The First Step-

The first step to determining if you are a candidate for LASIK eye surgery is a consultation. Depending on where you are in your exploration of LASIK, you may want to start by scheduling a Free Screening to determine candidacy, or proceed to the Full Dilated Exam to prepare for Surgery.

You can reach our Patient Care Team at 866.DR LASIK or 573.335.3577. If you prefer email communication, you may complete the Schedule A Consultation form. Just be sure to let us know which initial visit you would like, your method of vision correction, and what days/times work with your schedule. Katie or Kim will contact you within 24 hours of the business day.

Free Screening

Am I a Candidate for LASIK Eye Surgery?

At this exam, a LASIK technician measures your prescription (refraction) and corneal thickness (pachymetry). Dr. Parker conducts a slit lamp exam to check the overall health of your eyes and describes the steps of the LASIK procedure. You also meet with Katie or Kim, our LASIK Patient Care Team, to answer scheduling or financing questions. This exam typically takes about an hour and you would not need to discontinue contacts prior to this visit. The purpose of the screening exam is to determine if you are a candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

Availability

We schedule free screening exams in Cape Girardeau, Marion, and Carbondale with Dr. Parker and in Poplar Bluff and Piedmont with Dr. Brad Stuckenschneider.

Free screenings are scheduled during Dr. Parker’s clinic days and. He *typically* has clinic in Cape Girardeau on Mondays, every other Wednesday, every other Thursday, and on non-LASIK surgery Fridays. Appointments in Cape Girardeau are made between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm. Dr. Parker sees patients most every Tuesday morning between 8:30 am and 11:15 am in Marion, and one Tuesday morning in Carbondale about every six weeks.

Full Dilated Exam

Obtaining Your Measurements for LASIK Eye Surgery

If your regular eye doctor has already qualified you as a candidate for LASIK eye surgery and you are ready to move forward with the procedure, you may choose to bypass the free screening and schedule the pre-operative exam. At this exam, measurements and scans are taken to create your treatment plan for surgery. Since your eyes will be dilated, we recommend a driver. You will also meet with Kim or Katie to discuss your pre- and post-operative care and payment options. For this exam, you will need to discontinue contacts at least two weeks prior to this visit dependent upon the type of lenses you wear (see details below).

Availability

Due to the intricate equipment used to capture measurements for surgery, Dr. Parker only conducts this exam only in our Cape Girardeau office. The purpose of the full dilated exam is to prepare for surgery therefore we typically book this appointment in proximity to a surgery date.

Discontinuing Contacts

Glasses are Purrrrfectly Annoying!

Candidate for LASIK Eye Surgery It’s not to be mean, we promise! When giving up your contacts, it helps to know the means to the end. Your contacts actually change the shape of your cornea. In order to obtain the most accurate measurement possible for your LASIK eye surgery, we need your cornea to have time to relax back to it’s most natural shape.

If you are in soft contacts, discontinue them two weeks prior to your Full Dilated Exam; toric lenses for astigmatism, three weeks; gas-permeable or hard lenses, a minimum of four weeks, depending on how long you have worn these lenses.

Dr. Parker’s Tentative Surgery Schedule

Factors to consider when scheduling LASIK surgery

Whether you start with a Free Screening exam or a Full Dilated Pre-Op exam, there are a few factors to consider when planning your surgery date:

If you wear contact lenses, you will need to discontinue them a minimum of two weeks prior to your Full Dilated Pre-Op exam.
Plan for a 1 1/2 to 2 hour visit for your pre-op exam. This can be as soon as the day before, however, not the same day as surgery. We recommend a driver for this exam due to eye dilation.
Although you are only in our office for about one hour the day of surgery, you should plan to have the entire day to rest and relax. You will need a driver the day of surgery.
Surgery days are typically on Fridays followed by a quick but very important 1-day post-operative exam. You will need a driver for this visit, however, Dr. Parker will release you to drive after your examination.
You will be able to return to most daily activities the day after surgery. However, Dr. Parker wants you to refrain from swimming, boating, horseback riding, or using a tanning bed for two weeks. Ladies need to not wear eye makeup for one week.
After your surgery there are six post-operative exams over the next year:
- 1-day
- 1-week
- 1-month
- 3-months
- 6-months
- 1-year

“The whole process was actually very simple and straight-forward. I started with a free screening…moving forward at that point was definitely something I wanted to do.”

-Julie C.

“I felt like from the moment I walked in the door until the time I left, I got top-notch service! Everything was perfect. I’ve never been treated like that in a physician’s office in my life!”

-Tom F.

“The whole procedure process is very simple from the moment you call to schedule your initial exam to see if you’re a candidate for the procedure, to the very end when you have the actual laser surgery.”

-Lori P.

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