Laser Eye Surgery: Q&A
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Laser Eye Surgeon Qualifications
I can't find any details on who is the most qualified to do laser eye surgery. What should I look for when researching for the best doctor?
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anon
+3
Laser Eye Surgeon Qualifications
I have always thought the best endorsement of a LASIK or cataract surgeon is the word of mouth of a happy patient they have operated on. While medical school rankings and Ophthalmology residency rankings are always important, I have known my fair share of "average" surgeons coming from Ivy League level programs. Conversely, the best cataract surgeon I have ever known came from a program I had never heard of! So, in the end, it comes down to patient referral, word of mouth...
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+2
What makes a qualified surgeon
Ask around in your community! Happy patients will refer you to their surgeon and be able to give you great insight into what the support team is like, how long wait times were, pricing, etc. There are also many online review sites like yelp and healthgrades where patients can rate their surgeons. I also recommend that you find a Fellowship trained surgeons. The most qualified refractive surgeons usually did a Fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery. Hope that helps!
+2
Word-of-mouth testimonials
One of the best endorsements for a surgeon is word-of-mouth personal testimonials from people you trust and respect. If a friend or family member had a great experience with a certain surgeon then your search should start there. Other things to look for are quality and quantity of training, I recommend using a surgeon who completed a reputable one year or longer post-residency fellowship program in Cornea & Refractive Surgery. Surgeons who are invited by their peers to lecture and/or...
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New York Ophthalmologist
+2
Qualifications for laser surgeon and center
I would ask the following questions:
where did the surgeon go for medical school? (the better the better)
where did he do his residency in ophthalmology? (again, famous centers are usually best!)
did he do a Refractive Fellowship? (the best refractive surgeons did a refractive fellowship)
how many procedures does he perform a year? (something between 1,000 - 2,000 is ideal)
how many of my particular type of procedure does he perform per year? (e.g., LASEK not...
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+1
Laser Eye Surgeon Qualifications
The safest way to ensure that your surgeon is highly qualified to perform laser vision correction is to determine that he is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology AND that he is fellowship trained in Cornea and Refractive Surgery. Additionally, find out if and that he has performed at least 1,000 LASIK cases.
Laser Eye Surgery, as with anything comes with experience so find out how many years and how many procedures have been done during that time....
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+1
Laser eye surgeon qualifications
Look for are a surgeon who has fellowship training in cornea and refractive surgery and ask how many procedures they perform per year. I would also ensure that the surgeon if comfortable and willing to do all forms of refractive surgery (LASIK/LASEK/PRK/ICL/CLE). This will ensure that they will not try and push a treatment they are comfortable with on you even if it is not suited to you. You can also ask other doctors for recommendation.
New York Ophthalmologist
+1
Laser Surgeon Qualifications
Finding the best surgeon can be extremely difficult. While word-of-mouth is important, getting a recommendation from 3 or 4 friends is hardly a sufficient sample size to differentiate a good surgeon from a great surgeon. An average LASIK surgeon is still very successful and since LASIK surgery tends to be a very successful surgery, it would be improbable that you could ask enough people to make a decision based purely on statistics.
Optometrists can often be good...
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+1
Experience makes a huge difference
It is less important where a doctor went to school and much more important as to what they have done since leaving school. The best surgeons tend to be those that have been in practice for at least 15 years and who do a lot of surgery. Even so, it is possible to have a busy surgeon who does not do good work. The next question is how many successful malpractice suits that they have. If it is more than a few, or if they have more than one or two pending, I would look...
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+1
I think experience is the most important qualification
I think experience is the most important qualification. Membership in ASCRS (American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery) and AAO (American Academy of Ophthalmology) also can be verified. Both have information on selecting a surgeon.
New York Ophthalmologist
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