What Happens During My LASIK Procedure?

What will it be like? How long will it take? How can I prepare myself?

The key word for your LASIK procedure at Lipstock LASIK and Cataract Center is “Relax.” Here’s exactly how it will go:

First we’ll ask you to set aside part of two days for your LASIK procedure – on the day of the procedure itself and on the morning of the next day when you’ll come back to see us on your first post-op visit.

You should expect to be with us 1.5 to 2 hours on the day of your procedure. Some centers rush you through, but Dr. Lipstock is never in a hurry when it comes to surgery and he insists on verifying every important detail on the day of the procedure itself.

You’ll arrive, we’ll check you in and get the final testing and paperwork out of the way. We’ll provide you with oral relaxation medication and then settle you down in the pre-op suite.

Many of us here at Lipstock LASIK and Cataract Center have had LASIK ourselves so we really do know what it’s like and we’ll help you feel calm and relaxed.

We’ll give you some eye drops to prepare your eyes and give them time to take effect. Then we’ll take you into the laser suite.

  • You’ll be in the laser suite for around 20 minutes. You’ll recline on a special couch, with a warm blanket so you don’t get cold from the air-conditioning [the laser suite is strictly controlled for temperature (70 degrees) and humidity (40 percent) to maximize the accuracy of the laser treatment]. Dr Lipstock will talk you through every step of the procedure and tell you exactly what is going to happen along the way. He’ll use two lasers – the first for creating the flap and the second for correcting the corneal irregularities.
  • The actual procedure takes about 5-6 minutes per eye. You’ll have a small light to focus your attention and you should know that there’s nothing you can do that might mess up the procedure. Dr. Lipstock uses lasers with advanced eye tracking technology so that any slightest eye movement is detected and if you were to turn your head or move your eye out of range the laser would instantly stop until your eye was back in exact position again. Lots of folks worry that they’ll blink or twitch and ruin everything but that is simply not an issue.
  • You’ll feel slight pressure on your eye as the lasers do their work and no pain. And that’s it. You’ll start seeing better right away; patients are usually amazed to read the clock on the wall of the laser suite immediately after the procedure. Expect your vision to be somewhat blurry for a few hours while the eye drops wear off and your cornea re-hydrates. We’ll take you back into the pre-op suite, where Dr. Lipstock will make one final check to ensure everything is fine and then a clear plastic eye shield will be taped in place over each eye.
  • You should go directly home to take a nap for a few hours. This will help the healing process get underway. When you wake up, you will notice the vision to be even clearer and  it will be time to start the eye drops that we provide for you. The eye shields will  be used only while sleeping for the first several days. 
  • We’re on call 24/7 if you need us. Your eyes might feel a little dry after the procedure but you should feel no pain at all. Most folks have a long and restful sleep the night of the procedure and wake to a whole new world the next morning.