Preparing for Your Vision Correction Consult: Everything You Need to Know

You're One Step Closer to Clearer Vision!

We’re so excited that you have taken the next step toward life without lenses and can’t wait to see you soon! You’re already halfway through your journey and we want to make this next step as simple as possible.

We know you’re probably asking, “what’s next” so we put together a few things to help you feel more confident, comfortable, and prepared.

Preparing for your appointment is easy!

If it seems like you’ve gotten a lot of information about your consultation and you’re not sure how you’re going to remember it all, don’t worry – we’ve broken it down for you. There are probably a million things you’re thinking about, but here are the ones we think are most important to think about before your appointment. If this page doesn’t do it’s job and you still have questions, give us a call!

Please be sure to bring your Driver’s License or State ID and insurance cards to your appointment. We’d encourage you to create and update your patient information using our online portal. Access the portal here: Online Registration Here
During the medical eye evaluation, you will be dilated to allow for advanced testing. Dilated eye exams typically last 1.5 hours and can cause sensitivity to light for a few hours after. We suggest you bring sunglasses for your drive home.
During your consultation, you and your counselor will review the costs of the various vision correction procedures, as well as financing and payment options. We offer financing and payment plans and you can also use FSA and HSA funds.

What about my contacts?

We do ask that you be out of contacts for for at least 7 days prior to your consultation because being out of contacts allows for more accurate testing. You will also be required to be out of contacts for at least one week prior to surgery.

If you wear hard contacts, we do need you to be out of them for 2 weeks prior to your consultation.

Need Directions? We got you!

What will happen during my appointment?

The first step of your consultation is the medical eye exam. Our team of eye care experts will guide you through the most comprehensive, dilated eye exam you can have. We’ll conduct advanced testing, including corneal mapping, and you’ll meet with one of our highly-trained optometrists to determine which vision correction procedure will be best for you and your eye health.
After determining which vision correction procedure(s) fit your vision and eye health needs, you’ll sit down with one of our expert vision correction counselors to talk about your vision goals and how vision correction can help you achieve those goals.
Your counselor will also talk with you about surgery in general and discuss costs and financing.
Once you’ve gotten any and all of your questions answered, it’s time to schedule your surgery and starting looking forward to life without lenses!

Follow the Journey of a Swagel Wootton LASIK Patient

Swagel Wootton teammate Artie had LASIK and shared his journey with us! See what happened from start to finish.

What Should I Know About My Options?

While LASIK is the most known vision correction option, it is certainly not the only one. At Swagel Wootton Eye Institute, our focus on comprehensive ophthalmology means that we have multiple vision correction options outside of of LASIK, including PRK, EVO Visian ICL, and Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE).

Your doctor and counselor can share more details on each procedure and can put together a customized care plan to help you make the most informed decision for your eye health.

Preparing for Surgery

Once you’ve scheduled surgery it’s time to start planning all the things you’ll be able to do without having to worry about glasses or contacts!

Depending on your surgical choice, you’ll have pre-surgery instructions and eye drop schedules to follow. Make sure you read all of your paperwork ahead of time and follow those drop schedules, they’re crucial for a successful surgery day.

Preparing for Recovery

Depending on the type of vision correction procedure you’ve chosen, your recovery will be unique but typically:

LASIK recovery is about 1-2 days
PRK recovery is closer to 1 week, with more gradual vision improvement
ICL recovery is about 2-3 days
CLE recovery is 2-3 days after each eye, with one week in between each eye

Keep in mind that recovery is different for every patient and your doctor will share more detailed information about recovery times for each vision correction option.