Custom LASIK or Traditional w/ punctal plugs

January 4, 2006 11:35 AM

Help me choose the best option for my LASIK procedure.

I have very mild astigmatism, -4.5 in both eyes, minor night vision problems, but no halos, ghosting or other special effects.

Help me choose between two options: traditional LASIK with punctal plugs, or Custom LASIK (with no plugs). They cost the same, so that is not a factor. Do the benefits of punctal plugs outweigh the benefits of Custom LASIK? Both procedures use the B&L Zyoptix system.

posted by grateful to health & fitness (10 comments total)

Have you spoken to your eye doctor about it?
posted by k8t at 11:58 AM on January 4, 2006

I spoke to 2 different people at the practice, and got 2 different opinions. I also felt like I was being sold something rather than being given medical advice, so I thought I'd look for people who had faced similar choices.
posted by grateful at 12:08 PM on January 4, 2006

Go to another practice for advice. You shouldn't get the feeling that they're telling you something in order to sell their services. If on the first conversation they seem more interested in the well being of their wallets rather than the well being of your eyes, what do you think they'll be thinking about after you fork over the cash?

Also, have you considered Intralasik?
posted by sublivious at 12:25 PM on January 4, 2006

I should have said that I was wary of being sold something - I brought the doubt to the table.
posted by grateful at 12:44 PM on January 4, 2006

My advice. Don't do it. I had severe problems with my lasik procedure and if you f**k up your vision, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Go here - http://www.surgicaleyes.org/ - and check out the image center link. They are not exaggerations.
posted by vronsky at 3:07 PM on January 4, 2006

Get Intacs (I did), implantable contact lenses or go the route of wearing the rigid gas permeable at night for lessened myopia in the day (with the RGPs out). I believe it's called Ortho-K. There's too much coming out and/or being tested that is non-destructive to the corneal tissue to get the laser surgery. . . Things as trivial as special eyedrops. You want to keep your options open. Zapping tissue away doesn't do that.

Another thing to remember is that these people are in the business of selling a product, a specific surgery that they've invested a lot of money in. You can't blindly (sorry. . .) trust them with their "medical" opinions in the way you might trust a regular doctor.
posted by BrandonAbell at 5:09 PM on January 4, 2006

vronsky and BA - While I can appreciate the risks, I've already decided to go forward with the procedure. There are alot of anecdotes about surgeries gone wrong, but the numbers just don't play out in your favor. If my surgery goes bad, I'll consider myself in the 0% - 3% that was informed of the risks and decided to go ahead anyway.

While I may have "poisoned" the question by discussing my reservations about the provider, my original question relates to a choice between the better of two procedures. Please answer the question or skip over it.
posted by grateful at 5:24 PM on January 4, 2006

At the risk of seeming snarky, people who are being offered advice out of both experience and genuine concern should not respond in the manner you just did, especially with the username "grateful". I took the time out of my day to answer you for a reason. That reason did not include any agenda other than trying to be of help.

If a mere "0% - 3%" is of no import to you, why the question to begin with? I imagine the difference between result of both would be within your implied comfort range.

Whatever. . . Good luck.
posted by BrandonAbell at 5:47 PM on January 4, 2006

Whoa, guys -- grateful is right. He asked a very specific question, which you did not address. Lighten up.
posted by davidmsc at 6:39 PM on January 4, 2006

I've told of my great results before. My wife went to the same doctor a year later, with similarly excellent results. This was two years ago, and I suppose the technology has advanced even further, so I don't recognize your terminology, but I know I got the Custom Lasik, in two stages for each eye.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:41 AM on January 5, 2006