Posted: 10/11/2008 12:49:07 PM EDT
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Hi. Had my eyes checked by a local doc. His 'network' wanted $5,800. No astigmatism. Additionally, no one at his office, nor with his 'network' was willinr or able to coherently answer questions. They wanted a month of pre inspections, post inspections, and post post inspections. Saw an advertisement for US Lasik. 399 each eye. Same day surgery available. Quick questions have been answered via phone. I'm inclined to have my eyes cut via US Lasik. 1.Who has had eye cutting? 2. Who has had lasik? 3 Aftermath? 4. Warning from anyone who has BTDT? 5. Anyone know this company? Do they suck? |
I have. My understanding is that it is done by computer/ CAD lasing eye. If I'm mistaken, say so If I'm correct, almost anyone with good equipment should be able to do a good job. Is there any way to check a provider's liability insurance? |
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No matter what state of the art equipment you have used on your eyes, it's worthless without a GOOD PHYSICIAN that has done thousands of refractive procedures before you. You don't want to be a "learning case." I've had lasEk or a variant of PRK. It was the best $$$ I have ever spent at 2k per eye.  eta: my repair was also done on my custom measurements, and not just based on my prescription.
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Member notsubby just committed suicide over his bad LASIK job.  www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=151&t=753306 I wear glasses and will keep wearing them, a blind customer once told me I was lucky to be able to see with glasses. |
Look, I know I only have two eyes. With that said.......can you substantiate your claim? Can you point to anyone who walked out cocked up? I understand the principle. I just want to know if you are full of shit, or if you have some idea of what goes on. |
+1000 At $399 per eye, something is not right at that price. LASIK is expensive. Your original quote of $5,800 seems the going rate for both eyes. Your eyesight is not the time to skimp on money. Find a reputable doctor that is willing to answer your questions. |
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I had lasik 6 yrs ago. I went for a checkup last year at a different doctor, he said if I didn't say anything, he would not have noticed I had it done. I am still 20/15. Be patient with it. The first year or year and a half I had some side effects (dry eyes, halos, and a feeling of an eyelash in my eye). That all went away, albeit slowly. And don't do it cheap, as tempting as it sounds. Research. In metro Detroit, it is popular to go to Canada for it. It's cheap there. I wanted to be able to get my hands on the guy if something went wrong, so I picked a local that several people I knew had procedures with. I did not even shop around for price. I would do it again tomorrow if I had to. Money well spent. Now I can see Mrs. Morrie better in the steamy hot tub   (no pics, sorry)
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$5800 seems...to high. does that include your "insurance discount"? $399 probably does not include " corrections for life" I paid ~1700/eye (with astigmatism and 'large pupils'? @LASIK plus vision center in Chesapeake, VA) and as long as I have an eye exam once a year, if my vision ever gets worse than 20/20, they'll fix it for free. They will do the post inspections (~every 3 months) until your vision stabilizes, so plan on that the first year. You shouldn't have to pay extra for those though. Still in my first year and one eye is 20/15, the other 20/20. best money I've ever spent. |
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It's your VISION. You only get two for the rest of your life. Save your money and spend it on a quality doctor. You DO get what you pay for. I had LASIK done in November of 06 and today am still enthralled with the results. I have 20/15 vision in both eyes and had 20/20 the morning after the surgery. It's a scary few weeks after the surgery, but as long as you don't touch your eyes, put the medicine in exactly as they say, and follow up with appointments you'll be fine. Of course there are cases of it going wrong. Statistically you probably have a better chance of wrecking your car driving to the surgery, but like anything else high profile, these are just the ones you hear about. I can not recommend LASIK enough. If you decide to go through with it and have any questions about the surgery beforehand, feel free to IM me. |
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I had "Wavefront" LASIK. Came in for a consultation, had the procedure the next day. Went to the Khanna Institute of LASIK in Los Angeles. He was expensive ($5,800 for both, minus $1,000 military discount). I've been very happy. I went from 20/400 to 20/15 in one eye and 20/20 in the other. As soon as the procedure was finished, I could read the clock on the wall. I could never have done that without my glasses before. No "halos" or anything either. My eyes seem to gather a lot more light than before. I wear sunglasses now, I never used to/feel the need to. My night vision also seems to be a lot better. |
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Don't fall for the cheap rates, they fuck you on the consult, the measuring, the follow ups, etc. Mine were $2k per eye here in AK and that came with 2 years of FREE followups etc. Do not goto the asshole that did TXGP17's eyes, he got messed up good, I think he is still seeing double. Look into other options like PRK and Intacs as well. Lasik is just a trendy name, there are other methods that might be more suitable for you. Talk to people who have had it done in your area and see who they went through. |
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Since you're in VA, (hopefully NoVA), check out Dr. Mark Whitten. He did Tiger Woods' eyes and he did mine. Cost was about $5k and was worth every penny. Besides me, he did the eyes of my sister's fiance, my sister, and a friend of mine. All of us have had absolutely no complaints. Can't recommend him enough. |
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As a last ditch attempt, could anyone else who has had corrective surgery weigh in? I know not to skimp on my eyes. I wonder how such a firm could possibly exist if they turned out multiple failures. I want more info. Thanks all. -Ben P.S. I'd love to finally buy a pair of cool sunglasses. |
| I had mine done about 4 years ago.I had bad astigmatism and was around 20/400 area. It has been the best investment I have ever made. I went to a reputable doctor and it had done for about $3500. I would do it again. My sight ended up at 20/18.I had halos at night for about 3 months. Good luck. |
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If the office staff isn't willing to answer any questions from a prospective surgical candidate, don't walk away, RUN RFN!! I had the same experience with the office of the "Best, most experienced Lasik Surgeon" in FL. $6200 without so much as an exam, corneal measurement, consultation with an MD, nada. I left disgusted. I went to Lasik +. Yeah they are a chain, by my local doc does all of the Lasik for the Orlando Magic and the Secret Service. If he is good enough for the guys guarding the Pres, VP and other VIP's, he is good enough for me. I paid approx $2k almost 3 years ago for custom wavefront LASIK. My vision was 20/750 and 20/800. I walked out with vision of 20/15 in both eyes. The next day I was 20/10 in both and I still am. 
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lifetime of free corrections? somehow that doesn't fill me with truckloads of confidence. |
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I had PRK as my corneas were too thin for LASIK normally you get better results with PRK then lasik I can see OK and can pass the DMV test without glasses so technically my surgery was a "success" but the weird aberrations at night around lights and degradation of near vision was not worth the trade off for me Biggest regret of my life and I work at the place that does it 5% failure rate seems low but if it happens to you than it is 100% Independent Doctor or chain it does not seem to matter much I have seen people get royally screwed up at both ( we get people in fairly often seeing if we can correct other doctors fuck ups) the odds on on your side but it sucks if you roll the dice and lose I am a year out from my surgery and I get pissed beyond belief almost every night driving home and seeing fricking starburst and halos around lights at least it was free as a perk from work I guess  also keep in mind if one doctor screws it up almost no other doctors will touch you for fear of liability or having to testify against another Dr in court |
I can't quote it, but I read somewhere that LASIK isn't a permanent procedure, per se; as you age, the corneal material grows back, and some folks need corrections for this further on down the road. |
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Find an established physician who specializes in ophthalmic surgery. My guy is an internist/ophthalmologist who treats my glaucoma and has already done LASIK on my missus, performed cataract surgery on me and will soon do LASIK on me as well. Research your choices for doctor by going to your state's medical board web site. Most states have one where you can review the doc's record, education, board certification, etc. Do NOT try to lo-ball this. You're talking about your eyes. The doc should be using the latest laser surgical techniques and machines to ensure you get the best results out of the surgery. Ask your GP for his/her recommendations. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! |
My experience is basically identical to this (procedure type, cost, results, etc.). I had mine done in March of 07 at the Alexander Eye Institute in Appleton, WI. |
I can't be for sure but I think he's mis-stated something. On occasion they first refractive surgery can under correct your vision. What you need is an enhancement surgery to "touch up" the remaining problems. I know several people who have had to have these touch up surgeries. A good surgeon won't charge you for these enhancements, but there are some surgeons who don't consider them part of your $5k surgical package. That means any necessary enhancements come out of your pocket. At least that's what I understood him to say. If you have a perfect outcome and your vision is untrammeled, you may still go on to need reading glasses some day beginning in your middle age. There's no way any surgeon isn't going to charge you to correct that, especially if you have it 15 years after your original refractive surgery. |
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Kremer was were I had mines down. Dr. Kremer was one of the pioneers of Lasik. Kremer is THE doctor to go to in the Tri-state area. "In 1980, the first radial keratotomy in the Philadelphia region was performed by Kremer Laser Eye Surgery Centers doctors." The Lifetime Correct are almost free ($400 fee). You must see your eye doctor yearly to keep the lifetime free corrections deal. After my first corrections, my right eye regressed a little, so I had it done again. Completely free in the first year. |
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PRK, none of that risky lets-cut-a-flap-in-your-cornea stuff for me. Most experienced Dr. within a days drive (18,000 operations before me!) with the then (as of Dec. 2006) most advanced laser available in the US, $3500 for both eyes. Drivable recovery within about 4 days, 20/400 pre-op (-4.5ish in both eyes) to 20/15 within about 6 months. A little bit of starbursting at night, but only on new moon/cloudy nights with absolutely no light around (it has to be REAL dark for any starbursting!) Best money I've ever spent in my life, its nice to read the clock from across the room at night instead of seeing a glowing blob. Weird thing was I'd had glasses since 2nd grade, so after the surgery my eyes had to relearn how to focus, which was a little irritating (with glasses everything is in focus, no matter the distance!) Driving for instance, looking out the window then glancing at the instrument panel, my eyes would have to refocus, which wasn't instantaenous for the first few months, then have to refocus again when I looked back out the windshield. They eventually learned to focus quick enough I don't notice it any more. |
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Ben70, Another thing to consider is that if the 70 in your name is the year you were born you are around the age when presbyopia sets in. This condition usually hits like clockwork around 40 years of age and you WILL need reading glasses to see at near. Lasik can not correct for this. There is a procedure called Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) that can correct for this condition after Lasik by giving you monovision (one eye for near and one for distance) but some people can not adapt to this. Just something to think about. Lasik alone will not make you independent from glasses forever. |
I am in fact full of shit, but I'd be weary of a procedure like that being so much less expensive than what others charge. |
the 299 399 whatever under 1K per eye is marketing bullshit that only covers someone with the lightest RX possible and surgery with the oldest machines once you get there if you have any sort of RX at all it will be higher and they will push the state of the art equipment which you should probably use anyway it will be 3K for a pair of eyes there has been many lawsuits over this bait and switch stuff |
Wow. That's terrible. Contacts and glasses are cheap and mostly foolproof. Fuck surgery. |