Your vision is crucial, and it is important that you find a highly qualified and experienced LASIK surgeon that will not only deliver the best possible LASIK surgery but also minimize the risk associated with this procedure. A skilled lasik surgeon can not only affect the degree to which your vision is corrected but also give you peace of mind knowing that you have received the best and most precise surgery possible.

A great LASIK surgeon.

1. Has Quality Training and Keeps Up with New Developments

When LASIK first became available after being approved by the FDA in the late 1990s, there was a rush for it, and lots of LASIK centers suddenly opened and offered it. Not all these centers were well run, or hired properly qualified eye surgeons.

A great eye surgeon:

· Is a fully qualified ophthalmologist, certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

· Has training beyond the original medical degree.

· Belongs to at least one professional organization, such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology, or the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS) - this keeps the eye surgeon in contact with his peers, which in turn apprises him of new ideas and better methods.

· Has a clean record at the state Board.

· Has never had malpractice insurance coverage denied.

· Has never had their license revoked, restricted, or suspended.

2. Has Lots of Experience

· Has been performing LASIK procedures for at least 3 years or so.

· Has done at least 500 procedures.

· Has done at least 100 of the same type of procedure recommended for you.

3. Does Your Pre-Op and Post-Op Visits Himself

Some LASIK eye surgeons delegate important work to people who aren't necessarily properly qualified. Besides doing the actual surgery, the best ones will:

· See you initially and determine if you're a good LASIK candidate - an excellent outcome isn't possible if you're not a good candidate to begin with, and the best surgeons screen their patients carefully.

· See you for all your post-op visits, to check on your healing progress and how you're feeling about the results.

4. Runs A Very Organized Facility

Vision correction is meticulous work, and meticulousness should be evident throughout the facility. The surgeon sets the standards. If the staff misplaces your records, forgets your name, writes down the wrong appointment time, gets your phone number wrong, etc., then what is the surgeon doing with your eyesight? Most LASIK complications are the result of "human error", which is a name for carelessness.

5. Offers Custom Wave front LASIK

This is an upgrade over traditional LASIK surgery, and uses a far more precise method of mapping your eyes, so that your treatment will be far more exact and customized for you. This type of LASIK treats the higher order aberrations (glare, starbursts, double vision etc.) as well as the lower order aberrations (near- and far-sightedness and astigmatism).

6.Will Respond Quickly to Any Complication or Emergency Situation

The sooner a problem in any surgery is addressed, the more likely it is to be well corrected. A great LASIK surgeon is equipped and staffed such that he can respond immediately to any problem, whether it occurs during surgery, or just afterwards, or in the recovery period. Follow-up visits are a part of a good LASIK treatment, so that if you do experience a problem in the period following your surgery, you can quickly see your surgeon and have it resolved.