My physician informed me that I would be a prime candidate for Veriseye since my pupils were large. He said if I got LASIK, I would probably have HALOS and STARBURSTS. I was reading some of the literature on Veriseye and it said that you can get HALOS with Verisye as well. How do the HALOS with Verisye compare to those with LASIK?

Also, the cost of the procedure is $5000 per eye. Is this a reasonable cost? He said that the cost includes corrections in the future with LASIK.

Thank you very much for your time.

How near-sighted are you??

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

Thanks for such a quick reply!

My left eye is -9.25 and my right eye is -9.5.

He stated my corneas are thick enough to have the LASIK procedure as well, but he recommended the phakic lens instead.

I spoke to my medical school opthamology director in Tampa, and he said that I should get LASIK. But it is very hard for me to believe him either because he asked that I see him for the procedure.

I appreciate all the guidance you are giving me and the help you've given other members of this bulletin board.

Sincerely,
Tariq

Thanks for such a quick reply!

My left eye is -9.25 and my right eye is -9.5.

He stated my corneas are thick enough to have the LASIK procedure as well, but he recommended the phakic lens instead.

I spoke to my medical school opthamology director in Tampa, and he said that I should get LASIK. But it is very hard for me to believe him either because he asked that I see him for the procedure.

I appreciate all the guidance you are giving me and the help you've given other members of this bulletin board.

Sincerely,
Tariq

In addtion to my poor eye sight, I have neovascularization 4+ in each eye due to contact lens wear.

Aside from IOC and LASIK talk, your Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple is awesome. I used it to study for STEP I which I take on Thursday.

Sincerely,
Tariq

The answer is that the risk of night vision problems is probably similar between the procedures. The phakic IOL will give you better quality of vision, but is more expensive and has a higher risk than LASIK.
But I do agree with your professor - that it is a good idea to get a few opinions on your situation. Why not hear what 3 or 4 reputable refractive surgeons in your area have to say.
Of course - if you went to USF - then the ophthalmologist you are probably talking about is Lou Groden. He is a very knowledgable and experienced LASIK surgeon and I know him personally.

I hope this helps

Best regards

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

Thank you for your compliments on my Microbiology book. I just loved working on it, and I am happy that it has help a lot of people with their boards. Of course - I really owe Dr. Stephen Goldberg, MD - who is the publisher. He really helped guide Mark Gladwin and myself, and the book has been a huge success. In fact - I just love going to the Amazon.com website and reading the comments of the students who have used the book.

Best regards

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

Thanks for the advice!

Yes, I did speak to Dr. Groden. I am glad that you know him! I will schedule an appointment with him for next week.

I also heard that you do the implants/LASIK in your office. For my winter break (which is only 2 weeks), could I come down and have either of the procedures done at your clinic (my parents live in Miami)? Would that be enough time? I have friends in the psych dept at UM that had the LASIK done by either you or a fellow opthalmologist at Center for Excellence.

Thanks for your honest advice.

Sincerely,
Tariq

i am of course always happy to help - whether it is for just an opinion, or for possible surgery. Of course, I personally am a fan of surface ablation rather than LASIK. Surface ablation provides very high quality of vision and helps avoid some of the flap issues that can occur with LASIK. Of course, there are risks with surface ablation.
Since I know Dr. Groden well - I can tell you that he is a big fan of LASIK, although he does perform surface ablation in patients who he feels are better candidates for surface ablation than LASIK.
Going back to night vision issues - I do use a Larson glarometer to measure the size of patient's starbursts preop - and using that information, the level of myopia, and the size of the pupil, I can provide a rough guide to the average size of the starburst phenomena after laser eye surgery. So I can at least help you understand whether or not night vision issues would be a major issue for you if you want the laser route.
Finally - I was part of the Medenium phakic IOL study, so I do have a few years of experience with phakic IOLs. The new lens that is currently FDA approved is called the Verisyse IOL, and it working very nicely and providing excellent quality of vision.
I hope this helps answer your questions. Feel free to email me directly at

Bill Trattler, MD
Center For Excellence In Eye Care
8940 North Kendall Drive; #400E
Miami, FL 33176