Once you have decided you would like to pursue the refractive surgery option, what is the next step?

 

• Read about LASIK and PRK - what laser eye surgery can and can’t do

• Book a free suitability assessment to see if your eyes really are suitable

• Ensure that you choose a surgeon who is skilled and experienced in refractive surgery

• Ensure that the laser equipment to be potentially used on your eyes is up-to-date

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Steps before your suitability assessment

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1. If possible, ask your optometrist to provide a note indicating your last two glasses prescriptions and the date of the examinations. This is helpful so that we can be certain that your prescription is stable before laser eye surgery.

2. If you book a suitability assessment, you should leave your contact lenses out for a day or two before the examination so that your corneal shape normalises. When you arrive for the examination you should not be wearing your contacts

3. Book your suitability assessment - phone 033 3454300

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What happens at the suitability assessment? You will be seen by an trained Ophthalmic Assistant and the following will be done:

 

• History taken and questionnaire filled

• Visual acuity with and without glasses

• Focimetry – measure your glasses power

• Auto-refraction – measure your prescription

• Keratometry (measure the curvature of your corneas)

• Pachymetry (measure the thickness of your corneas)

• Topography (Pentacam) to assess the shape of your cornea

• Procedure explained and information given to take home

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After your suitability consultation

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After your assessment the information will be assessed by the ophthalmic surgeon (Dr Anderson).He will take into account your prescription, the stability of your eyes as well as the shape and thickness of your corneas. We will then contact you by phone or email within a few days to let you know if you are provisionally suitable. If you are provisionally suitable and would like to proceed, we will book you an appointment to see the surgeon, Dr Anderson for a full examination.

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For this consultation you will need to leave your contact lenses out for 5 days prior to the appointment if you wear soft lenses and several weeks if you wear hard lenses.

You should arrange for someone to drive you home as we will need to dilate (enlarge) your pupils using eye drops. This blurs your vision and makes you very light sensitive for a few hours. You should not drive after this examination.

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If you are suitable and would like to proceed a booking will be made for surgery. This is done on a Friday afternoon at our LaserSight Clinic in the Umhlanga Medical Centre  (first floor) adjacent to the Umhlanga Hospital. You will be at the Clinic for about 1 hour. Please arrange for someone to drive you home.

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