
Ophthalmologist + Refractive Surgeon
Dr. Nicholas Lancaster
Dr. Lancaster is a Refractive Surgeon at SharpeVision Modern LASIK & LENS in Austin, TX. He has lived all over the world and is fluent in Spanish.
Meet Dr. Nicholas Lancaster
Our SharpeVision Austin team of eye experts is bringing custom All-Laser LASIK paired with the most modern technology and techniques to everyone. We are proud to be the official LASIK provider of Austin FC.
Is LASIK right for you? In most cases, yes! While not everyone can safely have laser vision correction, about 90% of the patients we see are great candidates for LASIK. And becasue we utilize the latest techniques and technology, we’re able to treat many patients who weren’t candidates in the past. So if you’ve been told that you aren’t a candiate for LASIK, you very likely could be at now at SharpeVision.
We’re not your typical Austin LASIK. Total transparency is our mission, from our glass-walled surgery suite to the straightforward pricing listed right on our website. We ONLY do custom all-laser vision correction surgery with the latest and greatest tech. This means that Dr. Lancaster can tailor the procedure specifically to your unique eyes, giving you the best possible results.
We believe that everyone should have access to the best technology at a fair price and in an inspiring environment. Whether you are interested in LASIK, PRK, ICL, RLE, or Cataract surgery, you can know how much your Austin LASIK surgery will cost before your consultation. No surprises. And check out our LASIK Cost Calculator to see how much LASIK can save you vs contacts and glasses. We also offer guaranteed in-house financing.
We believe that we give our patients the best experience at the best price , but if you happen to find a better price somewhere else, you can still have the SharpeVision experience with our Price Match Guarantee. Just bring in your exam paperwork with the quoted price, and we’ll match it. It’s that simple. So when you’re ready, we’ve made it easy for you to book your free consultation online, but we’d also love an old fashioned phone call. We’ll see you soon.
The majority of people-90%-who meet the age and general health requirements are good candidates for the LASIK surgery procedure. There are some conditions that exclude certain patients. Take the quiz to see if LASIK is right for you.
A comprehensive, dilated examination is the only way to know which vision-correction procedure is best for you. We do this at no charge because we believe so strongly in giving patients all the information necessary to make the right treatment choice. While your exam involves comprehensive diagnostic testing, it is also our opportunity to learn more about you, your expectations, and your lifestyle. All of these factors play an important role in recommending the best procedure for you:
The complete exam can take up to 90 minutes. After all the data is collected, our doctor will examine you, discuss the treatment recommendation, and answer any questions you have. Your visit will include dilation of your pupils, which will affect your eyesight for about 4-6 hours, as you may have experienced with a routine eye exam.
We’d like you to leave your contacts out prior to your treatment. After carefully reading through the entirety of the literature you will receive from your doctor, you will sign a copy of the informed consent in our office prior to the procedure. We will prescribe you an antibiotic drop and a steroid drop for use post-operatively. A SharpeVision Austin team member will explain and give you written instructions for your post-procedure care, which includes using these eye drops four times a day for seven days following your procedure. Have a cool compress waiting for you in the refrigerator for when you get home. It will feel great on your eyelids after your procedure.
We understand that this procedure may create nervousness and fear. We’ve worked very hard to make it easy for you. We offer an oral sedative to help you relax, and we encourage you to take it if medically appropriate. We want your experience to be as comfortable as possible. All of your post-operative appointments will be scheduled before your procedure, so you can simply go home when the procedure is complete. Dr. Lancaster will gently talk you through each step of the process, so you know what you will feel, see, and hear. He monitors your eye through the microscope at all times. The entire procedure takes about three minutes per eye; the first laser takes 20 seconds. The second laser takes 10-50 seconds depending on the amount of your prescription.
Immediately following the procedure, you will notice a change in your vision. It’s always foggy at first, but most people can see well enough to read a clock from across the room. Your eyes will be numb for 15-25 minutes; then they will start to water and burn. After LASIK, this discomfort usually lasts 4-5 hours. To help with the burning, we supply you with “comfort drops” that have numbing medicine and artificial tears in them. After being driven home, place a cool compress on your eyelids to relieve any discomfort. Try to sleep or rest with your eyes closed. You may resume normal activities the same or following day. You can lift and exercise, but do not rub your eyes. Your vision may still be foggy; this is a normal part of your healing process and will clear in the days and weeks following the procedure. Most people see well enough to work the next day.
Over the years, we’ve heard many myths about vision correction and want to clarify them and answer other common questions.
Watch Video
No, the laser can’t burn a hole in your eye. But it’s a good question. Find the answers to our most frequently asked questions at SharpeVision. Some of them may surprise you!
One of the things that sets SharpeVision apart is that we have every technology available to get you out of glasses, so we don’t have to shoehorn you into a procedure that might not be the best fit for you. The biggest two factors that affect the procedure recommendation and outcomes are: age and amount of prescription. Also important is your anatomy and eye health.
Your age is important, because our eyes go through different stages:
Your prescription amount (degree of nearsightedness) is important for several reasons. The higher the degree of nearsightedness, the more tissue LASIK and PRK removes from your cornea, and each person has a slightly different amount, and limit. At SharpeVision we measure the thickness of your cornea with both sound and light to get a highly accurate measure. LASIK removes tissue from beneath the laser created flap. PRK removes tissue from the surface of your cornea.
Your ocular anatomy is important, in that some people are not LASIK candidates due to the shape and thickness of their cornea. If your cornea has signs of instability, or is too thin, we don’t operate on it. Some people can safely due PRK but not LASIK due to these same factors. Anatomy is also important when considering an Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) because you need adequate room between your natural lens and the back of your cornea to allow an ICL to be implanted.
Your eye health must be excellent to safely perform vision correction surgery. This is a big part of why we perform a free comprehensive exam at SharpeVision.
At SharpeVision, we offer LASIK, PRK, ICL, and IOL. The recommendation depends on your age, prescription amount, anatomy, and other factors. We spend a lot of time making sure you know the what, the why, and the pros and cons of our recommendation.
If your vision is worse after LASIK or PRK than it was before with glasses or contacts, it’s almost always due to dry eyes or residual prescription. Both of these are fixable with time (for dry eyes which is almost always the cause of foggy vision for a month or more after LASIK) or with additional laser to touch it up (which is necessary approximately 1% of the time and free for the first year after surgery).
Of course there are risks associated with every kind of surgery, and laser vision correction is no exception. To put it in perspective, however, the risk of laser vision correction is significantly less than the risks of wearing contact lenses. Yes, you read that correctly. The conclusion of a 2016 article from the academic journal Ophthalmology stated: “Compared with contact lens wear, current LASIK technology improved ease of night driving, did not significantly increase dry eye symptoms, and resulted in higher levels of satisfaction at 1, 2, and 3 years follow-up.” Price MO et al. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(8):1659-1666.
Most insurance/vision plans do not pay towards LASIK or PRK, but we do honor the discount from EyeMed, VSP, and Davis, so that if you’re a member, your out of pocket expense will be the same. Always check with your insurance carrier or health benefits administrator before coming in for your exam. A few forward-thinking companies are currently paying for some or all of their employees’ LASIK, PRK, and ICL including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Adaptive Biotech, and Zillow in Seattle.
If you happen to fall in that small percentage of patients for whom LASIK is not the best option, there is still hope! You can get rid of your glasses and contacts with alternative laser vision correction techniques.
Just like LASIK, but with a twist. Best for those with thinner corneas.
Involves one eye corrected for distance vision and the other corrected for near vision.
Micro-thin lenses placed inside the eye to correct a variety of vision problems.
Exchange the high prescription lens in your eye with a new 20/20 lens.
Laser-asssisted removal of a cloudy lens that’s replaced with a new lens. See like you did when you were young.