Recommendations for LASIK Eye surgery Doctor (Seattle, Bellevue: homes, to live, vs.)

[lisa1000]

Hi All,

Any recommendations for Lasik Eye Surgery Doctor in Redmond/Bellevue/Seattle area? Thanks

[homesinseattle]

Lisa, maybe you can help me with my courage too. I hear people say how wonderful the surgery turned out but once in awhile I hear a horror story about horrible post surgery complications and very dry eyes, something that the patient has to live with. I'm not sure i'm willing to take the risk.

[MafHoney]

I can't recommend Dr. Sharpe enough (Sharpe Vision in Bellevue). He did mine a couple years ago and the only regret I have is waiting so long to have it done.

They give you a valium beforehand to calm you down (and also to help you sleep later on), and he talked through every single step that was happening while I was in the room. It took maybe 10 minutes max, and I was on my way. Woke up a few hours later and I could SEE! I do have to use dry eye drops, but I had dry eye issues before the surgery so I knew that was a possibility.

[myname_isborat]

I am not sure if the technology has improved or not but I went to Dr. Shen at UW who is a high end eye surgeon 10 years ago, she did LASEK which is just scraping rather than cutting your eye and I still have dry eye issues today from the procedure that I have to manage. Better go to a few different people and ask a ton of questions. Do not cheap out!

[homesinseattle]

This kind of thing is what scares the hell out of me: http://lasikcomplications.com/

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

This kind of thing is what scares the hell out of me: http://lasikcomplications.com/

It should scare the hell out of you. I walked away at t-minus ten days in 2010. I went to "the best" refractive surgery doctor, a cornea specialist and Harvard grad based out of a Northgate practise. I'm sure she can be found again from those clues. Still, I didn't quite believe the platitudes.

Too, I correctly understood that I'd reached an age that I was trading one pair of glasses for another, being a presbyopic as well. That won't get better, only worse. Sure enough, the presbyopia is worse as one could expect at age 50 in my case.

Couple years ago, daily wear contacts came out that cover both presbyopia and distance. They actually work and are pretty comfortable. Been wearing them maybe five days/week, glasses the other two just for grins and comfort. That's a far-more intelligent decision vs. risking dry eyes or other complications permanently from severed corneal nerves of LASIK. The complication rate, while low, is unacceptable for someone who depends on good vision as I do.

Good luck with all that. Oh, and "just don't."

[AleeGee]

It's been almost four decades since the Lasik eye surgery(originally started in Russia) has been around, and my data is out of date, but I remember back then people saying it's best for people who don't really NEED it. For example, people who have gone beyond reading glasses into prescription lenses, and those with a small scrip(20/50, etc.). In fact, people like me with a major adjustment(20/450) came out blind, only being able to see colors.
Listen to the ads. They always say" The next day I could see better than before. My vision was 20/15". They never say " Two, three, ten years later my eyes are still at 20/20". That alone tells me something. Personally, I would never do it. I think glasses are sexy and fun, and there's so many tints and eyeglass frames to choose from, it's fun getting new glasses.
What about people with astigmatism, where your eye isn't a perfect sphere. How does that affect surgery?
Ultimately it's your decision, but I would never mess with my eyes.

[Cinema Cat]

Someday you might need cataract surgery. Cataracts often come with aging. Cataract surgery will then be necessary to avoid blindness. But like all eye surgeries, cataract surgery comes with risks and complications.

Those risks and complications are more likely if you've previously had Lasik surgery. This is because Lasik surgery weakens the cornea. Lasik surgery (any surgery) is a form of controlled injury. And a previously injured organ is more likely to incur complications in a subsequent injury.

Avoid unnecessary eye surgeries. That way, when you endure necessary eye surgeries, your eyes will heal more easily.