I had lasik on Dec. 15 and feel I had disastrous results. The DO (not MD who performed procedure) admitted that the day mine was done, a large number of other patients were also undercorrected by a lot (he said a technician was looking at the machine). The machine was the Nidek and preop my vision was OD -5.25 -.25x80 OS -5.50. Now (4 days later) it is OD -3.25 OS -1.75 +.50x140. I have (slight?) striae and a central island in my right eye as well. I have gotten glasses (at my expense - they said at the price they offered lasik this month, they can't provide lenses - $1900 down from $3000) and my vision is still very blurry in my right eye.

My questions are:

1. Have any of the doctors heard of such a machine "malfunction"?
2. How do I determine the seriousness of the striae and central island? Do they usually diminish on their own?
3. How long to I need to wait before planning my final pregnancy? I know my eyes should be "fixed" first, but it is also important to us to get on with our family life!
4. Have any of the doctors ever considered refunding the patient's money when the results were so far from expected, as in an admitted problem with the machine? I am not even considering asking my doctor until I know that there is nothing else he can do for my eyes, but this is so discouraging and it seems out of a sense of what is right or obligation he should be trying to make me (and the others this happened to that day) as happy as possible. I know I signed the lengthy consent form, but this seems beyond the scope of possible complications they were trying to protect themselves from. Am I just too emotional about this or does this have any validity?

Thank you in advance for your responses, and thank you also for this BB. It is an encouragement to me (as well as helped in making my decision to have lasik!).

If you have striae, have they made an attempt to remove it? The longer it stays the harder it is to remove. That would be my first concern. Personally, I would have them address the striae first. That's something they can, and should, do right now. For anything else you may have to wait.

The machine sounds like they had a calibration problem, but I definitely no expert. If the machine went out of whack, they probably don't know how much correction is really did. You will probably have to let everything settle and heal before they address it again. I would suggest that you get a letter from them or an addendum to your contract stating that they will provide enhancements free of change for a period of years. Not that it will take that long, but some of the new technology coming can better address central islands and such should a regular enhancement or touch up not be able to. You probably won't get them to admit any fault, but you can probably get them to agree to work with you until you are satisfied, be it when they get the technology upgrades, or another clinic for which they will pay. Best of luck to you. I'm sorry you're having such a bad experience.

First and foremosst - if you have striae - it is critical that the striae are fixed immediately. You should not only make sure that your doctor fixes the striae, but you should also get a second opinion to find out what is actually going on with your eyes.
The second issue is the laser. I am not familiar with the Nidek laser, but one option is to call Nidek and find out what might have happenned. I think this is well within your right to do. But they should be helping the doctor figure out what happenned wrong and figure out ways to prevent this from recurring.

I do take a big issue to them making you pay for glasses. You signed up with this doctor, and they should stand behind their work. If there is a problem or complication, they should be bending over backward to help. This is not a money issue, but an integrity issue. They have had a problem with their laser and the promised result. They should do everything to help you through this difficult time.
I would also comment that if you have striae - that has nothing to do with a mis-calibrated laser. Striae are related to the way the flap is put down, and straie can occur even in the most experienced hands. But - when striae are present and are affecting vision - they must be fixed ASAP - because the longer one waits to fix them, the more difficult they are to fix.

Let me know how I can help further

As well - let me mention to doctors in Ohio that are knowledgeable and may be helpful for possible second opinions

Gary A. Varley, M.D.
10494 Montgomery Road
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Tel:

Alice T. Epitropoulos, MD
340 EAST TOWN ST. , SUITE 8-200
COLUMBUS, OH 43215-4619

'Best of luck

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL