On the day of their LASIK procedure, patients arrive at our center for surgery. We have snacks, bottled water, iced tea, and a Keurig K-Cup coffee maker for them and their ride to enjoy. Free Wi-Fi is also available.
One of the first things we do is call the patient back, have them answer a few questions, and let them take a mild sedative: Valium, to help them relax. After the patient has taken their valium we then proceed to prep them for the procedure. We do this by placing a bouffant cap on their head, cotton gauze in front of their ears, and shoe covers on their feet. Beta dyne solution is applied to their eye lids and lashes to disinfect them. The patient must keep their eyes closed for approximately 5 minutes so that the beta dyne solution can dry.
After the valium has kicked in, Dr. Bogart places numbing drops in their eyes. If they have astigmatism, he will mark their cornea with a surgical marking pen. He then takes the patient into our surgery suite and has them lie down on the table. Once they are positioned correctly, he will patch one eye while the other is being treated. The eye that is being treated will be held open by a lid speculum, which keeps the patient from blinking throughout the surgery. Most patients do not feel the urge to blink because so many drops are placed in the eye during the procedure.
Patients will feel a little pressure for a few seconds, which doesn’t hurt but may feel a bit awkward. Dr. Bogart will ask the patient to focus on a light throughout the surgery. If for some reason, they are unable to keep looking at the light, the laser has a 3-D active eye tracker and will not proceed until they are fixated on the light. The laser will make a clicking-sound when the treatment is performed. The treatment itself takes only seconds. Some patients will smell a gassy odor. This is normal; the VISX Star 4 laser is gas-operated. Once the treatment has taken place, Dr. Bogart will place a patch over the treated eye and proceed to the next eye. Most patients are in our surgery suite for a total of 15 to 20 minutes for their procedure but will tell us it only felt like 5 minutes!
One of the first things we do is call the patient back, have them answer a few questions, and let them take a mild sedative: Valium, to help them relax. After the patient has taken their valium we then proceed to prep them for the procedure. We do this by placing a bouffant cap on their head, cotton gauze in front of their ears, and shoe covers on their feet. Beta dyne solution is applied to their eye lids and lashes to disinfect them. The patient must keep their eyes closed for approximately 5 minutes so that the beta dyne solution can dry. After the valium has kicked in, Dr. Bogart places numbing drops in their eyes. If they have astigmatism, he will mark their cornea with a surgical marking pen. He then takes the patient into our surgery suite and has them lie down on the table. Once they are positioned correctly, he will patch one eye while the other is being treated. The eye that is being treated will be held open by a lid speculum, which keeps the patient from blinking throughout the surgery. Most patients do not feel the urge to blink because so many drops are placed in the eye during the procedure.
Patients will feel a little pressure for a few seconds, which doesn’t hurt but may feel a bit awkward. Dr. Bogart will ask the patient to focus on a light throughout the surgery. If for some reason, they are unable to keep looking at the light, the laser has a 3-D active eye tracker and will not proceed until they are fixated on the light. The laser will make a clicking-sound when the treatment is performed. The treatment itself takes only seconds. Some patients will smell a gassy odor. This is normal; the VISX Star 4 laser is gas-operated. Once the treatment has taken place, Dr. Bogart will place a patch over the treated eye and proceed to the next eye. Most patients are in our surgery suite for a total of 15 to 20 minutes for their procedure but will tell us it only felt like 5 minutes! Once the surgery is complete, we then take the patient into a post-op room so that they can rest their eyes. At this time, our staff will provide the patient with a post-op kit containing: comfort goggles, sunglasses, a medication schedule, artificial tears, and Dr. Bogart’s personal cell phone number in case of an emergency. We will thoroughly review the instructions with the patient and their ride to ensure compliance.
Before the patient is released to go home, Dr. Bogart will fit the goggles on their head to keep them from rubbing their eyes, especially when they are asleep. The patient’s orders are to go home and sleep as much as possible, a minimum of 4 to 5 hours. They have an extra Valium that they can take to help them rest more comfortably. Patients are encouraged not to watch TV, read fine print, or put any type of strain on their eyes that day. Someone must drive them home from their surgery appointment.
Before the patient is released to go home, Dr. Bogart will fit the goggles on their head to keep them from rubbing their eyes, especially when they are asleep. The patient’s orders are to go home and sleep as much as possible, a minimum of 4 to 5 hours. They have an extra Valium that they can take to help them rest more comfortably. Patients are encouraged not to watch TV, read fine print, or put any type of strain on their eyes that day. Someone must drive them home from their surgery appointment.The very next day, Dr. Bogart will see the patients for their first post-op appointment. Most patients are able to drive to this appointment, some patients will even return to work. The LASIK recovery process is very simple. There will be a strict eye drop schedule to follow for the first week. Women cannot wear any eye make-up for 7 days after surgery. Swimming, Scuba-diving, Sauna, or hot tub activities can be resumed after 1 month. No gardening or yard work for 2 weeks. Patients must be careful not to rub or bump their eyes for about a month.
If you have any further questions regarding the LASIK procedure, please call our office at: 803-794-0000, ask for Jennifer!
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