Sheer frustration & a much needed rant

[eva]

Sheer frustration & a much needed rant

Reading all your postings with interest.

I joined this site last August and forgot about it - big mistake on my part. It has some invaluable info and I am trying to catch up

I have SS and doing quite well - trying to find the best and quickest way to find previous posting about vairous eye drops (using Bion tears during the day, Lacrilube at night. Still wake up about 3 times per night to reapply all the junk. Luckily, I am only awake for a couple of minutes)

Anyway, about Lasik - I know quite a few people who had success so it must work for some people. Regardless of the "dangers" , it's difficult to tell others what to do. Someone already mentioned leading the horse to water etc etc.

When you think about it, people know the dangers of illegal drug use, dringing and driving, smoking, excessive use of alcohol , the list is endless.

So if someone is hell bent of having this surgery, all you can do is tell yourself
"I did the best I could " and move on...

I noticed someone posts under the name "Eva M" - that's not me.

Well, onto my "goop search"

eva

[Lucy]

Diana, I have a rant brewing.....and because you did such a good job, I'm waiting awhile. It's sort of the same, but different. (Not) funny how this stuff still grabs you by the gutt years later, eh? I just think no one can realize the depth this reaches unless you're right there with the dry eyes and ruined vision.
Lucy

[dianat]

I've been thinking about this post and why I've spent so much time on it. I believe my reasons for posting this were twofold. I did need to channel my anger and frustration. I also considered that maybe my ramblings would be read by a fellow LASIK casualty and allow them to prepare him- or herself for the day a friend walks in the door announcing their pending surgery.

Lucy, I see no reason for you not to proceed with your own rant. You are up for nomination into the Hall of Fame after all...

D

[IanJ]

Diana,

A long time friend of my mothers had lasik and it went badly wrong on several counts, the worst being that they did one eye for close vision and the other for long........so apart from dry eyes she gets terrible headaches and still has to wear glasses. In her own words "my life is over".

So, I'm glad for you that you did speak up to your acquaintance at the outset...............can you imagine how you'd be feeling if you didn't and things went wrong!
If it's not too late, face her, grab her by the shoulders and scream "please, please, please, don't do it".

Ian.

[Natalie06]

one more thing:

Diana, the 2 people who encouraged me to have Lasik feel terrible and seem to take some personal responsibility for my situation, though I do not hold them at all accountable. Imagine how the friend who referred me to this physician now feels, knowing all that's gone down and knowing that this surgeon deliberately downplayed and actually withheld personal risk factors from me. This friend can barely look me in the eyes and always asks me, "I am afraid to ask how your eyes are."

In no way do I hold either of these people to blame. That rests squarely on the my physicians shoulders and on the RS/Lasik industry shoulders.

Yes, we personally can and do everything we can to warn people of the risks associated with RS because we know the RS/medical community aren't doing it.

But let's make sure that the "blame" stays squarely where it belongs when preventable/inevitable things go wrong, despite all of our efforts. The physicians.

Easier said than done I know. Everytime I log on the board and read the story of another Lasik/RS statistic I go a little crazy.

Natalie

[clairvoyant]

I should use extreme caution when posting on adderral.

[dianat]

Natalie,

You make a very good point. The blame should rest squarely on the shoulders of physicians. I guess in taking on the task of assisting LASIK casualties on this web site, my responsibilities have started to blur a little. I can't help but think, "God, I wish I could have stopped her.." when I hear from someone on DEZ who had the surgery last month.

I do think I'll call my friend one last time and see where she stands. Her surgery is Friday. I want to make it clear that I think it's a bad idea. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough before. Then if things go south, I can look back and know I made my point clear.

[Jeff]

Count me in too!

Diana, I share in your frustration as well.
I was asked by a friend of a friend sometime last year about the doctor and procedure and if I would do it again. I very seriously looked at them and gave them the Readers Digest version of why I could not recommend it to ANY one. I also gave them the web address to read your story. Well they left, had the procedure done and told my friend how wrong I was. Also that I am the only one they knew with any complications at all and I seemed like I had a bad attitude and what I was complaining about was probably no more than a minor problem that I was blowing out of proportion. I was quite angry as well, half of me was glad for their good outcome the other half thought if you could trade places with me for one winter month...
It just goes to show the old expression is true: "A man/woman whose mind is changed against their will, is of the same opinion still."
I continue to try to help as many people as I can that will never change about me.
One further thing I would like to add. What we all share in common is an awful thing, however it is what has brought us all together and I am happy to have such a great group of friends to go through hell with.
Jeff

[dianat]

What we all share in common is an awful thing, however it is what has brought us all together and I am happy to have such a great group of friends to go through hell with.

Well stated, Jeff. I so agree!

[Raginator]

Many years ago, I used to see news stories on TV: "Breast augmentation disasters" or "Plastic surgery gone horribly wrong", etc.
I haven't felt the need for plastic surgery, but I saw those programs and thought, "No, that's not for me. Some people will risk it, but not me."

I assumed, in 2006, that if there were negative side effects to Lasik eye surgery that the news media would report on it. TV news stories on bad Lasik outcomes are extremely rare. So rare, that I didn't see them until after my procedure, surfing YouTube.

Whenever people ask me about getting Lasik eye surgery, I simply tell them, "Be careful. Read the fine print. There are some side effects that the public isn't talking about." That alone gets people's attention. "Side effects?!?!" they ask. Only a few people have shrugged off my advice for caution. Which is fine. They've been warned. I've said my piece.