How do I find the right LASIK doctor?

March 31, 2006 7:52 AM

I'm looking into laser eye surgery and I need to know how to distinguish one doctor from the next.

I know of a few places who perform the surgery, but really only from their advertising on radio stations I listen to. The testimonials from the people on the radio sound good, but then again they're paid testimonials so I don't know what to believe. I plan on going in for a free consultation, but I assume I'll hear about the same thing anywhere I go. So my questios are these: How do I determine which doctor is a good doctor versus one who will laser my eyes into dried up raisins? Alternatively, does it not really matter and I should just go wherever I am most comfortable? Also, how can I find good doctors who may be out there but who don't advertise on the radio stations I listen to?

I am in northern NJ, so if anyone has recommendations, I'd appreciate it.

posted by bDiddy to health & fitness (16 comments total)

for the most part i think doctors who laser peoples eyeballs into raisins dont stick around too long, just ask how long they have been doing the procedure and maybe how many total they have done, if you feel comfortable with them and thier answers go for it

( i hope to have this done myself in the near future )
posted by BSummers at 7:56 AM on March 31, 2006

Don't base it on price. If anything, avoid the cheaper places. I had my eyes done a few years ago and I went to a more expensive place because of their reputation and feedback from friends that work in the industry. Your eyes are not something you want to go cheap on.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:04 AM on March 31, 2006

My girlfriend tells the story of her eye doctor, who she asked about the procedure when she last visited him. He told her that he had recently attended a seminar for doctors on the topic, and that all the presenters (who were doctors themselves, all experts on laser eye surgery) were wearing eyeglasses. All of them.
posted by dbiedny at 8:20 AM on March 31, 2006

Trouble with laser eye surgery is that it hasn't been around for long enough to assess its long-term effects, so everyone is fumbling in the dark to a certain extent. Thus it will be hard to tell one doctor from another, so reputation, word of mouth etc is all you have to go on.
posted by altolinguistic at 8:26 AM on March 31, 2006

A friend of mine asked around and found a surgeon who frequently "fixed up" other's mistakes. It cost twice as much, but there was some peace of mind there. If I ever go through with the procedure, I'd likely use the same method to find a doctor.
posted by flipper at 8:59 AM on March 31, 2006

I had this done about 3 years ago and am a physician myself, so I hope this helps. The advice above is pretty good, especially the part about avoiding cheap places as this site advises. You want to find someone who has a lot of experience with this procedure and has done a fellowship in corneal surgery, not merely taken a seminar. Don't be afraid to ask these and other questions. Pay attention to your screening visit; mine took over an hour and I got the feeling that he was actively looking for contraindications to the surgery, not just trying to sell me the procedure. Finally, ask yourself what you expect to get out of the surgery. In my case I was well-informed enough to know that at my age (42) it was quite possible that I would need reading glasses after the surgery and will certainly need them sooner than if I had not had the surgery. In all I had a very good outcome and am very pleased, but I took my time and as you are doing did some research.
posted by TedW at 9:23 AM on March 31, 2006

My girlfriend tells the story of her eye doctor, who she asked about the procedure when she last visited him. He told her that he had recently attended a seminar for doctors on the topic, and that all the presenters (who were doctors themselves, all experts on laser eye surgery) were wearing eyeglasses. All of them.

Is it possible they were reading glasses? I recall the doctor specifically mentioning that the surgery I got (somewhere near Six Flags/Freehold in NJ btw) would not protect against needing reading glasses later in life. See TedW.
posted by Brainy at 9:29 AM on March 31, 2006

My girlfriend tells the story of her eye doctor, who she asked about the procedure when she last visited him. He told her that he had recently attended a seminar for doctors on the topic, and that all the presenters (who were doctors themselves, all experts on laser eye surgery) were wearing eyeglasses. All of them.

If you get laser surgery, you'll eventually need to get glasses again later in life for reading and whatnot.
posted by delmoi at 9:38 AM on March 31, 2006

There are lots of shops out there that will do laser eye surgery. Here is what I did when selecting my doctor.
1. I looked for free consultations. My surgeon offered a 3 hour dilated eye exam for free because they really wanted to see if you were a good candidate, and for which methods. There isn't just one laser. There are several and even lens implants.
2. How many procedures have they performed?
3. What is their infection rate? You want something as close to 0 as possible.
4. What is their policy about corrections? This is not an exact science. I wouldn't go to a surgeon unless he/she offered to do corrections on the surgery within one year.
5. What is their follow up schedule? I had appointments the day after, a week after, a month after, 6 months after and a year after, all included in the surgery fee. It is necessary to see if the flap is healing.
6. Can you see the same group of doctors for your continuing eye care?

Most adults fall victim to presbyopia--vision loss due to old age. That's why everyone was wearing glasses.

Laser eye surgery is awesome and it has totally changed my life. I recommend it to everyone!
posted by FergieBelle at 9:50 AM on March 31, 2006

I'll just confirm what (most) everyone else has said--get referrals, shop around, don't go by price alone. I followed this advice when I had mine done three years ago, and I haven't regretted a thing.
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:58 AM on March 31, 2006

...all the presenters (who were doctors themselves, all experts on laser eye surgery) were wearing eyeglasses. All of them.

Maybe they weren't good candidates?

I searched my health care provider's website (even though the procedure is not covered by my insurance). There, I discovered a group of doctors in a well-respected clinic. I went to the initial consultation, met one of the doctors, got a tour of the place, etc. Mine was 4 1/2 years ago and I would highly recommend it.

The clinic had just implemented LadarVision® which was recently approved by the FDS around that time.

LadarVision has a search.

I purposely avoided the ones that advertised in the Sunday paper. King of Queens episode aired right before I got mine done. Doug thinks he has come up with the perfect birthday gift for Carrie: laser eye surgery. Cheap.
posted by badger_flammable at 10:12 AM on March 31, 2006

You might want to ask a good optometrist about it, or an ophthalmologist who doesn't do Lasik.

Here is an article by an optometrist discussing the importance of screening patients before Lasik surgery. He goes through the various aspects that a reputable, professional doctor would want to cover. (Optometrists don't actually do the surgery -- ophthalmologists do.)

A relative of mine did marketing for a Lasik doctor who put more emphasis on a different type of screening. The doctor concerned himself with avoiding patients who were particularly assertive or at all argumentative. He also wouldn't operate on anyone who said they knew someone for whom Lasik had been completely great, because their expectations would be too high. Apparently the guy was competent, but the business side of the equation is very important to a Lasik M.D.

Also, know that many lasik docs do reward optometrists who refer patients to them, if a patient actually goes through the surgery. I don't see this as necessarily unethical, but it could create a conflict of interest in some cases. So if you decide to ask an optometrist for a referral, still do your due diligence.

Lasik surgeons are under pressure. The equipment is extremely expensive, even to rent or lease. Doing the surgery requires them to concentrate intensely, so many of them have to limit the number of hours per week spent doing it. Also, for many people it's not the kind of work they can do for years and years at peak performance. So they need to make profitable use of their time while trying to avoid lawsuits. You're wise to want to do some research.
posted by wryly at 12:32 PM on March 31, 2006

Thanks everyone. I have an appointment for a preliminary consultation tonight and now I have an idea of what I should be looking out for. I appreciate it. Hopefully it's not too out of my budget.
posted by bDiddy at 1:19 PM on March 31, 2006

This question has been answered well, but my uncle (an optometrist) just told me last night about the best way to find a laser eye surgery place. He said avoid people who advertise heavily; ask around and find people you know who have had good experiences. Don't do for the cheap place; he said sub $1000 per eye is getting to the cheap end, which you want to avoid.
posted by MadamM at 5:56 PM on March 31, 2006

My girlfriend tells the story of her eye doctor, who she asked about the procedure when she last visited him. He told her that he had recently attended a seminar for doctors on the topic, and that all the presenters (who were doctors themselves, all experts on laser eye surgery) were wearing eyeglasses. All of them.

I went to my VW dealer recently and said I was thinking of getting a Honda. He was like, "You don't want a Honda. Their quality has really fallen off in the last 5 years." Thanks VW guy! Guess I'll stick with VW. Even though he's got a financial interest in me staying in VWs, I'm sure he's still impartial. (Okay, I made that up. But I'm just saying... optometrists gots to bring home the bacon too.)
posted by kookoobirdz at 7:11 PM on March 31, 2006

in NYC (i see you're in NJ) i had mine done at Diamond Vision. They seem pretty on point. I had a number of visits which constituted a large number of tests over a few months time to figure out exactly which procedure i would get or if i was a candidate at all. They also have a number of satellite offices around the tristate area where they do most of the prep stuff and i believe do some of the easier surgeries. and besides, they did tiki barbers eyes! (they have little shrines to him in all the offices, its pretty funny) if you want more specific info on them, feel free to ask me and i'll tell you all i can.

and as to if its a good idea or not to get it at all, i haven't had it for very long yet, but i am very happy that i did it.
posted by teishu at 7:36 PM on March 31, 2006