Lasik Eyes Surgery - Why people recommend LASIK

Author

Why people recommend LASIK

2004-10-10, 10:08 pm

These qualitative studies are really fascinating. I think it is a good
sign there are more being done. It speaks to Dr. G's comments about
evaluating the trade-offs. About half of the people surveyed who
characterize their outcome as unsatisfactory would still recommend it to
a friend. Even though I had a good outcome (and I'm happy to tell you
about it), I would never recommend it to anyone. They may have
complications and I would feel terrible!

J Cataract Refract Surg 2004 Sep;30(9):1861-6. [In-Data-Review]

Reasons patients recommend laser in situ keratomileusis.

Bailey MD, Mitchell GL, Dhaliwal DK, Wachler BS, Olson MD, Shovlin JP,
Pascucci SE, Zadnik K.

Ohio State university college of Optometry, Columbus, OH, USA.

Purpose: To evaluate the reasons patients who have had laser in situ
keratomileusis (LASIK) recommend it to others and examine the disparity
between high levels of satisfaction and patient reports of night-vision
symptoms and/or dry eye after LASIK. Setting: Northeastern Eye
Institute, Scranton, and the university of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, and the university of California at Los Angeles, Los
Angeles, California, USA. Methods: Questionnaires assessing symptoms and
satisfaction after LASIK were mailed to 2100 patients. The
questionnaires included items about night-vision symptoms and
satisfaction and an open-ended question for patients to give their
reasons for recommending LASIK to others. The open-ended responses were
categorized and tabulated. Results: Four hundred thirty-four patients
provided reasons for recommending LASIK to others. Sixteen categories of
reasons were identified. "No more spectacles/contact lenses" was listed
by 180 patients (42%), followed by "better vision" (21%) and
"convenience" (15%). Women were significantly more likely to cite
"better comfort" (27 women versus 3 men; chi square = 8.99, P =.003) and
"better quality of life" (41 women versus 9 men; chi square = 7.36, P
=.007) as a reason for recommending LASIK. Of the 35 patients who
reported dissatisfaction with post-LASIK vision, 20 (57%) would
recommend LASIK to a friend because "LASIK helps others." Conclusions:
Categories of reasons for recommending LASIK to others were similar to
reasons given by patients for seeking LASIK. Some patients who reported
dissatisfaction with their vision said they would recommend LASIK,
suggesting that recommendation of LASIK to others is not necessarily a
measurement of the quality of a patient's vision after LASIK.

PMID: 15342047

Glenn - USAEyes.org

2004-10-11, 7:10 pm

This is one of those studies that has fodder for everyone, no matter
what their political position on LASIK. That IMO is the sign of a
good study. I look forward to the follow-up.

Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance

Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org

http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org

I am not a doctor.

imom Mentor Brenda

2004-10-13, 10:08 pm

I had my surgery done in June 2004. I would recommend it to anyone and do
every chance I get! I saw better than 20/20 the next day. I continue to see
beautifully. I have dry eyes, but that is something I can live with. My
children want the surgery done as soon as they reach the recommended age. I
would love to share what it was like for me with anyone interested. I took
nothing before surgery (as far as prep) nor did I take anything after surgery.
I had little discomfort.
Brenda Baker, imom Mentor
http://BrendaBaker.internetmoms.net

swake

2004-10-16, 10:08 pm

I had mine in August of 2002.
I was reading the 20/15 line the very next morning and I still can read it!
I had some mild discomfort (burning sensation) for about an hour after the
surgery but then it was otherwise fine. I intentially made my appointment
late in the day so I could just go home and rest for the night.

I remember when I went into the room for the surgery, there was a large
analog clock on the opposite wall. Couldn't read it at all, or even see the
minute or hour hands! After sitting up from chair when it was over I could
read the clock perfectly. The doctor said they put that clock there on
purpose and just about everyone comments on it when they sit up!

The surgery took about 15 minutes, the actual process on each eye was approx
3 minutes. The remaining minutes were pretty much just setup time. My wife
watched the whole thing from a TV screen just outside the room. I thought it
was so amazing during the procedure on each eye because as the laser fired I
could see better and better.

I also had dry eyes for about six months, but each month improved over the
last until that was gone. For the first couple weeks I went through
re-wetting drops like crazy.

I recommend it to everyone I can too. My boss just had it done with the same
doctor I used, he's very happy with the results too.

-scott