wondering about Lasik

[clintsmommy]

For the people who have had Lasik, how is your vision as far as seeing clearly? I had Lasik in September 2005, and I still see 20/20. I have the lovely dryness however. I was wondering if anyone has had to start wearing glasses again or had an enhancement? I shudder to think about an enhancement.

[Lucy]

Glasses=yes
Enhancement=NO
Cataract surgery=YES (which created more bad vision over an already bad lasik cornea)
Boston Scleral Lens=Yes

If you're posting on DEZ, you need to shudder about having an enhancement.

[shells]

I am lucky enough only to have the dry eye. My vision was funny for the first few months, but it seems to have leveled off at 20/20 now. I cancelled my free lifetime enhancement plan over a year ago. After a few weeks of dry eye I knew it was foolish to let anyone touch my eyes, and would never even in a million years consider having it done again! If my vision starts to get worse again, I will wear glasses, since I'm sure that this dry eye has ruined my chances of ever wearing contacts again.

[dianat]

Lifetime enhancement plan?! What?!?! Is this something you pay for...like a warranty on a refrigerator at Sears? I wanna be sick. Oh, do tell, Shells, I need to hear this.

Regarding my vision, Clintsmommy, I am still blessed with plano vision. It's perfect and hasn't fluxuated in any way since LASIK. I believe I'm 20/25. I would argue that it's not a quality 20/25 most of the time due to the dryness and spilling over of my nasty, caustic tears, but I know when to be greatful. I can see well.

An enhancement would be absurd in the condition we are in. If you are seeing well at present, just write that in the "positive" column when you're sorting through this whole mess and don't dwell on it. There are lots of really cool frames out there now anyway if you should ever need glasses again. I see lots of really smart, stylin' people wearing them all the time.

[shells]

D - Yes, I admit it. I went to one of those lasik chains. Lasik Plus to be exact. It was the only place my insurance would cover parts of, and they have multiple locations throughout the country. They have a plan where you pay an extra $500 or something like that (I don't remember specifics), and then as long as you keep records of annual eye exams, they will do free enhancements for the rest of your life. So, yes, kind of like a refridgerator with a good service record. The lifetime enhancements sounded like a great idea at the time.

Even though my surgeon was very experienced and had an impressive list of achievements, I used to kick myself for going to a "chain", but it sounds like my pre-op and post-op care was very similiar to other people who went to a regular opthamologist. Ofcourse the consultation and surgery were very similar to an assembly line, which did not involve pre-op dry eye tests. It sounds like most of us did not have pre-op dry eye tests no matter where we went though. And you are right, it does make me sick. It makes me sick everytime I hear a radio ad, or see one on TV, or get one of those darn pop-ups on the internet or a flyer in the mail.

[dianat]

Shells,

I would never chastise you or anyone else for going to a chain to have your Lasik procedure, so please don't take my comment that way. Who's really to say that your surgeon was any less skilled than mine? I went to the most expensive guy in town who was not part of a chain. Doesn't seem to have made any difference to us now, does it.

It was just shocking to hear that Lasik centers offer "products" like enhancements for life. There's just something dehumanizing about that. I suppose if I'd been delighted with my Lasik outcome, I wouldn't think much of such a thing. Perhaps if I could stomach listening to Lasik ads on the radio or TV, I'd know of the deals that are offered. But as it were, I was shocked. As it is, I cannot stomach Lasik ads and I turn down the volume or walk away.

Can you imagine having gallstones removed and the surgeon offering a "deal" for an extra $500 where you could purchase a warranty for future occurances?!

D

[YGB]

Shells - there is no need to be hard on yourself for going to LASIK Plus. The reality is that I went to a top ranked medical center and if I had to do it over again (aside from the fact that I wouldn't do it), I would rather have taken my chances at the local strip mall clinic. The pre-screening was insufficient, the informed consent process was seriously flawed (anytime you get a form listing risks you never knew existed for the first time 2 minutes prior to a LASIK procedure, it is wrong), there was nothing given to me post-operatively explaining what I should do to take care of my eyes (aside from some verbal instruction about using the steroid drops while I was still on valium), and my post-op follow-up care was very poorly managed. It was a mass volume operation like so many LASIK clinics.

Also, no matter how good the MD is, the fact is that all LASIK MD's have bad outcomes because bad outcomes are inherent in LASIK. The only variable is how many bad outcomes do they have. Unlike most people, many of these MD's have thicker skin/colder hearts and can keep slicing, lasering, and damaging eyes without having it weigh on their conscience. Many of them do not see the true number of long-term damaged patients from their significantly flawed procedure, because unlike Lucy, most damaged patients choose not to return to the scene of their disaster for extended follow-up care. For the ones that see the damaging effects (like mine did when he saw me) and keep lasering without a care in the world, then in my view as much as it pains me to say it, I'd rather endure suffering post-LASIK and be true to myself and my fellow man than be that MD living in financial luxury from ill-gotten LASIK gains with such a cold heart.

BTW, I have 20/20 vision but would gladly trade that for glasses/lots of other things. I will definitely choose glasses over an "enhancement". The old adage is ... fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I don't think that's Confucius, but it still applies.

[Rebecca Petris]

It was just shocking to hear that Lasik centers offer "products" like enhancements for life.

These have been around for many years. Adopting terms like "enhancement" and "touch-up" was bad enough but this 'lifetime guarantee' business is in my opinion an appalling concept which cannot fail to be grossly misleading to the average patient/consumer... conveying the impression that you have unlimited corneal tissue to dispose of while in reality, you increase your risks for permanent vision loss with every single surgery.

[Lucy]

Hello---the real problem is that in no way is there such a thing as a "lifetime guarantee" in anything. Not even a refrigerator, or a lasik surgery, or a roof, a car etc.

It's total b.s. Sounds so good.

conveying the impression that you have unlimited corneal tissue to dispose of while in reality, you increase your risks for permanent vision loss with every single surgery.

I wonder who's lifetime they mean? Yours? Or the clinics? As we know, clinics come and go. Quite often it's as easy as a name change or a buyout, or bankruptcy. Oh, this makes me mad.

[YGB]

It's total b.s. Sounds so good.

That's not what I would expect to hear from the person to whom I gave the Father Mulcahy role to .

[Cindy]

originally posted by clintsmommy:

I was wondering if anyone has had to start wearing glasses again

I did. However, my co-managing OD made me wait 6 months post-op before prescribing them for me. I wanted them sooner. He seemed to believe my eyes would spontaneously heal in the interim and give me 20/20 vision. Or perhaps that I would get used to seeing double. This topic is kind of a hot button for me.

Noone with correctable vision and is asking for glasses should have to wait.

[dianat]

... conveying the impression that you have unlimited corneal tissue to dispose of while in reality, you increase your risks for permanent vision loss with every single surgery.

In addition to the dehumanizing aspect of these "warrantees", Rebecca you drive it home with this reality. I'm even more disgusted at the LASIK industry now than I was before...and I didn't think my opinion could sink any lower.

Good to see you Cindy.

[shells]

Yes, the whole idea is disgusting. I remember the appointment when I cancelled the plan. The receptionist looked at me like I was crazy. She said "But you are so young, are you sure?" The truth is that to someone with a successful lasik, I can see why this would be quite appealing. I remember before I got my surgery and told my sister that I was paying extra for lifetime enhancements, she was jealous because when she had her surgery they were not offering an "enhancement plan". She also thinks that lasik is the best money she's ever spent.

[Lucy]

Shel said:

She also thinks that lasik is the best money she's ever spent.

Well, Shel, I have two sisters and they are both thin. We all can't be perfect. So, give your sis a break on her "mistaken notion." We know she is full of beans.

[dianat]

It's very interesting how pain and suffering can change one's perspective. I don't mind having a new perspective on things since my LASIK experience...like understanding how flagrantly wrong and immoral all this really is.

On the other hand, being ignorant, 20/20 with healthy, wet eyes would be okay too!