• Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC), like the Dayton Eye Surgery Center, are facilities where surgeries that do not require hospital admission are performed. They provide a cost-effective and convenient alternative to a hospital stay.

• The Business Office staff at DESC, as well as your physician's office, will be able to help you answer some of your questions regarding coverage. Please contact your insurance carrier regarding your specific benefits.

• Our staff will call you a day, or several days, before your surgery, to tell you when to arrive at the Surgery Center and what time your surgery is scheduled.

• Please call DESC and your physician as soon as possible at 937.431.9531. If you call after hours, an answering message will instruct you in leaving a message.

• Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery date, and please follow any other specific instructions your surgeon or our staff have given you.

• Please bring all insurance information and your photo ID with you, this is a requirement for surgery/service. Also, wear comfortable clothes that are easy to put on and take off, such as shirts that button up the front or loose-fitting slacks. Please leave all valuables and jewelry at home. Try to plan ahead, depending on the type of surgery you are having. Wear glasses instead of contacts. If you use inhalers, please bring them with you. Do not use any makeup, lotion or perfurme/cologne on your face prior to your surgery. Please bring any paperwork given to you by your surgeon that he/she requested on your day of surgery.If you have any copayment or deductible due, payment will be expected on the day of the surgery. Please bring a form of payment. We accept all major credit cards, cash or money orders. Personal checks are accepted.

• Your peri-operative team consists of your surgeon and their assistants, the anesthesiologist and/or nurse anesthetists, nurses and a surgical technician.

• The operating room team will assist you in finding a comfortable position on the operating room bed. If you have back problems or difficulty lying flat, please let the nursing staff know so we can take extra care on positioning you for your surgery.

• Family members are not allowed in to the operating room for safety and sterility reasons.

• Patients that have had general anesthesia will be in the recovery room with the nursing staff until they are ready to move to the final stage of recovery. Then your family may join you.

• No. You will have sedation on the day of surgery and should not drive a vehicle, and you cannot take a taxi. All patients must be accompanied by a responsible adult when discharged from DESC and at home. Your doctor will tell you when you can resume driving. You will also need someone to drive you to your post-op appointment.

• The Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), or recovery room, is the name of the room where you will recover from your surgery and general anesthesia. An experienced post anesthesia care nurse and nurse anesthetist will be there to care for you during this time.

• During your recovery you will be placed on a heart monitor that continuously monitors your pulse and blood pressure.
• A finger cover is placed on your finger. It tells us how much oxygen is in your blood and how well you are breathing.
• If you have a bandage, your nurse will be checking the area for any bleeding.
• When you are awake and ready for fluids, you will start drinking small sips of water or 7UP.

• You may feel sleepy, dizzy and/or forgetful from the medications given to you during your operation. These feelings will improve as time passes.
• You may have some discomfort after your surgery. The nurses will give you medication to make you feel better.
• In PACU/Recovery Room you will be asked to rate your pain. This helps us objectively evaluate how much discomfort you are having. The scale that we most often use is the 0-10 scale. 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain possible.

• The average recovery time is usually between 30 to 90 minutes. Since each person is unique recovery time will vary.
• You can be discharged to go home when you are reasonably comfortable, awake and alert, pain is manageable, and you have minimal nausea.

• You will need a responsible adult stay with you after you arrive home from your surgery.
• Some patients have concerns about taking care of themselves when they go home. Please discuss these or any concerns you may have with your nurse during your preoperative interview.
• If you need to speak with a nurse, you may call DESC at 937.431.9531.
• Your surgeon is available to you as well. You can reach him/her at their office, or they can be paged through the Medical Society at 937.223.0990.
• Patients are often comfortable when leaving the surgery center and usually do not need anything as stronger than a Tylenol.
• Many surgeons use local anesthesia at the surgical site so that you will be fairly comfortable until the local anesthesia wears off, whichsometimes does not occur until later in the day or even into the next day.

• You will receive specific instructions about how to care for your wound from your surgeon's discharge instruction sheet given to you on the day of surgery.
• You should check the dressing for any drainage. A small amount of clear or light red staining is normal.
• Limit bending over if you need to pick something up. Try to stoop instead.
• You may remove your dressing only as directed by your surgeon.

  
  For Best Wound Healing…

  • Maintain good nutrition; eat a well balanced diet
  • Do not smoke
  • Do not rub your eye at any time
  • Avoid getting sprays, soap etc. in your eye
  • Follow your doctor's instructions

** If you have any of these signs or symptoms call your surgeon**

• Redness around the eye or drainage
• Increased tenderness and pain
• Temperature of 101 degrees or higher and/or chills
• Persistent nausea
• Note: If you had an eye block (local injection), slight bruising and/or discoloration is normal