I remember the first time I met my lasik eye surgeon. I was sitting in his consulting room while he looked over my file. I’d had all the relevant pre-operative tests and now it was crunchtime.

On the wall were a whole bunch of accreditations with abbreviations I didn’t really know the meaning of but the surgeon definitely looked the part. I’d had the luxury of looking him up online beforehand so I was quite confident in his ability.

Still, after informing me that I was a suitable candidate for lasik surgery he then asked if I had any questions.

It was at this precise moment I realised I should have thought of some beforehand. Up until now I’d been cruising along satisfied with the information provided to me over my last few visits.

I replied no but in hindsight realised I wasted a good opportunity to glean some information from the person I’d be entrusting me eyes with. Luckily I had another consult with my surgeon before we went ahead with the surgery and after going home and thinking about it, I made sure the next time I saw him I had some questions to ask.

Here’s what I asked him and why.

1. How many laser eye surgeries have you performed?

For most reputable surgeons this should be available online, although if for whatever reason your surgeon and his or her practice doesn’t have an online presence then here’s your chance to find out. Additionally even if the numbers are available online they might be wildly out of date so it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Ideally you want your surgeon to have performed more then a couple of hundred surgeries (let’s say 300+). If you’ve got a particular problem, say extreme short or long sightedness or astigmatism ask how many of those particular type of surgeries your surgeon has performed.

If you have extreme short sightedness a surgeon who has performed only 200 surgeries, but 100 of which were successful operations on patients with extreme short sightedness might be better then a surgeon with more surgeries under his belt, but less experience with short sightedness.

2. How long have you been performing laser eye surgery for?

Again this should be available online for any surgeon or practice with a web presence but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

I’d be comfortable with anything over three years. If less then there should be a reason for it, ie. you’re paying less then the standard going rate or you’ve come to this doctor for another specific reason.

If so just be aware that you might be taking a risk with your eyes. Saving a bit of money over the risk to your eyesight is something some people are comfortable whereas for others it isn’t an option. Each person is unique in this respect and it’s up to you to think about it and decide if you’re comfortable with the risk (even with experienced surgeons there’s still a risk).

Anything less then 100 surgeries and I’d encourage you to at least visit one other practice if for nothing else then a second opinion.

3. What should I expect during the operation?

Whether you’re getting PRK or Lasik be aware that the surgery procedures are quite different. Familiarity is a good thing and you want a surgeon who is familiar with all aspects of the laser eye surgery procedure you are having done.

You might have already have had the surgery experience laid out to you by the nursing staff or over your own online research but ask anyway.

Any hesitation in answering this question or your surgeon palming off your query to the nursing staff should make you seriously reconsider your options.

4. How many patients have you refused surgery for?

There’s no doubt that money is probably a driving factor for most laser eye surgeons but a good one will know when it’s just not safe to operate on someone’s eyes.

For this reason it’s important to ask how many patients have been refused surgery as it gives you a sense that you’re not just a walking pay cheque to the surgeon. Any number is a good answer here but being told no patients have ever been knocked back might be cause to reconsider.

If the surgeon is willing to take risks and operate on more severe cases he or she might just be really really good at what surgery, or simply more in it for the money. You don’t want to find out the answer to this question post surgery so think carefully over this one.

Obviously the more complicated your particular circumstance, the more important the number of patients refused surgery becomes. Don’t be afraid to ask what the primary differences are between a patient who was knocked back and your particular optical conditions.

It’s important for you to gauge just how far off the ‘cut off’ line you are when weighing up your final decision to go or not to go ahead with the surgery.

5. Would you consider laser eye surgery for yourself?

I couldn’t think of anything more ridiculous then going to see a laser eye surgeon with glasses and being told he couldn’t afford the risk of having the surgery done. Luckily for me not only had my surgeon had lasik performed at the clinic he worked at but also several of the other surgeons had too.

I remember this being a great relief when I found out as I’d read of people being told their eye surgeons hadn’t had eye surgery because they needed their eyes for work.

Let’s face it, do you really want your eye surgery performed by a surgeon who doesn’t have complete faith in the operation?

There’s always going to be a risk involved with a laser eye surgery but the excuse of needing their vision for work just doesn’t cut it. It’s not like you as a patient don’t need your vision too!


Even though I knew the answers to some of these questions asking them pretty much cemented my trust in my eye surgeon. As a result I was much more comfortable proceeding with the surgery.

Remember sitting under a laser with your eyes prised open does have it’s risks so you want to be sure your surgeon knows what he or she is doing, as well as you yourself feeling completely comfortable going into the surgery.

I felt comfortable asking the five questions above and felt they were sufficient to gauge whether or not I was absolutely confident in my surgeons capabilities. If you need to ask more questions then by all means ask them but don’t waste the opportunity by not asking anything.

If something did go wrong or your surgeon doesn’t turn out to be quite what you thought, you’ll be kicking yourself you didn’t.

1. Lasik Eye Surgery: My operation experience
2. My one week checkup after Lasik eye surgery
3. Getting laser eye surgery done: The first consult
4. 10 must read blog posts on laser eye surgery
5. Claiming a laser eye surgery rebate on Medicare