Office-based Surgery Center in Dallas

LaserCare Eye Center has provided LASIK and Cataract surgery since 2000. Traditionally, cataract surgery has been done at a Hospital or ASC.

In 2023, we had a wild thought: How about if we started performing Cataract surgery in a LASIK setting but with all the safety precautions of a Hospital. Thus, was born our Office-based Surgery Center in Plano. It was the first of its kind in the DFW-Plano area. At the time of this writing, there are over 15 such centers for Cataract surgery in the area.

Whether it’s being the first with the Office based Surgery Center, the first to being SMILE to DFW, the third in the nation to get the Visumax 800 laser for SMILE Pro, we are used to leading.

What is the difference between Cataract/RLE surgery at the hospital vs Office-based Surgery Center?

Hospital/ASC Cataract Surgery

• Hospitals/ASCs are busy places offering many types of surgery cases: Cataract, Retina, General surgery, Gastrointestinal, Spine, Orthopedics and more.
• This means usually long wait times.
• You are greeted by new staff who you are not familiar with.
• There is only one type of anesthesia typically given: IV. We all know IVs can be painful.
• You have to change into a Hospital gown.
• Your vitals are checked.
• Because of heavy anesthesia, you are wheeled to/from the OR in a wheelchair or gurney and have to be observed for as long as an hour after surgery.
• Time at the surgery center is usually on the order of 3-4 hours.

Office-based Cataract Surgery

• Our Office-based Surgery Center only has ONE FOCUS: Refractive Eye Surgery. We only perform Cataract Surgery, Refractive Lens exchange and EVO ICL surgery.
• Wait times are minimal: You are brought back to a Pre-op bay minutes after check-in.
• You are greeted by many of the friendly faces from our clinic.
• We only provide Level 1 Anesthesia: this is a low dose, oral sedative like we have done with LASIK since 2000. No painful IV to worry about.
• No hospital gown for you. You wear your own comfy clothes. After an eye prep, a surgical drape is placed over the top half of your body.
• We check your vitals with the same devices used at a Hospital or ASC.
• Mild Anesthesia means:
  • you are able to walk to/from the OR.
  • you are discharged 10 minutes after surgery after vitals are checked and instructions are reviewed with your caretaker.
• Time at the Surgery Center: Most patients are at our center for about an hour from check-in to walkout. This is unprecedented for Cataract Surgery.

What safety precautions are taken at the Office-based Surgery Center?

Safe surgery is paramount at LaserCare Eye Center. We have provided Laser Vision Correction procedures like LASIK since 2000 with a great safety record. We have provided Cataract Surgery, Refractive Lens Exchange and EVO ICL at our Office-based Surgery Center since 2023 with a great safety record.

Plain and simple, we provide many of the same safety protocols as a Hospital or ASC, but in a LASIK like setting and with one focus: Refractive Lens Surgery. The following are precautions taken at the Office-based Surgery Center?

• We only provide Level 1 Anesthesia. No heavy or IV sedation.
• We are fully accredited by the Joint Commission as an Office-based Surgery Center. This is the same organization that accredits Hospitals and ASCs in the US.
• We use the same types of sterilizers as an ASC and test them frequently.
• We follow the same sterile procedure protocols as a Hospital or ASC.
• We are located 0.3 mile from the Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital and Baylor Regional Hospital in case of a true medical emergency.

Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital and Regional Hospital are 0.3 miles away.

Who is the ideal Office-based Surgery Center patient?

The ideal Office-based Surgery Center candidate has the following characteristics:

• They are younger.
• They are healthy without too many or any serious health conditions.
• They desire Refractive Lens surgery.
• They are able to get a medical clearance from their Primary Care Physician or Cardiologist if needed.

Not every patient is an ideal Office based surgery candidate. For these patients, surgery can be performed at a nearby ASC under the care of an Anesthesiology. This would include:

• Patients over the age of 80.
• Patients with multiple health issues.
• Patients with serious health conditions.
• Patients who are not medically stable.
• Patients who require Moderate or Heavy amounts of anesthesia.

What are some other advantages of Office-based Surgery Center?

There are other advantages and comforts:

• Instead of waiting on a hard and cold gurney, you get to sit in a massage chair with heating and cooling.
• At a hospital, you have to fast from the night before surgery. At our center, you are able to have breakfast. We just ask that you avoid caffeine the morning or afternoon of surgery.
• No IV.
• Many of our clinic staff work in the Surgery Center and you will be greeted by familiar faces that know you and care about you.

Here is a quick pic tour of the Office-based Surgery Center

Typical Pre-op Bay

Typical Operating Room

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