My prescription is
(Left Right)
Refraction -11.25 -12.75
Astigmatism -1.5 -0.75
Axis 150 030
Vision 20/20 20/20 -5
Pupil size in dim light 6mm 6mm
Corneal thickness 579 574
Corneal curvature 43.25 43.50

I'm going to have operation done in TLC, Totonto with a VISX machine.

I'm very concerned with side effects and complications, especially permanent glare.

Should I go ahead? I would appreciate any advice.

Thank you.
Best Regards.
Brian.

brian,

based solely on the numbers you have provided, i think you will be quite pleased with the results. in my practice, about 70% of patients with your correction will reach 20/20 with only one surgery. often patients who are 20/30 or 20/25 are ecstatic as well, because they are able to function without the use of corrective lenses.

i would put much more weight on what your own surgeon tells you, but on paper- or computer screen- i don't think glare will be a big problem for you.

good luck,

debra tennen, md

As long as your credit card works, you are an excellent candidate. Plain and simple. I was an excellent candidate.. we are all excellent candidates. I never hear the intake counselors telling anyone they are a good candidate, or adequete. As long as you can pay, you are EXCELLENT.

mark,

i'm not certain your post deserves a response, but for the record, i routinely will tell patients what results they can expect, and will discourage patients from surgery when that is appropriate.

there are mercenaries in any profession. most of us are looking after the best interests of our patients.

please give us a little more credit than your current opinion indicates.

debra tennen, md

Well said, Dr. Tennen!

I would be curious to hear why "Mark" is so embittered with our profession. I too, could provide him with a list of hundreds of patients whom I have discouraged fom having surgery. We are not all "in it for the money," as you can tell by the voluntary participation of he surgeons in this forum. I encourage every prospective LASIK patient to seek out a surgeon in whom you have confidence, with a belief that they have your best interest at heart.

I also agree with Dr. Tennen that the parameters in the first query are certainly "acceptable" and that the risk of permanent glare is unlikely. Please go by your surgeon's recommendations however, since we haven't examined you.

Parag A. Majmudar, MD
Chicago

After my doctor gave me a bilateral decentered ablation causing permanent irregular astigmatism, to thepoint that Casebeer, Hale, Lindstrom all said they had NEVER seen anyone like me before, I decided to sit in my doctors waiting room one afternoon with my wife to see what the intake counselors say to the poeple who call and inquire about lasik. Every one of the people who called were told they were excellent candidates, all over the phone. The surgeon I went to has done over 5,000 surgeries and has 7 offices. I did a BOMEX afterwards to see a horrible track record, not like Gary Hall, but pretty BAd. I have done my research and know for a fact that the industry backed my VISX/SUMMIT do not release the true complication rate stats and that the BCV is based on the standard Snellen Chart ratings and not on what we really see. I now see double and will for the rest of my life. The topography from Slade in Houston is at a self proclaimed 30% success rate and the PALM in Greece is even lower. Dr. Arbealz said she can not even help me. So I once was an EXCELLENT candidate as well. I have not driven a car in over two years. How excellent is that???

Dear Mark,
I can certainly empathize with your situation. Have you spoken with Frederick Kremer in King of Prussia, PA (suburb of Philadelphia)? His group is working on a Bio mask (similar to PALM) that may be useful. His Number is .
Good Luck.
I am sorry that you feel that you were taken advantage of by the medical profession. As Dr. Tennen stated, there are persons of questionable moral character in any profession. However, I stand by my initial impression (only on "paper") that person who posed the original question is an excellent candidate.
Hope this helps you and others.

Called Kremer last year while I was at the Wills Eye Hospital. At that time he could not help but I will try again. Thank you very much though. It is appreciated.

I am posting this advice again(I didn't write it):
If you're thinking about having the LASIK procedure, you should
have your eyes examined pre-operatively for contra-indications, by
one (or two or three) ophthalmologists who have no vested interest
in the Laser Surgery phenomenon. i.e. just a good old-fashioned eye
doctor.

-------------------------------------------------
I agree that if you are willing to pay you are
a candidate. I have met several people who had
this experience. Who decides if you are a candidate
or not? Often the person is a technician. We call
them technician, but are they technician's, often
I found that they are just sales type people.
Before I got my surgery I went to several LASIK
centers. There was no question, even without
topography I was an excellent candidate. Until
they get your money, you do not have to even
wait long in their office. Once it is done,
no answers to questions, you have to wait two
to two and a half hours to for a two minute
examination.

I am not a physician, but what I can say is
that LASIK is a good method, but I do not know
if the people who use it do a good job or not.
If you have the equipment, with little training
you can measure your prescription, however, so
called experts often come up with wrong
prescription. Machine may be smart, but
it depends on "expert's" information and how
it is operated. I am sure not everyone is
a candidate. But even with best candidates
results can be dangerous.
Visix does not answer our questions, probably
you have to become a "certified physician" to
get the questions answered.

Sit down and talk with your opthelmologist or
whoever is your 'expert'. Do not limit your
appointment to standard few minutes. You want
the answers from the physician not from his
assistant. You pay for the services. There is
a big attitude out there that if you go to
phyisician's office you must wait two hours
before you see her/him. Your life, your money,
your time as important(or even more important)
as his or hers. First write down all the
questions you must ask and take it with you.
It's ok to open your list and ask questions.
Try to get most out of your consultation appointment.

1. Double check your prescription. If a
technician measured it ask your expert to
double check it.
2. Make sure they have your file not someone
else's file(This is not a joke, it happened to
me at several places).
3. Ask him/her to explain your prescription.
4. Ask him/her to exmplain your topography and
all other test results.
5. You should have lot of "what if" questions.
6. Do not just believe that two days after
the surgery everything is going to be Ok and
you have 20/20 vision.
7. Also make sure that if there is any
important that should go to your file is
there(make sure he writes the information)
These are just examples, write down
everything you want to ask. If he/she does
not want to spend the time to answer your
questions before you pay the money what can
you expect after pay and after the surgery.

-H

Good luck.