Choosing the Perfect Surgeon for Your LASIK
If you’ve decided to have LASIK surgery done on your eyes, the first step is to select the right surgeon. The things you need to consider as you make your choice include the surgeon’s qualifications, experience, personality, equipment he uses, and his reputation. Of all of these, it goes without saying that the surgeon’s qualifications and experience are the most important. This is because your eyes will feel the effects of your doctor’s performance for as long as they are part of your body–which should be forever.
With most eye surgeons, you don’t have to worry about their performance, since they are good at what they do. But a few bad ones continue to taint the field. Therefore, it’s important to thoroughly investigate any doctor whom you’re considering hiring for this procedure.
The first thing to research is the surgeon’s reputation. If the doctor is a member of several reputable, professional bodies, this indicates he has a commitment to his profession. Make sure, however, that the associations he’s part of are relevant to his field of practice. Professional associations for something unrelated to the eyes don’t really matter.
Once you’ve researched the surgeon’s associations, see if you can find out the views of some of his previous patients. Their opinions by themselves should not be the most important consideration, but they should give you some valuable information before reaching a conclusion.
In addition, find out when the surgeon first started in this field and how many procedures he has done. Granted, every doctor has his first patient on whom he operates, but unless there are good reasons, you don’t need to be that first one.
Once you’ve finished researching the surgeon’s reputation, it’s time to investigate the medical center where the doctor practices. Is the equipment he uses reliable? This research is only helpful, though, if you also research the LASIK equipment available. In most cases, you’ll want the most current technology. The internet can be a good resource with looking for information on custom wavefront lasik or lasik surgery.
Finally, don’t ignore that nagging hunch when you’re selecting a LASIK surgeon. Make sure you schedule a face to face meeting with the surgeon. And regardless of his reputation or the fact that he uses the best equipment, if you simply do not have confidence in him after speaking with him, then look somewhere else. Human intuition is, astonishingly, often quite accurate. And even if your intuition wasn’t quite in tune with the facts, it’s still better to work with a doctor that you have full confidence in. And that means being comfortable with your doctor.
