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[et_pb_accordion_item title=”The Day Before Your Surgery”]
If you are not feeling well, develop a cold, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever, or if you have been exposed to any contagious illness or if you have any other health problem, please notify the Laurel Laser & Surgery Center or the Laurel Eye Clinic, immediately.
No later than the afternoon before your surgery, a nurse from the surgery center will call you to confirm your surgery and the time that your procedure is scheduled. (If your surgery is on Monday, you will be called by the Friday before.) During the telephone call before surgery, the nurse will instruct you as to what time to report to the Laurel Laser & Surgery Center. You may also be asked some questions regarding your medications and general health. Please inform the nurse if you are a diabetic.
Unless the nurse gives you other instructions, you may have solid food until midnight. After midnight, you may not have anything to eat or drink. If your arrival time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. or later in the day, you may have a clear liquid breakfast, but nothing else after 7:00 a.m. the day of surgery. Do not chew gum, eat mints, drink coffee, use tobacco, or consume alcohol. Strict hygiene is necessary, thus a thorough bath or shower the night before or morning of surgery is required.
If you do not receive a call by 3:00 p.m. the day before your surgery, please call the Laurel Laser & Surgery Center at 1-800-494-2020, give them your name, and ask for the nurse who schedules surgery. Be sure to tell the operator where you are having your surgery. Since there are two surgery center locations, it is important to clarify which location you are going to: Brookville or Duncansville.
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Please report to the LAUREL LASER & SURGERY CENTER, next door to the Laurel Eye Clinic. Go directly to the check in desk inside and speak with the person seated there.
Plan to arrive at the time given to you by the nurse; you will need to complete some paperwork upon your arrival. Be sure to bring a list of your allergies. Bring all current medications with you. If you use inhalers, also bring them with you to the surgery center.
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MEDICAL CLEARANCE: A physical examination with a qualified licensed health care practitioner must be completed prior to arriving for surgery. This is very important and failure to have a recent history and physical exam/medical clearance will likely result in rescheduling (cancelling) your surgery.
BLOOD THINNERS: If you take blood thinners such as Warfarin, Plavix, Lovenox, Coumadin, Aspirin, NSAIDS (Advil, Ibuprofen, Motrin, or Aleve), multivitamins, Vitamin E, garlic, or other supplements, please refer to your pre-operative instruction sheet for directions on their use. If you have been instructed to stop your blood thinner(s), you should consult your primary care physician two weeks prior to surgery to get instructions on how to take these special medications. Please inform the nurse at the LLSC of any recent changes in your medication regimen. Please call us if you are unsure or have any questions.
SMOKING: If you are a smoker, you should stop smoking at least 24 hours prior to your surgery. Be sure to notify those accompanying you that the Laurel Laser & Surgery Center property is entirely smoke free; this is inside and outside our buildings. Smoking anywhere on Laurel Eye Clinic property is prohibited.
Please refer to the additional pre-operative instruction sheet provided to you for your specific procedure.
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Take only the medications the nurse instructed you to take with a small sip of water before coming to the surgery center. Please dress in clean, comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and a short sleeved shirt. You will not change your clothing for eye surgery. If you are having a different procedure, you may need to change into a hospital gown. We may remove your shoes, so be sure that they are easy to take off and put on. Paper shoe covers will be placed on your feet and a paper cap will be put on to cover your hair. If you wear a wig, it will need to be removed before going into the operating room; your head will be covered with a paper cap. Be sure to let the nurses know again, if you are a diabetic or have any special needs.
PLEASE BRING YOUR INSURANCE INFORMATION AND PHOTO IDENTIFICATION for the registration process. If you do not have insurance or if you are having a special lens or procedure that is a non-covered procedure, you will be asked to present your check or credit card to pre-pay when you check in. You will sign a consent form for the procedure when you arrive.
LIVING WILL/ADVANCE DIRECTIVE: If you have a Power of Attorney, Living Will, or Advance Directive for health care, please provide a copy of this document at the time that you check in.
You will be asked to identify yourself and you will receive an identification bracelet.
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DRIVER REQUIRED: Regulations require that you have someone with you to drive you home after the procedure. You will not be permitted to leave without a driver. You will be unable to drive for 24 hours after surgery. The person accompanying you must wait in the reception area throughout the procedure and join you afterward. We expect that the person(s) accompanying you will not leave the LLSC until your surgery is completed. If your designated person leaves the waiting area, please have them inform the person at the front desk.
FOR EYE SURGERY PATIENTS: For your safety and if you have eye surgery, you will need someone who can assist you with eye drops. It is strongly recommended that you have a responsible adult with you for the first 24 hours after surgery. You may be given prescription(s) for eye drops that must be started after your surgery. Additionally, you will need to return the next day after your surgery for your one day post-op exam.
[/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”What Happens in the Operating Room”]
You will be taken on a cart into the operating room by the nursing staff. You will be identified by your surgeon and the nurse anesthetist, again. During your surgery you will be cared for by your doctor and the surgical nurses of the Laurel Laser & Surgery Center, who specialize in out-patient procedures.
You will be given gentle sedation through the IV in your hand or arm. A circulating nurse, a scrub nurse, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), and your surgeon will provide constant care while you are in the operating room. There is no family visitation in the operating room. The Laurel Laser & Surgery Center often has medical students or optometry students who are observing during surgery. At times, due to various clinical studies that the surgeon may be participating in, there may be other medical professionals observing surgery, and you may hear discussions regarding technology or other teaching discussions during your surgical procedure.
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- Take drops with you to your 1 day post-op appointment.
- No driving, operating machinery, or judgmental decisions for 24 hours.
- You may resume normal activities the day after surgery.
- Protect your eye from bumping and DO NOT RUB your eye.
- Tape shield over your eye at bedtime for 4 nights.
- Instructions for eye drops will be given to you after your surgery.
- You may bathe – avoid getting water in your eye.
You may be given prescriptions for essential eye drops, which may require a visit to your pharmacy the same day as the surgery. The eye drops will need to be used frequently and may be costly, but they are necessary for your recovery. The person accompanying you will be asked to sign that he or she has received and understands your discharge instructions, including how to take your eye drops and medications after your surgery.
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It is very important to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays of the sun. It is especially important after eye surgery. You will be given sunglasses and instructed to wear them while outside.
[/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Eye Shield”]
Depending on your procedure, you may have an eye shield over your eye after your surgery. This shield is a gentle reminder not to touch your eye. You will be given instructions about applying and/or removing the shield before you are discharged. Please discuss questions about your eyeglasses after surgery with your eye doctor at your post-operative visit.
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