What should I bring to the first visit? How does it take place?
When a patient comes for their first eye examination it is important that they bring all the documentation they have from previous visits, in order to help the doctor understand their medical history. During the visit, drops will be applied to dilate the pupil and to see the patient’s ocular fundus. With the dilated eye, the patient will see poorly, so it is recommended that he is accompanied by a person who can bring him home.
How do you know if I am suitable for refractive surgery?
During the visit, any pathologies will be assessed, if there are any or, if the patient has come for an operation, a possible suitability for the type of operation requested will be assessed, which can be refractive surgery or cataract, depending on the age of the patient.
What tests are performed in Blue Eye?
The interventions or examinations that I follow usually concern more the discourse of diagnostics and refractive surgery. For refractive surgery, various tests are performed to assess the patient’s suitability; patients who have visual defects such as hyperopia, myopia, or astigmatism, in case they believe they are not suitable for the surgery, it is important that they do the visit because together with the instrumental tests they can provide us with all the data needed to exclude the eligibility or to include it.
How do you prepare for laser surgery?
Refractive surgery is usually done bilaterally, therefore in both eyes in the same operating session; the patient will be accompanied about half an hour before the surgery, tests will be repeated if necessary and then the eye surgery will be performed.
How does a refractive surgery take place?
When the patient arrives in Blue Eye for refractive surgery, he arrives about half an hour earlier; we recheck the exams that we already have in hand and repeat, if necessary. The patient will then be prepared with a gown, a cap, some overshoes, and the eyes will be anesthetized with anesthetic eye drops (there will be no injection, only drops that go to anesthetize the cornea and remove the sensitivity to pain).
The patient will then be taken to the operating room, will be made to lie down and the surgery will be performed; subsequently, there will be the dressing of the eye and, leaving the room, the patient will have a vision that is not perfect but “watered down”, like almost frosted glass. In the following days, the vision will be fluctuating, it will be a continuous fluctuation because the real visual recovery of the patient begins.
What happens after the surgery?
At the end of the operation, the patient is made to sit in the waiting room where his companion is waiting for him; after about half an hour, the doctor arrives for discharge, for a check-up, and to explain the therapy. Regarding the therapy, a sheet is provided in which the eye drops to be instilled are written, such as an antibiotic, artificial tear, anti-inflammatory, and even painkiller, so if the patient feels pain in the following hours he can take the prescribed painkiller. We provide patients with a small starter kit, a pouch in which there are a pair of sunglasses and eye drops for the first medications and then with the prescription, they can go to the pharmacy to buy the eye drops they may need.
What are the recovery times for one’s eyesight?
Visual recovery is also subjective. You have to be patient, go to the established checks (the first check is the day after the surgery) and after that, there will be deadlines that the ophthalmologist will always determine. When you go home it is important to follow all the instructions given by the ophthalmologist, so avoid contact with water on the eyes, no shampoo, no type of contact except with eye drops, to prevent something non-sterile that goes in the eye itself. It is important to avoid contact with animals and avoid sports for a while.