By now, all of the hype about Lasik eye correction surgery being able to give people 20/20 vision painlessly has probably faded away. Most people should already know that there are many complications and risks attached to Lasik, but for the most part, a bad and/or inexperienced surgeon is the cause.

The very best Lasik surgeons can promise a high probability of success of around 97%. But not all doctors have the necessary experience and equipment to provide such an assurance. So, to ensure that your Lasik experience is as safe as possible, you should ask a few key questions to ensure that the surgeon meets certain critical requirements.

The US Federal Trade Commission provides five of such questions:

• How long have you performed LASIK surgery?
• How do you define success and what is your success rate?
• What type of laser will you be using? (Make sure the device is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.)
• What’s involved in after-surgery care?
• What are the risks and possible complications?

I understand that they may seem to be no-brainers, but there are people who forget, or worse still, who are too lazy to ask. There are even those that are too embarassed to ask simply because the surgeon already has a solid reputation. But if everybody doesn’t ask, and the surgeon gets lucky at every operation, how would anyone ever know whether the surgeon can positively answer all of the five questions above?

If a particular Lasik surgeon does not fulfill the requirements above, it is only a matter of time before problems start arising, and those problems could cost you your eyesight.