Informed Consent for Laser Eye Surgery You have the right to consent to laser eye surgery or to refuse any treatment or procedure at any time prior to its performance. Consent is a process that involves many steps and patient, office staff, and surgeon have important roles to play. Please ensure that your questions are answered and your concerns are addressed. Counsel before laser eye surgery A staff member will ensure that your have a copy of the Surgical Information Package and the Consent Form(s). You should review the Surgical Information Package and the Counselor will address any questions that you have, review the Consent Form(s) with you, and complete much of the information on the Form(s) in preparations for the surgeon's signing and witnessing your signature. Optometrist or COMT, COT, COA examination During your pre-operative evaluation, an optometrist or other eye care professional will examine your eyes to determine if you are a candidate for ASA or LASIK eye surgery according to criteria that are set by the surgeon. An optometrist or other eye care professional will provide you with an explanation of the laser eye surgery procedure, the risks, complications and expected benefits, and the alternatives, if any, and any particular conditions that might affect your decision to undergo laser eye surgery. Laser eye surgeon To assist you in making an informed decision, your surgeon will provide you with a description of the laser eye surgery procedure, the risks, complications and expected benefits, and the alternatives. This information must be provided in language and terms that you understand; therefore, you must ensure that your surgeon is aware if you have unanswered questions or if you do not understand any topic. Your surgeon will also provide you with a specific post-operative plan, to which you will also need to consent. Your surgeon does not have to explain risks that are commonly understood, extremely remote, or those that your surgeon does not know about, even if those become known at a later time. However, your surgeon must provide you with information that would be material for a reasonable person in your position to use in deciding whether or not to undergo the Procedure. LASIK eye surgery research study In the event that your surgeon is conducting a research study that involves ASA or LASIK eye surgery, there are two options for prospective patients. First, you could decline to enter the study and have ASA or LASIK eye surgery performed in the standard fashion according to Bellevue LASIK policy. Second, you could consent to enter the study after discussion of all risks, benefits and treatment alternatives. Patient consent form If, after reading this material and speaking with the counselor, optometrist, eye care professional, and your surgeon, you decide to undergo laser eye surgery, you will need to sign the patient consent forms(s), indicating that you have been advised of the nature of the laser eye surgery procedure, its risks, benefits and alternatives, and that you are making an informed decision to undergo laser eye surgery. You can request a copy of your consent form(s).