I have been considering doing Laser / Lasik Eye surgery for a while. I finally a visited a doctor last week - and she said it is possible but also give me the disclaimer that ~ 5% of the cases do not work out as expected - results can vary from complete improvement to no improvement to poorer eyesight to blindness.
Ofcourse that put me off. But the more I think about it - I really have not met anyone so far who has had an unsuscessfull surgery. I want to know if there are any of you out there who know anyone whose eye surgery was not successful. If possible I would also like to talk these people over the phone to get a first hand idea of their experience. If the phone call is not possible - thats fine but it will still be good to know of cases where the surgery did not work out. Your best first step is to research the technology and the doctors. You seem to have started that. Excellent!
One thing to consider is your age. If you are a teen, then your eyes are still changing and you should wait until they stabilize. You don't want to have a series of LASIKs, do you? Yeah, they give you a Valium to calm you down, but it is only a minimal dose and really isn't worth it. :-)
If you are in your 40s or later, then be aware that while LASIK will fix or dramatically improve ordinary (far) vision, but you will need reading glasses. You would eventually anyway, but with LASIK it is like an ON-OFF switch. Some doctors will tell you this up front, others won't mention it. Some other doctors when asked, will say "Well, not necessarily" which implies that this is rare. It isn't; it is the norm if you are of that age. Ask several doctors and see. Google it. Research it. But don't consider this a negative; it was going to happen anyway and requiring glasses only when reading is much better than requiring glasses for everything!
Some clinics have free seminars about LASIK. These are fine, although they are really captive audience commercials, but there is no substitute for talking to the doctor that will perform the surgery directly. Not a collegue. Not an associate. The actual surgeon. If you cannot do this, strike that one from your list. Fast.
The most important thing is to NOT BE CHEAP! Don't call 1-800-BLIND-ME and get it for $75/eye! Find a doctor (not merely a clinic that has doctors) and talk to him/her. Find out how many LASIKs s/he has performed. How long has s/he been doing them. What other kinds of eye surgery does s/he do? What kind of laser machine (e.g. Excimer)? Grill them.
And yes, there are sometimes failures. One friend of mine went to the $300/eye clinic (this was about 6 years ago when that was considered very cheap) and now she will never see properly again. It is so bad that she is afraid to even to go one of those doctors that "cleans up" after other doctor's mistakes. Sad. But you pay for what you get. Unfortunately, the reverse "you get what you pay for" just isn't true. It is still doctor's fault, but she will have to live with the results forever.
My own surgery was a 1 in a 1000 situation, where the entire epitheleum (sp?) sloughed off. But my doctor stayed the course and everything is fine. I would do it again.
Yes, he is one of the more expensive ones, but his technical expertise and professionalism made it worth the extra money. And years later, he did my cataract surgery. That is how impressed I was and how willing I was to give him another shot at my eyes. Can't see that happening (no pun) at a cheap clinic.
Finally (at last, you say!), remember that these are your eyes! Trust no one. Assume the worst. YOU take the responsibility of doing the research and when you commit and have it done, FOLLOW UP with all of the doctor's instructions.
Good luck! Eyes are the most essential part of your body so I don't think you should be taking a chance because you never know what could happen.Another thing is that it's not permanent you might have to wear glasses after few years.Anything that's artificial does not stay for too long. pun intended? i'm in the same situation........but i decided to stay with my glasses.......i just didnt want to take any chances where my eye sight is concerenced My sister and brother in law both had it done with very good results.... one way to improve your odds are to check and see what your doctor's results have been compared with other doctors who do the same treatment... During the procedure, the laser carefully removes tissue from the inner cornea. This tissue has little capacity for re-growth and the majority of patients will have stable vision one month after treatment. As we grow older, however, a condition called presbyopia will develop. The lens hardens and loses the ability to bend to help us see close objects, therefore, after the approximate age of 45 years, most people, whether they have treatment or not, will need to wear 鈥榬eading鈥?spectacles.
All laser treatments are classed as surgical procedures and as such carry some degree of risk no matter how small. The procedure has passed extensive scrutiny from public health agencies and the medical health profession, and after a decade of research, complications affecting vision are reported at a rate of significantly less than one percent. Your Specialist Laser Optometrist will discuss any potential complications and explain how they are dealt with. Sure it is. I know people who have had success with the surgery. A few of my friends actually said it was one of the better investments they had made in a long time. And it wasn't painful and they were back to work within the next day or two. The way that I see it, every day you take a risk, so why is this any different. Think positive and how wonderful it will be when you can look down the street, or even right in front of you, and see clearly. Think about all the cute new sunglasses that are so IN right now. Of course the failed cases must be out there somewhere, but I'm sure they are hard to find. So go on honey and take a chance and LOOK at things from a new perspective. My brother had complete success with his--his vision was very poor and now he doesn't need glasses at all.
Any surgery has risks. I note there are a number of attorneys whose only practice is lasik lawsuits. Try googling for any support groups. I had Lasik eye surgery back in 1999. It was very successful and I still have close to 20/20 vision. (Your new enhanced eyesite will naturally deteriorate over the years.) My vision was -125 in both eyes, which is really not that bad, but not legal for driving without glasses.
In my opinion, what you should be asking for are recommendations on doctors. Coupled with the status of your eyesite (e.g., stigmatism and severity of near-sightedness/farsightedness), getting the right doctor is the most important decision impacting your chances for success.
Don't be tempted by cheap offers or discount centers. You don't want to give your eyes over to the lowest bidder.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. My doctor was Dr. Stephen Turner. 3 friends had gone to him before me. And I referred 4 friends to him, including my brother. All have been successful. While temporary, lasik surgery is very popular. Keep in mind if your prescription changes regularly, you may want to reconsider.
That said, I have not heard of anyone that I know who had the surgery say anythign but good thigns about the results. The only negative I have heard was that someone I know had their cornia's scratched and it took a while to heal. Even with that, she said she would do it again.
If you are going to do it, do not base your decision on price alone. These are your eyes we are talking about, do not go to the person who has the best deal in your local paper that week. Research the dr doing the procedure and make sure you are comfortable with him/her.
Good luck. I had Lasik Eye Surgery at the age of 51 - 2 yrs. ago. The best thing I ever did! I had worn glass most of my life. I would find someone that I'm very comfortable with .... I had the surgery about 7 years ago and it worked out fine. After that, a friend told me of his friend who did actually go blind. After hearing that, I reevaluated the risk that I took. I guess it is rare to go badly wrong, but if it does it will completely screw up your life. After hearing the story, I don't know if I would have done it again. But, mine did work out, 7 years later I have to wear reading glasses, but they told me that would happen because of my age before I had the surgery. I know the technology is a little different now, but I also have a little star burst effect at night. When I am driving, the oncoming headlights create a star burst. That's sort of annoying but I can live with it.
Anyway the main thing is if your are going to do it - go top notch all the way - don't let price get in the way of quality - this is something you want the best job on from the very best people. I can say it is very nice being able to see first thing in the morning and I still find myself habitually trying to take my glasses off before I get in the shower. But, in the long run, I don't know if I can truly tell you that its all that it is cracked up to be after hearing the story from my friend. I wish I could put you in touch with him, but It's been a while and I don't know where he is right now. My vision is 20/400 which is really bad. There was a time I really wanted to do the Lasik surgery. However, quite frankly, I am quite hesitant now... because of the possible side effects, and the other risks, etc.
To make things worst, one of my co-workers' wife recently did surgery on her eyes (not Lasik, but some sort of laser surgery) and she is now blind.
I have heard that the chances are slim that the surgery wouldn't succeed.... but I cherish my eyesight too much.
Anyways, I opted to try exercises to see if they would improve my vision. I created a blog so that people can follow my progress. You can check it out at
http://www.improvingmyeyesight.com/blog
Hope this helps... Lasik and Laser eye surgery is very safe nowadays. My cousin got her dental implants and lasik surgery in India by a company called Forerunners Healthcare. The Price for dental and lasik surgery is very less in India. She paid 25% of the price she was quoted in America.
Forerunners Healthcare is very famous in India They arrange Dental surgery, jaw surgery, lasik eye surgery, Dental Implants etc for foreign patients in India. I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and magazines- about their patient stories.
They arrange financing for USA, Canadian, UK and other international patients who plan to have surgery abroad for low cost, as dental and eye surgery is not covered by insurance. They also have photos pasted of their International patients. You can checkout their website. There are huge cost savings. As a doctor I personally believe that surgery can be easily handled in India, as the quality of healthcare available In India is simply best in the world. The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.
http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com
Hope this helps. |
