What Makes a Good Surgeon?
The qualifications, skills, and experience of your surgeon are important factors to consider when choosing who will perform your procedure. A good refractive surgeon should have the following qualifications and characteristics:
- Board certification. Make sure your refractive surgeon is "board certified," which assures formal training in eye care. Even among board certified refractive surgeons, formal training runs the entire gamut. Some surgeons learn LASIK at a weekend course. Others do specialty fellowship training in cornea and refractive surgery.
- Experience. In procedures like LASIK, there is a learning curve for the LASIK doctor. Complication rates tend to be lower when refractive procedures are performed by an experienced surgeon. But while it may seem that the more cases a surgeon has performed the better, this is not always the case. Some surgeons that perform a very high volume of refractive surgery procedures may be taking short cuts that could compromise safety and quality. If you undergo LASIK in a high-volume practice, make sure you are receiving the personal care you deserve.
- Qualified Staff. Good surgeons carefully select friendly staff members and train them to answer your questions thoroughly and accurately. For some patients, it's also reassuring to know the surgeon has performed refractive surgery on the optometrist and/or staff members involved in your care.
- Professional Marketing. Most laser centers advertise to attract patients. But good refractive surgeons usually don't need coupons and special rebates to attract new patients. For the most part, their practices grow because happy patients refer their friends and family members to the surgeon.
- Statistics. Good surgeons keep track of how many surgeries they've performed and analyze their surgical outcomes.
For complete information on refractive surgeons, visit the Consumer Guide to LASIK & Laser Eye Surgery.