What to Expect on the Day of LASIK Surgery:

Please arrive at the laser center about half an hour prior to your procedure. Once you have been checked in we will call you back to the pre-op area to fill out your clinical paperwork, check your vital signs, and review the procedure again. A hairnet and shoe covers are donned and you will be given a Valium pill to help you sleep for the remainder of the day. The pill usually begins to make you drowsy thirty minutes later, long after the procedure is over (which should take only fifteen minutes) allowing you to cooperate for the procedure by laying still, blinking normally, and looking straight ahead. Patients are only asked to do three things during the procedure: lay still, blink normally, and look straight ahead.

You and Dr. Boozalis will then go into the Laser Suite where you will lie on your back on a small bed situated between the two lasers (the Intralase femtosecond ‘flap creating’ laser and the Allegretto excimer ‘glasses correcting’ laser). Your head will lie in a small circular pillow at the head of the bed cradling your head in a ‘chin up’ position. The bed is on a track and rotates between the two lasers; as the bed is rotating toward the ‘flap creating laser’, anesthetic drops (the same as you has with your exam) will be given.

Once under the Intralase laser, the right eye is typically covered (as we routinely begin with the left eye; this routine assures the entire Lasik team of nurses and technicians in the Laser Suite are ‘on the same page’ and knows which eye we are beginning with). Dr. Boozalis will sit at the head of the bed, hold your left eyelid open gently, and as you are looking up at him, he will place an ‘empty’ clear contact lens on the left eye.

This lens centers where your flap goes, so Dr. Boozalis will be looking at you as you are looking at him; as a result your contact, and therefore your flap, is properly centered. Once properly positioned, the contact is held in place with suction. Fixating the contact is accompanied by a sensation of pressure and a loss of vision. At this point in the procedure you may not see anything (your right eye is covered and your left eye has gone dark). Don’t panic. Keep looking straight and blinking normally. The bed will move under the laser further and the laser arm will move. You will hear a humming noise as these elements move. The lens on the laser arm and the contact lens will then dock. This is accompanied by more pressure which will last about thirty seconds. Continue to lay still; we will count down the thirty seconds. Afterwards the pressure goes away and we will do the same steps for the right eye.

Now that the flaps have been created (actually, only microscopic bubbles have been placed at a predetermined depth in the cornea creating a potential space to create the flap; at this point no true ‘irreversible’ changes have occurred; leaving the bubbles to dissipate over the next few minutes will return the vision you virtually to your pre-surgical state) the bed will rotate to the excimer laser. If you open your eyes, everything now looks blurry, like looking through frosted glass, because of the layer of bubbles in the cornea. More numbing drops are placed and the right eye is covered again.

Again, continue to lay still, look straight ahead, and blink normally. Thin tape is placed over the upper eyelashes to keep them out of the way, and a flexible eyelid retainer is placed to keep your lids out of the way. In front of you is a flashing green light with orange lights around it. Look at the green light (if you can’t see it, keep looking straight, it will come back to you). You will hear a buzzing noise, smell an ‘ozone-like’ smell, and feel some cool drops. The drops may run down your cheek and into your ear; it’s okay, they’re only salt water drops. During these steps, the flap is lifted, your custom laser correction is applied (the laser will track your eye to assure the treatment is applied properly, so eye movements are not a great concern), and the flap is replaced. The flap adheres naturally. Drops are given and the same steps are repeated for your right eye. The whole procedure takes only fifteen minutes and Dr. Boozalis will talk to you the whole time.

Your eyes will be shielded for protection in the recovery area. Your vision will be a blurry and you will feel drowsy from the Valium, so someone will need to drive for you and hear all your post-operative instructions. You are welcome to stay and relax in our Lasik Lounge after your procedure. You should relax and keep your eyes closed as much as possible that day. You may experience some discomfort for 12 to 24 hours, but this is usually alleviated with an over-the-counter pain reliever. Some people experience sensitivity to light, and watering or swelling of their eyes for a few days following their procedure.

You will be asked to come back later that day for a follow up examination.
Most people can actually see well enough to drive the next day, but it’s best not to drive until you’re comfortable. Vision can fluctuate for several months (especially far sighted corrections), but most people can see well enough to pass a driver's license vision exam the next day.

You should be able to resume your normal activities the day after surgery. We ask you not to touch or rub the eyes, get water in them, or wear eye makeup the next few days following your procedure. Drops will be used to assure proper healing