A good eye laser surgeon is the most important part of any laser eye surgery. It’s been proven that the rate of complications after laser eye surgery decreases when the surgeon has a lot of experience in doing these types of surgeries. And having a laser eye surgery go wrong can greatly, and negatively, affect your life. Fortunately, finding a good laser eye surgeon isn’t difficult as long as you know what to look for, and you ask a lot of questions.

Credentials to Look for in a Good Laser Eye Surgeon

There are three main areas that you can check to make sure that any laser eye surgeon you’re considering is competent, capable and qualified. These are: their licensing, they’re certification, and their ACS membership.

Each state will have a licensing board and when a laser eye surgeon is licensed with the state it shows that the surgeon has the knowledge and skill that they claim they do. Any surgeon you’re going to use – for anything – must be licensed with the state!

Second to licensing requirements are board certifications. This is a certification that extends past just a general license and shows that the surgery is qualified to specialize in their particular field. The American Board of Ophthalmology is the board certification you should look for when choosing a good laser eye surgeon.

Checking to see if the laser eye surgeon is a member of The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is the final credential you should look at when you trying to choose a laser eye surgeon. The ACS upholds standards of ethics and conduct for all its members and they also require that all of their members are board-certified.

If you can only look for one of the three professional credentials, this is the one that’s most important. Not only is the ACS the most difficult of these three credentials to obtain, but this institution is also highly committed to developing and advancing the world of surgery – eye surgery included.

Who to ask about a Good Laser Eye Surgeon

It’s your eyes and your health, and you definitely don’t want to leave choosing your surgeon up to a random Yellow Pages draw. Just as though you were trying to find a surgeon of any other kind, you’ll want to start by collecting a few names and then investigating each of those names further until you find the surgeon you are comfortable with. There are a few places you can start your search for names.

The first person you should ask for an eye surgeon referral is your regular eye doctor. They will know a lot of names that are practicing in the area, and will have some inside knowledge on which surgeons would be better for you. Another good professional to ask is an eye laser surgeon that you know is very good and very reputable in another state.

Call them and ask if they know a good laser eye surgeon in your area; you might get one or two more names to add to your list. Also, if you know a good laser eye surgeon, but they don’t perform the type of surgery you want or need, ask them if they have a specific surgeon who might be good for you.

Of course, if you have any friends or know anyone that has had laser eye surgery, you certainly want to ask them who their surgeon was, if the surgery was effective, if they had complications afterwards, and how happy they were with their surgeon.

Lastly, you can always try surgeons that you’ve heard advertised on the radio, or seen on television. Many surgeons and clinics advertise their services through popular media although admittedly, it is some more than others.

Don’t pay attention to any kind of special or package they’re advertising; that shouldn’t be your biggest priority when looking for a good laser eye surgeon. But it might give you another name to go on if you’re really having trouble finding laser eye surgeons in your area.