When you decide to undergo laser vision corrective eye
surgery, it's a pretty important undertaking. You may see a
lot of commercials by doctors' offices talking about how
they've performed thousands of lasik procedures, laser eye
surgeries, and other vision correction procedures. However,
when you go in for your own laser vision corrective eye
surgery, you don't really care about the thousands of other
patients that have done it - your biggest concern is your
own eyes. So how do you know which doctors to trust with
your own vision correction surgery? Well, there are some
basic tips you should keep in mind as you zero-in on the
best doctor to pick for your own laser surgery.
Insurance Coverage
While a lot of insurance plans don't provide any coverage
for laser vision corrective eye surgery, some do. Even if
you don't have insurance that covers vision correction, you
may have a discount medical plan, and these usually
provide some type of discounts on laser vision correction
that you can take advantage of. Although this is not the key
deciding factor for choosing the best laser eye surgeon, you
definitely want to start with a list of the doctors that are
covered by your insurance or discount plan. Once you have
this list in hand, go to the next step.
Location
Next, look for laser eye surgery doctors that are convenient
to you. After your laser surgery, you may need one or more
follow-up visits, and you don't want to be driving long
distances each time. There are a number of services on the
Internet that help you search for laser vision surgeons, but
they may just be promoting certain doctors. If your
insurance company or employer have websites that help
you locate doctors, those are best. They usually let you
enter your location and easily find a doctor near your home
or work.
Experience
Now comes the really important part. Once you've
identified those laser eye surgeons who are covered by your
insurance or discount plan and are conveniently located,
it's critical to make sure the doctors on your list are experts
in their field and know how to use the latest, up-to-date
technology in performing your laser eye surgery. At this
point, it pays to do some homework. Get on the Internet
and do some searching for new developments in laser
vision correction surgery technology. Read about any local
pioneers in related research and use of new techniques. You
may want to consider those doctors for your own laser
surgery if they are close by. Take a look at the doctors who
are on the list you've developed, based on your insurance
coverage and location. Lookup their names on the Internet
to see if they have their own websites. If they do, what do
their websites say about them? Do they seem to use the
latest technologies based on what you're read elsewhere? If
not, you may want to keep looking.
Background Check
Before you schedule your first visit with a laser surgeon of
your choice, there's one more thing you need to do. Make
sure the doctors you've selected to visit don't have any
black marks on their records. Go to the website for your
state medical licensing board and see if the doctor has any
complaints against him. Also, do a general Internet search
of the doctor's name, to see if any malpractice lawsuits or
other red flags pop up. If so, scratch that doctor off of your
list and keep searching. Once you've tested your list in this
way, you're ready for an office visit.
Office Visit
As the last step in your search, pick the best laser eye
surgery doctor on your list based on the factors you've
looked at so far, and make an appointment. When you go
for your appointment, pay close attention to what you see
and hear. As you wait in the waiting room, strike up a
conversation with patients who are there for follow-up
visits. See what they say about their experience with that
doctor and their laser eye surgery. Ask them if they had any
surprises or problems. When you see the laser eye surgeon,
be prepared to ask him or her about their experience and
the technology they use. Ask them about new
developments like laser radar tracking technology or
wavefront technology, and see if they know about it. Most
importantly, ask them about your own personal condition.
If you know you have astigmatism, ask the doctor to go
over the details of how laser eye surgery can correct
astigmatism. If you're myopic, ask how the surgery will
differ for you, compared to other patients who aren't
myopic. Based on your responses from the patients and the
surgeon, you should have a pretty good feel about whether
this surgeon is a good choice or not. If not, schedule a visit
with someone else. Once you find a laser eye surgeon
you're happy with, stop searching and start planning with
your doctor for your own procedure.
With the thousands of doctors who offer laser vision
corrective eye surgery, it can seem like an impossible task
to pick the best for your own laser eye surgery. But just
stick to these simple tips, create your list of doctors, and
begin to narrow it down based on the criteria mentioned
above. This will allow you to identify a laser vision
surgeon you're really happy with, and you'll have a lot
more peace of mind knowing that you're in excellent hands
when you have your personal laser eye surgery procedure.
James Perez is the webmaster for http://www.aa-contact-lenses.com an informative site about contact lenses. Get more information on Lasik Vision Correction.
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