Northern Virginia Doctors of Optometry has a long-standing partnership with TLC Laser Eye Centers® and Dr. Andrew Holzman to give you better vision through LASIK eye surgery. LASIK, which stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, is a vision correction option that uses lasers to correct eye disorders. Today, we discuss what you can expect during the procedure.
LASIK Evaluation
First, we’ll perform a comprehensive eye exam to determine if LASIK is right for you. For one, you must be at least 18 years old in compliance with the Food and Drug Administration guidelines when it comes to laser-assisted procedures. Your visual acuity must have remained the same at least a year prior to having LASIK. You must have a stable overall health as well. We may check a few more things before proceeding with the surgery.
The LASIK Process
After confirming that you’re a good candidate for LASIK, your optometrist will then refer you to our partner surgeon from TLC Laser Eye Centers. Once we have determined the surgery date, we’ll give you pre-operative instructions. This may include not wearing your contact lenses for a few weeks before LASIK. You should also arrange for transportation accommodations since LASIK is considered an outpatient procedure.
On the day of the surgery, TLC will ask you to lie down while we apply numbing drops on your eyes. This ensures your visual comfort and stability throughout the procedure. They may use a small device to help us keep your eyes wide open. Once the anesthesia takes effect, they will use a femtosecond laser to create a flap on your cornea.
Your eye care specialist will then retract this corneal flap to expose the underlying tissues. Using an excimer laser, a certain amount of energy is delivered to your eyes that helps correct underlying vision errors. Afterward, they will observe the changes through a microscope. Once everything is in order, we’ll return the corneal flap to its original position. Afterwards, we will see you to perform a post-operative analysis to ensure that the procedure went smoothly.
LASIK offers lasting improved vision for a better quality of life. Get in touch with us today at by calling one of our locations, or complete our form to request an appointment. We provide eye care to patients in Alexandria, Crystal City, Clarendon, Falls Church and Reston.