A Detailed Informed Consent Concerning The Risks Of LASIK LASIK is an elective procedure and while everyone is excited about the life-changing benefits, it is important that you know all that you can about the risks associated as well. A small percentage of patients do experience complications that can blur their vision permanently; typically the blurring is mild but it can be severe. In Dr. Machat's clinical experience, the chance of having a serious flap complication for the typical patient is about 1 in 1000, and the chance for developing a mild healing irregularity is about 1-2% depending upon the severity of your prescription. Dr. Machat feels very comfortable performing LASIK at this point in his career but he has learned to remain meticulous in his technique. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the informed consent process and the pages of documents that you are required to read and sign. We will do our best to help you through this process, as we have with the many patients who travelled this road before you. It is our hope that you understand this important information and ask us about any aspect of the procedure or risks that remain unclear. Enclosed you will find the informed consent booklet, which we ask that you read and initial where indicated. You will need to bring this form with you to your pre-operative consultation, where we will review and sign it with you. Please address any further questions with us prior to your procedure. You will meet with Dr. Machat personally on the day of your procedure, when he will review your clinical findings and expectations. On behalf of our practice and Dr. Machat, we thank you for your trust and you have our commitment. The TLC Lifetime Commitment The long term stability of PRK and LASIK is usually one of the most significant concerns of candidates considering laser vision correction. After more than a decade of performing Excimer laser surgery for the correction of myopia, surgeons world-wide are confident of the safety and efficacy of the Excimer laser. TLC designed The TLC Lifetime Commitment Program to provide all but the most severely myopic patients with a lifetime of free enhance-ments. All patients receive two years of free enhancements; but patients who are in the most severe 1% of nearsightedness and astigmatism are excluded from the Lifetime Commitment, as are all patients treated for farsightedness. This is because of other eye changes associated with these conditions and therefore a $500 facility fee is charged after two years. Over-whelmingly, most patients are stable by 1 year and the procedure results last a lifetime.