Laser eye surgery advice?

Question

I'm thinking of having my eyes done but I am aware that the TV commercials are extremely misleading and there are risks of scarring (scratches in your field of vision) and many people still have to wear glasses after surgery.

Is there a website that breaks down the pros and cons and advises on where to get the very best treatment? I don't have much money but I would not consider having eye surgery performed by anyone less than an experienced specialist.

I am short-sighted and have a slight astigmatism which makes wearing contact lenses painful. would eye surgery correct this or would it be a complication?

Answer 1

My mom had it done and she said that it was one of the best decisions she ever made. She was both near sided and far sided. Now she can practically see perfect. But it all depends on where you go. She had a really good doctor. And I actually got to watch the surgery...

Answer 2

Laser eye surgery is very safe nowadays. My cousin got her dental implants and Lasik surgery in India by a company called Indian Health Guru Consultants. The Price for dental and Lasik surgery is very less in India. She paid 25% of the price she was quoted in America.

Indian Health Guru Consultants is very famous in India They arrange Dental surgery, jaw surgery, Lasik eye surgery, Dental Implants etc for foreign patients in India. I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and magazines- about their patient stories.

They arrange financing for USA, Canadian, UK and other international patients who plan to have surgery abroad for low cost, as dental and eye surgery is not covered by insurance. They also have photos pasted of their International patients. You can checkout their website. There are huge cost savings. As a doctor I personally believe that surgery can be easily handled in India, as the quality of healthcare available In India is simply best in the world. The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

http://www.indianhealthguru.com

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Don't do it. It is not worth risking your sight. Remember the clinics just want to make money from you so they will play down the risks

Answer 4

Theres evidence to suggest that the more experienced the doctor, the more likely the operation is to be a success.

So check for experience.

How you start out I dont know.

Answer 5

There are dangers whatever surgery you have.

I had this done by Ultralase 6 years ago and have never regretted it- they are the only company I would recommend !

Go along and see  what they say- theres no hard sell and they are very professional.

Answer 6

Laser eye surgery is a procedure that can eliminate eyeglasses for many people who need them. It is not for everyone, some vision problems can not be corrected with laser surgery and some peoples eyes are just not suited to it for various reasons. having dry eyes or larger than normal pupils are two of these reasons.

In the surgery the cornea - the clear lens in the middle of your eye - is partially sliced using a very sharp small knife called a microtome to make a flap. The flap is lifted, then the flat cut surface that will be under the flap is reshaped by using a laser to vaporise small areas - thus removing corneal thickness. The laser fires many times removing a tiny amount of cornea every time, finally giving a smooth surface in a new shape that should correct the vision problem.  The flap is then layed down on top of this reshaped surface, and the surgery is all finished.

Before the surgery, the doctor will have analyzed the corneal shape to diagnose the problem and prescribe the exact reshaping needed.

When all goes just right, you will be able to see well without glasses. You may still need reading glasses for close work but normal daily tasks should be fine without them. Most patients have some haze or starring at night around bright objects - you may see a ball of light surrounding street lights for example. This is just from the slightly rough lasered surface.

The flap will never "grow back on" from what I've read, and it can lift or shift if you get hit in the eye or dive into water with your eye open, but this is rarely a big problem.

Sometimes everything goes awry and vision is worse than before the procedure, or night vision is so badly affected by the hazing that night driving is not possible.

Dry and painful eyes are not uncommon, and some lasik patients have to use "artificial tear" drops constantly.

You can't predict the future unfortunately. The success rate is impossible to know - the clinics have a vested interest in publishing a high success rate and defining success is at their whim. Most clinics define success as having better than 20/15 vision afterward and do not consider night vision difficulties or chronic painful dry eyes as a failure.

I decided not to go with laser surgery. I'm a good candidate - low refractive index glasses, good pupil size, no dry eye history, etc. I just feel that the glasses aren't so bad and the real risk of permanent eye damage doesn't justify the cosmetic and convenience improvement from not having glasses. You have to decide for yourself.

Answer 7

I just found a great website that perhaps could answer your question. Maybe you can check it out.