LASIK: Pete, 35

August 17, 1999
Web posted at: 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT)

Name: Pete

Age: 35

Residence: Atlanta

Procedure: LASIK

Which eyes: Both eyes. Has already had an enhancement on his right eye

Cost: $2,600 per eye, not including the $100 initial eye exam. The total cost has been $5,300. Pete has dealt primarily with one doctor, but since he is going to a practice, he has seen a couple of other doctors on some of his follow-up visits.

When done: November 1998

Why did you do it?

He was just tired of wearing contact lenses, which he had worn since he was 12. He hoped for better vision than his contacts were able to give him.

Would you call it successful?

"Yes, I would," he said, though the right eye is not quite what he thought it would be.

Pete said he was aware that correcting his right eye would be difficult because of an astigmatism. "I can get by fine. I can see fine," he said.

He is going to look into having a second enhancement of his right eye but says he knows the doctor may tell him it is not correctable any further.

What was your vision before the procedure?

-10.5 in the left eye and -9.00 in the right eye.

After:

His right eye is now 20/30 and left eye is 20/20.

Did this procedure meet your expectations?

"I thought I would be able to see perfectly," Pete said. He does wish his right eye was a little better, but said overall, yes, it met his expectations. "It is really nice not having to wear contacts," he said.

He does have some star bursts around lights at night, but that has diminished with time. It will always be a little bit there, but it doesn't bother him, and he said it has not affected his driving at night.

If they tell him that lenses might help with the right eye, he would do that specifically for distance, such as seeing at a baseball game. He would take a prescription for glasses but would not wear contacts again. He would want something that would be taken off easily.

Would you do it again?

"Yes I would, absolutely."

Any pain?

"No pain at all." Pete said he was lucky not to have experienced any dryness or scratchiness after the procedure, which he understands are common postoperative symptoms.

How would you describe the experience?

"A little uncomfortable." He said that though they put numbing drops in the eye, they do force it to stay open, and that was uncomfortable, as was the suction he felt on his eye. He compared the experience to going to the dentist to have a tooth drilled. With drugs it may not hurt at all, but the feeling and sound of having one's teeth worked on can be uncomfortable.

He said the procedure took about 10 minutes per eye. "About 10 minutes too long," he said.

What risks were you made aware of ahead of time?

He said he was made aware of the danger of infection and the possibility of problems with night vision. He stressed the risk of infection and said to him that was the greatest danger he faced.

Did you seek out the treatment, or was it suggested to you by a doctor?

The treatment was suggested to Pete by his parents. They did the research and found the doctor, Dr.George Waring, who they said was one of the first in this field.

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