Are you awake during LASIK?

Hi, it’s Dr. Chotiner from Memorial Eye Institute. When I tell people I’m a LASIK surgeon, some of them ask me: “Are you awake during LASIK?”.

The answer is yes.

While we can certainly appreciate that being awake during a surgical procedure doesn’t sound like much fun in any case, LASIK is far from your typical surgical procedure. It takes just several minutes to perform and in expert hands is completely painless.

After having Laser Eye Surgery, the first thing many people say, apart from “wow”, is that they were pleasantly surprised by how easy and painless the whole thing was.

As well as being designed as a minimally-invasive procedure, to avoid any discomfort, anaesthetic eye drops are applied to your eyes before surgery. This means you’ll feel very little during the actual procedure. And in the effort to make you feel as comfortable as possible, your laser eye surgeon will also communicate with you throughout, explaining the process step-by-step.

Expectedly, one of the most common fears about being awake during Laser Eye Surgery is that you might somehow compromise the result by sneezing, coughing, or moving at precisely the wrong moment.

However, leading clinics only use the most up-to-date technology, including a system that tracks the movement of your eye more than 4,000 times per second. This ensures meticulous accuracy and means that there is virtually nothing you could do to put yourself at risk during the procedure.

To learn more about laser eye surgery, please book online for a free virtual vision assessment on our website today.

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What patients say about us

I was well taken care of. They took good care of my things. Dr. Erik Chotiner did an excellent job. I am so happy to see quite clearly with my eye that has macular degeneration.
S.D.H.
Very happy with all the staff, from check in, check out and nursing in pre op. Amazing. Very clean facility. Dr. Chotiner is so efficient and fast. Would recommend him to everyone.
Vey Love
Excellent care and personal attention are provided at Memorial Eye. Hats off to Dr. E. Chotiner, nurses and staff for making my experience there so great!
Q. Bender
I had cataract surgery and correction of an astigmatism. In one word......excellent!
Ray Jaffev
Wonderful practice with kind and supportive employees. The doctors are top notch and excellent!
A. Hendrix
I am a first time patient at your practice. Everyone was so nice and knowledgeable. Overall it was a great experience. I did not realize how bad my vision was. I am amazed! The get well flowers were a nice touch!
J.B.
Surgery was quick and easy. Staff was very pleasant. Would recommend Dr. Chotiner very highly.
Patricia Scheidler
Service is very complete and professional. Dr. Erik Chotiner was very friendly and able to answer all of my questions. I am very pleased with service and will recommend.
A. Lawrence
I would recommend Memorial Eye Institute and Dr. Erik Chotiner for their expertise. They are all very professional and caring for their patients. It was an excellent experience.
Joyce Keefer

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Recognized leaders in Harrisburg LASIK eye surgery

CHOOSE THE MOST EXPERIENCED LASIK SPECIALISTS IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

Dr. Bennett Chotiner
M.D., F.A.C.S.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR, GENERAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY, LASIK SURGERY

Dr. Bennett Chotiner is the founder and medical director of Memorial Eye Institute. A noted innovator, in 1977 he established his clinical practice, the Pennsylvania Eye Associates. In 1984, he established the Pennsylvania Eye Surgery Center, Pennsylvania’s first …

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Dr. Erik A Chotiner
M.D., F.A.C.S.

GENERAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY, LASIK SURGERY

Erik Chotiner, M.D. diagnoses and treats a wide range of medical eye conditions. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Franklin and Marshall College. Dr. Chotiner attended Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia where he received multiple awards including the Physiology Prize for …

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