before your LASIK eye surgery

You're taking the first steps in the LASIK eye surgery process, and it's perfectly normal to feel a bit nervous. So the better you understand your LASIK surgery, and what happens after your surgery, the better prepared you'll be for your surgery.

Once you've chosen a doctor, you'll have an initial consultation to discuss the details of your procedure and follow-up care. This is the time to get to know your doctor and get firsthand answers to your questions. It's also your opportunity to learn what outcomes you can realistically expect from your LASIK eye surgery.

Getting Ready for Your LASIK Eye Surgery

Your doctor will probably ask you to follow a few simple directions leading up to your LASIK eye surgery, including:

• If you currently wear contact lenses, you will likely be asked not to wear them for two to four weeks prior to your procedure. Contact lenses can change the shape of your corneas, so you'll want to keep them out long enough for your corneas to assume their natural shape.
• Keep your eyes free of debris. Your doctor may ask you to avoid using creams, make-up, or perfumes at least a day in advance of the procedure.
• Your doctor may recommend that you wash the area surrounding your eyes with a mild cleanser (such as baby shampoo) for a few days prior to the procedure.

Planning the Procedure

If you have chosen traditional LASIK eye surgery, your surgeon will evaluate your sight with the same tests used to prescribe your eyeglasses or contacts. He or she will use this information to help determine how to reshape your cornea to correct your vision, and where to direct the laser beam to accomplish that reshaping.

In the case of the CustomCornea® procedure, the laser's path is determined using a process called wavefront mapping. Wavefront mapping passes a narrow, eye-safe beam of light through your eye and precisely measures the optical distortions as the light exits the eye. This sophisticated information is then fed to the excimer laser to guide its path in reshaping your cornea.

At this point, you should be ready for your LASIK eye surgery.