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You wouldn't let just anyone touch your eye with a scalpel in their hand. And while laser eye surgery is less invasive than traditional eye surgery, the risks and potential damage under the direction of an incompetent or inexperienced surgeon can be just as devastating. After all, you are the one who will have to live with the results for the rest of your life. Laser eye surgery is now a relatively common procedure but it is still surgery and their remains the need to take your time in selecting the right laser eye surgeon for you.

So how do you go about finding the right laser eye surgeon for you?

The best thing you can do is: Do Your Homework!

What does that involve?

- Read as widely as you can. Seek out websites that have information on lasik eye surgery and other types of corrective eye surgery and study the information material provided by your surgeon, including the patient handbook provided by the manufacturer of the device that will be used to perform your procedure.

- Find out why type of surgery will best suit you - research for yourself what type of surgery is likely to be of most benefit to you so that when you sit down with a doctor you will be able to gauge their level of interest in your wellbeing versus the likely financial gain for them by the suggestions they make. However, if you visit with several doctors and they are all recommending the same procedure even though it is more expensive than you had thought your situation warranted then you will need to take their advice on board. But if one doctor out of four suggests you have a higher priced operation than you think you need then you will know that they are probably not the right doctor for you.

- Research the types of laser devices suited to perform your surgery as well as doctors experienced in the procedure. There is a range of laser devices available on the market and the results you can expect vary from one device to another. Surgeons often tend to specialise in a particular type of eye surgery so ask them how much experience they have in performing the particular procedure you require.

- Don't just choose a surgeon based on cost. As tempting as it may be to go with the lowest eye surgery quote or the first one that you get, you need to shop around and be confident that you have made the right decision, a decision you will have to live with for many years to come.

- Be cautious of gimmicky advertising. As any ethical doctor will tell you, medicine is an imprecise science and there is no way that an outcome can be guaranteed so steer well clear of eye centers advertising '20/20 vision or your money back' or 'package deals' or any kind of advertising which sounds too good to be true.

- Trust your instincts. If everything lines up but you just have a feeling that your chosen doctor is not right for you then listen to your instincts and find someone else.

- Once you find a doctor that you are happy with, be sure to raise any concerns that you may have and make sure that they are able to answer to your satisfaction. If you feel that they hedge around a question or aren't being completely straight with you then question them further or find someone else who is prepared to deal with you honestly. Your surgeon should be willing to discuss their previous results with you, and in particular how their results compare to those outlined in the device manufacturers handbook.

Even with the best surgeon, complications can still occur. However, there is no point in randomly choosing a surgeon. Do your due diligence in selecting a laser eye surgeon so that you can undertake the operation with confidence that you have done all you can to ensure the success of the procedure.