A quality LASIK consultation is a comprehensive clinical evaluation — not a sales event. Understanding what it should include allows you to recognize when it falls short.
What a Quality Consultation Includes
Pre-operative diagnostic testing (60-90 minutes)
Before you see the surgeon, trained technicians should perform:
- Corneal topography (maps the shape of your cornea)
- Wavefront aberrometry (measures higher-order optical aberrations)
- Pachymetry (measures corneal thickness)
- Pupil size measurement
- Dry eye assessment
- Refraction (precise measurement of your prescription)
This testing forms the basis for the surgeon’s candidacy determination. If it takes less than 30 minutes, it has been abbreviated.
Time with the surgeon (at least 15-30 minutes)
The surgeon should review your diagnostic results with you in detail, explain what they mean for your candidacy, discuss which procedure they recommend and why, describe the expected outcome range, and answer your clinical questions specifically. This is not a time for a sales presentation — it is a clinical consultation.
A candidacy determination with reasoning
You should leave knowing: whether you are a good candidate, which procedure is recommended, the clinical basis for that recommendation, and what the realistic expected outcome range is.
A fee schedule in writing
Before you leave, you should receive a complete, itemized fee schedule that includes all pre-operative testing, the procedure itself, post-operative follow-up, and the enhancement policy.
What Should Concern You
- Total visit time under 45 minutes
- Minimal time with the surgeon personally
- Pressure to decide or sign that day
- A price sheet presented before a clinical explanation
- No written enhancement policy
“Free” consultations at quality practices are free because the practice is confident in what they offer. A “free” consultation that feels like a sales funnel is revealing the practice’s priorities. For a complete guide to evaluating what you experienced, see our guide on what questions to ask. The overall selection framework is in choosing an eye surgeon.
Related answers: What questions should I ask at my eye surgery consultation? | How important is the surgery center where my procedure happens?