To schedule your LASIK evaluation or surgery, contact Tylock Eye Care & Laser Center today.
Once your LASIK evaluation is complete, you are ready to undergo LASIK surgery on the scheduled day. You will arrive at the clinic prepared to spend approximately three hours with us and arrangements must be made for someone to drive you home. You will also need to dress comfortably (i.e. dress warm, our laser surgical suite ranges between 66-70 degrees), and keep your personal possessions to a minimum since you will be moving several times to different locations within the office on the day of your procedure.
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In preparation for your LASIK procedure, you will be given the first of several doses of numbing eye drops and a mild sedative. You are then ready to move into the surgical suite. The laser suite is busy with activity as Dr. Gary Tylock and his technicians and assistants go about their work. As you enter, you are placed in a comfortable chair and more anesthetic drops are administered until you are ready for the procedure.
Dr. Tylock and his highly trained staff are focused on two things – performing their job to the best of their abilities and making you comfortable before, during, and after your LASIK procedure. By this time the anesthetic drops have done their job of numbing your eye and the sedative you were given earlier has taken effect.
A small retaining device is placed around the edges of your eyelid to keep them open and prevent blinking. During the creation of the flap it is normal for your vision to gray out or go dark, and you may also feel some pressure. We ask that you lie still and not talk for approximately one minute while the flap is being made. Our staff will guide you step by step through your procedure.
Immediately after your IntraLASIK flap is made, you will notice your vision will be blurry or milky looking. During this time your flap has been created, but it is still firmly attached. You will relax with you eyes closed for a short period of time until you are ready to be treated on the VISX® S4 ActiveTrak excimer laser. At this time a small retaining device is used to hold the eyes open as you are told to watch a blinking orange light within the laser. This orange light is a point of reference that centers the eye perfectly for the correction. With the push of a button, Dr. Tylock sends your unique preprogrammed information from the laser's computer to the device, and the cool beams begin to gently reshape the corneal curvature. The ActiveTrak device automatically follows even the slightest eye movements during the treatment portion of the procedure assuring that every pulse is delivered exactly where it is intended. Typically the amount of tissue removed is thinner than a human hair.
The laser's work is usually complete in less than a minute. If you are having both eyes done, the procedure is repeated on the other eye. Throughout the entire process you are conscious of what is going on and are able to follow all events of the procedure. While you may feel differences in pressure, there is minimal if any discomfort. Our friendly and attentive staff will talk you through every step of the procedure
One more step is required before you are ready to leave the surgical suite. Dr. Tylock and his staff must make certain that both corneal flaps are perfectly sealed. Once your eyes have been examined, you are led to the recovery area. There you are given instructions for the next 24 hours.
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You are given artificial tears, a couple of sleeping pills, some extra strength Tylenol, and are released to go home with your designated driver. You should keep your eyes from drying out in this immediate post op period. We strongly recommend that you keep your eyes closed or sleep for the first (four-six) hours after surgery. The natural position of your eyelids remaining closed helps the corneal flap to smoothly and permanently affix itself to your eye. You will also take artificial tears if your eyes feel the least bit dry or irritated, and should use them anyway during this time even if your eyes do not feel dry.
After you wake up, you can take part in any activity that is not strenuous. Most of our patients usually take it easy and prefer to spend most of the following 24 hours sleeping or relaxing. So take it easy for the rest of the day and enjoy the opportunity to simply rest and relax.
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The first hours immediately following your LASIK procedure are the most critical for healing. You should keep your eyes well lubricated with tears and follow your post operative instructions. The next day patients are able to return to almost all of their normal activities.
Post-operative care is an important part of any surgery. You want to make sure that you have good, quality follow-up after your refractive surgery. At a minimum your refractive surgery should be checked at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. This can vary based on your individual healing response. Close monitoring of the way you heal can make a difference in the way your ultimately see. Ask your doctor about his/her policy regarding follow up care. What parameters are used to determine whether or not you need a second “enhancement” surgery, and what are the timing restrictions and limits? Should you and your doctor decide a second surgery is best for you, what will be involved and how does it effect your post operative care period.
Dr. Tylock is committed to providing you with all the information you need to feel comfortable about making the choice to have vision correction surgery. After viewing our website if you would like to have more information, please contact us for our free CD-ROM or Information Packet. We also invite you to attend one of our free Tuesday night seminars.
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