Dr Barry Den, LASIK Surgeon

While the constant advancements in laser technology are exciting, ophthalmic surgeons should remain vigilant to the very natural anxieties a LASIK patient goes through, according to Dr Barry Den of Ashfield Eye Clinic.

A member of the prestigious American Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, Dr Den was amongst the first ophthalmic surgeons in Australia to perform LASIK, when it made its debut here in 1997.

"LASIK surgeons need to remember that, while eye surgery is an everyday event for them, for the patient it's certainly not, and some people are a lot more nervous than even they indicate," Dr Den points out. "Eye surgery – particularly LASIK – can make some people quite emotional. It's absolutely critical that the surgeon relate closely to every tension or emotion that his patient is experiencing."

Dr Den says that if a patient feels understood and nurtured throughout the process, it increases safety in all aspects of the LASIK procedure. He believes the fact that he has performed LASIK surgery on several staff and members of their families (who have since thrown their glasses away, literally), allows his staff to relate firsthand to his LASIK patients.

Of equal importance is the continuity of relationship between surgeon and LASIK patient, Dr Den says.

"While in some senses LASIK is a 'walk-in, walk-out' procedure, eye surgery of any description is a serious event in anyone's life and I believe that pre-operative counseling should be given by the surgeon himself," he stresses. "I also believe that a surgeon should be readily available to the post-operative patient for as long as the patient feels he or she needs access to their surgeon."

Dr Den says his greatest reward as a LASIK surgeon is the "sheer joy" on the faces of patients when they arrive for their first post-operative check-up.

"People come in here just radiating. They have this whole new confidence . . . their whole outlook has changed and, as a result, they look like a new person. And it's more than just being without glasses.

"To have played a role in such an all-encompassing change in someone is a joy that's hard to describe."