Top 5 LASIK questions people ask

In this post, we answer the top 5 LASIK questions people always ask

What is the recovery time?

With LASIK, in the first 4 to 6 hrs, you’ll go home, have a nap, take some minor medications and hydrating drops. Your eyes might feel itchy as if there’s something in your eye, and your vision will appear as if you’re looking through a translucent shower curtain.

If you have PRK or Trans PRK, you might feel more uncomfortable. I’ll provide you with medicine to help with this.

Later on, that night and the next morning is when you should see a major improvement in your eyesight.

Most people can drive after their next-day appointment. However, PRK may take a few more days after that. It’s also possible that you’ll experience vision fluctuations for the first couple of weeks.

What is the difference between LASIK & PRK?

PRK is the original laser eye surgery procedure that people predominantly had before 2000. It was the best procedure for correcting vision in its day, and it’s still the best procedure for active people involved in contact sports or job roles that might involve contact with their eyes. PRK is also the safest procedure for anyone with a thinner than average cornea – which is the front window of your eye.

LASIK came on the scene after 2000 and is now the most popular laser eye surgery procedure in the world, with over 20 million procedures performed worldwide. LASIK has some advantages over PRK. It has a faster recovery time and is more comfortable than PRK immediately following the procedure. The results between the two, when it comes to vision, is virtually identical.

Is LASIK affordable?

This is one of the LASIK questions we wish we were asked more. Average laser eye surgery costs in Australia are somewhere between $2500 to 3000 per eye for the best technology and an experienced surgeon. Whatever your budget is, you should ensure you’re having it done by a practice that’s very straightforward and transparent about how their pricing works.

Affordability can also be handled through financing options. For example, some practices, like ours, offer $0 down and 0% for 24 months, making the procedure more affordable on a monthly basis.

When compared to glasses and contact lenses, typically, you can get your payback on LASIK after about 10 years of glasses and contact lens use. If you are planning to wear glasses or contact lenses over the next 10 years, then it turns out that you’ll likely be paying the same as you’d pay for a quality LASIK procedure. Many people decide that if they’re going to pay for it anyway, they might as well get the vision they want without needing to wear glasses and contact lenses.

Is LASIK safe?

This is one of the most common LASIK questions we get asked. LASIK is actually one of the safest, most successful, and most widely studied elective procedures globally (with over 6,300 studies and reports). Additionally, it has the highest patient satisfaction rate of any elective procedure.[footnote]Solomon KD, Fernández de Castro LE, Sandoval HP, Biber JM, Groat B, Neff KD, Ying MS, French JW, Donnenfeld ED, Lindstrom RL; Joint LASIK Study Task Force. LASIK world literature review: quality of life and patient satisfaction. Ophthalmology. 2009 Apr;116(4):691-701. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.12.037. PMID: 19344821.[/footnote]

LASIK was approved over 20 years ago by the FDA, and in the U.S. alone, over 20 million procedures have been performed.

Moreover, those who know best – refractive surgeons (the doctors who do the surgery) – were shown in a study to be four times more likely to have had refractive surgery than the general population. They routinely recommend it to family and friends.

To get your LASIK questions answered and discover which eye surgery treatment is best to free you from the hassle of glasses and contact lenses, please book online for a free laser vision assessment on our website today.