Although Lasik surgery can correct a lot of visual defects for a lot of people, it won’t suit everyone. The aim here for most of us is to either do away with having to wear prescription glasses and contact lenses or to make specific improvements to visual problems that we suffer from.

When you find a laser surgeon who can carry out this kind of procedure then he/she should assess you for suitability before recommending a procedure. They should also take time to tell you about any side effects and risks before you have your operation(s).

But, they may not cover all the issues that relate to you as an individual and that may affect your life after surgery. So, some of these questions may be useful to you when you are having your consultations.

#1 How will surgery impact on my life? Some surgeons, for example won’t recommend that you have this kind of surgery if you regularly play contact sports that could result in eye injuries. It is important to talk to your doctor about what you do in life (as well as about your eyes/general health) to see if there are any negatives. For example, some jobs will also be closed to you if you had had refractive eye surgery so this is important to know.

#2 What can I do if surgery doesn’t work? There are various options open to you if your surgery doesn’t work as well as it should or if you end up with a side effect or complication. It is important, therefore, to know what your options are if this happens and what the doctor can do for you here.

#3 What are the short-term implications of having Lasik surgery? Your surgeon should be able to tell you exactly how this kind of surgery will impact on your life in the immediate periods before you have an operation and after it is done. You need to work out whether this will work for you. So, ask questions to check whether you will be able to drive after the operation. Check if you can wear contacts (and even cosmetics!) in the days prior to your operation. You also need to assess whether you need to take time off work here.

A lot of the time the information that you are given by your doctor will relate to specific health issues relating to your eye surgery. It is, of course, vital to get the answers to these questions before you sign up for this kind of procedure so that you know the risks, know that you qualify for this kind of surgery and that you understand what it will mean in health/vision terms.

But, these alternative questions also go some way to helping you assess the broader and longer term impact on your everyday life after having laser eye surgery. Although they may not be of actual medical importance in some ways they are important issues to have addressed so do make sure to ask them in the first place.