Procedure: Neal, 42
August 17, 1999
Web posted at: 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT)
Name: Neal
Age: 42
Residence: North Caldwell, New Jersey
Procedure: PRK, LASIK
Which eyes: Both
Cost: Approximately $2,200 an eye
When done: He had PRK on one eye in December 1995, shortly after the procedure had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Six months later, he had the second eye done. He went to Dr. Peter Hersh, a corneal surgeon who was a friend and who had participated in the FDA trials.
Two and a half years after the PRK, he had LASIK done to "tweak" his vision.
Questions:
Why did you do it?
Neal said he was tired of wearing contact lenses. His eyes were becoming irritated by them, and he was getting infections. "The surgery sounded very intriguing," he said.
Would you call it successful?
The PRK was "extremely successful," he said.
He went from total dependance on contacts and glasses to needing glasses only occasionally to drive. He could do almost everything, including read and play golf, without any vision correction.
He said he was able to do things he hadn't done since third grade.
The LASIK procedure he also considered as a success. It took him from good vision to better than 20/20. He no longer uses glasses for anything.
What was your vision before the procedure?
He was -8.75 in both eyes.
After:
He was 20/30 after PRK with no correction and is now 2/15 with no correction after the LASIK.
Did this procedure meet your expectations?
"Yes, it did." He said he was expecting to have clearer vision, but when he first had it done, the procedure was relatively new, and he didn't know how good the results would be.
He had LASIK done to improve his vision further, and he is very pleased with the results.
Would you do it again?
"Absolutely. I would, and have, recommend it to quite a few friends and business associates," he said.
He also would recommend LASIK.
After his LASIK, which he had over a lunch hour, he returned to work, finished out the day and even attended an outing that evening. "It just couldn't be better," he said.
Neal never experienced any side effects with PRK or LASIK. He never had star bursts, halos or ghosting.
Any pain?
Because he had narcotic eyedrops in his eye during the PRK, he felt nothing during the procedure. But the recovery after the PRK was extremely painful, he said.
His recovery was more painful than most because he wasn't allowed to wear a clear plastic contact lens over his eye for protection. He was part of a research study, and his doctor wanted to see how the surgery for such a large correction was working and healing. The doctor couldn't do that if Neal wore the lens.
Neal stressed that since the studies are now concluded, no one goes through this kind of pain any longer.
"It was like a hot poker in the eye," he said. It hurt for approximately two days, but sedatives helped him to sleep. His doctor had warned him it would be painful.
The follow-up LASIK he had was completely painless during and after the procedure.
How would you describe the experience?
"I am very relaxed when it comes to surgeries, so none of it really bothers me. I don't get uptight about those things. The surgery was really no different than going into the dentist," he said.
For the PRK, he said, he was on a bed, his eye was covered, and he saw a thin light flashing in front of his eye. As the laser removed a layer of his cornea, he said he could smell it burning.
When he returned for the LASIK, he didn't notice the same smell. He asked his doctor about it and learned that a vent is now placed over the patient's nose to filter out the burn smell.
What risks were you made aware of ahead of time?
"Everything in the world, potential blindness, halos, lack of night vision and star bursts," he said.
Since his doctor is a personal friend, Neal had complete faith that if he recommended the surgery, there was little to worry about.
Did you seek out the treatment, or was it suggested to you by a doctor?
Neal sought out the doctor because he was his friend, and because the doctor was part of the FDA study on PRK. Neal had learned about the surgery from him, but it was years before he actually performed it on Neal.
Neal said his doctor was willing to perform PRK on him because he had a high correction and no astigmatism.
According to Neal, his doctor has refused to do the surgery on people Neal has referred to him, telling them they aren't good candidates.
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