Southwest Eye Institute

In a skilled surgeon's hands with well maintained equipment and an experienced staff, LASIK is one of the safest and most successful procedures performed. In fact, many surgeons believe LASIK has a lower risk of loss of vision than a lifetime of contact lens wear. There are more patients that lose vision from contact lenses than LASIK every year.

So as a patient how do you minimize your risk of vision correction. It is very difficult for a lay person to ascess the quality of a medical practice. In a practice there may be multiple surgeons that perform the procedure and each has a track record.

These are the questions you need to ask:

Have you performed at least 1000 successful LASIK procecures?

Are you certified in the use of the LASER Equipment that you have?

Do you use a VISX Laser? Do you use a Moria Microkeratome?

Do you perform intraoperative pachymetry on all patients?

Are you board certified?

Have you ever been sued for LASIK or lost a medical malpractice lawsuit?

How do you train your staff?

What are my chances of a LASIK complication in your hands?

What is your retreatment rate? What is your infection control policy?

If you send an email to risks@lasikhomepage.com I will send the answers and centers that pass the test.