Your eyes are precious. After making the decision to undergo LASIK surgery, you must feel confident that you are placing your vision in experienced hands. Dr. M. Farooq Ashraf of The Atlanta Vision Eye Clinic in Dubai discusses how to choose the best ophthalmologist for LASIK surgery.
LASIK Experience
Look for an eye doctor with a great deal of experience in performing LASIK surgery. You should only trust your vision with someone who has done thousands, not hundreds, of LASIK surgeries. Make sure they are still performing numerous surgeries per week, ensuring that their skills are in shape.
The Importance of Board Certification
When an ophthalmologist is board-certified, that means he or she has completed additional training requirements beyond licensing eligibility. As per the American Board of Ophthalmology, the doctor has completed “a rigorous evaluation of their knowledge, skills, and experience.” When an eye doctor is board-certified, that signifies he or she is an expert in the field.
Requirements for board certification include:
- Degree from an accredited medical school
- Internship
- Accredited three-year residency training
- License to practice medicine
- Passing the written qualifying examination
- Passing the oral examination
To retain board certification, ophthalmologists must recertify after a certain number of years. That involves completing 400 hours of continuing medical education (CME) over an eight-year period.
Feeling Comfortable With Your Ophthalmologist
It’s critical that you feel comfortable with your surgeon and confident in his or her abilities. Are the questions you have asked answered to your satisfaction? Does the surgeon inform you not only about the benefits of LASIK surgery but about potential risks? Do you understand that there are some limits to LASIK, or is the eye surgeon overpromising results?
LASIK surgery is not suitable for everyone. If you feel pressured into getting LASIK surgery by the eye doctor, that’s a red flag. Ask the eye doctor if he or she ever turns down someone for LASIK. If the answer is no, find another ophthalmologist.
Get References
Ask the ophthalmologist for patient references. You want to know about each reference’s experience with the doctor and the practice. When searching for a LASIK surgeon, ask people you know who underwent LASIK surgery and are happy with the results for recommendations.
Contact Us
When it comes to choosing the best ophthalmologist for LASIK surgery, Dr. M. Farooq Ashraf fits all the criteria. Board-certified, he is the LASIK specialist at The Atlanta Vision Eye Clinic in Dubai and has personally performed more than 40,000 LASIK surgeries in the United States and Dubai. To learn more about the procedure and benefits of LASIK, schedule a consultation today.