After a decade, Lasik surgery still a luxury

Seek referrals
Also, consumers should choose a good doctor and let the doctor choose the tools, refractive surgeons interviewed for this article agreed.

“You hire an experienced surgeon and he’ll use the device that gives him or her the best results,” said Dr. Robert Maloney, clinical professor of ophthalmology at University of California Los Angeles, and a paid consultant for Bausch & Lomb, a maker of Lasik devices.

Maloney advises consumers to seek referrals from eye doctors who don’t do Lasik and from Lasik surgeons in other cities. A surgeon should be certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and have performed at least 1,000 Lasik procedures.

“You don’t want to be part of somebody’s learning curve,” Maloney said.

Maloney also suggests asking a surgeon for the percentage of his or her patients who get at least 20/40 vision from the procedure — 95 percent is typical — and for the percentage who experience complications — 1 percent is reasonable.

“I’d be cautious about going to places that advertise a lot,” Maloney said. “It’s very expensive to advertise and they may have to do a lot of surgery to pay for it and push the limits on candidacy.”

There are other options for people who want to get rid of their glasses:

• Corneal refractive therapy: Overnight contact lenses that reshape the eye during sleep are being offered by eye doctors for about $1,000. Unlike Lasik, it’s reversible.
• Implantable contact lenses were approved last year by the FDA with a five-year follow-up for possible side effects. At $6,000 to $8,000, it’s more expensive than Lasik.

Nine days after surgery, Tomes, the Chicago Lasik patient, said his vision is better than normal now. Although he sees halos around lights at night, a side effect for some patients, that seems to be improving a little each day, he said.

And his glasses? “They’re history,” he said.

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