Can any ophthalmologist perform LASIK?

Chris Rock once said, “You can drive a car with your feet, that don’t make it a good idea.” And it made me laugh for a long time. He was talking about something besides whether or not any ophthalmologist is qualified to do LASIK, almost certainly something more offensive, but the point still stands when borrowing it for this topic.

All that is required to do LASIK is to be an ophthalmologist, and to take a weekend course on LASIK. They give a certificate.  It can be placed on a wall in a mahogany frame.

But there is a yawning gulf between “can you” and “should you” when it comes to deciding on your LASIK surgeon. The quick, somewhat-flawed litmus test should be whether your potential surgeon does LASIK more than a dozen times a week. While that’s not the only requirement to be good at it, it at least lets you know you’re at a specialist.

If this post seemed arrogant, I don’t mean it that way. Technically, I can do eyelid lifts, but if I ever suggest that I do yours, you should politely ask to use the restroom and then escape out a window.