I've decided I'm going to have it done.  I have to declare my flex med spending next month, so now is the time to get the details.  
Is there a ranking somehere?  At least lists of board certified, etc?  I live in a small city with several outfits offering the service (some even with -shudder- $299 an eye specials) and can drive to a major city in several hours, if that's worth it.  

If I have to just check out doctor by doctor, what questions do I ask, and what equiptment should they have?  

Finally, where is the "holy grail" ie best possible palce, where it was developed, or where the cutting edge is?  I heard it was Emory university hospital in GA?  

Get in touch with mojo here on the board. He is an opthamologist and knows his shit. He steered me in the right direction.

When I picked my Dr. we made sure that he was clinic trained, not an attendee at one of those 2 day classes in Palm Springs or Aspen. Our Dr. sold us when he suggested in doing only one of the Mrs. eyes instead of gouging us for the money by doing uneccessary procedures.

You also get what you pay for. Somewhere around $2,000 pe eye would be a good benchmark.

Sorry, I really don't have an answer for you, but I've been thinking about having it done myself. Quite a few guys at work have had it done and are very pleased with the results... a number of them have been wearing glasses since childhood. The doctor that did the proceedure is one of the best around; he corrects the sloppy work done by others. He offers a discount for public safety workers (police/fire) $1,300.

Anyhow, if you know how to access Usenet there's a newsgroup that would interest you: alt.lasik-eyes (depends if your news server carries it). There's a few horror stories posted there [shock].

If not, there's probably a web forum out there.

Good luck.

Do a search on "ortho K." This is another option to LASIK. Essentially, you are fitted with special contacts which you can wear while you sleep, and can remove for normal daytime activites. The contacts reshape the lens of your eye to allow proper retinal focus, much as lasik removes lens material to create proper focusing geometry.

Ortho K is cheaper (unless you go to a "bargin" eye cutter), and non-surgically invasive. No risk of bad vision side-effects. Cons, it is a non-permanent solution, and less widely available.

I have a friend who had gone this route, and he couldn't be happier. He is something like 20-400 uncorrected. He has ~20-20 vision now. He simply wears his specially fitted contacts when he goes to bed, and takes them out in the morning. I am considering this option for myself.

Check it out before you have your eyes cut. I would be interested to hear if anyone else has tried this method.

The three most important things for a LASIK surgeon experience, experience and experience.

I would check w/ the state medical board to see if the Dr. has had any complaints or disciplinary action.

Good luck

look for a surgeon that also treats diseases of the eye.  

Hey, GLOCKshooter

This is a great procedure, and - no small bonus - open sight shooting (at least for me) improved dramatically. I don't know quite why, as my vision was very successfully corrected with contact lenses, but it (LASIK)turned me into a more accurate shooter. Anyway, I agree with other posters here: go to a surgeon with LOTS of experience. The $2k per eye is around what these guys charge. STAY AWAY from the discounters - they tend to either be less experienced, and/or they tend to "nickel and dime" you after you decide to go with them. $299.00 / eye might get you in the OR, but correction over -2 diopters, astigmatism, more than a couple of follow-up visits, etc. will often drive up these "loss leader" prices. Whatever you do, get lots if references, and do lots of research before taking the plunge.

Good luck!

P.S. I ended up with 20/15 in my right eye (dominant eye) and 20/20 in my left eye. This, after having 20/200 vision.

Oops! Almost forgot, GLOCKshooter--

Here, in New Orleans, we have Dr. Stephen Brint (my LASIK surgeon)who was the first surgeon to perform LASIK in the U.S. He's also performed the most procedures in this country. Several LASIK-certified opthalmologists who work for my good friend (1100 miles away, or I would have considered one of them) all said that they'd send family members to Dr. Brint, if follow-up care wouldn't involve so much travel. That (the travel for follow-up care) is also something for you to factor in to your decision.

Check here [url]http://www.docboard.org/dosmob.html[/url] for your state medical board. Call them or check their website for complaints filed against any doctor you are considering.

I had the cheaper version, PRK, done exactly 2 weeks ago.

It cost me 725 €(same as the $) per eye + small expences.

The eyes healed very quickly and i can see much better than with my glasses.

I only had -1.0 in my glasses and when measured my eyes were -1.5.

Don't do LA-SICK (AKA LASIK or Flap & Zap)!!!  HELL NO!!!

Do Laser PRK instead. You will be much happier. I had it done too!

OK, so far-

-clinc trained
-experience
-also treats diseases of the eye
-check state board for complaints

What else?

Glockshooter check out this web site before you decide to have the surgery. [url]http://www.surgicaleyes.org/[/url]

Had PRK done on both eyes over four years ago, best thing I ever did.  No problems.  Do your research and find a competent Dr..  If I had it to do all over again I would go to NYC.  They have done millions of the procedures there.  "Diamond Vision" or Dr. Delarusso  would be good starting places.

I had LASEK done 1yr ago. I've had very good results. Some minor side effects. Some things to think about. Just about every doctor claims to be the "first" to do the surgery. This one claim is the largest scam in the industry. The procedure is considered cosmetic by the FDA and therefore is not regulated. Do not go to a discount center. Even though these centers have high patient counts, it doesn't mean they all had good success. Many of these doctors settle for 20/40 outcomes. As long as you can drive without glasses they are happy. Go to a corneal
surgeon. This is the most important decision. Even if this surgeon has only performed a few
vision correction procedures, they have performed many cornea transplants and other complex visual surgeries. They will not settle for anything less than perfection. They will also preform the pre-surgery evaluation (more important than the surgery itself) themselves.
You don't want some idiot measuring the surface of your eye and giving the doctor the wrong read-outs! I had my LASEK (not LASIK) done for
$3200 total and spent a good 10hrs with the surgeon over a three month period. He would see me on Sundays or at night depending on need. It was done at Bascom Palmer at UM. I would recommend you consider LASEK if your a candidate
but be prepared for a long down time. I was not able to use a computer for almost a month. Focusing is difficult to learn if you've been myopic your whole life. Something the doctors don't mention! Make sure you do your research before hand because your eyes don't grow back.

This was posted in the newsgroup I mentioned earlier.


[url]http://www.usaeyes.org[/url]

[url]http://www.usaeyes.org/faq/tough_questions.htm[/url]


"Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
Answer should be no".


"Have you ever been arrested for being under the influence of any controlled substance?
Answer should be no".

"Have you ever been treated for substance abuse or mental defect as an adult?
Answer should be not in the last ten years or more".

Sounds like a NICS check to me.