The American Refractive Surgery Council posted a wonderful blog article about post LASIK patients and their experiences. Two of the patients highlighted in the article that were interviewed by the ARSC for their experience, happened to be two patients of ours who had LASIK at our clinic in Houston!
These individuals who recently elected to have LASIK spoke with the ARSC about their decision to have laser vision correction. You can read about their experiences below and the ARSC will continue to share more stories over the next several weeks.
“If life with glasses or contacts is less than ideal, you may be weighing your options for vision correction. Naturally, LASIK and other laser vision correction procedures come to mind. These safe and effective options are popular, but may not be recommended for everyone. Being an informed patient is an important part of the decision making process for any procedure. Everyone is different, but some find hearing about the experiences of others who have had the procedure to be very valuable when choosing to have laser vision correction.”
Sarah V., Working Mom
Sarah V. is a busy working mom of two young children. She had LASIK two years ago at Slade & Baker Vision in Houston and took some time with the ARSC to talk about her decision:
I first began thinking about LASIK when I began struggling with my contacts due to dry eyes. However, my optometrist actually advised against the procedure because of these same reasons. But I was still struggling with my symptoms, so I went to a new eye doctor who recommended taking a break from my contacts for a few weeks. While I didn’t love wearing glasses again, it gave my doctor the opportunity to really investigate what was causing my dry eye symptoms.
I was happy because financially LASIK makes so much sense, particularly when you think about how many more years you are going to have to buy glasses and contacts.
Turns out, it was my contact lenses. After treating the problem, my eye doctor cleared me for LASIK. I was happy because financially LASIK makes so much sense, particularly when you think about how many more years you are going to have to buy glasses and contacts. I also knew LASIK would also be a great time saver which matters a lot to me as a working mom.
I am still so grateful every day for my vision. Now my eyes feel fantastic and I don’t struggle with dryness even after many hours on the computer at work. With getting my kids ready for school in the morning, being able to just wake up and go is amazing.
Prentice S., Active Father
Prentice S. had LASIK two years ago. Today, he shares his thoughts on why he chose laser vision correction and how it has improved his quality of vision and life:
For me, the most important reason to move forward with LASIK was being able to wake up in the middle of the night and see. I’m a father of three young children, all under the age of 5, so it is a pretty frequent occurrence. You want to be able to get to your kids when they need you, not fumble around on your nightstand for glasses or worse, try a make your way blindly into their room. I also was really tired of the huge nuisance the constant, daily issues with correcting my vision. Traveling with contacts. Wearing glasses in the rain. I like to get outside. Cycling, rowing and other outdoor activities are my thing. And normally, contacts didn’t cause a problem – until they did. Trying to keep sterile clean hands to deal with contacts when you are in the outdoors is a real challenge. Work was an issue too. After spending hours in front of the computer, my eyes would get tired and my contacts would get uncomfortable. But if I had forgotten my glasses, I couldn’t take my contacts out.
The money was an important factor in this decision as well. We ran the numbers and thought: quality of life goes up plus we save money. It felt like it was too good to be true.
Of course, I had some trepidations, it is surgery after all, and you only have one set of eyes. You want it to be right. My surgeon and his staff at Slade & Baker Vision handled the procedure with such professionalism. I appreciate the fact they guided me through it all, answering all my questions so I was comfortable and confident in my decision. The recovery was much easier than I thought it would be.
It is great to be able to respond immediately to my kids in the middle of the night without scrambling for glasses. It is a huge improvement.
The experience of life after LASIK is pretty incredible. What surprises me the most is the clarity of my vision. Just two days after the procedure, I was at a restaurant and I was able to read a sign out of the window, down the road. It had to be a half mile away and I could see it crystal clear. I was shocked because even with contacts my vision was never that clear. I was amazed at how quickly my vision became truly excellent.
Today, there will still be times when I realize just how much more clearly I can see, often better than the people around me. It is great to be able to respond immediately to my kids in the middle of the night without scrambling for glasses. It is a huge improvement. I would be incredibly sad to go back to my vision the way it was having seen what life can be like being able to see so clearly. For me, LASIK was absolutely worth the investment and then some.
We thank both Sarah and Prentice for sharing their incredible experiences. Being in the world of Laser Vision Correction here at our office, we hear stories like this daily, where patients remember EXACTLY what it is they can see after surgery that they never noticed they couldn’t see before. For Prentice, it was that sign out of the window of the restaurant…or helping his children in the middle of the night. For some it is the leaves on the trees. If you are interested in what you could see better, or if you are struggling with dry eyes from your contact lenses like Sarah, please don’t hesitate or put it off any longer. Give us a call at 713-626-5544 and schedule a FREE LASIK screening at our office to see if you are a candidate!
