Lasik Question

[Dr.Gonzo]

I really have no question that the standard Lasik is worth dropping $1500 on. My real dilema is the custom cornea procedure. Is it worth the extra $2000+ to have this done too? I've talked to a few people that opted for standard Lasik and are extremely happy with the results and have no regrets about passing on the custom cornea thing. I haven't heard from anyone who's had it though. Any thoughts or experiences on this?

[Reggie Cleveland]

Shoulda listened to the nuns, dude.

[BringBackZezel]

What Would Jared Do.

[Jack Sparrow]

I want to get it done. I am waiting for the long term effects. I mean, they dont know what could happen. People could go blind in 20 years. Peoples eyes could fall out in 15 years. Or in reality, they might need it again, and I dont think it can be done more than once.

Hell, I could die tomorrow, might as well see better than perfect today!

Is it worth the risk of maybe wearing glasses or contacts in 10 years after this?

I want to get this done, but am scared about it. Who would you go to have it done?Peppos is by far the best, but pricey.

Gonzo, a little more info on this.......

My real dilema is the custom cornea procedure.

please. Not sure what it is.

[cardinalgirl]

I can see better since I got lasik than before when I had to deal with glasses or contacts.

I have 20/20 in my left eye and 20/15 in my right eye now.

It was the best money I ever spent. Best.

I don't know what custom corneal thing is.

[Dr.Gonzo]

The custom cornea is like an enhanced lasik procedure. As it was explained to me, in standard lasik, they peel back a flap of your eye and shape it according to the average shape needed for people with your prescription, age, etc. With the custom lasik, they do the same thing, but prior to surgery they map all the imperfections in YOUR cornea then shape it according to that. So instead of a generic fix, it's a fix based only on the abarations in your own cornea.

I don't think safety is an issue. Most things that could go wrong either haven't happened to anyone in the US, or that happen at a rate of <5 for every 10,000. Pretty safe really. One place, TLC, told me they had a lifetime guarentee on their work. So if at any point in my life I needed it to be fixed, they would fix it free. The other place I am considering offers the same thing, but for 1 year after surgery. They say that most people can only handle one procedure and one touch up because the cornea is not regenerative. They insisted that if you needed a touch-up done, it would happen in that first year.

I'm not worried about the procedure at all, just which one to get. Here are the two quotes I've gotten so far.

TLC (Custom, they don't really offer standard anymore) - $1900/eye
Clarkson (custom) $1695/eye
Clarkson (standard) $750/eye


I just don't know what to do. $1500 is alot of money, but I'm comfortable spending it to get this done. When we start talking about $2k more, I get hesitant.

[Dr.Gonzo]

Originally posted by cardinalgirl@Mar 30 2004, 04:10 PM
I can see better since I got lasik than before when I had to deal with glasses or contacts.

I have 20/20 in my left eye and 20/15 in my right eye now.

It was the best money I ever spent. Best.

I don't know what custom corneal thing is.

Where did you go CG? Everyone I've talked to that has been as happy as you have gone to one place. Just curious if that will hold up.

[Jack Sparrow]

I always go by this.....

If you are going to spend a chunk of money, you may as well get the best thing or exactly what you want.

Those are huge price differences, but why spend 750/eye if you think you will be more happy and more assured with something that is 1500/eye or more?

[Dr.Gonzo]

Originally posted by JackSparrow@Mar 30 2004, 04:20 PM
I always go by this.....

If you are going to spend a chunk of money, you may as well get the best thing or exactly what you want.

Those are huge price differences, but why spend 750/eye if you think you will be more happy and more assured with something that is 1500/eye or more?

Because I don't know that it's that much better. This is my problem.

[BringBackZezel]

Why spend even $750 per eye?


I have a laser pointer and a real steady hand. All I ask for is a six pack before and an six pack after.

[BurnKU]

Originally posted by Dr.Gonzo@Mar 30 2004, 04:17 PM
The custom cornea is like an enhanced lasik procedure. As it was explained to me, in standard lasik, they peel back a flap of your eye and shape it according to the average shape needed for people with your prescription, age, etc. With the custom lasik, they do the same thing, but prior to surgery they map all the imperfections in YOUR cornea then shape it according to that. So instead of a generic fix, it's a fix based only on the abarations in your own cornea.

I don't think safety is an issue. Most things that could go wrong either haven't happened to anyone in the US, or that happen at a rate of <5 for every 10,000. Pretty safe really. One place, TLC, told me they had a lifetime guarentee on their work. So if at any point in my life I needed it to be fixed, they would fix it free. The other place I am considering offers the same thing, but for 1 year after surgery. They say that most people can only handle one procedure and one touch up because the cornea is not regenerative. They insisted that if you needed a touch-up done, it would happen in that first year.

I'm not worried about the procedure at all, just which one to get. Here are the two quotes I've gotten so far.

TLC (Custom, they don't really offer standard anymore) - $1900/eye
Clarkson (custom) $1695/eye
Clarkson (standard) $750/eye


I just don't know what to do. $1500 is alot of money, but I'm comfortable spending it to get this done. When we start talking about $2k more, I get hesitant.

At Clarkson I know it depends on your prescritption. It starts at $750 per eye. They told me one of my eyes would be $750 and the other would be more.

[Jack Sparrow]

Read the fine print in the TLC part about guarenteeing it for life.

There has to be a catch.

If that turns out to be legit, you might want to do it.

And those people that say...."if something needs to be done it will need to be done in the first year" are full of shit. They just want you to say...."wow, one year deal is a GREAT deal".

They want your money

[Dr.Gonzo]

Originally posted by JackSparrow@Mar 30 2004, 04:24 PM
Read the fine print in the TLC part about guarenteeing it for life.

There has to be a catch.

If that turns out to be legit, you might want to do it.

It has to be a degradation in sight of over .50( i think) , and it can not have been caused by stuff like glaucoma, cateracts, etc. That's the only stipulations.

[ironman]

Do it yourself.

[Jack Sparrow]

Originally posted by Dr.Gonzo@Mar 30 2004, 04:31 PM
It has to be a degradation in sight of over .50( i think) , and it can not have been caused by stuff like glaucoma, cateracts, etc. That's the only stipulations.

Hmmmmm. the last part was expected.

The first part is a question.

How big of a difference would .25 - .49 be? Honsetly? I dont know.

Is tlc the one you want?