What to Look for in a Lasik Surgeon and Lasik Surgery Facility
Compared to brain or heart operations, of course, LASIK surgery is not particularly difficult or risky. But a negative outcome can affect your life tremendously, since the procedure involves crucial sensory organs, the eyes. Therefore, you must seek and choose your eye surgeon with the same diligence you would apply to finding a heart specialist.
The LASIK procedure is a kind of “refractive surgery,” and individual doctors,clinics and even major medical centers are now advertising this specialty on television and radio, and in magazines and newspapers. Many of these ads are quite informative, contain compelling information and end with a strong pitch and a “bargain” price. But reading ads and comparing prices is just the beginning of this decision process.
Surgeons associated with academic medical centers are somewhat more likely to keep up with current information in their fields. If they are isolated in their clinics or offices, they may not have the constant exposure to new procedures and developments. Being in good standing with the leading teaching hospitals is an additional positive reference for a LASIK surgeon, while additional assurance is provided by choosing a doctor who is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, as the credentialing process is quite thorough.
The same due diligence should be applied to your research on the clinic, hospital or outpatient surgery center where the procedure is performed. You can accumulate a great deal of information from the Internet, from your own family physician and from private and governmental watchdog groups. However, it is probably best to focus your search on the doctor and then the surgery center, in that order.
For one thing, once you develop a trusting relationship with your LASIK surgeon, he or she can then inform you about the location where the procedure will take place. You can then do some research to validate the recommendation. The most valuable information you assemble will be from people and organizations with reputations for trustworthiness and honesty, and you may wish to check with the American Academy of Ophthalmology for detailed information about a particular surgeon’s standing among his peers.
You should also go ahead and call the various refractive surgery centers where you live, or as far as you are willing to travel for the procedure. Many are in the yellow pages, and can easily be found with a targeted Internet search on a site like DocShop.com. The bottom line is, this is your eyesight you are dealing with and you cannot be too careful. Confirm all claims you hear or read about the LASIK surgery, or a potential surgeon, with independent sources.
Watch the video related to lasik surgeon
LASIK eye surgery operation performed by Dr. Gregg Feinerman, MD of the Feinerman Vision Center in Newport Beach, California.
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Who is the best Lasik Eye Surgeon in Raleigh, NC area?
I’m looking for a highly recommended Lasik Eye surgeon in the Greater Raleigh, NC area or Fayetteville, NC or Pinehurst, NC. If you have some first hand knowledge, that would be great.
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When you begin to calculate your LASIK cost figures, you may find that there is a price discrepancy among certain doctors and/or LASIK surgery centers. Using various resources, including DocShop.com, you can gather enough information to determine if the additional expense of one over another is due to newer technology, better facilities, more esteemed surgeons—or is simply overpriced. These decisions require careful and complete consideration of all pertinent information, and it never hurts to involve trusted advisers among family and friends in the LASIK surgery process.
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Talk to your regular eye doctor to refer a skilled physician in your area. Ask around if you know people who have had the procedure done.
The costs are typically around $2000 per eye.
I am not familiar with NC, as I live in CA. But, I had Lasik over a year ago.
My advice would be to talk to everyone….talk to your family, friends and co-workers. Then ask your family, friends and co-workers to talk to their family, friends and co-workers….you get the idea. I found my surgeon by word of mouth. I asked everyone I know if they had Lasiks (or knew anyone who had Lasiks), and what doctor they went to. Almost everyone I talked to in my area went to the surgeon I ended up going to, and everyone was perfectly satisfied. I went into the procedure very confident! Good luck to you!
Never assume that a doctor is good based on the number of offices he has, what he charges, the advertising he does, etc. The best way to find a good lasik surgeon is to do your homework and to know exactly what to look for and what to ask. These sites should be of great help to you:
http://www.lasersurgeryforeyes.com/questions_you_should_ask.htm
http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/choose_doctor.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-on-Choosing-a-Good-LASIK-Surgeon&id=305337
http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/surgeons.htm
http://www.docshop.com/education/vision/refractive/lasik/choose-surgeon/
Also, do not be afraid to ask the doctor for references from those on who he has performed the procedure. Also, you would be amazed how many people had the surgery done so ask around! Someone you know will know someone who had it done and can talk to you about it and who performed it.
Hi James – I am a representative from LasikPlus, hoping to provide you information about your LASIK options in the Raleigh area. We have one center in Raleigh, NC at 4035 Lake Boone Trail. The doctor in that center is Dr. Patricia Smith, MD. She is a board certified Ophthalmologist.
We offer a free, no obligation consultation so that you may come in, meet the staff and understand if Laser Vision Correction could be right for you. You may visit the website to schedule an appointment, http://tinyurl.com/LasikPlus or feel free to call 1 (866) 953-0282
I hope this information was helpful!
Top 5 ways to tell if someone is NOT a good "Lasik" surgeon :
#5 Online degree
#4 "Laser" turns out to be old prop from a James Bond movie
#3 Claims to give eyesight – "so good, you can see the future!"
#2 All former patients have become NFL referees
And finally the #1 way to tell if someone is NOT a good "Lasik" surgeon : Wears glasses!!
What is a "reasonable price" when the risk is your sight? 17 lawsuits is a lot, even by high-volume refractive surgery standards. Are you willing to take this kind of risk to save a few dollars?
These are your eyes, don't cheap out on your vision. It's one thing if you buy a cheap LCD TV and the pixels go bad – you can take it back and exchange it for a new one. But if you have a bad outcome with eye surgery you're stuck with that for life.
Probably the most important decision someone who is considering LASIK must make is what surgeon to choose. Although I do not perform LASIK, I have created a document for my cataract patients to help them in choosing a surgeon. The article can be viewed by clicking this link:
http://sgveye.com/en/resources/35-about-your-eyes/233-10-things-you-must-know-before-choosing-your-cataract-surgeon
The advice in this document can be applied to choosing any surgeon in any specialty, not just cataract surgeons.
Sincerely,
David D. Richardson, M.D.
Medical Director
San Gabriel Valley Eye Associates, Inc.
"LA and So Cal’s Trusted Source of Eyecare"
207 S. Santa Anita Street, Suite P-25
San Gabriel, CA 91776
626.289.7856
Depending where you live a good surgeon costs about $3,000 and up depending on what your prescription is. I would ask how long they have been doing Laisk and how many procedures they have done, and how many they do weekly or monthly. Moist insurances do not cover lasik, they might pay a couple hundred dollars. The best way to find out if a surgeon is good at lasik is by word of mouth. A nationwide clinic like TLC is a good bet. I know they hire well qualified surgeons and do tons of lasik weekly.