Lasik Eye Surgery: Pros & Cons Recently I had to personally consider the pros and cons of Lasik eye surgery.
During my annual eye exam my eye doctor suggested I consider Lasik eye surgery.
He assured me I could finally get rid of my pesky bothersome reading glasses.
Considering I wear contacts occasionally and reading glasses most of the time, I decided to conduct a little informal research of my friends and neighbors on the pros and cons of Lasik surgery.
Here are my findings from an informal survey of 14 friends and business acquaintances who've had the Lasik eye surgery.
First a few of the PROS of Lasik: - Pro: Lasik surgery is fast and virtually painless.
According to all of my friends who've had the procedure, at most you'll experience a little discomfort for a day or two.
No pain, in and out of the doctors office in a hurry.
- Pro: You'll be able to put your glasses away, hopefully for good.
My research indicated that the procedure is completely successful in almost 95% of cases.
I have several friends who have totally discarded their reading glasses.
I do have two friends who still need reading glasses.
That's 12 friends for Lasik and 2 against.
The 2 against expected to see 20/20 after getting lasik.
They ended up 20/40.
Some people you just can't please.
- Pro: Your downtime is very short or minimal, and the entire procedure is easy and painless.
You won't lose any time at work in most cases.
Again, according to all of my friends who've had the procedure, they went back to work the next day.
But of course, one of these friends complained more about the free coffee and stale cookies in the eye doctor's office.
He'd complain even if he won the lottery, and was rich and good looking.
And he isn't by the way.
- Pro: The actual Lasik procedure is short, averaging about 15 minutes.
Also, you're awake and fully conscious during the entire Lasik eye surgery.
Well, after all these pros I was ready right then and there to get the procedure without hesitation.
Where do I sign?! Then a friend who works in an eye doctor's office suggested I consider the cons as well, before I make a decision.
So, let's consider some of the CONS of Lasik eye surgery: - Con: Lasik eye surgery is permanent.
If everything goes as planned with the surgery and there are no complications, then you're fine.
However, if there are complications and something goes wrong, it may not be easily corrected.
- Con: This is the con that made me stop and think.
Our eyes change as we get older.
And the older we get, the faster our eyes change.
In middle age most people develop presbyopia.
When you see someone middle-aged holding something at arms length to read, that's presbyopia in action.
Even with Lasik, we may need glasses again as we get older.
So the question is, will your eyes change after you get Lasik? - Con: The cost can be very high compared to regular glasses or contact lenses.
And usually, the cost can vary between high or low depending on the local professional reputation and skill of your particular eye surgeon.
In my community I sought Lasik eye surgery prices from three eye surgeons.
The price for Lasik on both eyes varied as much as $2,000 between these three doctors.
Ouch! Lesson here folks: shop around.
It's just like getting home improvements or any other major purchase - always get three (or more!) bids.
You see, I'm tight with my money and 'frugal' is my middle name.
I've been known to squeeze a penny till Lincoln hollers.
So, it's no problem for me to shop around for the best prices on elective medical procedures.
It seems I still embarrass my wife when I ask doctors, "Okay doc, exactly what is this going to cost me out of pocket?" So before deciding to have lasik, think carefully about the pros, cons, and the cost.
And if you're not sure, you might consider alternative methods to improve your sight.