Over 50? Keeping Up With Your Healthcare Needs

Questions For Your Eye Surgeon During A Laser Eye Surgery Evaluation

18 February 2021

Nellie Ryan

If you are tired of wearing glasses or contacts, you should schedule a consultation with an eye surgeon to see if you're a candidate for any of the laser eye surgery procedures that have become popular in recent years. This consultation is a chance to not only see if it's safe for you to get laser eye surgery, but it's also a chance for you to ask questions about the procedures. Since patients sometimes get nervous and overwhelmed during these consultations, it's a good idea to have some questions lined up beforehand. Here are a few that belong on the list.

How long is the recovery period for the procedure being recommended?

There are a few different laser eye surgery procedures, and each one has a somewhat different recovery process. With some of the more advanced, all-laser procedures, you can be back to work within a few days, but if your eye shape requires a more involved procedure, you may need to take two or three weeks off. Make sure you establish the expected recovery time up-front so you can schedule your procedure appropriately.

Will you still need glasses after the procedure?

Patients usually have laser surgery with the assumption that they won't need glasses afterwards. However, if you are someone who needs bifocals, you may still need reading glasses after your surgery. And if your vision loss is very severe, you may still need thin glasses for everyday wear after surgery. If you only want to pursue surgery if it means you can be entirely glasses-free, make that clear to the surgeon during your consultation. They'll let you know if this is truly a reasonable expectation based on your unique eye health and structure.

How much will your insurance cover?

For years, health insurance companies considered laser eye surgery to be a cosmetic procedure, and therefore they did not cover it. This is changing, though. Some insurance companies have begun to acknowledge that laser eye surgery can be more affordable, overall, than continuing to cover glasses or contacts for the rest of the patient's life — and so they are starting to offer coverage. An eye surgeon's staff should be able to look into your insurance plan and let you know exactly what it will pay, and what you will owe, if you decide to go through with the surgery.

Ask these questions, and you should emerge from a laser eye surgery consultation with a better idea of whether one of these procedures is right for you. For more information, contact an eye surgeon.

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