Can anyone recommend a surgeon in the Puget Sound area for refractive surgery? Has anyone had any bad experiences with docs in this area?

It has been my experience that people tend to not make negative statements about doctors on an open forum such as this, or for obvious reasons the sponsors of such forums do not allow negative information about specific doctors to remain. You may find that providing your email address for private comments will elicit more responses.

You should also be wary of accepting the experience of a patient (even a few) as an indication as to what you will receive. Everyone is different. You would not expect to wear your friend’s contacts and get a good result. Neither should you expect to get the same result (good or bad) as a person who could have a totally different situation from yours. Talking with other patients can give you a good idea about the experience, but is probably a poor way to select a surgeon. Visit http://www.usaeyes.org/faq/subjects/endorsements.htm for details.

We have a list of 50 Tough Questions For Your Doctor at our website that can be helpful in evaluation any potential surgeon.

Glenn Hagele
http://www.USAEyes.org

I am not a doctor.

I had lasik at the Lomas Eye Center. I did not like their after surgery care at all and would not recommend them.

I've heard good things about Pacific Cataract (Bellevue) and Laser Institute (PCLI)and the UofW. (Seattle)

My advice is, don't let price influence you. The places that seem cheaper cost you more in the long run.

-Jacque from Issaquah

Thank you for your honest opinion about Lomas Eye Care. I went there for a pre-evaluation and thought they were very friendly and informative. Did you feel that also and then the follow up care did not compare? What laser did you use and did you have any post operative problems? I am very cautious about getting LASIK done. I want to find a good Doctor.
Thanks again for your input.

They used a NIDEK 5000 I believe. I was over-corrected and had dry eyes but am functional and can drive just fine and all that. I don't need glasses for distance vision but to read comfortably I use +1 (because of the over-correction). I still have very dry eyes in the morning and some ghosting and doubling in low light.

When I went there for my initial exam, they were very friendly and helpful. After my surgery, it seemed to me that things were totally different.

Ater my surgery was complete and I started my follow-up care I felt that they couldn't get me out the door fast enough. I didn't feel I got honest answers to my questions but felt they just wanted to get me in and out. The doctor would actually stand at the open door to answer my questions.

After my initial follow-up. I could NOT get in to see the surgeon again - ever. I would schedule appointments and would be told that I could see him and when I showed up ... nada. I ended up paying more money out of my pocket to go see another doctor to address my concerns about the over-correction and double-vision.

This is just my experience - it was a few years ago. Yours could be totally different.

Thank you for your response. I am sorry to hear it did not go well. I intend on looking into other Drs. in the area. Thank you for helping someone who wants to be as informed as possible.
Gwen

Glenn,
Posting a question in a forum is just a SMALL part of the investigative process. I doubt that many people are naive enough to base a decision of this magnitude solely on forum responses. I appreciate your advice but found it a bit patronizing.
Ed

Sorry Ed, I’ve no intention to be patronizing, but the power of suggestion is very strong and there are those who go into refractive surgery blindly (pun intended). I’d rather error on the side of caution and risk being ever so slightly offensive.

I'm glad to hear you are doing your due diligence.

Glenn Hagele
http://www.USAEyes.org

I am not a doctor.