Laser eye surgery help

[Shakira]

Hello CP friends.

I have a few questions for you, any help you can give would be awesome.
Have any of you had laser eye surgery ?

Would you recommend it?

What doctor did you use?

How much did it cost?

Have you had any side effects?

How long were you away from work?


Thanks once again everyone. You guys are awesome

[Dan02]

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...ighlight=lasik

Theres a recent thread on the subject

[Deelow]

Would you recommend it? Yes

What doctor did you use? Lasik MD Calgary

How much did it cost? $1700 total

Have you had any side effects? Eyes were sensitive for about a week. Had to use drops for a month.

How long were you away from work? I think it was only a day or so. It was a short recovery.

[4X4]

I know at least 5 or 10 people that have had it and all of them swear by it. My eyes happen to be just fine, but if they weren't, and laser surgery was a potential solution, I'd be all over it because everyone that I've encountered that has had it, has good things to say.

[MelBridgeman]

I wish i could help, but alas i am not trained in the realm of laser eye surgery...otherwise i would....

[Azure]

Hesla is the local eye doctor.

[Knut]

Here are my thoughts, as an Optometrist.

Have any of you had laser eye surgery ? This is a question i get asked all the time in the office.... I WOULD get it done, if i was a candidate. Sadly my cornea is not thick enough.


Would you recommend it? Depends on your age, your prescription and financial considerations... For instance, If you are nearing, or in your 40's you will still need glasses for reading or computer after you get it done... so it may not be worth it then. Also... if you are under 20, wait a few years to ensure your eyes are not still changing.

What doctor did you use? - Deelow mentioned LasikMD before... they are OK if your prescription is pretty normal... if you have a significant amount of nearsightedness or Astigmatism i would recommend going to one of Gimbel (http://www.gimbel.com/) or Demong (http://demong.com/) .... These two are two of the top surgeons in North America and have very low complication rates. I always tell people to go to them first.

How much did it cost? LasikMD is probably from 1500 to 2500, for both eyes, depending on your prescription and the "bells and whistles" . Gimbel and Demong are from 3200 to 4500 for two eyes. HOWEVER !! cost should not be the deciding factor. Complication rates, and your level of comfort are important. It is your eyeballs, you dont get a redo if things go horribly wrong (which is rare).... Personally i would go to Demong or Gimbel and not even consider "discount" eye surgery.

Have you had any side effects? Side Effects are pretty rare nowadays.. most likely you may find your eyes get dry easier (it has to do with cutting corneal nerves) and some people experience halo's at night. Also do not expect perfect vision all the time... usually there is a little bit of residual nearsightedness or farsightedness.... that may mean that you could need a small prescpription for night driving or long hours of studying.

How long were you away from work? usually a day or two is all you will miss....


PM me if you want more info... i can even do you up a referral to Demong or Gimbel ...

[NuclearFart]

Is Gimbel still doing procedures? I heard he was winding down and letting the other optho's working at his practice do them. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but it might be worth noting if you must get the Gimbel.
________
Big brother forums

[Sample00]

I went to gimbel 10 years ago.
my eyesight was 20/400 in both eyes. or I believe it was -4.50 or something like that.
I have NEVER had even once ounce of problems and they told me that I would have a problem with starbursting during night driving because my pupils were too large. NOTHING, NADA, ZIP!
10 years later, I have 20/20 in one eye and 20/15 in the other. I am 44 years of age.
hope that helps
Gimbel is the best!!!! oh ya, total cost. 4000.00

[Shakira]

Originally Posted by Hesla

Here are my thoughts, as an Optometrist.

Have any of you had laser eye surgery ? This is a question i get asked all the time in the office.... I WOULD get it done, if i was a candidate. Sadly my cornea is not thick enough.


Would you recommend it? Depends on your age, your prescription and financial considerations... For instance, If you are nearing, or in your 40's you will still need glasses for reading or computer after you get it done... so it may not be worth it then. Also... if you are under 20, wait a few years to ensure your eyes are not still changing.

What doctor did you use? - Deelow mentioned LasikMD before... they are OK if your prescription is pretty normal... if you have a significant amount of nearsightedness or Astigmatism i would recommend going to one of Gimbel (http://www.gimbel.com/) or Demong (http://demong.com/) .... These two are two of the top surgeons in North America and have very low complication rates. I always tell people to go to them first.

How much did it cost? LasikMD is probably from 1500 to 2500, for both eyes, depending on your prescription and the "bells and whistles" . Gimbel and Demong are from 3200 to 4500 for two eyes. HOWEVER !! cost should not be the deciding factor. Complication rates, and your level of comfort are important. It is your eyeballs, you dont get a redo if things go horribly wrong (which is rare).... Personally i would go to Demong or Gimbel and not even consider "discount" eye surgery.

Have you had any side effects? Side Effects are pretty rare nowadays.. most likely you may find your eyes get dry easier (it has to do with cutting corneal nerves) and some people experience halo's at night. Also do not expect perfect vision all the time... usually there is a little bit of residual nearsightedness or farsightedness.... that may mean that you could need a small prescpription for night driving or long hours of studying.

How long were you away from work? usually a day or two is all you will miss....


PM me if you want more info... i can even do you up a referral to Demong or Gimbel ...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!


All of you!

[DuffMan]

A friend of mine flew up from Phoenix to Calgary to get it done at Gimbel, because in his words, "they are the best".

[Knut]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

Is Gimbel still doing procedures? I heard he was winding down and letting the other optho's working at his practice do them. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but it might be worth noting if you must get the Gimbel.

He still does quite a few, but the Optho's in his practice are top of the heap as it is seen as very prestigious to work there.

Dr. Kassab and Van Westerbrugge (sp?) are the others there that do an amazing job.

IT really comes down to equipment... Demong and Gimbel use the top of the line stuff.... replace everything every year. The used stuff ends up at the Lasik MDs etc.. Cutting edge and very friendly are what you hear most often from those two.

[Deelow]

Interesting info about Lasik MD. My eyes were actually pretty bad when I had them done....maybe I am lucky not to be having problems?

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Deelow

Interesting info about Lasik MD. My eyes were actually pretty bad when I had them done....maybe I am lucky not to be having problems?

I wouldnt say that..... Most of their surgeries go off without a hitch.... There is a reason that they are allowed to do the surgeries... they do meet the competency standards.

My personal feeling is that you should go to the best possible surgical center to get it done...

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Hesla

I wouldnt say that..... Most of their surgeries go off without a hitch.... There is a reason that they are allowed to do the surgeries... they do meet the competency standards.

My personal feeling is that you should go to the best possible surgical center to get it done...

Of course, that's code for "have you seen who has a driver's license these days?"...