Will I have perfect vision after the procedure? Will I still need my glasses?

Experience has shown laser vision correction to be overwhelmingly successful in reducing myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. While you can expect improvement in your vision following the procedure, the degree of improvement may vary from individual to individual. Overall, 98% of typical patients achieve 20/30 vision or better after one procedure (ie. before any enhancements), which means that they no longer need glasses or contact lenses to drive, play sports, watch movies and watch TV, and that they can now participate in careers that require excellent vision such as in the police and fire departments.

The vast majority of patients achieve 20/20 vision following their laser procedure. Patients may receive a second procedure (an enhancement) to further improve their results if needed. Fewer than 10% of patients will require an enhancement procedure. This chance is less in patients with mild myopia (approximately a 2% chance) and greater in patients with extreme myopia (approximately a 25% chance). Ultimately, 99.5% of patients will have a visual acuity of 20/40 or better. Patients over 45 years of age who have perfect vision at distance following their LASIK procedure may require reading glasses for close work.

Has anyone ever gone blind from Excimer laser eye surgery?

More than 10 million patients in 52 countries have had their vision improved as a result of excimer laser technology. No cases of blindness have ever been reported from either the PRK or LASIK procedures.

What are the long term effects of the procedure?

The excimer laser procedure has been prevalent in many countries around the world since the late 1980's. Many clinical studies have investigated the long term effects of the excimer laser on the cornea and no long term negative effects on the integrity of the eye have been demonstrated in any of the studies.

Patients who require an enhancement procedure or develop a problem will typically do so within the first few months following the procedure, not years later.

Dr. Donnenfeld has performed more laser vision correction procedures than any other LASIK surgeon in New York. The majority of his patients achieved 20/20 vision after their procedure and remain, to date, 20/20 without any difficulties.

What are the risks of the Excimer laser procedure?

It is essential that you understand as much as possible about the risks associated with the excimer laser procedure before surgery. Although only a very small percent of laser vision correction patients experience complications or side effects, the excimer laser procedure, as does any surgical procedure, has limitations and risks.

The risk of having a serious vision-threatening complication is less than 0.1%.

Risks of the laser procedure include under-correction and over-correction (which can be improved with an enhancement procedure), infection, healing haze, night glare, loss of best corrected vision, corneal flap risks, and contact lens intolerance.

Does the procedure hurt?

The surgical procedure is performed using a topical anesthetic in the form of eye drops. You will not have any pain or discomfort during the procedure itself although some patients may feel pressure from the lid speculum which holds the eye open during the procedure. With new techniques, less than one patient in ten has pain after the procedure. This pain can be treated with pain medication for 24 to 48 hours. Most patients experience only some irritation or foreign body sensation, light sensitivity, and watering of the eyes for a few hours.

Can anyone have it done? Am I a candidate?

In general, candidates for the excimer laser procedure must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years of age or older
• Have stable vision for a year prior to the procedure
• Be free of certain diseases of the cornea and retina
• Have realistic expectations about the outcome of the procedure
• Understand that complications, while rare, can result.

Every person’s situation is unique. In order to assess whether you are a candidate, you must have a pre-procedure consultation.

Can I have both eyes done on the same day?

LASIK is usually performed on both eyes the same day. In the event that this cannot be done safely, one eye will be treated at a time.

If a patient's second eye is treated at a separate time than the first, one of the following three methods is used to gap the transition period:

• The patient will wear a contact lens in the untreated eye during that period
• The patient will wear his or her glasses with one lens covered or removed
• The patient will do nothing to the untreated eye

Dr. Donnenfeld will speak to you prior to your procedure to discuss which solution is best for you.

What is included in the cost of the procedure?

The fee for the LASIK procedure includes:

• Personal consultation
• Pre-operative evaluation, including corneal topographical mapping
• Surgical procedure
• All post-operative visits for a period of 12 months
• Lifetime commitment of Dr. Donnenfeld and TLC

Multiple finance plans are available.

To make an appointment with Dr. Donnenfeld, you can call TLC Laser Eye Center at (516) 742-2020 or Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) -
Rockville Centre at 516-766-2519.