patients and that’s actually quite rewarding as these people are so pleased with things like being able to get up in the night without having to stumble and fumble around looking for their glasses!  

Because there are so many things to consider in refractive surgery we encourage those of you who have questions to call or stop by - we have printed materials and even videos you can borrow. We enjoy working with the fine surgeons and staff at the office below.