ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS
ABOUT LASER VISION CORRECTION (LVC)

IS LASER VISION CORRECTION RIGHT FOR ME?
Patients who seek LVC usually want freedom from their glasses or contact lenses. Most patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism turn out to be excellent candidates. Patients must be 18 or over and be free from serious eye diseases. A free screening exam by our laser vision coordinator will help you decide whether LVC could be right for you. If so, a full examination by one of our refractive surgeons will confirm whether you are a good candidate.

HOW LONG DOES LVC TAKE? DOES IT HURT?
The actual procedure takes around 10 minutes per eye, but patients should plan to spend about an hour at the office on the day of the procedure. Drops are used to numb the eye, resulting in a pain-free procedure; LASIK patients will notice some pressure on the eye that lasts for about a minute. After LASIK, most patients notice scratchiness or irritation that lasts for a few hours; after PRK or LASEK, eye discomfort may last longer. All symptoms are minimized by drops and pills supplied in a post-op kit.

WHEN WILL I NOTICE THE RESULTS?
Most patients with LASIK notice markedly improved vision the next morning. For patients who undergo PRK or LASEK, the first day's vision will not be as crisp as in LASIK, but will gradually improve and will be equal to LASIK in several days.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE MY EYE TO HEAL?
Most healing goes on within the first week, when patients take prescribed drops and wear eye shields to bed. At the end of this week, the vision is quite clear. In the months that follow, additional healing goes on, and some patients notice a sensitivity to bright lights which gradually resolves.

WHEN CAN I RETURN TO NORMAL ACTIVITIES?
After relaxing on the day of surgery, most patients resume normal activities in the evening, and drive themselves to the next morning's eye checkup. Most patients are back to work within a day or two, but all patients are asked to avoid dusty or dirty environments during the first week. After a week, patients can usually resume moderate, non-contact sports and surface swimming, and after two weeks, they can resume underwater swimming and weightlifting. We recommend lifetime eye protection for any sports or activities that carry a risk of eye injury.

HOW LONG WILL THE EFFECT OF THE LASER LAST?
Once the healing process has finished, the LVC effect remains for life. Because corneas heal at different rates, some patients may desire a touch-up procedure after several months, in order to fine-tune the vision correction. However, unless the original laser was for a VERY mild correction, the vision will NOT slip back to the way it was before laser surgery.

DOES INSURANCE COVER LVC? DO EMPLOYERS COVER IT? HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Most health insurance plans will not cover the cost of laser vision correction, although a few are now beginning to do so. However, employers will often help patients to cover the cost of this surgery through pre-tax salary deductions using Flexible Spending Accounts and Cafeteria Plans. With the additional assistance of financing, payments can be as low as $84 a month. When compared to the cost of glasses or contact lenses over several years, laser vision correction can actually end up saving you money. Laser Vision Correction does qualify as a medical deduction if you can take a medical deduction. (See IRS Publication 502 for more information.)

IS LVC SAFE?
In the right hands, modern LVC is exceptionally safe-especially when compared to other elective medical procedures such as cosmetic surgery. The results at H.V.E.S. have been the same as those in the U.S. clinical trials reviewed by the FDA: 100% of patients with improved vision, and no sight-threatening complications, in hundreds of treated patients. Dr. Brocks, who conducts ongoing eye research and teaching, places a primary emphasis on patient safety. Dr. Brocks personally conducts a comprehensive screening and evaluation on every LVC candidate, and takes a zero-tolerance approach to LVC complications. Every patient treated at H.V.E.S. is selected and prepared with the primary goal of optimizing the safety of his/her treatment.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF LASER VISION CORRECTION?
The most common types of LVC are LASIK, and PRK. At Hudson Valley Eye Surgeons, we help you select the type of procedure based on your needs and eye conditions. The main differences between the procedures are as follows: PRK is applied directly to the surface of the eye (the cornea); LASIK is applied under a flap of the cornea. LASIK results in the most rapid visual recovery.

DO THE PROCEDURES RESULT IN DIFFERENT VISUAL OUTCOMES?
No. Numerous studies in the U.S. and abroad have agreed that there is no difference in the final visual outcomes between PRK, LASEK, and LASIK.

DO SOME PATIENTS NEED GLASSES AFTER SURGERY?
Patients with very strong glasses prescriptions may not achieve their full correction with laser alone, and glasses or contact lenses may be necessary. For patients close to (or over) 40 years of age, reading glasses may be necessary, but can often be avoided (learn about Monovision Correction).

WHICH LASER DO YOU USE?
We use the VISX Star S4. This laser is a variable spot-scanning laser, which means that it optimizes the balance between speed and precision that all lasers attempt to achieve. It is fitted with an eye tracker, which corrects for any fluctuations in eye movements. The S4, with 3-D Eye Tracker and Iris Registration, is the latest in the VISX Star laser series, which is the most widely-tested and used laser system in the U.S. We have a laser technician and a laser engineer present during every procedure to assure perfect functioning of the laser, with standard re-calibrations between procedures.

SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL A NEWER GENERATION OF LASERS COMES OUT?
Our current laser is a 4th-generation laser. Tiger Woods had his eyes treated with a 2nd-generation laser. The S4 is fully wavefront-compatible, allowing us not only to free patients from glasses and contact lenses, but also to correct even minor abnormalities in the optical systems of selected patients. Patients with normal eyes will not gain substantial benefit from new lasers; however, patients whose eyes are markedly irregular due to diseases such as keratoconus should wait for newer lasers.