Hear from our Clinical Director and Laser Suite Supervisor, D.D. Jewell, about what you can expect during your complimentary LASIK exam as our staff walks you through each step of the process.
What to Expect on the Day of Your LASIK Appointment
Key Takeaways
- Total Appointment Time: Plan to be at our office for approximately 1.5 hours on the day of your procedure.
- Total Time in the Laser Suite: The actual procedure time inside the suite takes only about 20 minutes, with active laser treatment taking just 10 to 15 seconds per eye.
- Rest & Preparation: You will receive medication to help you relax prior to the procedure, followed by a short 30-minute rest period in a private recliner afterward.
- Post-Op Care: You will take home custom eye drops, protective eyewear, and detailed instructions to ensure a smooth, comfortable recovery.
Video Transcript: LASIK Procedure Day Experience
Speaker: D.D. Jewell (Clinical Director & Laser Suite Supervisor)
Introduction Hello and welcome to our continuing series on LASIK and what to expect at Maida Custom Vision at Florida Eye Specialists. I’m D.D. In our first video, we went over what to expect on the day of your initial evaluation for laser vision correction. Today, we would like to take the opportunity to go over what to expect on the day of your laser procedure. Come on in!
Arrival & Check-In When you arrive on the day of your procedure, Sarah will be checking you in. She will confirm the procedure you are scheduled for, reviewing that all your informed consents have been completed and that you do not have any unanswered questions. Plan to be with us for about an hour and a half. Your friend or family member is more than welcome to wait in our lobby during this time, or they can leave and we will be glad to contact them when you are ready to go home.
Pre-Op Preparation Once you are all checked in, you will be brought to our pre- and post-operative area where Terry will be getting you ready for your laser procedure, one step closer!
Terry will give you some medicine to help you relax. We advise you to have something to eat before you come in so you are not taking the medicine on an empty stomach. She will be instilling several drops into your eyes and prepping the eye with a Betadine solution. We have gauze on the side of your face to catch the fluid and drops used during your procedure, and the opposite eye will be covered.
Entering the Laser Suite And now the time has come. Caitlyn will walk you into the laser suite without your glasses. Very soon, you will not be needing these anymore! Let’s see what happens next.
Myself, Caitlyn, and Terry will be assisting either Dr. Chokshi or Dr. Hasan with your laser procedure. In LASIK, your procedure will begin under this laser. Prior to starting, Dr. Chokshi and Dr. Hasan will review the steps of the procedure so you know exactly what to expect.
The Laser Procedure After putting topical anesthetic drops into the eye, this laser will make the micro-flap. This is the very first step of LASIK, and it takes about 1 minute per eye. After this step is completed, the laser bed will move you over to be positioned under the excimer laser. This is the laser that will be reshaping the cornea to eliminate your need for glasses and contact lenses.
During this part of your laser procedure, your whole job will be to look at a green target light. That’s all you have to do! Dr. Chokshi or Dr. Hasan will confirm the patient and the treatment the laser is programmed for. We will start with the right eye and then complete the treatment for the left eye.
After putting more topical anesthetic drops into the eye, it will take about 30 seconds to get ready for the laser treatment. The treatment times on average are around 10 to 15 seconds. They will then irrigate your eye with sterile saline solution for about 2 minutes, and you’re done! From the time you walk into the laser suite to the time we take you back to your recliner for a short rest is about 20 minutes. We will walk and talk you through the entire process to ensure you remain comfortable.
Recovery & Discharge Instructions After you have rested with us for about 30 minutes, Dr. Chokshi or Dr. Hasan will check your eyes one more time with the microscope in one of our exam rooms. Your friend or family member will be brought back to join you as we review your post-op instructions. Let’s listen as Tori goes over these instructions:
Tori: This is your postoperative bag. We’ve given you artificial tears, and you brought your prescription drops that you purchased from your pharmacy. There are sunglasses, sleep goggles, or sleep shields that you can choose from.
This paper right here has some basic instructions on what to expect and how to use your prescription drops. If you have any questions, feel free to look at this paper or give our office a call. It is normal to have some irritation or a scratchy, foreign-body sensation, but if you have any acute, persistent pain, give our office a call.
When you go home, you will spend most of your day with your eyes closed, resting. It is okay to open your eyes to walk to and from the car and to use your drops. You’re going to use your prescription drops four times a day—breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed is usually a good schedule to follow. We’ve given you a lot of artificial tear samples; you’ll use these every 1 to 2 hours as you’re awake.
Here is your appointment card for tomorrow. We will need to see you back just to make sure everything is healing well. Usually, our patients have enough visual improvement to drive themselves, but it is up to you if you’re comfortable. Here are your sunglasses; you’ll want to put those on before you leave our office if you have a little light sensitivity. We will see you tomorrow!
Conclusion And there you have it, what to expect on the day of your laser procedure! We realize you have made an important decision, and we make every effort possible to make this a very comfortable and pleasant experience for you.
We hope this video has been helpful to those who are considering laser vision correction. We encourage you to call our office for a consultation to find out whether you’re a good candidate, what options are available to you, or if you have any further questions. From all of our team here at Maida Custom Vision at Florida Eye Specialists, we hope to see you soon!
Are you considering LASIK? Don’t wait to call us at (904) 268-3937 and schedule your consultation