All About Vision - Dr. Chynn addresses another patient’s concerns.
Sal C. : I am working in Cairo and will be returning to the US for a 4 week leave in October. I am interested in having LASIK done on my eyes. Though Egypt has the equipment and US trained surgeons I would prefer having the operation back in the US . I have a few questions I would like to ask at this stage and if all looks OK, would like to make an appointment for a consultation on the week of the 20th October.
Dr. Chynn : I have been to Egypt , and although the doctors there are very good, their equipment is a few years behind the US; since the excimer laser that is the basis of this surgery was invented at Columbia University when I was a medical student there, and is based on an IBM patent, you would be getting surgery that is 1 generation more advanced than in Egypt. For example, you would be getting a ”NO FLAP - NO CUT - ALL LASER LASEK” or “EPILASEK” by me, as I stopped doing the older, less safe, cutting LASIK procedure a few years ago (which I had myself 10 years ago). Please also see our website for details on this. www.parkavenuelaservision.com .
Sal C. : I will be in the US for only 4 weeks. Will this be sufficient time to have the operation and get post-op checkups done? I will return again for a week over Christmas and so can have another checkup done then.
Dr. Chynn : Yes this is more than sufficient time. You actually only have to be here for 3 weeks.
Sal C.: I have had a consultation in Egypt at one of the top clinics and have been told I am a good candidate (I am 33 years old, have had same prescription for the past 15 years (-3.25 & -2.25)) and cornia & pupils are right size. However is there likely to be a great variety of opinion between different surgeons or are the tests fairly standard? If fairly standard, I can just bring the report from Egypt and as long as you agree with the findings and go ahead with the operation straight away rather than come in for a couple of consultations a week apart before the operation and hence save time.
Dr. Chynn : There are fairly standard parameters but based on procedure. Our non-cutting procedure is safer because it preserves more tissue and leaves the eye stronger, so if you are a good LASIK candidate, you are a great LASEK or epiLASEK candidate (the reverse, however, may not be true). So please fax or email us the records NOW so we can start to review them and build your chart–much better that way than getting them at the last minute when you arrive, so we can double-check everything BEFORE you get here, and be prepared for which tests we will need to repeat. Typically, we repeat all of them, anyway, just to be 100% sure everything is alright.
Sal C. : Do you recommend having both eyes done at the same time or one eye at a time ?
Dr. Chynn : I had one at a time, but this was a decade ago. Now that things are much more advanced and safer Most people have both the eyes at one time. About 99% of our patients have bilateral surgery.
