I am scheduled for Lasik later this month, but after really looking at the Newsgroups and Bulletin Boards I am less than confident about the proceedure. My prescription is:

rt eye: -3.75, -3.25, x12

lt eye: -3.5, -3.75, x02

The myopia does not cause me concern , but the level of astgmatism does. Plus, I DO have small eyes. Is this level of astigmatism bettering my chances of regression? If so, is it treatable through enhancements. I am 44 years old, stable prescription. I know I will need reading glasses, cause I am alreay using a light bi-focal ( progressive lenses ) for the near vision, or just use no glasses when I read.

What is reasonable to expect? If the chances are good I will regress and need glasses, well I have defeated the whole purpose of this! I also am a Private Pilot so this is very critical to me!!!

Thanks for your responses and for this great forum!!

Andy

Your prescription is light so I wouldn't worry about regression. If your doctor includes enhancement in his fee it's not such a big deal anyway. As for what you read on the boards you have to look at it this way: People who have a wonderful, successful LASIK experience go on their merry way and enjoy it. People with problems, questions, concerns come to the boards. It skews the perception of LASIK complications to make it look like there are a great many more complications at a greater level of frequency than there really are.

I had mine a month ago and I was terrified. The side effects I expected and accepted I would have doing all this reading I don't have. I just found out I have wrinkles in one of my flaps and it's still not a tragedy. I just have to figure out how to handle it since I went to Canada for the procedure. But I can see just fine.

Your responder has not done you a service. No decent Dr. would call an enhancement "not such a big deal", it's another surgery with the incumbent risks. "Don't worry about regression" is a statement based on ignorance since most surgeons target their procedure anticipating regression. This poster says happy people go on their way instead of posting on bulletin boards, says they can "see just fine" yet they are posting on this board instead of going on their happy way. They are worried about "how to handle it", that doesn't sound so great. By the way, wrinkles on your flap can be a "tragedy", and it certainly can adversely affect your vision depending on the severity and location. Microsurgery on your eyes has many risks, you are right to be cautious, concerned, and ask legitimate questions. Scoffing at the risks and complications will not lessen their chance of occurring or their severity if they do occur. Any person who knows the real risks would rightly be "terrified".

My response was tailored to the person who posted. Regression is expected with much higher corrections, and since the poster doesn't have a refraction where regression os expected, there's no need to address that particular issue. And get over yourself. As for going on my merry way, yes I happen to still be on the boards if only to balance out the trolling by deliberate scaremongers such as yourself. I am not a doctor and neither are you. Don't even try to say that your judgments and perceptions on the procedure are any more valid or credible than my own.

>My response was tailored to the person
>who posted. Regression is expected
>with much higher corrections, and since
>the poster doesn't have a refraction
>where regression os expected, there's no
>need to address that particular issue.
> And get over yourself.
>As for going on my merry
>way, yes I happen to still
>be on the boards if only
>to balance out the trolling by
>deliberate scaremongers such as yourself.
>I am not a doctor and
>neither are you. Don't even
>try to say that your judgments
>and perceptions on the procedure are
>any more valid or credible than
>my own.

No, your response was tailored to contribute to your pattern of ongoing ego gratification and self-aggrandizement. Obviously you are happy with your results, and you give everyone a glimpse of that with each and every one of your posts. You remind me of the tourist who knows nothing about fishing, goes out on a boat and wins the jackpot through dumb luck...and then acts like Hemingway for the rest of time. Lady, you just plain lucked out on your procedure.

Everyone who disagrees with you seems to be a "Troll." But you have not walked in anyone's shoes here...and your experience is obviously limited.

Of course you have demonstrated yourself to be an idiot in your "light" treatment of your reponses, especially with the "no expected regression" statement. Where in the world do you get off with this unsupported tripe? Statements like your response make you by far the most dangerous poster on the board...a big ego mixed with a little knowledge and a hell of a lot of ignorance equals bad, bad advice.

Like I said, you missed your exit. Go away.

Sir, I've been assured that I am quite welcome here and my contributions are valuable. I am happy with my results, but they were not without complications. You seem to be going out of your way to personalized this discussion and steer it away from the question at hand. What you consider "obvious" is only guesswork since you know nothing about me. If you think name calling and personal attacks will harm my credibility, wake and know they only harm you own. If you cannot make a valid point on its own merits, perhaps the point is not valid.

Look at the refraction for astigmatism. Anyone familiar with the LASIK procedure would tell you that you have a higher risk of a poor outcome. LASIK is great for myopic corrections, not so for hyperopia and astigmatism. The technology just isn't there yet; you need to wait for at least a year. If you are dead set on the procedure, get at least three independent opinions. Then wait at least a year!

There's the answer to the question. Don't take anyone's advice when the risk is all yours.

Carlene, I'm glad that one other poster has welcomed you and values your contributions...as ill informed as they may be.

Hi Frank - I have been enjoying your postings. I'd like to share a personal comment if I may. This is kind of a cute story:

My spouse is a DDS and had LASIK here in San Diego, (on 5/4/00) with the VISX laser to treat his hyperopia and astigmatism. He did not want monovision.

He was +3.25 OD and +3.75 OS, w/less than 2 D of astigmatism in each eye. (He was 20/200 and 20/60). 1 day post operatively, he was 20/20 and 20/25. 5 weeks PO, his eyes were at 20/15 and 20/20. Today, 7 months later, he remains 20/15 and 20/20.

I remember his amazement at being able to see close up - as he has not been able to do so since his early teens. His real worry was being able to perform some complex dental procedures he had set up for the Monday following his Thursday afternoon LASIK surgery.

Monday rolled around and he called me excitedly to share how he had operated perfectly- even without his dental magnifying opticals! It was fun to get calls every other hour each day for that first week with such tales.

Odd thing tho', was that he complained about not being able to see as far as he could before when he had his glasses on. He relayed that the surgeon checked his eyes and explained (again) that the procedure was successful and that sometimes the eyes take a while to adjust to their new circumstance - even tho' they were 20/25 or better at the end of that first week.

Well, my spouse continued to be amazed at his up close vision, yet was still unsure about his distance vision. Finally, at about 25 days post-op, I asked if he could explain this to me by example.

So, that evening, while driving to dinner, he pointed to a car license plate in front of us and said, "See that license plate on that car? Well, I can read that perfectly. And, see that license plate on the car in front of THAT car? Well, I can easily read that, too. But - see that third car's license plate on the car in front of the car, in front of the car right in front of us? (3 cars away, with plenty of space inbetween the cars, going at 65 mph) Well, I'm having difficulty reading that clearly."

Now, I looked at this and EVEN I COULDN'T READ IT!
I said, "Honey, I can't read that and I have 20/15 vision w/o LASIK!" (I have a farsighted left eye and a nearsighted right eye).

Well, thinking I should question my own vision - the next day, I asked the surgeon myself - and he explained to me that often - especially for previously hyperopic patients - their BCVA was BETTTER than "normal" (20/20) with their glasses on. This is to be expected.

When I explained this to my spouse, his response was, "OH, well - I knew that!"

So, I said, "Then what are you complaining or is it worrying about?"

"Oh nothing, really," he said, "I was just making a comment."

Men! What can you do?

Seriously - my point here, is that LASIK CAN be very successful for the treatment of hyperopia with regular and even mixed astigmatism - up to certain FDA approved levels. Remember - not all lasers have been approved for treating this. (IE: the Nidek laser has not been approved to treat myopic astigmatism, hyperopia or hyperopia w/any astigamtism. Whereas, the VISX Star lasers have been approved to treat all ranges at this juncture - again up to certain approved levels.)

My advise for the patients seeking this treatment, would be to find a surgeon you trust, who has successfully performed many of these procedures - especially for patients with similar pre-operative visual measurements to your own.

Talk to this surgeon's patients and find out about their personal experiences. I like to give some of my own patients the analogy of a broken arm. When you break a bone, it is usually casted into place and takes about 6-9 weeks to heal, depending on the break.

Thus, with any surgical procedure, the body part being operated on takes time to heal. Because of the way hyperopic LASIK is performed, creating more of a "moat" with transition zones, it may take a bit longer for the eye to heal and finally adjust until it reaches optimal vision.

Again, discuss this with your surgeon and listen carefully to the expected outcomes for your particular case. When you feel you have all the facts and are comfortable that the procedure is right for you at this time, THEN proceed - not before.

Please remember, there are alternatives to LASIK and with the guidance of your surgeon and your own research - based on your health, your eyes, your lifestyle and other factors, it's up to you to decide your own best personal course of action - or non-action, for that matter.

Every patient and every single eye is unique.

I hope this helps. Wishing you and the others all the very best.

Suzette

Suzette -

Well written, based on facts and insightful. Are you an ortho, or?

Please email me with your hubby's doc's name. I'm at . I'm in the process of getting second opinions before I proceed with an enhancement. I have regressed from 20/15+20/20 to 20/40+20/60 since the 8.17 surgery. But that's amazing given that I was 20/600+20/800!

I'm glad to hear about a good outcome on a complex correction. Most people I know with your hubby's type of correction did not do as well. Best of luck to you, and continued eye health for your better (?) half!

I'm sorry, it was not ONE other POSTER, it was one of the doctors. You have no access to my email, so you don't know what it contains and from whom. You look more ridiculous every day with this slander campaign. Again, you need to stop with personal attacks if you have any expectation of doing anyone any good. People will never believe that someone with such an attitude is contributing anything worth listening to.

Q: What's the difference between God and a doctor?

A: God KNOWS he's not a doctor!

Seriously Carlene, I'm glad you were able to find some kind of validation, and particularly from a doctor. Seems like you are in desperate need of it.

Hi Frank - I responded to you personally w/ph#'s etc - but will post some of that response here - to help others.

I'm just a gal who works with the Ophthalmologist. (Doug Miller, MD, a Cornea Specialist, here in San Diego - El Cajon). I am simply a consultant for the doctor - one of my responsibilities is that of Patient Advocate. My job is to help people sift thru the data and get the facts as they pertain to their own eyes.

Besides Dr. Miller, another Dr in town that I know of who does a lot of "corrections" is Lee Nordan. Have you tried him, too? If so - what did he have to say? He's using a new laser these days - the Pulsion. I don't know much about it - but he/it may be worth checking out. He has proven very helpful to me and friends I know of in the past.
I was at a VISX seminar this weekend and found out that it takes a person 1 year - 1.5 yrs on average to proceed with LASIK from the time they initially find out about it to the time they have it - if they do. The other thing I found out is that - especially for enhancements - the VISX has the smoothest ablations and the greatest ability to do fine enhancements of less than 1D. I'm not sure who your initial LASIK surgeon was or what kind of laser he used/uses.

{One thing I wish to correct is the misstatement I made about the Nidek laser. The Nidek laser has been FDA approved to treat myopia of -1 to -14 D, with up to less than -4 D of astigmatism. (It is not approved for greater levels of astigmatism, mixed astigmatism or hyperopia)}

I am saddened to hear about what you and others have had to go thru. This site camaraderie and sharing of information and opinion DOES help.

I, too, am dealing with a health issue of my own - a tumor in my spine causing a great deal of pain. Last week they finally determined "they" have" properties of both a hemangioma and a myeloma" (benign and cancerous) - next week, we'll begin laying the plans for what to do to treat it. The runaround and neglect I've had to go thru for the past 13 months with some of the doctors and the group plan's Managed Care has been truly amazing. Fortunately - I have my sweetheart to help me deal and yes, even laugh my way thru this. The insurance Co - has been great, and so have been 6 out of 7 physicians - it's the managed care system that appears to be the real root of the problem.

To think that patients going thru elective eye surgery have to deal with some problematic MD's really steams me. I'm NOT a doctor - so I cannot help, all I can do is relay info and refer pts to those I believe can help. One of the good things about dealing with this tumor (I guess now these tumors) is that I have shared all the "goings on" with the eye surgeon I work with - to make sure he never makes the same mistake of others when listening and handling LASIK and other patient's issues.

There is SOOOOO much confusing info out there and I think these 2 sites (asklasikdocs.com and www.surgicaleyees.com REALLY help the patients get true insights re the benefits/risks if they read enough. I for one, have been very grateful for the education I continue to receive - from patients like yourself, Carlene and others. Dr. Trattler has been especially helpful - I must say, he has the patience and gentile manners of a saint!

Thank you again, Frank, for your nice comments to me and for desiring to help others here, with your own experiences. And I'd like to thank all of you who post to this site, and Dr. Trattler for helping me to be more humble, to stick to the facts and to be the best I can be at my own job and when dealing with others.

Happy Holidays and best of luck to you all - and I hope and pray to read good news from you all next year!

Warmest regards,
Suzette : )

Hi - I am one of the doctors, so let me answer the original question about the following prescription:

rt eye: -3.75, -3.25, x12

lt eye: -3.5, -3.75, x02

This prescription can also be written as:

-7.00 + 3.25 X 102 (right eye)
-7.25 + 3.75 X 92 (left eye)

The reason for your confusion is that the original prescription was written in "minus" cylinder format.

This prescription is called myopic astigmatism, which has been FDA approved for a few years, and works very well. The lasers do treat myopic astigmatism very effectively, and it is likely that this patient would not need an enhancement. My overall enhancement rate is less than 5%, and includes patients with much higher refractions and much higher levels of astigmatism.

To answer the rest of the question - the risk of needing an enhancement is doctor-based - so you will need to talk with your surgeon to find out his or her enhancement rate. As well, I can also mention that pretty much all of my patients who ended up getting enhancements with me have had significantly better vision then preoperatively, and were generally happy but wanted to see a little crisper. You should of course talk with your surgeon further about these issues.

I hope this helps

Best of luck

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

I'm not seeking validation and certainly don't need. I do, however, have this "need," if that's what you want to call it, to point out *your* obvious need to INvalidate people in order to feel elevated or enhance your layperson's opinion to appear as something more than it really is. And apparently stooping to derogatories and name calling is one of your favored methods.

Andy,

Please visit http://www.surgicaleyes.org and http://www.geocities.com/olelo.geo/lasik for more info.

You only have one pair of eyes and there is a good chance that you will not be able to "throw away your glasses". There is also a good chance that after LASIK, glasses and soft contacts will no longer correct you and you will have to wear RGP contacts for clear vision.

Actually 85% of the procedures correct to 20/40 reducing dependence on glasses. That's what a "good chance" is. What you are promoting is the 3% serious complication rate.

While I don't agree with the promotions of LASIK that say you can throw away your glasses, I know of many, many people who are happy enough to greatly reduce their dependence on them.

I do wish some people would put everything in the proper perspective.

You are spreading an incredible amount of mis-information. This is what you just wrote among other things:

There is also a good chance that after LASIK, glasses and soft contacts will no longer correct you and you will have to wear RGP contacts for clear vision.

This is 100% untrue. I do not have a single patient wear glasses and/or soft contact lenses do not correct any residual refractive error, and I do not have any patient that wears RGP lenses after LASIK.
You have a few choices if you would like to continue answering questions. Otherwise, I will have to kindly ask you to refrain from posting here.

1. You can answer a question with your own personal experience - this is fine. There are risks with LASIK, and if you did have a problem, you are welcome to explain what happenned and your problems

2. You can make comments to a post that are reasonable - for example - your posting on the patient who is -0.75 explained that there are risks to LASIK, and for someone with his mild degree of myopia, LASIK probably was worth it.

But you can not just post links as your answer, and as well your answers have to be on target as far as providing accurate information. But if you say - everyone who has LASIK will go blind - that is not acceptable. As well, if you say, that there is a GOOD chance ... when the chance is minute ... then again ... your comment is so off base....

You are more than welcome to search every answer that I provide and challenge the veracity of my statements. I and the other doctors provide a very helpful service to patients, and I have received many emails and notes from people who we have helped.

Thank you

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

Since you asked....
My advice is don't do it. I am sorry I did. I am
having problems and I'm very very depressed about it.

Gail, you're just a few days post op and letting yourself sit around feeling uncomfortable and worried and not calling your doctor. At least it appears the person enquiring is doing alittle more research much in advance that you indicated in another thread. I hate to sound cruel, but what were you thinking and why are you just sitting there and not doing anything about it?

I don't know who this "Carlene" person is, but she needs therapy. She is not doing your board any service, Dr. Trattler. If you want to cut somebody off for wild statements outside of fact-based personal opinion you might start with her instead of with Daniel. She obviously LIKES to sound cruel which has no place on a board of post-refractive questions/answers which provides a service to people.

Your statement about no patients wearing RGPs to correct their post-Lasik refractive error was a bit ambigious. You stated I'm sure truthfully that you have no patients where soft contacts/and or glasses (does this mean it takes both together?) won't correct their residual refractive error. However, Daniel said that Lasik, not Dr. Trattler, can create the situation for a number of people to have to seek RGPs, particularly those left with irregular astigmatism or other corneal irregularities such as flap complications like striae. Apparently your patients are safe, but the general public is submitted to literally hundreds of less skilled and less complication-free Lasik doctors than yourself. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people having Lasik aren't having it done at your office - therefore, to have threatened to cut off the poster for his response as being 100% inaccurate strikes as a bit disingenuous. We all know there are people who cannot get correction from soft contacts or glasses after Lasik - the fact that they're not your patients is irrelevant. We also know there are people who lose Best Corrected Visual Acuity after Lasik, but I'm sure no patients at your office have lost BCVA. You stated Daniel was 100% wrong ... he might have been 99-97% wrong, but then what's 1-3%?

>don't know who this "Carlene" person is, but she
>needs therapy. She is not doing your board any
>service, Dr. Trattler. If you want to cut
>somebody off for wild statements outside of
>fact-based personal opinion you might start with
>her instead of with Daniel. She obviously LIKES
>to sound cruel which has no place on a board of
>post-refractive questions/answers which provides
>a service to people.

Funny how people get all hinky and say people are pretending to be doctors, when they aren't, and then you lay claim to being some sort of psychologist. I have seen a few other posts people with similar concerns and complaints that, though not quite as bluntly, say the same thing. And, since I posted my email address I have discovered that there were several more who felt the same way. I say what I think, and apparently what others are thinking. I do not apologize for it. When Dr. Trattler gets annoyed with me I assure you he will let me know.

My response was to Daniel's comment:

"There is also a good chance that after LASIK, glasses and soft contacts will no longer correct you and you will have to wear RGP contacts for clear vision."

So - my comment was - I do not have a single patient who has to wear RGP lenses.

I absolutely agree that there are risks with LASIK and that there is a risk that a patient might end up with a situation where RGP lenses are required. But Daniel's comments that there is a "good" chance that a person would need RGP lenses is just way off base - in that the risk is very low. So if he has said - there is a small but real chance that one might need RGP lenses (with small being will less than 1%).

Now - there are certainly places in the United States where the risk of a serious complication and the chance that one might need RGP lenses would be higher. I can not know the results of every LASIK surgeon or center.

I have to run now, but I will be happy to comment further

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL

Dr. Trattler,

Say there were 1 million procedures done in the U.S. in 2000. If only 1% end up needing correction with RGP because of flap wrinkles, irregular astigmatism, etc., that's 10,000 people. Try telling those 10,000 that there wasn't a good chance that they'd be uncorrectable with glasses.

What is your LASIK money-making machine going to do for these 10,000 people. People with jobs, spouses, children and cars. People who cannot see well after LASIK?

What about the 30-70% of LASIK patients who have lost enough contrast sensitivity to be unsafe drivers at night.

Dr. Trattler,

I have read many posts on these bulletin boards and some are controversial to say the least. This is certainly okay and that is the beauty of freedom of speech. I may not always agree but enjoy the diversity of opinions. Personally I look forward to posts from Frank who appears to be knowledgeable and sensitive. I have read many from Daniel and I empathize with him. Carlene, however, is a different story. I believe she is a detriment. You have heard it from others. It is time to remove her insensitive and hurtful posts. This is no longer about freedom of speech or controversy. Many of the people who post here are seeking comfort because of complications post lasik. I assume several may be suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome. A person like Carlene can really do damage. I know that is not the intention of this site and I feel she undermines the good work that is done here. Thank you for your consideration.

Who are you to say I am sitting around and not calling my doctor? I have called, and visited my doctor numerous times in an effort to get well.
There have been many requests from different sources that you stop posting. You are judgemental and ignorant. I will join forces with the others who have urged Dr. Trattler to stop permitting you to post. This is far too sensitive of an arena for your insensitive comments. Get a life.

Gail, I'm sorry that like me, you've had problems with LASIK. My attorney says that he's getting calls almost daily now, as are most of his friends. The stigma of post-LASIK complications is lessening now, and more people are admitting that their post-LASIK vision is not that great, or that they are having problems at night. Many people aren't openly admitting their problems because attitudes like Carlene's are rampant--"MY results are great, you are just a whiner." Nobody wants to admit that their elective surgery went sour.

Personally, I don't know why Carlene hangs around here. Her sole purpose appears to be that she is Dr. Trattler's cheerleader--she isn't having LASIK problems, so why she is still hanging around this board makes me wonder if she has no social life.

Suzette, I'm sorry about your tumor. I am suffering from a pilonidal cyst at the moment. Wow, it hurts! I think I'm going to have to go in for surgery to have it removed this time. Oh, and a friend of mine's daughter died of a rare childhood cancer a few years back. That was really sad. My father-in-law drank himself to death. My neighbor gave me a bottle of Crown Royal for Christmas. Oh, and did you hear? John and Irene are divorcing. I'm not sure why I'm going into all of this, but you seem to think this board is an appropriate place to discuss issues other than LASIK, so I thought it okay that I do it too.

Does anyone else have any news or other health issues they want to post here? Dr. Trattler could also register "AskDocs.com" and sign on other kinds of doctors---heck, with enough different specialties, he could fund a study on the relationship between low myopes with large pupils and night vision problems after LASIK.

>Many people aren't openly admitting their
>problems because attitudes like Carlene's are
>rampant--"MY results are great, you are just a
>whiner." Nobody wants to admit
>that their elective surgery went sour.

You just know everything, don't you? How do you know people aren't admitting their problems if they aren't admitting them? I had problems with my LASIK, and I've admitted it and described it in detail. But I would certainly never describe it as my elective surgery "went sour." My vision may be slightly less than it was with glasses or contacts, but now I don't NEED glasses or contacts. That's a success in all the books.

>Personally, I don't know why Carlene hangs
>around here. Her sole purpose appears to be that
>she is Dr. Trattler's cheerleader--she isn't
>having LASIK problems, so why she is still
>hanging around this board makes me wonder if she
>has no social life.

I thought you got over the personal attacks business. I hang around for the reason stated above--I had LASIK. This isn't a forum for bad LASIK. That's what Surgical Eyes is for. This is a forum for information and support. The more people who particpate the better balanced it is. I think that's why my presense bothers you so much. You would rather litter the forum with doom and gloom. Since I posted my email address I have had scores of people write to me to give their support and ask advice who don't want to post here and suffer your attacks and depressed responses. You are the true detriment here, contrary to what Gail says.

>Does anyone else have any news or other health
>issues they want to post here? Dr. Trattler
>could also register "AskDocs.com" and sign on
>other kinds of doctors.

Daniel, there is such a website that covers all medicine at http://www.AskPhysicians.com that actually preceded this one.

Why do you find it necessary to exaggerate? Do you not feel enough conviction in your opinion to stand on your own and state it? Do you really think you have to say "many" and make references to "forces" when it clearly is not true? My posts maybe seem insensitive if they happen to make someone feel foolish, but they are reasonable and logical. Perhaps I don't frame my comments around a lot of fluff, but even the doctors here have made the same observations--that people seem to rush to the internet to ask questions and wait days for answers to urgent questions when they should be calling their doctors. The interesting thing is that others who wish me to leave have been asked to leave themselves.

I thought I should elaborate on my comment; be damned if Dr. Trattler deletes it. You first came to this forum to ask questions the DAY BEFORE your surgery. Nowehere near soon enough to do a proper investigation of LASIK, and hardly any time for any doctor to respond, much less ask you for any pertinent information to guide you. You showed up a day or so later scared and sorry, saying you had this and that wrong and asking what you should do. And then went on to blame ALL of LASIK and its surgeons. I find that irresponsible and offensive, and I guarantee there's a doctor or two here who does as well.

Not that my two months of research saved me from having complications, but I went in well-educated and practically a whole new vocabulary for it. I read many articles, forums and newsgroups and asked innumerable questions and viewed a number of actual procedures online. I knew what to expect during surgery, from the surgery and from my doctor, who was there to administer to ME. That's what I PAID for. And if I had to call him in the dead of night, I certainly would.

I learned what was good and what was borderline on pupil size and cornea thickness, etc. Just in case my doctor was overconfident, I would still have enough knowledge to make decisions for myself. I read up on broad beam, slit-scanning, and flying spot lasers, the errors they could treat, ablation and transition zones, and which did better with which kinds of errors. And finally I learned what each complication would look and/or feel like, the time frame in which it was most likely to appear, so I could hopefully identify it early and describe it adequately.

Okay, this may very well be insensitive, but what were you thinking? What did you expect? What did you do to protect yourself? I'm not saying anyone deserves a poor outcome and I do truly feel sorry for them, but I cannot stop shaking my head sometimes. I just don't get people like you. And I don't get why you're angry at me for pointing out the obvious. I'm certainly not the only one who has noticed.

-- Carlene

Carlene,

You just don't quit and have taken far too much of my time and energy. You continue to disburse haphazard medical advice and make unfounded statements. You don't know my story, what I have or have not researched, why I came online in the first place and many more details. For your information my girlfriend had lasik just days before me and came out with complications. This was alarming and frightening. I think you are on the wrong site, Carlene. You need to search for argumentative.com. People who come here need to share in an open, nonjudgemental forum. I'm sure this site is intended to help individuals make informed choices, learn from others experiences and sign off with more knowledge and peace of mind. You continue to agitate and insult the intelligence of those of us who are here for a good reason. Let's get back to Lasik and stop this nonsense.