What You Should Know

The reality of living without glasses is very compelling. Dr. Chaiken has performed thousands of procedures for more than 14 years. It is important to understand its risks and complications, and to choose a surgeon who is well experienced and thoroughly informative. In our practice, Dr. Chaiken is most concerned that our patients make an informed decision, they understand the procedure and they prepare properly for it to avoid postoperative issues.

To make sure patients receive the highest standard of care, Dr. Chaiken insists that before having the LASIK procedure his patients are prescreened with a thorough evaluation, understand the procedure, know their options of surface (PRK) or IntraLASIK (using the femtosecond laser), and follow both pre- and post-laser instructions carefully.

Am I A Candidate?

  • You must be at least 18 years of age.
  • Your vision should have remained consistent for at least the last year. If you are under the age of 30, you should have stable vision for the last two years. And if you are under the age of 25, you should have stable vision for three years.
  • You must have healthy eyes. If you have glaucoma, it must be stable and well controlled and with minimal damage to the optic nerve. Well-controlled glaucoma is not necessarily a contraindication to LASIK.
  • You must not have any connective tissue disease for example, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
  • Early cataracts, stable for a few years are not a contraindication. If you have cataracts and they have been stable for a few years, LASIK may be done.
  • If you are pregnant, plan to be within the next three months or you are nursing, you are not a candidate for LASIK.

Dr. Chaiken’s goal is to ensure that everyone considering LASIK is well educated about the entire process. With safety and your satisfaction as his main concern, Dr. Chaiken encourages you to ask our office any questions about LASIK so that you are comfortable with the procedure and your potential life change.

Enhancements

LASIK is a remarkably predictable technique of vision correction most of the time. But with individual patients, there is variability in how their cornea will respond to the laser.

If you do require an enhancement following your initial LASIK surgery, it is usually performed three to six months following the initial procedure. This is to ensure that your prescription has stabilized before performing the enhancement.

« Previous Page (PRK)

To learn more about Laser Vision Correction or to make an appointment, please call our office at 212.249.1976.

back to top