Your LASIK Surgery with Dr Jerry Tan

LASIK surgery is quick and painless. Before your procedure, you need to observe the following:

1. Refrain from wearing soft contact lenses at least two days before LASIK;
   
   
2. Refrain from wearing hard contact lenses at least two weeks before LASIK;
   
   
3. You should practice holding your eye steady;
   
   
4. You should not use any form of make-up, powder or perfume on the day of your procedure; and
   
   
5. It is advisable that you not drive on the day of your surgery.

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On the day of your procedure:

1. Anaesthetic eye-drops will be placed in your eye to ensure you experience no pain during LASIK.
   
   
2. You will be placed under the Excimer Laser and your head will be positioned directly under the laser.
   
   
3. A sterile dressing will be placed over your face, exposing only the eye to be treated.
   
   
4. A speculum will be placed between your eyelids to open your eye and prevent blinking.
   
   
5. A clear, adhesive plastic film will be placed over your eye to hold down your eyelashes. A suction ring and the microkeratome will be positioned on your eye.
   
   
6. Dr Tan will ask you to fix your focus on a blinking light.
   
   
7. As soon as Dr Tan is satisfied with your eye’s fixation, he will begin creating the flap. You will hear a low “whirring” sound and observe a shadow momentarily blocking your view of the fixation light. Relax and keep your eye fixed.
   
   
8. If all laser LASIK is the technique chosen, you will be placed under a separate laser (Intralase) and the flap is created after suction is placed on your eye. You will feel pressure on your eye for 1 minute and your vision will be very dim or completely dark.
   
   
9. Relax and keep your eye still. Intralase is silent and painless. Intralase patients will be asked to rest for 15 minutes to allow the bubbles under the flap created to coalesce and disappear.
   
   
10. Once the flap is created, Dr Tan will proceed to reshape your cornea. You will see a fixation light. Keep you eye fixated on this blinking light.
    
    
11. Once Dr Tan is satisfied with your eye’s fixation, he will lift the flap and begin reshaping your cornea. You will hear a rapid “clicking” sound and see a bluish white light rapidly flashing. At some moments, you may not see the fixation light, but you should keep your eye fixated.
    
    
12. When the cornea reshaping is done, Dr Tan will irrigate your eye, replace the flap and gently press down the edges of the flap with a sponge. Meanwhile, your gaze should remain fixed on the fixation light.
    
    
13. After Dr Tan removes all surgical instruments from your eye, he will tape a plastic shield over your eye.
    
    
14. You will be taken to the waiting room to rest. Dr Tan will examine your eye again in an hour. You should keep both eyes closed as much as possible to facilitate the healing process.

Typically, the LASIK procedure will be completed in 10-15 minutes.

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