Is Laser Vision Correction for you? Ophthalmology & Visual SCiences, University of Iowa

Is Laser Vision Correction for you?

Frequently asked questions.

The Department of Opthalmology and Visual Sciences at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics holds free screenings to determine if you are a candidate for refractive surgery. Please call 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally) for a screening appointment. The screenings take from 30 to 45 minutes and you will be asked to bring your most recent glasses prescription.

Attend a free one-hour seminar to learn more about refractive procedures.

Time, Locations and Online Registration

Call UI Health Access at 319-384-8442 or 800-777-8442 to register for the next scheduled seminar, or visit www.uihealthcare.com/eyecare for further information.

Am I a good candidate for refractive surgery?

In general, most people who are wearing glasses or contacts for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, or glasses for reading may be candidates. Ideal patients should not have a significant increase in their lens prescription in the last year. People with certain medical conditions or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may not be good candidates.

The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics offers a consultation to determine if you are a candidate for refractive surgery. Please call 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally) to schedule your consultation. The evaluation takes approximately 2 hours and you will be asked to bring your most recent glasses prescription. more...

Which procedure is right for me?

PRK, LASIK, or LASEK

Adults (age 18 or older) with healthy eyes, mild to moderate nearsightedness (up to -14.0 diopters), farsightedness (0.50 up to +5.0 diopters) and astigmatism (up to 5.0 diopters)

INTACS

Adults (age 18 or older) with astigmatism or mild nearsightedness (-.75 to -3.00 diopters)

Custom Ablation

Adults (age 18 or older with nearsightedness (-1.00 up to -6.00 diopters) and astigmatism (up to -3.00 diopters). During the initial evaluation your physician would determine if you would benefit from this procedure.

What results can I expect?

It is important that you have realistic expectations. Your decision should be based on facts, not hopes or misconceptions. The goal of any refractive surgical procedure is to reduce your dependence on corrective lenses. If you expect better vision without glasses or contacts you will probably be pleased. You may be disappointed if you expect perfect vision without the need of glasses or contacts.

What will I be able to see?

Results at UI Hospitals and Clinics and elsewhere have shown 95 percent of eyes treated improve to 20/40, the legal driving limit in most states and 80 percent improve to 20/20 or normal uncorrected vision. Although dependent on the level of correction needed, results at UI Hospitals and Clinics have patients seeing 20/20 - or better - with both eyes 91 percent of the time.

The healing process during the first week may cause your vision to seem somewhat "blurry." Vision Clarity is unique for each person and depends on your rate of healing and the amount of correction performed. You should notice a steady improvement in the weeks that follow.

How will I correct my vision between treatment of the first and second eye?

Generally, most patients choose to have both eyes treated on the same day. However, depending on your healing response and the type of procedure you have, our surgeon may recommend waiting one week to one month between eyes.

You may continue to wear your contact lens on the untreated eye. If you wear glasses, you may want to have a "plain" lens put into your frames for the treated eye. This is not included in the cost of either procedure.

Are there any side effects?

As with any surgical procedure, there are potential risks including: under or over correction, glare, haloes, night vision problems, loss of best vision, and dry eyes.

Will insurance cover refractive surgery?

PRK, LASEK, LASIK, and INTACS are elective procedures and are not currently covered by Medicare or Medicaid. Check with your carrier for details regarding your individual policy. The CPT codes are 66699 for PRK, LASEK and INTACS and 65760 for LASIK.

Why Choose The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics?

Our physicians are ophthalmologists (medical doctors) specializing in both cornea and external disease and refractive surgery. Your LASIK Team physician begins this journey when you do: at your initial evaluation, and continues this personal care for the procedure and follow up visits. You have plenty of choices when it comes to where you can have laser vision correction. We believe the personal and professional commitment of your UIHC LASIK Team is something you just won’t see anywhere else.

Our expertise – your confidence