To get the best visual outcome after cataract surgery it is imperative that the measurements of your eye are as accurate as possible.  After the eye has had refractive surgery, whether it be LASIK or PRK / ASLA, the measurements of the cornea may need to be adjusted for the shape change.  Dr MacIntyre, or your other cataract surgeon, will want to know if you have had laser eye surgery so these adjustments can be made.  If you have had refractive surgery in the past, any information you may have about your eyes before the surgery can help with these calculations.  In particular, the refractive surgery operation report is most useful, as it includes the pre-operative refraction and corneal curvature information.  If you are reading this and have had prior LASIK or PRK / ASLA, please put the following on your to-do list: ask your refractive surgeon of a copy of your treatment report.  Even if you have not yet developed a cataract, this report will likely prove to be very important in the future. 

If for some reason the report of your laser surgery is not available (whether your surgeon has purged their paper records or if you have moved), it is still possible to make cataract calculations without your refractive surgery or historical information.  As technology improves, these measurements and calculations will likely improve, however, the current technology available can only give an estimate of the power of the intraocular lens (IOL).

If you have had laser eye surgery with Dr. MacIntyre, please do not hesitate to ask for a copy of your refractive surgery report.  It is permanently scanned into the electronic medical record system and is always available.  We recommend keeping a copy of this report somewhere safe, so it is readily available in the event you need it.  This can be particularly important if you relocate interstate or overseas and have a different surgeon in the future.