Lasik surgery: Most in our survey were very satisfied

My wife recently expressed frustration that she can no longer see the bedroom clock without putting on her glasses. Knowing the time is important when you wake up in the morning. It can mean the difference between grabbing another hour’s sleep or needing to bounce out of bed and get going. Seeing the alarm clock is apparently a crucial eye test for many folks. In our recent survey of people who had Lasik and other types of laser vision correction, those who were better able to see the alarm clock were among those most satisfied with their results.

Interestingly, although people said they underwent laser vision correction to get rid of their glasses, 55 percent said they still needed to use glasses or contact lenses, at least sometimes, even after the surgery. But this still didn’t interfere with their overall satisfaction: 80 percent of folks were completely or very satisfied and few had regrets. That’s pretty good, especially since in general in health care, we only get things right about 60 percent of the time.

I wear glasses, but only intermittently, and my far vision actually has improved with age. Since I am one of those people who thinks a pair of glasses improves my "mug shot," I never seriously considered Lasik for myself.

As a physician, I know it is rare to improve on what you were born with. And it usually does not make sense to mess with your body until the original equipment is clearly not in good shape. Many of the folks we surveyed felt they made a good decision taking a risk with their eyes. But if your vision problem is mild to moderate, is it worth any risk at all to see the bedroom clock? We don’t know, for example, what corneas will be like 30, 40, or 50 years after they meet up with a laser.It has been almost a year since I came to Consumers Union, and I am still learning something every day. When I looked at our laser vision correction survey results, I realized that a lot more goes into being a satisfied customer than I thought. I was surprised to learn that being able to see a bedroom clock is so important to people. Maybe it’s a proxy for looking good in the bedroom. Nothing wrong with that, and let’s face it, glasses can get in the way.

But, no, I’m not recommending surgery for my wife. With or without her glasses, I think she’s gorgeous. But her birthday is coming around in a few months, and I’ve decided that instead of treating her to Lasik I should go out and buy a bigger clock.

—John Santa, M.D., director, Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center

Our new Lasik Patient Power Tool Kit will help you decide whether you should have surgery or not.

Comments

[Liz W]

I too was frustrated by not being able to read the clock across the room. Then I realized that my cell phone has a clock on it's face, which I can adjust in size for easy reading in the dark - voila! I also use the phone's alarm feature for getting up in the morning and as a medication reminder. Sometimes the simple solutions are the best and the cheapest!

[Sherry]

Having Lasik was one of the best decisions I've made. Since having it done over 3 yrs. ago, my vision has improved from over 20/800 and 20/1000 or so to 20/10 and 20/15. I am 50 yrs. old and had worn contact lenses since 1977 until the surgery. My glasses had been quite thick too-in spite of getting the thinnest lenses and smaller frames w/ the newer technology in recent years. In spite of being warned that I'd likely need reading glasses more often after Lasik, I use them much less-tho that may change as time goes on. But I am thrilled. I am outside a great deal on our farm and have horses. As you might guess, there is hair, dust, dirt, hay, wind, etc. I do use drops a coupla times per day. But when I wore contacts, my eyes would be quite red by noon usually. I used to use rewetting drops often or take them out and clean and reinsert them or switch to my glasses. Now my eyes look whiter/healthier than I ever remember.
I did not "bargain shop" with Lasik tho. I went to the best, most reputable place I could find....and I did not have the procedure done until I could visit with someone who had had it done whose eyes had (prior to surgery) a correction similar or worse than mine. (Actually, I had gone to other places and been "pre-approved" for the procedure....but refused to have it done since earlier they had not provided even one reference with someone who had had eyes as bad as mine-only one person whose prior correction had been about half of mine).
I am truly grateful for this medical advance and have been watching the technology progress from RK to PRK and onward to Lasik over the years. I did not enter into this lightly....and my best advice would be to do your homework and determine if the risk/benefit ratio is worth it for you-as well as the cost. But to me the outcome is priceless :)

[George W]

I had lasic 5 years ago to correct my -12 near sighteness. Without my glasses, the only things I could see that were in focus were about 2 inches away. It was handy at work since I was able to do microsopic inspections with my glasses on. The surgery was fast but I did panic when the surgeon said oops. The results came out not 20/20 but 20/60. For me, that was good enough. I wear glasses most of the time since I need them for reading. I have a pair for working on the computer as well. For me, this was going from blind to almost perfect vision. If I loose my glasses now, the only problem is not being able to read. Down side was eye dryness which lasted about a year.

[Shannon]

Aren't there different types of laser surgery for eyes? I was evaluated a few years ago, and it seems to me that there are, depending on your problem. Then, the question is, which type did you have, and are you happy with it?

My sister had her eyes corrected for presbyopia (when eyes stop focusing on their own, happens to most people with age) a year ago, in Denver. She was 59, and had the monovision done, where one eye is adjusted for distance, the other eye adjusted for reading. From the moment she walked out of the clinic, she has been very, very happy with the decision. She loves the clinic too, though I don't know which one it was. (Note: monovision depends on the brain being able to accept this way of seeing things. Not everyone's brain will accept it; make sure there is some way of testing you first)

[Theodore Vahl]

This may be off the subject but reading a clock in the middle of the night may be important. I suggest that people look into getting a projection clock. These clocks project the time, and maybe even the temperature on the ceiling. The numerals are very large and even I with -5.75 eyes can read them without glasses. You can make the numerals even bigger by setting the clock on the floor. We have given these clocks as host gifts to many people and all the recipients are using and enjoying them. Costs start at about $20 and can go to as high as you want to pay. The thermometers models entail mounting an outdoor wireless sensor. Many have a tilt feature that changes the location of the projected image but an extra cost item that can be worth it is "image rotation". This image rotation allows you to project the image "right side up" no matter how the clock is placed.

For what it's worth.

[j santoro]

Make sure you get and keep you lasik records in a safe place.
I am 63 yrs old and had lasik 10 yrs ago in one eye. I do mono vision. Now I am starting to form a catact in that eye. To fix the cataract they can now put in a new lens. It is very important that know what your eye look like before your laskin.
Make sure you get and keep you lasik records in a safe place

[COACH]

A HEN FRIEND TURNED ME ON TO HARD CONTACTS (NOW GAS PERMABLE)in 1980. FOR A TIME READING GLASSES WERE REQUIRED WHEN FOR CLOSE WORK AND USE OF THE COMPUTER. ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO AFTER AN EYE EXAM AND NEW CONTACTS, I NOTICED I COULD READ FINE PRINT AND USE THE COMPUTER W/O USE OF READING GLASSES. STILL WEAR HARD CONTACTS BUT DISTANCE AND NEAR VISUAL ACUITY IS ACCEPTABLE AT MY AGE, 65. HOWEVER, STILL CAN'T HIT A GOOD FASTBALL. COACH.

[Bob R]

I almost had Lasik but chickened out after reading the "consent to surgery form," with it's disclaimers about what could go wrong. The vision correction procedure I am most interested in now is the one where contacts are implanted in the eye, next to the lens. I believe this procedure is reversible and redo-able. I would like to hear more about this.

[Carlos]

After my Lasik surgery on July 3rd of this year, I can say it is not worth the risk. I have developed a severe dry eye problem, it's affected my everyday life and am in constant discomfort.
To add to the frustration The Lasik Institute in Tampa, Fl has basically told me they cannot help telling me I have to see an ophthalmologist. After several attempts to get help, today I finally had it, asked the "Dr.".... So you are saying that after someone has surgery here if there is a problem you don't help with it? answer from him was YES! Walked out of that office feeling frustrated and helpless.
So as many of you have mentioned here, you are right...all most of these "professionals" care about is collecting our money!
Our eye sight is a precious gift...If you are looking into getting this done please gather as much info as you can and certainly if ou go thru with it do not use LASIK INSTITUTE in Tampam Fl

[Gail H]

I had Lasik 8 years ago at age 40. It has been a very positive experience. I, like others who have posted, had "coke bottle" glasses (prescription was -12.00) for almost my entire life due to nearsightedness.

I did have complications; 2 corneal abrasions during the first month as well as some cells remaining under one of the corneas. I do still wear glasses for distance (I'm about 20/70 in one eye), but have to take them off to read.

I WOULD DO IT AGAIN!

[Jan Taylor]

From our consumer behaviour records and within our eye health and vision forums, we generally find that peeple are largly happy with their laser eye surgery results despite still requiring glasses/contact lenses. However, people often assume that they will never need eyewear again and this should be made clearer by laser clinics. Our full guide to all aspects of laser eye surgery can be read at: http://www.youreyeguide.co.uk/lasereyesurgery/index.html

[Shayne Buckley]

I am 26 years old and had LASIK performed just over a year ago. It was absolutely the best decision I could have made. I don't understand why everyone keeps pushing the horrible night vision, dryness, and halos - anyone who has worn contacts (I did for 14 years) knows that contacts cause the same problems. After LASIK the halos around lights and the dryness was an issue, but not worse than I ever had with contacts. Now when my eyes are dry, I don't have to worry about ripping a contact.

The positives are astounding. I don't have to worry about how many hours a day I can wear contacts, or not being able to use peripheral vision with glasses. I can go swimming or surfing without the concern of either not seeing or taking extra contacts for when I lose them.

I know many people personally that have undergone LASIK and all have had positive results with mild and minor side effects not worse than those with the daily use of contacts.

[Randall Eugene]

I had LASIK nearly 10 years ago and it was the best thing I ever did. I hated glasses and hated contacts even more. I took a year to make my decision. I did research, talk to my own doctor, and my friends. This is a medical procedure. Thank you Consumer Reports for putting all of this information into one place. I have never regretted my decision.

[Kim T]

I'm surprised the president of ASCRS would have the nerve to post comments in a public forum after ASCRS members were recently exposed for offensive videos making fun of damaged and suicidal LASIK patients.

http://www.lasiknewswire.com/2009/07/ascrs-john-ciccone-disavows-offensive-videos.html

http://www.lasik-flap.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2605

ASCRS' Communications Director, John Ciccone, was also linked to an earlier scandal involving The LASIK Report http://thelasikreport.com/TheLasikReport_April2008.pdf

Read about the scandal here:
http://www.lasikfraud.com/news/archives/000164.html

[Terry]

In his comments referring to the "recent review of the scientific literature published worldwide illustrating a patient satisfaction rate of more than 95 percent", Dr. Alan Crandall conveniently failed to point out that this satisfaction figure is derived from 19 studies which show extremely high rates of complications. Excerpts from a few of the 19 studies:

• "Twenty four percent of patients reported glare and night vision problems postoperatively." O’Doherty M, O’Keeffe M, Kelleher C. Five year follow up of laser in situ keratomileusis for all levels of myopia. Br J Ophthalmol 2006;90:20 –3.
• "Overall, 30.0% of the subjects reported experiencing halos, 27.2% reported glare, and 24.5% reported starbursts." Bailey MD, Mitchell GL, Dhaliwal DK, et al. Patient satisfaction and visual symptoms after laser in situ keratomileusis. Ophthalmology 2003;110:1371– 8.
• "Commonly reported symptoms included eye soreness in 43 patients (44.3%), tearing in 20 (20.8%), itching in 38 (39.6%), and moderate dryness or worse in 28 (20.8%)." Schmidt GW, Yoon M, McGwin G, et al. Evaluation of the relationship between ablation diameter, pupil size, and visual function with vision-specific quality-of-life measures after laser in situ keratomileusis. Arch Ophthalmol 2007;125:1037–42.
• "Night vision was considered worse or much worse than before surgery by 33.8% of patients….After surgery, 40.9% of patients reported experiencing more difficulty with night driving than before surgery." Tahzib NG, Bootsma SJ, Eggink FA, Nabar VA, Nuijts RM. Functional outcomes and patient satisfaction after laser in situ keratomileusis for correction of myopia. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2005 Oct;31(10):1943-51.
• "Twenty-nine percent reported reduced night vision clarity following LASIK and 27% noted more eye dryness following LASIK." CLAO J. 2001 Apr;27(2):84-8. Patient satisfaction after LASIK for myopia. Miller AE, McCulley JP, Bowman RW, Cavanagh HD, Wang XH.

In my opinion, this literature review is a deliberate attempt to distract the public from alarmingly high rates of adverse effects reported in these same studies. What should be reported to the public is that the incidence of dry eyes and night vision problems after LASIK is approximately 20% six months after surgery, which is consistent with FDA clinical trials data, and unacceptable for elective surgery which places patients at risk of vision loss.

[Anonymous]

What all these LASIK surgeons won't say is that LASIK carries a high rate of intractable dry eyes and night vision problems. LASIK creates problems for patients in future glaucoma screening and cataract surgery. LASIK permanently weakens the cornea which may lead to a sight-threatening condition called ectasia (do a google search on "ectasia after LASIK"). LASIK flaps never fully heal and may be accidentally dislodged for the remainder of a patient's life, and also leave an open portal in the cornea for infection. Emory researchers found the flap heals to only 2% of normal corneal tensile strength. Studies show that visual outcomes from LASIK tend to decline over time -- most patients will require glasses agagin after LASIK. LASIK surgeons downplay problems such as dry eyes and night vision problems, leaving patients scared and confused with no solutions. Hundreds of LASIK complaints were filed with the FDA in the past year. The FDA is re-examining LASIK safety. LASIK surgeons like to boast about their successes but refuse to take responsibility for the problems they create. LASIK surgeons publish junk science intended to fool the public into thinking the surgery is nearly free of problems. Read between the lines and do your own homework and you'll find that LASIK is a harmful surgery. Don't let initial visual outcomes fool you... LASIK problems may not present for weeks, months or years later -- something LASIK surgeons take full advantage of when enticing patients into this unnecessary surgery.

[CarlasPal]

LASIK surgery was absolutely the worst decision of my life! LASIK has left me with higher order aberrations known as spherical aberration and coma which cause me to have starbursting and haloes at night and to see double vision out of one of my eyes. The quality of my life has suffered immeasurably as I can no longer drive at night nor am I able to read like I once did due to the large uncorrectable imbalance between my two eyes While large diameter contact lenses help some people with this iatrogenic condition, I cannot tolerate wearing these lenses due to LASIK induced dry eye. I have struggled with suicidal ideation post LASIK despite no prior experiences with depression. Worst of all, I do not exist as a statistic anywhere, as this industry is only interested in one thing, and that is BUYING its image.

[dom]

Dr. Crandall is entitled to his opinion, however, as president of ASCRS, is this just another marketing strategy for the industry, and of course somewhat biased? He has a vested interest in all of this.

Selective studies are often misleading, and can be manipulated: Including/excluding favorable or less favorable candidates, therefore the results can also be manipulated. Last year's estimated 5% complication rate is believed by some to be much higher based on non-reported cases or under-reporting by doctors. Even the FDA's mismanagement of statistics and data is not to be believed.

Dr. Crandall claims "The scientific body of work supporting LASIK as safe and effective is robust and growing each day."
Look at some of the studies (http://www.lasikdecision.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=19&Itemid=192) over the past few years, and of damaged LASIK patients websites to see just how safe and effective LASIK is.

The main question I have for Dr. Crandall is: Where is the Quality of Life Study promised last year?

[Dean Andrew Kantis]

LASIK was the biggest mistake of my life. I didn't know that today's Ophthalmologists flat out lie about the long-term permanent damages of this "elective procedure" that never even met strict FDA Approval guidelines.

More on this scam on my website showing you dated links proving that this is "not safe" nor in anyone's best interest:

www.lifeafterlasik.com

Do your homework folks. Who are you going to trust? A doctor's staff trying to get your $5k, so they can earn their commission to pay their BMW car payment, or myself asking you for ZERO dollars, just to do your homework?

[Dr. Nick]

Hi everybody,

I've been a LASIK doctor for over 20 years, and it is the best thing you can do for yourself. You shouldn't find it at all disturbing that LASIK surgeons are posting on this board trying to promote their practice.

Can you believe any random person can post on here again and again stating their supposed positive experiences? And yet, when you talk to individuals, the rate of positive experiences isn't so high?

Perhaps some that are stating positive things can't possibly deal with the fact that they've made a mistake. It's their eyeballs they're talking about! Of course they don't want to admit they've made a mistake. "Hello. My name is XYZ and I have poor vision and poor judgment. Would you like to be my friend? How about a date?" Who responded to the survey? Random people, right?

[Heid]

I am 24 years old and successfully got lasik surgery two years ago. I have been severely near sighted since the third grade, and have worn glasses and then contacts since then. After much research and indecision(as I am extremely cautious), I decided on taking a risk and getting lasik, even after reading all the horror stories of surgeries gone wrong.
Thankfully, I now can actually see objects more than one foot in front of my face and am enjoying the freedom of no contacts or glasses at all! Even though its only been two years since my surgery, two years of no contacts or glasses is well worth the risk and money. Searching out a well-recommended surgeon, knowing all the possible risks, as well as going through with the follow-up appointments is extremely important.

[M. Murray]

My Wife had laser surgery 8 years ago and loves it. Doctor explained all possible problems. She has not needed glasses ever since that first day seeing the clock. Had halo vision for first two weeks only. After the healing stopped no problems to this day. Can't stress how important following after surpery instructions are in using your eye drops all the time.(refresh)

[Douglas Peterson]

I'm a psychologist of sorts, e.g. organizational. We do have the tools of most psychologists, except perhaps access and practice with the DSM IV. From this perspective, I can tell you a number of things the research suggests: first, people report increased productivity when they can see better - maybe they look better, maybe their self confidence/esteem/efficacy go up.. that part is unclear. People report being happier with life, adding to work and life balance. People report a better sex life, adding all sorts of life factors to the mix. When asked about the clinic, they reported all sorts of price ranges with several types of lasers. Prices ranged from USD$599 per eye to USD$2,500 per eye or higher. This generally related to the severity of the condition as well as the overhead the doc faces. Where I am, in Sarasota, there seems to be overhead. But that's not a bad thing in a competitive marketplace. Sales factors, care factors, competency factors from nurses, opticians, optometrists, managers, surgeons, and checkout/payment are all very important parts of the care. I also found personally that having a doc constantly on call is critical to the success of the practice and to the patient's perception of well being. As a result of all these things, I recommed the procedure. You may need a tune up after a year, however, with a 60% perfect rate, that could be understandable. I wouldn't do the tune up, if necessary, until at least a year in order to get your eyes normalized.

Dr. DK Peterson

[Jason Y]

I don't have access to the survey results, but I can tell you that it was the biggest regret of my entire life. I had LASIK 3 years ago. A day doesn't go by where I don't seriously regret it. And to this day, I've yet to have my say in any "survey" stating that I regret it.

I have to say, I am really disappointed and disturbed by the conclusions that Consumer Reports have come to. If you think 80% is a good satisfaction rate for a voluntary procedure, you're obviously blinded by the manipulation campaign of the LASIK industry, which far surpasses the cigarette industry of the past.

I would love to see a reform of the LASIK eye surgery business. My concern focuses mostly on providing adequate warnings. Here is a list of my concerns:

-My last checkup occurred last year and I still remained at 20/15 on my right eye and 20/20 on my left eye. This is very misleading as things over 20 feet are blurry. They’re especially blurry in medium to low lighting. I had no idea that my eyesight was definitely going to be worse afterwards. I thought since 20/20 was very likely, my vision could remain perfect – far from it. My vision also fluctuates depending on how much rest I get. I believe it's because the more rested I am, the bigger my pupils are. Bigger pupils lead to seeing more through untreated parts.

-They only treated my eyes partially and did not warn me of this. The treatment zone simply did not cover my entire eye. I have big pupils. The cut did not go outside of my pupils but within it. The outer area of my pupils remains untreated. I was not warned of this. I just cannot understand how they can get away with something like this as it has severely affected my vision for the worse.

-I was not warned that I was going to get a permanent scar on my eyes. I believe it plays a big part of my blurred vision.

-I was not warned that my night vision was definitely going to get worse. I was very shocked the next day to see that my night vision definitely got worse. This should not be a surprise. I was simply warned about the possibility of getting starbursts and halos. I have a severe case of both. Based on the size of my pupils, they should have told me that the likelihood was high.

-Dry eyes are a constant problem for me. I've experienced loss of sleep and lack of sleep due to extreme dryness that wakes me up or severe crust formations that did not exist before surgery. I was not aware that there are tests to determine how dry your eyes are. This should be a mandatory test. I have to put several eye drops a day - probably for the rest of my life. This is very costly, embarrassing, and bothersome.

-I had red eye for about a month on my left eye. I had no idea that this could happen. It was very embarrassing to have it when I wanted to prove to co-workers and friends that LASIK was safe and recommendable, but I was simply showing them proof that I made a mistake. The reputation of my judgment has probably been significantly damaged.

-It takes a long time focusing on different distances. If I'm reading something and look up to something, it takes seconds to focus on it. This was always instant before. I was not warned of this.

-The stats provided by the media and the ads are absurd. My surgeon asked me if I was glad to have done the surgery the day after. I said I was. He may have put that on record. Based on my own personal survey of people having done the surgery, most have regrets.

[Kurt]

I had Lasik 2 years ago, and it was a mistake. I have dry eyes from lasik, in addition, low contrast lighting, photophobia, starburst and halos. The people who have lasik have no idea what the consequences are; because they know someone did it,and they have no real issues, then it is safe and also they trust the surgeon's word on the safety of the procedure(money grab). Complication are dry eyes, very high occurance in lasik and what about Cataracts related to lasik, difficult to measure the iol, since your eye has been reconfigurated. There are more reasons i can mention but you should reconsider before going ahead and MOST IMPORTANTLY, do your research throughly!!!!

[Dan Jordan]

AT age 49 I had Lasik surgery. While I can't fault them for making sure I understood that my pre-surgery ability to see close things would be noticeably degraded, it just didn't prepare me for the actual experience of losing that near-sightedness. I now have to wear glasses almost as much for the sake of seeing things close up as I had to before to see things far away. The inconvenience of putting my glasses on every time I need to see close up drove me to just wear glasses (although of a different prescription, of course) full time.

I am impressed with the quality of my distance vision now, but that is certainly counter-balanced by the inconvenience of losing my near-sightedness.

In addition, there were complications with my lasik surgery. They discovered in the post surgery exam the next day that somehow they managed to scratch one eye during the procedure. I believe this was related to my deep set eyes. The next 24 hours were spent in pain and legal blindness in the one eye. Fortunately, over the next couple weeks it healed. I am unhappy that the doctor who did the procedure did not show enough interest in the matter to follow up with me to see how I was healing. This was no fly by night lasik surgeon.

For these reasons (mainly the near-sighetedness impact), if I had it to do again I am far from sure I would have the lasik surgery.

[JJ]

As someone who has worn glasses for the past 20 years I have been sorely tempted to get Lasik, especially since I live in a large city with low prices due to competition.

However, the one thing holding me back is that I just don't know what it might mean for my eyes in 30 years as they age. That's a question that I've seen few people discuss. I'm not sure if that means that its an unimportant question, but its still a question I need to consider before allowing anyone with a laser near my favorite sense.

[Paula Bauer]

I'm surprised that all of the comments are so positive. I thought for a minute that perhaps this was an advertisement for Lasik and not a Consumer Reports report. I had Lasik about four years ago. Before Lasik, I could read without glasses but needed glasses for distance. I could not read the clock beside the bed without putting on my glasses. Before I got Lasik, they told me that I would need reading glasses after the procedure, but I was so excited at the prospect of not having to wear them all of the time, I really didn't think through what it meant to have to wear reading glasses. It means that you cannot pick up your ringing phone and see who's calling without putting on your glasses. You cannot read a remote control without putting on your glasses. There is no such thing as one-handed reading anymore because you have to put on your glasses. This is a lot different than just being able to read something by looking over the top of the glasses that are already on your face. It's an annoyance and I wish I had not done this, but I have no one but myself to blame.

[Omar]

I seriously considered getting LASIK this summer, after having brushed it off completely. But I keep returning to the lack of research on long-term impact and have decided not to do it (now or in the future). I am too risk averse and the eyes are too serious to mess with. I'm 30, what if twenty or thirty years from now, we discover a serious problem as a result of LASIK? The fact that this procedure is irreversible is just scary.

[charles]

Had lasik 2 years ago, very possitive experience, great results,
Recommend anyone thinking about it, schedule 'free' evaluations at as many places as you can. Then you have many opinions on which to base your final decision and you have an idea how your relationship with a chosen doctor will be. This has no cost (except time) until/unless you decide to have procedure

[Al D]

I had the procedure done over seventeen years ago when I was 52 by one of the most foremost ophthalmologists in the country, Dr. Steven Trokel who was the first ophthalmologist to recognize the significance of the excimer laser surgery. This procedure was done even prior to it being recognized by the FDA. I had a -11.5 and now I have 20-20 even after all these years.
Thank you Dr. Trokel.

[Tom]

I had LASIK 7 years ago. I'm still satisfied with it. I originally had it done because I ride motorcycles, dirt bikes and ski. Carrying prescription sunglasses around and then having to wear them under goggles was getting old. I too couldn't see the clock... the morning after, it was like that was the test. To see if I could see the clock. Go see Dr. Zorbis @ Florida Eye if you're in FL!

[Dr. Alan Crandall, President ASCRS (American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery)]

This is a terrific patient education tool that we hope many considering vision correction procedures will avail themselves of and we applaud Consumer Report’s effort. One point that needs to be highlighted is the fact that the respondents to this survey skew much older than the typical LASIK patient: recent survey conducted by Market Scope LLC of over 800 patients treated with LASIK within the last 6 months shows an average LASIK patient age of 37 – a number that is expected to drop considerably as the procedure is growing in popularity with younger patients. The clinical data mirrors the anecdotal evidence provided by the Consumer Reports survey – older patients generally present with additional clinical issues that can affect the outcome of any procedure. LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures are among the most-studied surgical treatments available today. The scientific body of work supporting LASIK as safe and effective is robust and growing each day. A recent review of the scientific literature published worldwide illustrates a patient satisfaction rate of more than 95 percent – a marked achievement in the field of medicine. Consumers interested in laser vision correction should do their research and have a thorough and candid conversation with their surgeon about the risks and benefits of the procedure to make an informed decision.

[Monica N]

I just had lasik one week ago from today. In less than 24 hours my vision was 20/20. My one week appointment proved that my vision was only improving, now at 20/15. I completely forget what it was like not to see at this point. I've heard mixed results with people over 50, but I am 24 and have had wonderful results. Now for the bill...

[Cathy]

I had the "wave-guided" LASIK procedure 6 years ago to correct one eye that was about 20/400 and the other that was something like 20/200. It dramatically changed my life for the better. I had a touch-up on one eye after 6 months post-procedure and it's still 20/20, while the other one is about 20/50 now.
I don't need glasses except to read very tiny print, and even then I only use the lowest power, drugstore reading glasses for that.
Before LASIK, I had worn "Coke-bottle" glasses for most of my life, then switched to the somewhat thinner plastic lenses when those became available. I couldn't tolerate hard or soft contact lenses in my eyes.
No one can imagine the feeling of freedom LASIK can provide unless you've been forced to wear heavy glasses since grade school, for every waking hour of the day.

[todd]

i had lasik surgery in 2001. i had no meaningful vision prior to surgery (coke bottle glasses), either close up or far away. i've seen 20/20 or better since. at 44 years old, i am noticing that reading glasses may be in my near future. dryer eyes can be reasonably expected post-surgery. during certain times of the year, a few morning drops are needed for comfort.

[William Trattler, MD]

Dear Dr. Santa,
Thank you for sharing the results of your LASIK survey. Over the past 5-7 years, two new technologies have been developed that improve visual outcomes with LASIK. The first technology is a laser that creates the flap, rather then a metal blade. The laser, called the Intralase, has dramatically lowered the risk of surgery as well as dramatically enhanced visual results. The second technology is custom laser, where the laser takes the unique profile of a patient's eye and uses that to reshape the cornea. Steve Schallhorn, MD, a Navy Ophthalmologist, has shown that following Intralase-LASIK with custom laser reshaping, patients see better than they ever saw with their contact lenses or glasses. This was confirmed in a night driving simulation study performed before and after LASIK (see reference). Because of these results, Navy aviators and astronauts now can have LASIK, as long as it is a custom treatment with an Intralase flap. The US airforce has adopted a similar policy for its aviators.
As always, consumer reports is wonderful in that it provides unbiased reviews. However, the fact that certain technologies provide superior visual results may be something to look at in your next survey on LASIK.

William Trattler, MD

Reference: Schallhorn SC, Tanzer DJ, Kaupp SE, Brown M, Malady SE; Comparison of night driving performance after wavefront-guided and conventional LASIK for moderate myopia.Ophthalmology. 2009 Apr;116(4):702-9.
From: The Navy Refractive Surgery Center, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.

[JLT]

March 2008, after 50 years with wearing glasses for severe nearsightness I choose to have Lasik surgery. I love it! I can see the TV and drive without glasses. I can see and read the computer without problems. Only with fine print that I need reading glasses. I'm 58 years old and it was well worth the money. Please check the experience of the Lasik doctor before opting for it. My doctor is well known in the area and I worked with him in the military.

[living proof]

What about all the people who have had horrible effects from the surgery-can't see at night, glasses don't correct the problem, etc? There was an article in the NY Times about it that I read a while ago when I was considering having it myself. Instead, I tried an alternative method that I found called the Bates Method. I still need my glasses to drive at night, but I can see 20/30 during the day (a huge improvement!). Things I never would have been able to see before I can easily see now. I would highly recommend trying it-it's a lot less permanent than someone slicing open your corneas. If that goes wrong, no surgery can fix it, and neither can glasses (read the NY Times article).

[Colleen H]

I had lasik ten years ago. I was very near sighted. It worked perfect on my left eye. Had to have it on my right eye three times. Now my vision is going back to near sighted. But I have had ten years of no glasses and would do it again. I am almost 70 now and they don't want to redo them. So I am wearing glass at least part of the time. Just to drive and watch TV . Still see pretty good.