Had my consultation yesterday and everything is good to go. I had been leaning towards wavefront because of everything that I had read but after my exam they recommended the regular LASIK. They stated that if you do not currently have any problems with glare/halos (which I don’t) with contacts/glasses that wavefront would not be necessary. Anyone else heard this? They did say however that I could go to their other office for a wavefront scan if I’d like? Should I?
Thoughts?
Also, cost of LASIK is $1300/eye with one year of enhancements (if necessary). $1500/eye for free lifetime enhancements
Wavefront…$2000/eye, one year - $2200/eye, lifetime…how does this compare to others?
In my experience those centres who do not promote wavefront are the ones who don’t have the capacity to do it. It is true that not all pts will benefit from wavefront. It depends on your pupil size in light and dark conditions, your prescription, your age, your corneal contour, etc., etc. The laser centre that I deal mostly with has decided to do wavefront on everybody. They feel better knowing that their pts are getting the best possible surgical outcome even though it is likely overkill for some of them.
Some guidelines: if you have large pupils or a pretty significant Rx (> -4.00) I would likely opt for the wavefront. At least get the scan done and have them look at the results for you.
Sorry, can’t comment much on fees since I’m in Canada. Up here you can have LASIK done for as little as $400 per eye and as much as $1800 an eye and you tend to get what you pay for.
They have the capacity, 3 offices within a 40-50 mile radius (I’m near Washington, DC). But only 2 of the offices have the wavefront equipment.
I guess my issue is that I’ll pay the money if I can benefit from wavefront…but don’t just want to get wavefront because it’s the latest & greatest…I have a Rx of -5.00 (left) & -4.75 (right) and average sized pupils.
Lucky you. I went for a Lasik consult a few weeks ago and found out I was not a candidate. It had something to do with my vision be functional (better that 20/35), the degree and location of my astigmatism, and my focussing ability. The Dr. told me that I could definitely find someone else who would do the surgery, but then I need to ask myself if the risk/cost is worth “reading the next line on the eye chart.”
Slowbern touches on a very important point. Good questions to ask are “What makes a good candidate versus a bad candidate?” “How often do you recommend that a prospective patient not do LASIK (whether wavefront or ‘regular’)?”
As Slowbern’s doctor said, there will be doctors who will do LASIK on a patient whom another doctor has advised is not a good candidate or would not receive a benefit that outweighs cost and risk. Better to go with a doctor who is more cautious than one who accepts all who come in through the door.
Nicely said. Definitely err on the side of caution. Anyone who tells you that they have had no problems with a procedure is to be avoided. They either haven’t done enough of them to encounter a problem or they are hiding something.
Chuck - with your Rx I think wavefront would likely be beneficial but it’s hard to make that call from here. Another thing to consider is the option of PRK over LASIK. Most surgeons are leaning back toward PRK (with wavefront) as their first choice treatment because of the decreased associated risk and fewer dry eye problems. My last treatment choice is usually PRK WITHOUT wavefront as the treatment area is usually significantly samller leading to more potential for haloes, etc.
Hey Chuck, I would recommend you at least have the wavescan…from this they will be able to objectively tell the amount of aberrations your eye produces when light travels through it… These can be quantified.
If you dont have many…then maybe regular Lasik will work fine
There are risk factors associated with the risk of glare, halo, etc…but these are not absolute. Pupil size, amount of prescription, size of ablation zone of laser, etc
No one can tell you this without the wavescan. Another benefit of custom is the abililty to induce less aberration at the time of surgury, whether it is PRK or LAsik…what this means is it is less likely that you will have more trouble at night, glare, halo, decreased contrast, etc. What this means is there is a better CHANCE of you having better QUALITY vision after your procedure.
I would at least pursue custom abit…and dont let someone just tell you…'you dont need it…"
To any friend or family member I would recommend custom over Standard Lasik, no doubt.
Chuck, the difference of $700 per eye is tiny compared to the value of your eyes. I could not possibly put a price tag on my eyes. So if $700 buys you less risk then I would do it, even if the decrease is tiny.
Having said this, I decided not to have lasik done on my eyes until the technology improves. Did they give you the percentages of persons who have side effects? it’s not small - some side effects are as high as 10% of all patients, if I remember correctly. 10%, or even 5%, is unacceptable risk to me when it comes to my eyes.
When I last had the exam it was 5 years ago. The technology and procedures have improved significantly since then. I figure in another 5 years I’ll be ready to look into again, and prices should even be cheaper by then. Let them work the bugs out of the risks.
OK…they are going to do the wavefront scan the day of the surgery, review the results, then let me know if the Wavefront technolgy will be beneficial. The doctor did tell me though that my pupils are rather small and typically people with larger pupils are the ones that require wavefront…
Paid $3,500 for Wavefront LASIK (both eyes). They should be able to tell you if you need the Wavefront. Gernerally it’s for people with astigmatism as it helps reduce the occurence of halos and blur at night.
Chuck, I had my 1 year check up yesterday…I had wavefront and couldnt be happier. Seeing 20/15 now. No problems with glare, halos, etc. The cost was about the same as yours. Good luck!
Well, had LASIK surgery on Friday afternoon. Ended up going with “regular” LASIK not wavefront. Had the wavefront scan done and the high order abberations came in at under 3%, the doctor recommended “regular” LASIK for most patients under 10%. So, I went with the advice of the doctor. The procedure was very quick, however the second eye was a bit more uncomfortable than the first eye??? Pretty cool to watch it on TV!!!
Quite a bit of burning & irritation Friday night. They gave me a valium before surgery but that didn’t do a thing so I took a couple Tylenol PM later that night and that zonked me out! Woke up at 4:30AM and could not believe the difference in how I felt. Very little discomfort and my vision was GREAT! Went back in for my check up and things were 20/20.