Of all the senses humans have, most people rate their eyesight as the most important. Not being able to see can not only have significant physical limitations but emotional and psychological ones as well. For patients who are considering LASIK surgery, choosing the right doctor for the procedure is critical to both long and short-term success. While the large majority of doctors are perfectly capable of performing LASIK surgery at the highest level, there are nevertheless some doctors who may not be as good or experienced as a patient may wish.

When choosing a doctor to put one’s faith in as well as eyesight, there are a number of ways to spot a bad LASIK provider.

Responding to Questions

One of the biggest red flags when it comes to choosing a doctor is if they are unwilling to sit down and answers their patient’s questions. When consulting with a doctor about possible surgery, patients should have a prepared list of questions to ask regarding a doctor’s experience, licensing, success rate and more. A doctor who is unwilling or evasive during a consultation should be crossed off a list of possible surgeons for the patient.

Medical Board

Knowing that the slightest error could result in impaired vision, patients considering LASIK should contact their state’s Medical Board to verify that the doctor is in good standing and licensed to practice in that state. Finding out at this stage about a doctor’s past problems can be much better than experiencing a botched surgery and enduring pain and suffering.

Familiarity with Equipment

Even if a doctor has performed numerous LASIK surgeries in the past, it’s a good idea to ask if they will be using equipment they are familiar with and comfortable using on patients for this procedure. No matter how many surgeries a doctor has performed, if they are using unfamiliar equipment it’s almost like getting surgery from a rookie. While everyone has to start somewhere, no patient wants to be the guinea pig to a doctor trying to get up to speed on new equipment.

No Patient is Ever Turned Away

It’s important for a patient to ask if the doctor has ever declined to do surgery on anyone due to prior medical conditions, age, physical state of the eye or other reasons. If a doctor with many years of experience states no patient has ever been declined, be wary and take a second look before using them. Most surgeons who are following proper ethics will have probably declined a few patients over the years, letting a prospective patient know they will only be operated on if they meet certain criteria.

Enhancement Surgery

Knowing how many patients have needed enhancement surgery over the years is another good indicator of a doctor’s skills and ethics. While most any doctor will have needed to perform enhancement surgery on some patients, a rule of thumb is that less than ten percent of patients will have needed enhancement surgery from the doctor. This can be a tricky question for a doctor to answer, so a patient needs to know what the doctor’s philosophy of enhancement is and how they view the procedure.

Equipment Approval

One way to spot a bad LASIK provider is to know they are using equipment that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Both the hardware and software should be FDA approved, while the parameters may not. Since surgeons are legally able to use FDA approved equipment beyond approved parameters in some cases, talking this over with the surgeon is highly recommended before any surgery takes place.

Five Minutes and All’s Fine

If a doctor says that a patient’s vision will be perfect within just a few minutes after surgery, other doctors may want to be considered. If a doctor guarantees everything will be fine so quickly, they are wrong. While vision itself will be improved, fluctuations such as halos, starbursts and more can occur over a span of several months while the eye continues to heal itself. Doctors who are too willing to make the surgery sound less than important should be discarded, for they are probably not putting the patient’s best interests ahead of their own wallet.

About Auhtor : Austin Faux works for 2020 Lasik Indianapolis. When at work I’m researching the latest Lasik news for more blogs. But when at home I’m helping my beautiful wife relax, playing with my two kids and messing around on my nerd podcast, “I Am A Super Nerd.” Find me on Google+
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