Will I get to meet the doctor before surgery?
Yes. Dr. Peter Rapoza insists on personally meeting with every patient to confirm candidacy for laser vision correction and answer any questions about the procedure.
Am I a candidate for LASIK?
To be eligible for LASIK surgery, you must be at least 18 years old, be in good general health, have excellent general eye health, not be nursing or pregnant and have stable vision for at least one year. You must also have proper cornea thickness, which will be measured during your comprehensive eye examination. If based upon these parameters, Dr. Rapoza determines that you are a candidate for LASIK, you may proceed with laser vision correction. If LASIK is not an option, other vision correction procedures may be available. For some, whose vision distortion is the result of developing cataracts, Dr. Rapoza may instead recommend cataract surgery where the cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens implant (IOL). Dr. Rapoza is highly experienced in the implantation of toric IOLs which correct astigmatism and accommodating IOLs which provide distance and intermediate near vision.
What is Dr. Rapoza’s experience?
Dr. Rapoza is a board certified ophthalmologist and internationally recognized authority on refractive surgery. With over 27 years of surgical experience, he was one of the first North American ophthalmologists trained in performing LASIK. He is highly sought by elite clients, other physicians, health care providers and their families. He has personally trained hundreds of doctors in refractive surgical techniques and has been listed repeatedly as a “Best Doctor in America”, a “Trusted LASIK Surgeon” by his peers and patients and a “Boston’s Best” in Boston Magazine.
How predictable are Dr. Rapoza’s LASIK outcomes?
Dr. Rapoza has a high patient satisfaction rate for LASIK with 98% of his patients achieve 20/20 vision or better and out of those, 75% achieve 20/15 after LASIK. While he cannot guarantee 20/20 vision for every patient, the majority of his patients state they are happy and are glad they chose Dr. Rapoza for their surgery.
Will I need reading glasses after LASIK?
Even for those achieving 20/20 vision, having LASIK does not prevent you from developing an age-related eye condition called presbyopia, or the need for reading or near vision glasses. When most people reach their mid-40s, the lens in the eye begin to lose flexibility, making it difficult for the eye muscles to flex enough to focus on close-up vision. Even after a successful LASIK procedure, you may require reading glasses later in life to accommodate for this common condition.
What are the benefit of LASIK vs. glasses vs. contact lenses?
There are pros and cons for having LASIK or wearing glasses or contact lenses. For some, glasses offer style and variety, but for others they may detract from their appearance. For some, contact lenses offer freedom from glasses, but others find contact lens use and care inconvenient or cumbersome. There are key differences between LASIK and wearing glasses or contact lenses. For example, glasses limit peripheral vision while LASIK allows you to see more naturally in all directions. With today’s custom technology, LASIK typically improves vision more precisely than glasses or contact lenses. LASIK will likely save you money over the long run, compared to glasses or contact lenses, but requires a greater initial outlay. Some point out that contact lens use carries a risk of minor and serious eye infection. LASIK can cause risks such as dry eye, over or under correction. LASIK offers security because one does not have to locate or find their glasses or contacts to see in an emergency situation. LASIK also allows individuals to participate in activities that are more difficult to do with glasses or contacts like water skiing, downhill skiing, jogging, etc..
What happens if I move my eye during LASIK?
Sometimes patients worry that they will affect the LASIK procedure by nervous or uncontrollable eye twitches. These are called saccadic eye movements. The excimer laser we use has integrated Iris Registration technology and trackers which provide a fully automated, non-contact method of providing precise eye alignment in preparation for and during the laser correction treatment. This will neutralize any small eye movements you make and increase the safety of the procedure. If a large movement is made, the laser will not fire until the eye returns to the desired position.
What are the alternatives to LASIK?
PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy)
- For patients with high nearsightedness and/or astigmatism, thin corneas, prior RK or LASIK, prior corneal transplant, dry eyes, high risk of ocular injury, PRK reshapes the cornea with a precise excimer laser beam, but the doctor does not create a corneal flap. Instead, the outer layer of the cornea (epithelium) is removed and allowed to naturally regenerate in a few days. In this fashion, the treatment preserves a greater thickness of untouched corneal tissue which may be important in the above situations.
LASEK (Laser Sub-Epithelial Keratomileusis)
- For patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism: LASEK reshapes the cornea with a precise excimer laser beam; however, no corneal flap is created. Instead, the reshaped outer layer of the cornea (epithelium) is preserved and replaced at the end of surgery. Dr. Rapoza was one of the first surgeons to evaluate LASEK. His personal stance is that LASEK offers no real benefits relative to PRK and so he rarely recommends this procedure.
AK (Astigmatic Keratotomy)
- For patients with astigmatism: AK is a treatment option that can be used alone or with other vision correction procedures to correct astigmatism. During AK, the doctor reshapes the cornea through tiny peripheral incisions, created with either a femtosecond laser or diamond blade, to change the cornea shape from oblong to round. AK is nowadays rarely recommended.
ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens / Implantable Contact Lens)
- For patients with a high degree of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, that are not candidates for LASIK, ICL offers another option. An ICL is a flexible gel-like lens that is permanently placed inside the eye to correct refractive errors without removing corneal tissue or removing and replacing the eye lens.
What about costs? Are there payment plans?
- A LASIK counselor will review your costs and financing options.
- Our one-time all-inclusive pricing includes:
- All pre-operative testing & measurements
- Surgical procedure fees
- All post-operative visits for 1 year after surgery
- Any enhancements, if needed, for up to 2 years
Payment methods accepted: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, cash, personal or certified check.
- Many corporate health plans offer LASIK benefits vision discount or rebate programs, which can reduce your costs substantially.
- It is important to consider your employers Health Services Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). LASIK is an eligible expense under these programs.
- Additionally, we offer the following financing options through CareCredit®: 0% Interest for 6 or 12 months.
To learn more about iLASIK™, we invite you to come in for a complimentary consultation with Dr. Rapoza.
To Schedule a FREE LASIK Evaluation, Call 617-314-2789 or Click Here