I'm probably going into this for the wrong reasons, but our insurance covers lasik until the end of 2005. I went for my consultation last week and they said I'm a candidate for one eye. I have an astigmatism in one eye, and wear glasses full time. However, its 20/30 vision in that eye and I'm just afraid of going through with the surgery in case I end up with worse vision. They are only guaranteeing 20/40 vision after the surgery....

Its tough not to do it though when its covered by insurance :( Any objective advice?

Shamrock,
I can't tell if you made a typo. Are you saying that the eye you are getting operated on is 20/30 and they are planning on giving you a surgery to make it 20/40? Or are you 20/300 in that eye? Because, if you are 20/30 and they are saying they will do the surgery to correct it to 20/40, I am afraid you have a quack for a doctor. First of all, they won't do a surgery on someone with better than 20/40. If you have 20/30, you have pretty good eyesight. You don't even legally need lenses to drive with 20/30. And, if they said they can "correct" it to 20/40, I hate to tell you this but, that means they will be making your sight worse.

But, if you are a 20/300 in that eye, 20/40 will be magnificent for you and I say go for it!

It all just depends on the info you gave us to work with!

Please clarify and then we'll be able to provide you with better advice!
Take care!

Hi,

Wow, I love it when I hear that some insurance companies are covering part of the surgery. My company just switched insurance companies and will cover a chunk of it, but of course, I had the surgery in September when I was on another plan. I have to tell you this though, I paid $3500 for both eyes and it was worth every cent. My contacts were -5.25 and 5.5 and now I am seeing 20/20 in both. My vision has fluctuated from time to time between 20/30 or 20/40, but it stabilizes. I do have a little bit of dry eye in the morning, but that's about it. I rarely use tear drops and I have almost no glare at night.

If you really are considering the surgery, I'd say go for it. It definitely was one of the best things I ever did.

If you have any questions, ask this board -- they were really helpful when I had my surgery.

- Z

I'm sorry my msg was confusing :confused:

I currently have 20/30 astigmatism and I was wondering if its worth the effort since my eye isn't that horrible (other eye has 20/20). The dr said I'm a great candidate, blah blah but I'm just afraid they want to operate for the money. I do wear glasses and contacts for one eye, and the surgery would eliminate that. However, I'm not sure its worth the risk if my eyesight isn't that bad. Make sense? Its just tough not to do it when its covered by insurance, and my deadline is 12/31/05!!

Thanks for responding, I really appreciate it!

I would recommend that you think hard before you have the surgery. Your eyesight is actually pretty good. You might end up with worse vision in that eye b/c there are no guarentees with lasik. It can be really great for some people and others can have some serious problems. If you are pretty happy with your eyes right now then I wouldn't mess with them.

Missy

I'm sorry my msg was confusing :confused:

I currently have 20/30 astigmatism and I was wondering if its worth the effort since my eye isn't that horrible (other eye has 20/20). The dr said I'm a great candidate, blah blah but I'm just afraid they want to operate for the money. I do wear glasses and contacts for one eye, and the surgery would eliminate that. However, I'm not sure its worth the risk if my eyesight isn't that bad. Make sense? Its just tough not to do it when its covered by insurance, and my deadline is 12/31/05!!

Thanks for responding, I really appreciate it!


Shamrock,
I would suggest that you go check out a few other places that do the surgery to get some other opinions. The only reason that I can see you getting the surgery is to correct for the astigmatism since your sight is actually pretty good. But, I don't know how high your astigmatism is. So, if it is only minor, you may just scrap the idea. I know wearing contacts and glasses can be a pain but, like Missy said, you could end up doing more harm than good with as good as that eye is already. They may over correct which could be really uncomfortable. I would seriously check out other doctors to get some more opinions and if even one of them says that it isn't a great idea for you, than I would listen!

I know that it is closing in on your deadline but, deadline or no deadline...this is your eyesight we are discussing. Take that decision seriously and get all the info you can get before you make it!

Take care and let us know what you decide!

I agree with Missy. If your eyes are really not that bad, then why risk the chance of having something go wrong with your surgery. The doctors are pretty greedy, so I'm sure that is why they are encouraging you to do it. However, it is not their decision, it is yours. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, then please don't jump into it just because it is payed for by insurance. Your eyes are very important, and you only get one pair.

First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for your insightful and objective advice! I learned more from you than through the hour long consultation- only 5 minutes of which was spent with the dr.

After sending over multiple questions to my dr., I decided not to go throught with the procedure. Apparently I'm not even a candidate because I am actively trying to get pregnant (why they didn't ask me this at my appointment, I have no clue). What's even scarier is what would have happened if I did get prego after the surgery, since they never addressed that issue.

Anyhow, thanks again for the advice, and hopefully I can get it done some day in the future when my needs are more pressing and I'm more comfortable with lasik.

Shamrock,

I'm very glad that we were able to help you make an informed decision. Good luck with everything!!

Missy