Your first visit: what happens, what to bring, and the answer you leave with

In short: At the first visit I examine your whole eye, not just your prescription: vision, eye pressure, cornea, lens and retina, plus whatever tests your case calls for. You leave knowing what you have, what your options are, and whether surgery makes sense or not. If you wear contact lenses, there is one thing to know before you book, and I cover it below.

It’s easy to put this appointment off for months. Often it isn’t fear of surgery. It’s not knowing what they’ll do to you, how much of your day it takes, or whether you’ll walk out with an answer or just another appointment. This page answers that.

Who I see at a first visit

• Blurry vision, halos or night glare, and you suspect a cataract.
• You want to stop wearing glasses and wonder if you’re a candidate for LASIK or PRK.
• You were told you have keratoconus, or your astigmatism keeps going up.
• You have diabetes and nobody has checked your retina this year.
• Pterygium, dry eye that won’t improve, or an eye that keeps turning red.
• Nothing bothers you, but you’re over 40 or glaucoma runs in your family.

What I check

It’s a full exam, the same one I describe on the eye exam page:

1. Visual acuity: how well you see far and near, with and without glasses.
2. Prescription: nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia.
3. Eye pressure: the measurement that catches glaucoma before it causes symptoms.
4. Slit lamp: eyelids, cornea, iris and lens, up close.
5. Retina exam: retina, optic nerve and blood vessels.

If your case needs it, I add precision tests: corneal topography or tomography (keratoconus and laser surgery), pachymetry to measure corneal thickness, or retinal imaging (OCT).

That much is standard at any serious exam. What changes the result happens before you arrive.

What to know before you book

If you wear contact lenses and you’re coming about laser surgery. Contact lenses change the shape of the cornea, and the change lasts for weeks after you take them out. If I measure a reshaped cornea, the surgical plan is built on the wrong numbers. That’s why the U.S. FDA recommends stopping them before the evaluation:

• Soft lenses: 2 weeks before.
• Toric soft or rigid gas permeable lenses: at least 3 weeks.
• Hard lenses: at least 4 weeks.

If you’re coming for something else, you don’t need to stop. If you’re unsure, ask me on WhatsApp before the visit.

If I dilate your pupils. To see the retina properly I sometimes use dilating drops. For a few hours your vision will be blurry and light will bother you. Bring sunglasses and, if you can, someone to drive you home.

What to bring: your current glasses, a list of the medicines you take, and any earlier eye tests or prescriptions.

The answer you leave with

This is the part of the first visit that matters most. You don’t leave with “come back and we’ll see.” You leave with:

• What you have, explained with your test results in hand.
• What your options are, including not operating yet when it isn’t needed.
• Who would operate, if it comes to that: me. I do the consultation, the surgery and the follow-up visits myself.
• The cost for your case, when surgery is involved, because it depends on what I find in your eyes and on the lens or technique you need.

If you want to think it over after the visit, that’s fine. The decision is yours, and it doesn’t expire.

Where the visit takes place

Two places, both in Silao:

• Hospital Aranda de la Parra Puerto Interior, office 105, about 20 minutes from León. I also operate there.
• Oftalmo-Visión Clínica Oftalmológica, in downtown Silao.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the visit cost?

Ask me on WhatsApp before you come, and I’ll tell you the cost and what it includes for what you need.

Do I need a referral from another doctor?

No. You can book directly with me.

Will I have surgery the same day?

Not at the first visit. First I examine you, explain the options, and you decide without pressure.

Do you see patients in English?

Yes. If you’d like the visit in English, just say so when you book.

If you already know what you want checked, message me on WhatsApp and I’ll give you the next opening at whichever office suits you.

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Sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, What should I expect before, during, and after surgery? (LASIK), content current as of July 11, 2018, accessed October 5, 2026. National Eye Institute, Get a dilated eye exam, last updated November 26, 2025, accessed October 5, 2026.

Last updated: October 5, 2026