Before Your Surgery
A full pre-treatment examination is required before any surgical
procedure. This examination takes approximately two hours, and your
eyes will be dilated, so you should have someone drive you to your appointment.
The examination will include testing visual acuity, eye muscle movements,
peripheral vision and intraocular pressure. You will also be able to
discuss your proposed surgery in depth with your surgeon. If you decide
to proceed with the surgery, we will schedule a surgery date and give
you pre-surgical instructions.
The Day of Your Surgery
Someone should drive you to the procedure and drive you home.
While it isn't necessary for your driver to wait for you during the
procedure, if he or she decides to stay, we'll provide updates on your
progress and make every effort to make his or her stay comfortable.
Although the surgery itself only takes about 10 minutes per eye, you
will be at the surgicenter for 3-4 hours to allow time for sterile preparation
and recovery. Our reception staff will greet you and provide a surgical
authorization form for your review and signature. You will be taken
to the surgical suite a short time before your scheduled surgery. You
will be asked to wear a surgical jumpsuit over your clothing, and shoe
and hair coverings. One of our staff will monitor your vital signs and
spend a few minutes reviewing what to expect. You will be administered
medication in the form of a pill to help you relax. A wheelchair brings
you from the pre-op room through the sterile corridor into the operating
room. You will again meet your surgeon and the rest of the medical team.
You'll be seated at the end of the operating table and helped to lie
down. Anesthetic eye drops will be administered to numb your eye and
the area around your eye will be carefully cleaned and swabbed with
an antiseptic solution. You will then be covered in specially designed
sterile drapes to protect the sterile field. Kremer Laser surgeons
operate in truly sterile environments, which can be up to ten times
safer than other eye centers -- safer even than some hospital conditions.
Although you are relaxed and comfortable, you will be alert and able
to talk with your surgeon and the rest of the medical team.
During and After Your Surgery
An instrument called a speculum holds your eyelids open so
you don't have to worry about blinking. After surgery, we will place
a shield over your eye and you will be taken to the post-operative area
in a wheelchair for a short time before you are allowed to return home.
Follow-Up Care
After you are driven home, you can relax there until your follow-up
appointment with your surgeon, which is normally one day after surgery.
Be sure to bring your drops to your appointment. You'll be able
to resume most of your normal activities, except the ones your post-operative
instructions tell you to avoid. If your second eye needs an Artisan® Lens, surgery can usually be performed in 3 to 6 months.
Artisan® Lens FAQs
Artisan® Lens Surgery
What
to Expect with Artisan® Lens
KremerCare
Kremer Laser Fact Sheet
