Things to Avoid while Preparing for Lasik Eye Surgery

Lasik surgery is the procedure where a person’s sight is made better by making use of lasers in the surgery. This surgery has been successfully conducted on several thousands of people who have had very good results. The ideal candidates to take up this treatment are those who are in good health and have low to moderate troubles with their sight. One thing to reflect on while planning for Lasik treatment is to be prepared for the surgery. There are certain don’ts that need to be borne in mind when considering the procedure.

As in any surgery, patients undergoing Lasik should also have sufficient preparations before the surgery. The patients should be aware of what are the dos and don’ts of preparation before going into surgery. Following these instructions properly will ensure that the patient has a higher chance of getting good results out of the procedure. After all, who wants to risk their vision or their eyes?

Follow Proper Post-operative Care: The patient should be fully aware of how to take care once the surgery is completed. This is very vital for good healing process to set in and to get good results from the procedure. You need to discuss with the eye care professional about the proper care that needs to be followed once the procedure is completed. Follow up visits to evaluate the surgery and healing should be made beforehand itself and should be kept up diligently. Usually follow up visits are fixed at intervals of one week, a month and three months after the surgery. Getting the evaluations post-operatively will ensure that there are no complications and healing is taking place well.

Remember You cannot Drive Back Home: Once the procedure is completed, you will need to have some kind of reliable means of transport to take you back home as driving is not allowed for a minimum of 3 days once the procedure has been done. If you are a parent, ensure that your children also have means of transport to reach home and arrange for their care while you are in surgery. Avoid bringing your children to the center where the surgery is being conducted. In addition, you will be advised to take rest from work for a minimum of around four days. So, make sure you inform your boss about the procedure and you will need leave.

No make-up: Even though some specialists have differences of opinion regarding the use of make-up, generally, most of them advise not to use any make-up, creams, lipstick or cologne for at least three days before the surgery. There should not be the faintest of hints of any make up or cologne on the stipulated day. You may even end up with your surgical appointment being cancelled if found with any make up. This is because the make up can enter into the eye during the surgery and can lead to infections. You will also be advised not to wear any cologne, perfume or hairsprays on the stipulated day of the surgery. These are some don’ts that are detrimental to the results of the procedure.

Don’t go with Over expectation: While several people who get treated with Lasik get satisfactory results, it is better not to have over expectations from the procedure. Every body cannot expect to get perfect results out of the procedure. There are some who might have an improvement to get a 20/40 vision after the surgery. Even though many may not need any contacts or eye glasses after the procedure, it is not uncommon to see patients still needing them although the prescription might be much lower than before. Patients therefore, will have better satisfaction with the results if they do not go into the surgery expecting perfect vision.

Don’t forget there are risks involved: Usually a vast majority of the patients who take up Lasik treatment will have no complications. But, it should not be forgotten that there are associated risks with the procedure. Therefore, it is very vital to have a proper evaluation not only about the eye condition but also the general health of the individual before going for the surgery. This will help in identifying people who have the possibility of developing complications after the procedure. Many a times there is a necessity of performing the surgery a second time to improve upon the results or to reverse a negative outcome.

This is usually performed at some extra expenses three months after the first surgery. But, it should be remembered that some may not have a positive outcome even after having the surgery for the second time. The appearance of halos and glare around a light in a dark background is a common complication seen albeit temporary in most cases. Many complications will be temporary and disappear after some time following the surgery while some are permanent. It is best to discuss with the eye care specialist all the risks involved with the procedure before giving the go ahead for the procedure to be completed.