Q: How long should you wait for your perscription to remain unchanged before considering surgery? What if your vision changes after the surgery? What is it I hear about the "flap" and the hazards of accidentally poking an eye after surgery? Is it a permanant risk, or just within the healing period? Should I look for the most expensive facility I can afford, or is there a reasonable point at which I can assume I get the best care and more money is not a factor? If I wait longer to have surgery performed, will the technology used in the procedures develop and result in better results with less risk? Thank you for your time. A: You ask a lot of questions. Your vision should be stable for at least one year. If your vision changes later, then a touchup will be needed. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: Dr. Caster, I recently heard about a new procedure called: Advanced Surface Ablation / Advanced Custom Cornea. I found no articles or reviews about it anywhere. Do you know if it is safe and effective compared to Lasik? A: This is the same as Lasek, which is a variation of PRK. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: Dear Dr Caster, If you have Lasik or other laser corrective surgery in your thirties, does that preclude possible cataract operations later in life should they be necessary? Thank you for your reply. A: No. You can have cataract surgery later if you need it. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: I have amblyopia in my left eye and am extremely nearsighted with astigmatism in my "good" right eye and wear only one gas permeable lens in my right eye, am I a candidate for LASIK? A: No, people with advanced ambyopia should not have Lasik. Andrew Caster, MD

Q:  I had strabismus surgery 9 years ago. My vision in my left eye is -2.00 (perfect with my contact though) and pefect in my right eye. My eye does turn in a little when I am stressed or during pictures. The eye that turns in swithches depending on which eye I am using. Would LASIK surgery help me at all? A: It would help you to get rid of the contacts, but would not help with the eye turning in. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: Hello. My name is Angela, and I am writing from London, Ontario, Canada. I was told that people who lose vision in one eye can only see two dimensionally, as opposed to three dimensionally as they would with two eyes. Is this true, and if it is: why? A: It is not true. You lose some degree of three dimensionality, but not completely. Andrew Caster, MD

Q:  I had Lasik back in November. My original vision was pretty bad. After Lasik, things improved greatly. After a few months, my eyes were stable and we decided that I was a candidate for an enhancement. I had that surgery on Friday. I have noticed that my vision is a little hazy and not quite as good as it was before the enhancement, granted it is only 3 days since the enhancement. I am wondering what the recovery time is and will I be able to see at or better than pre-enhancement. A: It usually takes about 3 months after an enhancement to reach your final vision. So don't worry. Andrew Caster, MD

Q:  I recieved wavefront LASIK surgery 5 weeks ago and although my vision seems perfect I am still struggling with light,headlights,looking at people with daylight behind them through a window,my pupils are a little larger than normal,could this still improve? would wearing AR coated glasses help at all,THANKS for your time A: AR coatings may help. Things should get better over the next 3 months. Andrew Caster, MD

Q: My husband just had lasik done and I am considering it. I have been reading alot about the procedure and theres a few questions that I just can't seem to find an answer for. I'm 27, will I have to be extra careful with my eyes the rest of my life? (I mean like getting hairspray or gel in my eyes on accident, etc. And what about getting hit in or around my eye.) I sleep on one side or the other and my pillow presses on my eyes (not hard), will this cause any problems after the procedure? I wear contacts and I try to be careful with my eyes, but I still every once in a while get things in my eyes. How long after the procedure will I have to be careful about rubbing my eyes? A: You will need to be careful for a few weeks. After that things will be essentially normal. Serious trauma, such as getting punched in the eye, can be slightly different after Lasik. I would assume that you would avoid that either way. Andrew Caster, MD

Q:  77 yrs old. Have 20/20 good frwy driver. Approved for custom cornea. Can l have monovision? Used Boston gas permeated mono for many yrs. THANX!!!!! A: Yes. Andrew Caster, MD