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Experienced LASIK Surgeons In St. Louis
Understanding Vision Correction (Refractive) Surgery
Refractive surgery is a type of eye surgery designed to correct vision problems by either reshaping the cornea, inserting a corrective lens, or replacing the eye's natural crystalline lens. It aims to reduce or eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses by improving how light focuses through the eye.
Clarkson Eyecare currently only offers LASIK services in the St. Louis market at our Chesterfield Valley office.
What Refractive Surgery options do we offer?
LASIK
LASIK is the most popular form of refractive surgery. It involves reshaping the cornea using a laser. This allows light to be focused more precisely onto the retina.
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)
PRK is similar to LASIK. In addition to reshaping the cornea with a laser, it involves removing some tissue from the surface of the cornea first. This results in a slightly longer recovery time compared to LASIK with the same visual outcome.
EVO ICL
EVO ICL is an implantable lens that corrects nearsightedness, with and without astigmatism, through a minimally invasive procedure. The EVO ICL lens is implanted between your iris (the colored part of the eye) and your natural crystalline lens in a quick and safe 20–30 minute procedure. It’s biocompatible and does not remove corneal tissue, so it works with your natural eye and the lens implant is reversible.
What Can LASIK Eye Surgery Treat?
LASIK can correct three of the most common types of refractive errors:
Astigmatism
Nearsightedness (Myopia)
Farsightedness (Hyperopia)
In many patients, laser vision correction reduces or eliminates dependency on glasses or contact lenses.
Book a Free LASIK Surgery Consultation
Do I Qualify for Refractive Surgery?
To determine if you are a candidate requires a consultation in our office. During this consultation a technician will take extensive measurements of your eyes. You will then meet with our doctor for a comprehensive exam to review and discuss if refractive surgery is right for you.
The most common reason why someone may not qualify for LASIK is because their prescription is too high to be effectively treated with LASIK, their corneas are too thin to safely reshape, or their eyes are too dry for corneal refractive surgery.
If you have dry eye disease or thin corneas, there may be better options for surgery and your doctor will discuss these with you during your consultation.
What makes an ideal LASIK Candidate?
Age: Generally 18+ to ensure stability of prescription.
Overall Health: Well-managed health conditions like diabetes are typically okay but discuss any concerns with your doctor.
Eye Health: Certain eye diseases like keratoconus or cataracts may disqualify you.
Pregnancy: Hormonal fluctuations can affect results, so wait until you are 3 months postpartum and nursing.
Corneal Thickness: This is crucial for LASIK safety. Your doctor will measure it to determine your candidacy.
Prescription: Refractive errors that safely fall within the treatable range
Get Refractive LASIK Eye Surgery in St. Louis, Missouri
Our LASIK Surgery Center is located at 17249 Chesterfield Airport Rd, Chesterfield, MO 63005.
Contact our team to schedule your FREE eye surgery consultation. Call (636) 787-0085 or email us.
Frequently Asked Questions About LASIK Eye Surgery
We use the Wavelight® FS200 Femtosecond laser and the EX500 Excimer laser, which is the fastest LASIK platform in the US.
As with any surgical procedure, there are no guarantees. Although the results are extremely good (95% of patients in national studies no longer need glasses for driving), the results of the procedure depend on your initial refraction, your own healing characteristics and other factors. It is good to look at LASIK as a way of achieving in extreme decrease in your dependence on glasses or contact lenses. If 20/20 vision is not obtained after the primary LASIK procedure, enhancements may be effective to further improve vision. 20/20 can only be achieved in patients who have the potential to obtain 20/20 vision.
Yes. As you did before your consultation, stop wearing your contacts for 7 days before surgery.
Yes, you should stop wearing makeup two days before your surgery, this includes eye creams. These products as well as debris along the eyelashes may increase the risk of infection during and after surgery. Your doctor may ask you to scrub your eyelashes for a period of time before surgery to get rid of residues and debris along the lashes. You must also leave eye makeup off for 7 days following the procedure
LASIK is often done on both eyes at the same time. The results are so predictable and the procedure safe enough that most people prefer to have both eyes done at the same time. Bilateral surgery is convenient in that it restores your balance vision as quickly as possible. With PRK, you may want to have your eyes done on consecutive weeks because it may take a few days for the functional vision to return. By doing one eye at a time, you can rely on the other while the post-operative eye is healing. Additionally, surgeons may elect to do one eye at a time in patients with extreme myopia because these patients can be less predictable in terms of their responses to the laser.
Yes, we use numbing drops, not needles, for the eyes. You will also be able to take a mild sedative which will help you relax. However, you will need to remain awake during the procedure.
LASIK is considered an elective procedure and is generally not covered by insurance. However, we encourage you to contact your insurance provider to inquire about coverage; you may also consider contacting your human resources manager if you have a flexible spending account. Many patients choose to use this account for elective procedures.
The current excimer laser will not correct your need for reading glasses because this condition is called presbyopia. It occurs in about 98% of the population when they near 40 years of age. The eyes lose the flexibility they once had. You may be educated about the possibility of “monovision” by our LASIK optometrist.
Our surgeons have completed more than 75,000 procedures since 2000.
We own our laser equipment, therefore, we do not pay rental fees. We have our own surgical and ophthalmology staff and do not have to pay referral fees. It is the policy of Clarkson Eyecare LASIK to provide quality refractive surgery at an affordable price.
What to Expect
Immediately after the procedure, your eye(s) may burn, itch or feel like there is something in it. You may experience the following symptoms, all of which are completely normal:
Discomfort
Watering or tearing
Hazy or blurry vision
Sensitivity to light
Glares, starbursts or haloes around lights
Red or bloodshot appearance to the whites of the eye(s)
You will instinctively want to rub your eye, but don’t!
Rubbing your eye could dislodge the flap, requiring further treatment. These symptoms should improve considerably within the first few days following your procedure. Plan on taking a few days off from work if you should experience these symptoms.
You should contact the office immediately and not wait for your scheduled visit if you begin to experience severe pain, increased redness of the eye(s), or if your vision or other symptoms become worse instead of better.
Post-Procedure Instructions
Go directly home and take a 4 to 6 hour nap.
You may shower 12 hours after your procedure, taking care as to not place your face directly into the stream of water.
Avoid eye make-up, creams, sunscreen or moisturizers on or around the eyes for 7 days posts procedure Avoid atmospheres that may irritate the eye(s) such as smoke, dust or any other potential irritants. Dusty work environments may require safety glasses for protection.
If you experience crusting of the lids or lashes when waking in the morning, hold a warm washcloth over your closed eye(s) for 60 seconds to loosen it before using the corner of the cloth to gently clean it away from the inner corner outwards. If this does not sufficiently remove the crusting, apply the warm washcloth for another 60 seconds and repeat.
Wear the plastic shield or goggles every night for the next five nights. This prevents you from rubbing your eye(s) while sleeping.
For the first two weeks following the procedure, wear sunglasses that are either dark or polarized any time that you are outside even if it is cloudy.
1 Day After
Rest following your procedure
Be careful of activities where the eye may be poked, rubbed or touched.
Use artificial tears every hour or more as needed for discomfort.
Avoid screen usage such as cell phones, computers or tablets which can cause dryness and irritation to the eyes
2 Days After
Resume regular use of cell phones, computers and tablets.
If you work in an office setting and use a computer, make sure to use artificial tears generously and close eyes periodically to rest the eyes and prevent dryness or fatigue.
3 Days After
Resume exercise with no risk to the eye(s) (such as treadmill, elliptical, stationary biker) and participate in non-contact sports
1 Week After
You may resume activities such as:
Swimming (pool or jacuzzi) (avoid submerging face, goggles are strongly recommended)
Tanning (with eye protection and artificial tears) Motorcycling, dirt or mountain biking (with eye protection)
Baseball, basketball, football, soccer
Weight lifting and training
Martial arts
1 Month After
You may resume activities such as:
Sailing or snorkeling
Skiing
Swimming in oceans, lakes, rivers (avoid submerging face; goggles are strongly recommended)
Water sports such as surfing, kayaking, floating, water skiing
Resume normal lifestyle after 6 months
24-Hour Emergency Line 1-800-353-1575
Getting LASIK at Clarkson Eyecare
If you live outside of Missouri, any Clarkson Eyecare eye doctor at our locations in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, and Virginia can provide a LASIK referral to a qualified surgeon in their area. Visit our locations page or call (844) 393-2326 to book a consultation with one of our eye surgery specialists near you.
Affordable LASIK Eye Surgery Options
Clarkson Eyecare provides LASIK at an affordable price. By owning our laser equipment and employing our own surgical and ophthalmology staff, we can keep our costs down. This allows us to pass the savings to you.
Additionally, you may be able to use your health benefits to pay for LASIK eye surgery. To learn more about how you can use your HSA and FSA to pay for LASIK, check out our guide.
Schedule a LASIK consultation at Clarkson Eyecare
LASIK is one of the safest and most performed vision correction surgeries. The experienced surgeons at Clarkson Eyecare can help restore your vision to levels you never thought were possible. Schedule a consultation with our LASIK surgeons in St. Louis today to see if you qualify.