Lasik is NOT a simple surgery!

The importance of Experience in Laser Eye Surgery

“Even if you watch it several times, you can also do it, it is all about the machine” said an Eye doctor who had his Ophthalmology education in Germany, working in a city of Europe. These words putting me in shock continued… `it is a very simple surgery”.

For me, who has witnessed many treatments since 1999, done by many doctors, Lasik was ,and still is, a treatment that has to be planned perfectly and the surgeon has to be on the eye according to that perfect plan. It also needs good “craftsmanship”. So, it should not be THAT much easy.

Later, I learned this young doctor has started to perform Lasik 3 months ago, and did less than 10 surgeries.

Dr.Nusret Bas (56), who is considered one of the most experienced doctor due to the high volume of the surgeries performed by him (in Europe) and who is performing difficult surgeries such as cornea transplantations (publicly known as; eye transplantation) LASIK is a surgery that needs to be taken seriously.

“The surgeons who underestimates the treatment couple of years later experience hard times with the post-op complications due to their inexperienced treatment planning’s” says Dr.Bas, “Yes, these surgeons do get the certifications for technical education, they do learn how to perform it from the courses, books. However, they underestimate the importance of the “experience”. Because they think Lasik is a simple surgery, they start to accept welcoming patients for performing laser eye surgery” and adds “Of course many of these patients complaining post-op Lasik complications later knocks our door”.

Surgeons do often watch each other for educational purpose. Another Lasik doctor, who used to watch Dr.Bas’s surgeries, was complaining that, he visited Dr.Bas clinic for 4 years, in none of them, Dr.Bas has offered him to perform a single surgery.

“I just stood and watched, but he never let me to try at least once by telling I am not ready yet. It looked very simple. However, after I myself started to perform the treatment, as I started to gain experience, I found out in bold terms the high importance of the experience in LASIK”.