Laser Eye Surgery: Taking the Plunge

I'm shortsighted and have worn contact lenses since I was 18. They work pretty well, but it's a drag putting them in every morning and taking them out every evening. In addition, they don't correct vision as well as glasses and I can't open my eyes when swimming underwater. So after tracking the progress of laser eye surgery for many years, I've finally decided to take the plunge.

I'm going to use Dr. John Baldinger in Virginia who utilizes the latest technology called Allegretto Wave Custom LASIK. This performs a much higher resolution correction than previous approaches, as well as avoiding problems such as reduced night vision. The surgery takes about 15 minutes and costs about $5,000. The surgery is scheduled for the end of April, and I'll blog the results.

Comments

[Mark Griffin]

Good luck Graham. I'm taking the plunge as well. My evaluation appointment is this week. It's amazing how far they have come with this. I think this will help me write better software. :)

[Klobetime]

I had this done in January ( by Dr. Wong at the Eyes of Texas Laser Center: http://www.texas2020.com ) and it was a huge success. Fast, painless, and 20/20 - a great combination! I've worn glasses or contacts since 5th grade, so for me life without lenses is amazing.
My favorite part was the video I had to watch before signing the consent forms: one scene was all about how wonderful the procedure was and the next was describing the possible negative side-effects and drawbacks. This oxymoronic video went back and forth between the two sides for about 20 minutes before winding down. The message with which I was left was afterward my vision was either going to be perfect or I'd be blind!
Cheers!

[SBG/P]

This is admirable to me that you are taking the plunge. I am a total chicken when it comes to matters of the eyes. It will be awesome for you to have puurrrfect eyesight. :) I have really good eyesight most of the time except at night when I drive. I've been told by my doc. that my eyes are fine, but I wonder if Lasik could correct my night problem.