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I haven't seen it mentioned, but I originally was looking between LASIK and LASEK. LASEK involves peeling the entire outer layer of the eye up, doing the adjustments, and then carefully smoothing it back down. There's no flap, and you get a similar recovery time to LASIK. The down side is that doctors who don't do it alot can accidentally leave rough spots in the layer after the smooth it down, like a sticker that you hosed up applying to something. I ended up having PRK because the place I went with had LASIK or PRK as the options, and I was adamant about not getting the flap. 20/15 in one eye, 20/20 in the other. No night time problems. Otherwise similar experience. Roughly 4000 dollars. Was done in the US. I had some custom detailed something or other, but I forget the details. I guess it's the wavefront routine, since it sounds the same (less cutting--require for thin corneas--which I don't have, but I'd rather spend the extra effort on something like my eyes, especially if they have to go back for more later). I'm 2 years out, and my eyes are occasionally dry, and, compared to the way they used to be, a little more susceptible to irritation from dust and so forth, but there's nothing about that which concerns me. In fact, it's hard to know how much is real and how much is my imagination + not wearing glasses that protect your eyes from wind and debris.
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Aug 19, 2009 01:50
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 20:12 |
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for lasik, I think 895 was close to what they were quoting me per eye. I didn't go that way, but there's a star on their map of locations at the location where I got my PRK. The other thing is that I investigated the procedure, initially going one place about 40 minutes away. I went in, did all the test stuff they start with and sat down to talk brass tacks. I was ready to go, and then the weird little PR lady they had started saying poo poo that made me nervous (about the flap not fully healing, and bizarre crap about staying out of dusty environments for the rest of your life). I asked to talk to the doctor. What happened is that the doctor who was established was hardcore into LASIK, because it made money. He was bringing on a younger guy who would do the other procedure, and was sort of a big-shot in the field for teaching it to others. I talked with him on the phone for a while and he answered all my questions and helped me committ to a non-flap version of the surgery. Then some weird poo poo happened where his insurance coverage wasn't ready on time, and I got cold feet. Flash forward several months, and I went to a different place about 20 minutes away that was part of a name-brand chain of lasik places (I forget the name) and was part of my insurances discount setup. When I went in the front door, I could swear I recognized the doctor who did my exam, and at the end he said he thought he recognized me. Turns out, he was the guy who did my exam at the other place further away--which ended up shutting down. What it takes to do the surgery is fluids, knives, and a million dollar machine that does all the cuts for you. Otherwise, the offices these places have are pretty much like dentists/opthamologists/general practitioners offices. They can be literally anywhere, and just because the building isn't anything special doesn't mean the guy doing the procedure isn't competent. Plus, you have to consider that, with a big place that has a nice waiting area and stuff (in terms of like a fountain or something), there's an implied amount of volume that might affect how much personal attention you can get. The first place I went was big and pretty, and ended up being a bad experience that shook my confidence. The second place, was smaller, clean, and I was treated with more attention. Bottom line will be, go in, do the exams to see if you're ok. Ask questions if you have any, and see how they behave when it's time to 'sell' you. If you don't have any alarms, and feel like they've justified their experience level enough, then you'll probably be fine. I don't think anybody skips the million-dollar-machine step, so it's kind of a standardized thing. The reason I mention the doctor who moved is because the people with the expertise are sort of Ronin in the medical world. They wander around, and aren't necessarily part of institutions with reputations. At least, that's my impression.
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Aug 23, 2009 09:29
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