I'm thinking about going in for LASIK surgery. Should I get both eyes done at once, or is it better to do one at a time?

F.C.T.

Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is a surgical procedure in which doctors use a laser to reshape the cornea to reduce or eliminate nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and/or astigmatism. LASIK is a painless procedure, and many patients experience a dramatic improvement in their vision within 24 hours. Because the chance of serious complications is very low in healthy people, most surgeons perform LASIK on both eyes at the same time. Personally, I offer this option to all of my patients considering LASIK, and almost all of my patients choose to have LASIK performed on both eyes at the same time.

That said, anyone having LASIK surgery done on both eyes on the same day must be aware that there is a very small chance of developing a serious complication that could permanently affect the vision in both eyes. Such complications include infection, severe inflammation and scarring. If you have a condition that may predispose you to any of these problems, you may want to consider the possibility of getting LASIK done on just one eye before having it done on the other. That way, if you should happen to be one of the rare patients who develops vision-threatening complications, you still would have one unaffected eye.