^ have you stated where you had yours done? I didn't see it in this thread

1/4/2008 1:19:59 PM

My mom also went to Duke and got hers done Dr. Carlson. She's 20/20 now. She has it done about 9 years ago.

I went last year to Duke's office in Winston Salem. My vision is 20/15 now

Also you can use your FSA to help save some money.

[Edited on January 4, 2008 at 7:40 PM. Reason : ]

1/4/2008 7:37:26 PM

bttt

9/23/2008 2:23:04 PM

k so since the other thread was locked...

How much is lasik going for now?

I have an appointment at the end of the week at NC Eye and Ear to see if I'm eligible just yet (for the past 3 years I haven't been due to my astigmatism).

Their price is $2195 per eye at that office, and I thought that was pretty darn high considering I've heard people who've gotten it done for $1500 per eye, but I also haven't really looked around at prices, so I figured maybe some of you could shead some light on how much it may have cost you.

Also, anyone else have lasik done with a cylinder (astigmatism) as high as -4.50 in both eyes? I'm not talking about the sphere, just the cylinder - my spherical is about +4.00 in both eyes

I also looked up some info on the equipment they use and the machine can only treat up to -5.00 diopters, which makes me borderline - is it worth the risk??

9/23/2008 3:14:39 PM

that price seems very high -- i paid $1500 per eye over six years ago and i assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that the price had decreased

sounds like you might be paying a premium for the more high end machine?

9/23/2008 8:10:49 PM

well thats what I figured, but its the same base price for everyone and they have 3 different machines that they use and the price is the same for even PRK - the doctor is the same man who did my grandfather's cataract surgery and his father did my grandmother's cataract surgery, so I know he is highly experienced, but I just thought the price was pretty darn high and I didn't know if this was the same price around the Triangle

9/23/2008 9:45:08 PM

i had lasik done at TLC in charlotte mar 08 and am 20/20 in both eyes.....it was right under 4k for the operation. if i wanted to it could have been cheaper around 950-1200 per eye. however, the cheaper version comes with no "lifetime commitment", and the 4k one does. so as long as I go to the eye doctor once a year (tlc pays for the first like 5 visits), then later on down the road if i need a "touch-up", it is free.

-also the cheaper versions of the procedure are done with the older technology (at least that was the case in charlotte), however, in 1999 the technology was pretty good. it was basically a machine using an actual blade to cut the flap and then the lasik would take over, and now it is the laser doing all the work

9/23/2008 11:36:06 PM

Quote :

"I had it done and love it. It was one of the greatest things/investments I've been done in my opinion. I love not having to worry about glasses or contacts anymore...or at least until I am older."

Only thing is I have naturally dry eyes so I have to do eye drops for longer than most, and it was 1700/eye at Wake Forest University Medical in W-S.

9/23/2008 11:48:35 PM

^^ Yeah, I know NC Eye and Ear uses IntraLase

Quote :

"With the IntraLase method, pulses of laser light create your corneal flap, which is then lifted so the next step of LASIK—the reshaping of your cornea—can be performed. When your LASIK treatment is over, the flap is securely repositioned into place. This bladeless, computer-guided technology is 100% more accurate than most of the mechanical microkeratomes (hand-held devices with a thin metal blade) that surgeons may also use to create a corneal flap. "

Their machine is called a VISX CustomVue, which I've read and compared it to the other machines out there and it is the best for heavy astigmatism

I would love to have 20/20 vision and with a rate of 98% it seems promising - but I feel like I would fit in with that 2% that doesn't turn out the way they expected. I can't even read 20/20 with the glasses or contacts I wear, so I'm skeptical.

9/24/2008 12:39:54 AM

^then how do you read, with it pushed up against your face?

my eyes are -6.00 and -6.50, doh. Still, when I get into a better financial situation I need to check this out again.

9/24/2008 7:49:16 AM

I got my PRK done at LASIK plus in Charlotte back in 2003. I was 20/15 in both eyes for a while but my left eye has somehow gotten better and my right eye has gotten worse. My left eye is now 20/13 and my right eye is 20/25. This sucks now because even though my combined vision is 20/20, I get headaches randomly because of the difference in eyesights. If my left eye was only 20/20 then I'd be fine.

So now that my right is 20/25, that is not enough to warrant using my free touch up, so I guess I have to wait a few years and see if gets worse.



[Edited on September 24, 2008 at 10:18 AM. Reason : ]

9/24/2008 10:17:31 AM

^^ I do have to have whatever I'm reading within a 6 inches or I can't read it (for newspapers, prints and text on computers) but larger text like on signs doesn't really bother me - night time is so hard for me, I have the hardest time attempting to read signs, yet none of the doctors have ever found anything wrong with my eyes (even specialists) other than my astigmatism is high

9/24/2008 10:35:12 AM

so what are other ways to save on the cost? i have to check with my insurance to see if they cover a portion....also FSA seems like a good route...anything helps!

9/24/2008 2:02:01 PM

is there any way for them to knock you out and do it?

i want to get it done but don't think there's any way in hell i'd be able to be awake through it

i can't even wear contacts i'm so twitchy about my eyes

9/24/2008 8:47:42 PM

as far as I know they cant - they give you a valium and then some numbing drops and thats about it

on an up note - i went to the seminar tonite that NC Eye and Ear had and got a certificate for $400 off each eye if I get it done, so I set an appt for Friday to see if I'm eligible this time (hopefully) and can get it done as early as next week

also, they have the Intralase method so the laser cuts the flap instead of having to use a blade, which gives better accuracy

9/24/2008 10:02:11 PM

I had mine done at Carolina Eye in Concord ~5 years ago. It was only about 800/eye, but that was a winter special though. The doctor had did about 10k procedures and did a very good job.

My vision was pretty bad (-6.50) but they corrected it to 20/20 with 1 procedure. I would definetly recommend them again. Christenberry wanted over 4k to do it because of how bad my vision was.

^^They hold your eye in place so that you can't twitch.

9/24/2008 10:38:57 PM

Quote :

"I got my PRK done at LASIK plus in Charlotte back in 2003. I was 20/15 in both eyes for a while but my left eye has somehow gotten better and my right eye has gotten worse. My left eye is now 20/13 and my right eye is 20/25. This sucks now because even though my combined vision is 20/20, I get headaches randomly because of the difference in eyesights. If my left eye was only 20/20 then I'd be fine. So now that my right is 20/25, that is not enough to warrant using my free touch up, so I guess I have to wait a few years and see if gets worse. "

That's what I would be worried about. And you only receive one free touch up? I thought these places that had a lifetime guarantee would touch it up as many times as needed for free

9/25/2008 9:22:25 AM

No it is only one time that I get a free redo. But I think it is discounted or something if I get it done again. This was back in 2003 though so the plans might have changed now.

[Edited on September 25, 2008 at 9:40 AM. Reason : ]

9/25/2008 9:40:02 AM

TLC did a great job on my dads eyes and the doctors were wonderful

an impatient douche did my moms eyes and cut them wrong, ill find out his name for you

9/25/2008 1:42:34 PM

I had mine done at LASIK Plus here in Raleigh. I think they are fantastic. The only problem I had was really dry eyes afterwards, but that was my fault as I was not using the drops enough. I had it done almost exactly 1 year ago and there has been no change in my vision at all. My vision was awful, my contacts were -6.75 and -7.25. Because my vision was so bad it was on the more expensive side, but I did get a discount for scheduling the procedure the day that I had the evaluation done and another one because of my insurance company affiliation. I got great follow up care and personal attention. I had halos for a couple of months and my eyes were more sensitive to glare when I went skiing this winter but those issues cleared up with time.

Things to consider:
How many procedures has the doctor who will be doing your procedure done?
What the Lifetime Acuity Plan (free touch ups) covers and what the conditions are.
Are you a candidate for LASIK or PRK or some other procedure? Some procedures are a little more risky than others.
If you don't plan to stay in Raleigh forever this is a great company to go with because they have offices in lots of places for touch ups or whatever you need down the road.


I know that there are tons of people that recommend that you go to the biggest and best named clinic around but honestly if they push you off on a fellow or resident you are really taking a risk. I would much rather have an experienced doctor cutting on my cornea.

9/25/2008 9:36:58 PM

so I went in for my evaluation today and I'm eligible now I'm getting it done on the 7th and I'm hoping it goes well, which the doctor has assured me that it will - I like how they use the Intralase so the flap is cut with a laser instead of a blade and how they have free touch ups for life - on one good note, my astigmatism isnt as bad as it was last year (by almost 1 diopter in both eyes) so it shouldn't be as hard to correct my eyes now that the cylinder is -3.5 - ill let you all know how it goes!

9/26/2008 8:18:58 PM

oh and I forgot to add price wise, I'm getting both eyes done for $3500 which is over $900 off due to the seminar I went to and lifetime free touchups if needed - I'm so excited! Tuesday isn't getting here fast enough!

it really sucks though that they give you a script for Vigamox (antibiotic eyedrops) to get before you come in for the surgery, and I'm thinking, shoot, it will be like $30 or so, pffft $108 for 3ml - the tiniest little bottle of drops in the world!

[Edited on October 4, 2008 at 12:56 AM. Reason : ]

10/4/2008 12:55:19 AM

you're spending $3500 for a surgery, what's another $108?

10/4/2008 10:38:17 AM

i've had vigamox prescribed to me - i just paid my typical amount at the pharmacy - maybe your plan just doesn't cover it?

10/4/2008 10:43:52 AM

I don't have any insurance, so its all out of pocket - and I'm going to pay for the surgery over 5 years, so its not going to hit me all at one time, thats why the eyedrops just made my jaws drop - I just really didn't think it would be that expensive, but its worth it

10/4/2008 1:12:24 PM

So my surgery is done with. I haven't been able to rest like they told me to because I'm not tired, but I can see fairly well. Everything is still blurry, but I can see a bit of improvement. The surgery was a piece of pie - the only thing that was uncomfortable was the Intralase suction and when they ripped tape off of my eyelashes, but other than that I was fine.

10/7/2008 7:55:29 PM

congrats

10/7/2008 8:16:41 PM

Woke up this morning SO happy - I can type now without squinching! Yesterday was harder because I was still blurry and I ended up going cross-eyed everytime I tried to see a letter. But today, I feel like its perfect already. I know its going to improve a lot from this, which makes me even more excited. I just can't believe how its not hurting, its not dry, my eyes aren't swollen (I have a little red spot in one, but its not bothering me), and its just amazing. I wish I could have gotten this done years ago, lol

10/8/2008 12:10:15 PM

bttt

5/13/2009 9:12:46 PM

I started looking into this because ohmygodIfinallyhavehealthinsurance, and there is some marginal coverage for lasik. There are three discount options available, and the most expensive of the three (i.e., smallest discount) is what will be used.

I'm thinking that if I do this, I'd go the custom route, because of a lazy eye, and moderately bad myopia...those + custom = more peace of mind. I don't mind them using a real blade instead of a laser, so no need to pay for interlase. That, and from what I read, going the custom route reduces some of the contrast issues.

The three options at that level are the Usual and Customary Discount of 25%, %5 off advertisement specials, or the fixed pricing of $1500/eye.

The partner on this program is Davis Vision. Are they worth even trying to deal with, or is this a mutual back-scratching agreement?

Also, all the free followup visits and future procedures must occur within 4 months of the original surgery, and what I have found while researching seems to say that a year is the typical time range for these. Another strike against Davis?

The other thing is that I don't want perfect vision. I love having glasses. I'd just like to be able to function without them



[Edited on May 13, 2009 at 9:39 PM. Reason : wsdfg]

5/13/2009 9:36:26 PM

4 months is BS. When I got my PRK done I was seeing them for a year afterward until they turned me over to a regular optometrist. Have you looked around for any reviews of this Davis Vision place? Just out of curiosity, why do you like wearing glasses so much? If it is just because you like the way it looks, couldn't you just get a pair of frames with no prescription in them?

5/14/2009 11:08:25 AM

I still really want to do this

5/14/2009 12:11:57 PM

My wife is thinking about getting this done over the summer. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start searching for information, and more importantly, if there's a place to get information about each office in the area, what equipment they have, etc without calling around. I guess their websites will have this information.

Again, if people have had a positive experience at their place, please give a shoutout if they haven't already. We'll be looking into the highly recommended ones probably a little more than the others.

5/14/2009 12:21:57 PM

i was going to get lasik done at the end of may but i'm holding off a bit now due to it being pool season down in ATL and i live at the pool once it opens

if everything goes right it's just a few weeks without going under but i'm not in a huge rush so i'm waiting until prob jan of next year now to pay for it via an HSA

5/14/2009 12:26:56 PM

pool season's a great time to get it done -- or at least enjoying pool season and swimming a week or two after without having to worry about glasses/contacts/blurry vision

5/14/2009 1:19:07 PM

What I read online was to stay away from pools and hot tubs for 8 weeks after surgery.

Quote :

"Have you looked around for any reviews of this Davis Vision place? "

I have...either they're not out there, or I don't know where to look. I just kept getting miscellaneous pages about Davis

Quote :

"Just out of curiosity, why do you like wearing glasses so much"

They're an accessory, like shoes.
I look infinitely better with glasses than without (and I need lots of help there )
I feel naked without my glasses.

I could go the no rx glasses way, but that's such a poseur route

5/14/2009 1:33:13 PM

hmm, i had mine done end of april '02 and went on a cruise after graduation (went swimming and scuba diving) a month later with no problem (and was definitely hanging out at the pool a week or two after)

i just looked at the post-op guidelines online for TLC (where i had mine done) and they say to avoid swimming and hot tubs for one week

certainly best to err on the side of caution, just throwing my experience out there (and swimming/diving without having to worry about my contacts that first summer was one of the best parts of lasik for me)

5/14/2009 1:45:27 PM

ambrosia - I'm not sure I'd trust a place that only would do check ups for 4 months - I'm going for my 6 month checkup next week and I still have a yearly checkup to go also. I was told that I get free touchups if my eyes are ever worse than 20/40 again. I would go with a place that you can trust.

5/14/2009 1:52:11 PM

I'm seriously starting to consider this, and am looking for a spot in Greensboro.

Do any places locally offer the free touch ups for life? I looked at TLC, Shapiro eye care, and selkin lasik but can't tell from the websites...

Do any of you know anyone that's had it done in Greensboro?

5/18/2009 9:22:04 PM

bttt

i got lasik about a month ago and my wife got it this past friday

huge fan of it

11/24/2009 9:52:24 PM

I'm gettin Lasik done at Travers lasik off of blue ridge the first of December. Anyone have any experiences there? Also, I am looking for personal experiences as far as the actual surgery goes. like I know they numb your eyes and what not, but how hard is it to keep your eye still during the actual laser treatment? or is that a non-issue? I guess I just dont want to freak out and have them blind me (although I'm not scared/freaked out/ or whatever as of right now)

11/24/2009 11:02:25 PM

^the laser tracks your eye movements mkcarter. It wont shoot if you arent lined up right. No worries.

11/25/2009 12:03:16 AM

there is no worry of your eyes moving - at least from what i saw - they clamp the shit out of it when they cut the flap and it's basically numbed up from then on out

here's the whole process as i remember it and saw my wife have done a few days ago
lay down and have eyelashes/lids taped
some sort of weird clamp placed on 1 eye
rotate you to flap cutter
intense suction - sort of feels like your eye is being sucked out but no real pain just some discomfort
everything goes black in the 1 eye ofrom what i assume is the blood being cut off
30s-1min
they take the suction off
rotate you back and make sure all is well
dr. peels flap back
you have no real vision at this point - try to focus on the red dot in the center that keeps moving
they tell you to be real still - no talking or moving
laser starts - it's pretty loud
you will smell burning but no pain - it's weird knowing that the burning smell is your eye though
1-2min
done with first eye - repeat
you will be able to see immediately although it will be very hazy - after a few hours rest you'll be able to see almost perfectly
sleep
wake up the next day and you can see about as good as when you wore contacts/glasses - over the next month the side effects begin to go away (hopefully completely) and all is well

you'll put eye drops / tears in like it's going out of style - if you don't like putting drops in by the end of the first month you'll be fine with it - your eyes will be dry for quite some time but it goes away after a while

they say you can't rub your eyes for the first few weeks - for the first week this is the most important

the whole process from when i walked in the room and left was 15min. for me and about 20 for my wife

11/25/2009 8:16:01 AM

Quote :

"you will smell burning but no pain - it's weird knowing that the burning smell is your eye though"

mmmmm, that's a pleasant thought.....

11/25/2009 10:14:53 AM

Had my surgery yesterday, and everything went great. I have minimal dryness and I am seeing about 20/15! A++ would do again

12/5/2009 12:04:53 PM

^^^^ Thank you for sharing your experience. I appreciate it. Makes me somewhat reconsider it considering a freakin laser is cutting into my eye, but then again, I'm ready to do away with these glasses...

1/13/2010 6:58:05 AM

down with glasses/contacts!!!!

1/13/2010 12:29:17 PM

oddball question. did anyone who wore contacts for some time (5+) years who did the surgery ever feel like their eyes were more susceptible to debris and dust getting in there or is it about the same? im looking to get corrective surgery in the future once my eyes stabilize but have grown accustomed to having what is basically a lightweight dirt shield in each eye. Granted its a bitch with contacts during allergy season but otherwise it protects my cornea moreso.

1/13/2010 2:20:28 PM

^I never had that problem after I got surgery.

1/13/2010 3:38:58 PM

my mom went to Duke opthamology about three years ago and got lasek (note the E, which is supposed to be more painful but has better end results than lasik) and she ended up seeing more than twice as badly as she did before the surgery...

probably not commonplace but it does happen and now she can't even read the check at restaurants

1/13/2010 3:42:28 PM