| Day of the Procedure
Get a good night's sleep and arrive at the laser surgery center as rested and relaxed as possible and please wear comfortable clothing and please do not wear makeup, earrings, hair spray, perfume or cologne on the day of your laser procedure. Allow 2 hours at the Rochester Ophthamalogical Group. You will need to have someone drive you home.
You will be asked to sign an informed consent form and arrange for payment for your procedure. (We can help you arrange financing; please ask our staff to provide you the information before you come for surgery and any Blue Choice or Preferred Care discounts!)
You can meet with either Dr. Gruber or Dr. Hartman to discuss any further questions.
Anesthetic drops are used to numb your eye. If you are having LASIK, your surgeon may prescribe a mild oral sedative.
After one of your doctors administers the numbing drops, we'll take you into the laser suite. (Of course, you can view the laser equipment before the numbing drops are used if you'd like).
If you are having PRK (Photo-Refractive Keratectomy):
A comfortable, long reclining chair which swings under the laser is the beginning of the procedure. An eyelid holder will be placed in your eye to keep you from blinking. The surgeon will prepare your eye for the laser by removing the top surface of the cornea with the laser and/or a manual instrument. You will feel pressure, but there will be no pain. When the eye is prepared, you will be asked to look at the red target light. The laser makes a clicking sound as it works.
The actual laser part of the procedure if very short. In fact, it takes jyst 20-90 seconds. Rarely does anyone have a problem holding still for that long, but if you do move, the laser can be stopped and started precisely within a fraction of a second. The patient is repositioned and the procedure continues.
At the end of PRK, a clear bandage contact lens is placed onto your eye which will help keep you comfortable while the outer surface heals. The typical PRK procedure takes about 5 minutes per eye.
If you are having LASIK (Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis):
As LASIK is slightly more surgical in nature, sterile surgical conditions are maintained.
- Your face is cleaned with a disinfectant.
- You wear a surgical cap.
- Your eyelashes are taped out of the way and an eyelid holder is put in your eye to prevent blinking.
In the LASIK procedure, a small flap is made in the cornea. To hold your eye in position while the flap is being made, we use what is called a suction ring. You will not see anything or feel any pain, but you may feel some pressure, while the flap is made. When the flap is turned over your vision will get a little blurry. You are asked to fixate on a red target light.
The laser part of the procedure is performed; it takes 20-60 seconds.
The flap is placed back into position and the surgeon will wait 3 to 5 minutes for the eye to create a natural vacuum to hold the flap down. The typical LASIK procedure takes about 10 minutes per eye.
Once your procedure is done, you will be able to go home almost immediately. First we place some additional drops into your eyes and Dr. Gruber or Dr. Hartman will give you instructions on use of your medications.
|
