LASIK and PRK co-management means your local optometrist handles the pre-operative evaluation and post-surgical follow-up visits after an ophthalmologist performs your refractive surgery. At Lucent Family Eye Care in Vancouver, BC, our team of eye doctors coordinate directly with trusted Vancouver surgeons, so you get local, convenient care before and after your procedure without traveling back to the surgical centre for every appointment.
What Is LASIK and PRK Co-Management?
When you choose LASIK or PRK, an ophthalmologist performs the actual surgery. What many patients in Vancouver, BC don’t realize is that the appointments before and after surgery are often split between the surgical centre and a local optometrist — a coordinated arrangement known as co-management. It’s a standard, well-established model in eye care, not a shortcut and not a downgrade in the quality of your care.
At Lucent Family Eye Care, Dr. Linda Yee and Dr. Malalai Sultani work alongside trusted ophthalmologists across the Vancouver area. Dr. Yee’s training included time at the Bethesda Laser & Cataract Institute in Maryland, where she examined patients with a wide range of eye diseases and assisted with LASIK and cataract surgeries directly — giving her firsthand familiarity with the surgical side of refractive procedures, not just the follow-up visits.
Why Co-Management Exists
Surgical centres see patients from across British Columbia and beyond. Building in dozens of short check-in visits for every patient isn’t practical for a surgeon’s schedule, and it isn’t convenient for you either. Co-management lets your regular optometrist, someone who already knows your eye health history, handle routine pre- and post-op visits close to home, while staying in direct contact with your surgeon.
This is simply how our clinic operates: when surgery or specialist treatment is needed for cataracts, retinal concerns, or a LASIK consultation, we refer patients to trusted Vancouver ophthalmologists and continue co-management and follow-up care at our clinic afterward.
LASIK vs. PRK: Understanding the Difference
Both procedures reshape the cornea with a laser to correct refractive error, but the technique and recovery differ.
| LASIK | PRK | |
|---|---|---|
| Corneal approach | Thin flap created, tissue reshaped underneath, flap repositioned | Outer layer (epithelium) fully removed, no flap |
| Early recovery | Discomfort is usually mild; functional vision often within 24 hours | More discomfort days 1-3; bandage contact lens worn while epithelium regrows |
| Bandage lens removed | Not applicable | Typically around day 8-10 |
| Return to work/screens | Often within 1-3 days | Often 1-3 weeks |
| Often preferred for | Average corneal thickness | Thinner corneas, contact sports or higher-impact lifestyles |
| Long-term success rates | Statistically similar | Statistically similar |
Neither option is universally the “best” choice — it depends on corneal thickness, lifestyle, and what the surgeon recommends at your consultation.
Your Pre-Operative Evaluation
Before surgery, your optometrist can help evaluate general eye health, dry-eye status, and corneal condition, working alongside the surgeon’s own detailed corneal mapping. Our diagnostic technology, including OCT imaging, supports this kind of thorough pre-surgical picture. A formal candidacy determination is always made by the treating surgical team, so this visit complements the surgeon’s assessment rather than replacing it.
What Happens After Surgery
Post-op, your optometrist typically sees you within 24 to 48 hours of the procedure, then on a follow-up schedule commonly set around 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months, sometimes extended for PRK given its slower healing. These visits monitor:
- Dry eye and tear film health
- Fluctuating or unstable vision
- Light sensitivity or halos
- Signs of infection
- Under- or over-correction
- Flap-related concerns (LASIK specific)
Because PRK heals more gradually, its follow-up schedule often runs a bit longer, with full visual stabilization sometimes not confirmed until the three-month visit.
Are You a Candidate?
General candidacy guidelines include being 18 or older, a stable eyeglass or contact lens prescription for about two years, healthy corneas, and no active eye disease. These are starting points for a conversation, not a diagnosis — an actual candidacy evaluation happens during a formal consultation with the surgical team.
LASIK and PRK are elective, out-of-pocket procedures in Canada, so cost and scheduling are worth discussing early with both your optometrist and your surgeon.
Why Ongoing Eye Exams Still Matter
LASIK and PRK correct refractive error such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, but they don’t protect against unrelated conditions like glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy, which can develop years later regardless of your vision correction. Keeping a continuing relationship with a local optometrist after surgery means those conditions are more likely to be caught early, long after your flap or bandage lens has fully healed.
If you’re considering LASIK or PRK in Vancouver, BC, or you already have a procedure scheduled and want a local optometrist for your pre- and post-operative visits, contact Lucent Family Eye Care to set up a consultation with Dr. Yee or Dr. Sultani.
Frequently Asked Questions
It means your pre-operative evaluation and post-surgical follow-up visits are handled by your own optometrist rather than exclusively at the surgical centre where the procedure was performed. The surgeon still performs the surgery itself and remains involved in your care; your optometrist manages the surrounding visits and stays in contact with the surgical team throughout your recovery.
This depends on the arrangement your surgeon sets up, but in a co-managed relationship it’s common for most routine follow-up visits to happen with your local optometrist, with the surgeon remaining available if a complication or concern needs their direct attention. Your optometrist coordinates with the surgeon as needed rather than making decisions in isolation.
No. Co-management is a standard, well-established model used widely in eye care, not a shortcut. It allows routine monitoring to happen locally and conveniently while keeping the surgeon informed and involved for anything beyond typical healing, which often means more accessible follow-up care rather than less thorough care.
LASIK involves creating a thin corneal flap, so initial discomfort is usually mild and many patients regain functional vision within about 24 hours, often returning to work or screens within a few days. PRK removes the outer corneal layer entirely, so the first few days tend to involve more discomfort, watering, and light sensitivity while a bandage contact lens protects the eye, with a longer return-to-work window of roughly one to three weeks as the surface heals.
Patients are typically seen within 24 to 48 hours after either procedure to check early healing. After that, follow-up visits are commonly scheduled around one week, one month, and three months post-surgery, though PRK patients sometimes have a slightly extended schedule since epithelial healing takes longer than the flap-based healing seen with LASIK.
General guidelines suggest candidates are typically 18 or older, have had a stable prescription for about two years, have healthy corneas, and have no active eye disease. These are only general starting points; a proper candidacy evaluation, including detailed corneal mapping, is always completed by the surgeon during a formal consultation.
No. The surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist at a surgical centre. Lucent Family Eye Care refers patients to trusted Vancouver ophthalmologists for the procedure and consultation, then provides co-management, including pre-operative evaluation support and post-operative follow-up care, at our clinic.
Yes. LASIK and PRK correct refractive error, but they don’t prevent unrelated eye conditions such as glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy from developing later in life. Continuing annual eye exams with your optometrist after surgery helps catch these conditions early, well beyond the surgical recovery period.