On Wednesday, April 1, 1998 (yes, April Fool's Day!), my outlook on life changed forever. After wearing glasses since 1st grade and contacts since junior high school (a total of 30 years), I plunked down $4,300 and had my vision surgically corrected with LASIK (excimer laser-assisted Lamellar in Situ Keratomileusis) in both eyes...... I haven't looked back since. Walking out of the doctor's office after surgery, I could see trees in the distance, I could see the expressions on people's faces, I could see traffic lights and traffic, all without glasses or contacts.

If you cannot imagine why I was willing to risk my poor-but-correctable vision and my hard-earned dough on this procedure, do this: take a sheet of plastic wrap, smear a half-inch-thick layer of shortening over it, and then look through it. That's what my vision was like without contacts or glasses. I couldn't see my husband in the morning, I couldn't see my kids at the pool, and I always worried about driving with the windows down in case my contacts got lost - would have been disastrous.

I didn't have much time left to wear contacts, either, thanks to the little blood vessels that were growing closer to my pupils trying to supply oxygen to my air-starved corneas (contacts can do that after 20 years). And wearing my glasses (ask me sometime to show you how thick they are) tripled my migraines, so that was out as well.

So I started calling area ophthalmology clinics and getting information sent to me about my options. I learned about RK (making cuts in the cornea, thus flattening it to correct the focus point), PRK and "no-touch" PRK (using a laser beam to sculpt the outer layer of tissue of the cornea, shaping it to correct the focus point), and LASIK (using a cutting instrument sort of like a wood plane to create a flap in the cornea above the pupil, opening the flap and using the laser beam to sculpt the exposed layer of corneal tissue to correct the focus point, and placing the flap securely back in place without stitches) - these are the procedures currently available for treatment of myopia, or near-sightedness. I also learned that LASIK was the only option available to me at this point in time.... RK and PRK are only helpful for low to moderate degrees of myopia, but my myopia was very high (-14.5 right eye and -11.5 left eye, or about 20/2000 vision uncorrected), so my only option other than the contacts or glasses was LASIK .

I went to a seminar hosted by Discover Vision (formerly Eye Care, Inc.), a local clinic with offices throughout the greater Kansas City area (and one just within a couple of miles from my home). The next day, I went in for my free evaluation to see if I was a good candidate for LASIK. I met John Doane, M.D., and learned he not only teaches the procedure to other ophthalmologists and had performed 2000-3000 cases (around 300 on eyes as bad as mine) by March 1998, he'd had it done on his own eyes - no small statement of his faith in this procedure. He currently treats very high myopia (including -20), moderate hyperopia (up to +6) and high astigmatism (up to +14 units). I also really liked his friendly and caring demeanor, and that of the entire staff at Discover Vision - although they had no guarantee that I would be using their office for my LASIK, over the ensuing weeks Dr. Doane and the office staff were always happy to answer my questions by phone and e-mail. And I was never rushed into making a decision. This office also offered live demonstrations of patients actually having their LASIK done, viewed through a large picture window just a few feet away from the action. I saw two of these demos, and each time I became more comfortable with the procedure. Within 5-10 minutes after the end of each demo, the patient himself (or herself) came out and answered questions from those of us who watched that night - both patients seemed genuinely delighted with their results, and strongly endorsed LASIK.

I didn't stop there, though. I found on the internet a Bulletin Board Service moderated by Dr. Gerald Walman, an Arizona ophthalmologist who performs LASIK at the American Eye Institute/Cosmetic Laser Center. Through the questions of vision-impaired people like me and the answers of people who'd already gone through surgical correction, I learned the importance of having a realistic expectation of the results of all surgical corrections. I learned that most often after LASIK there is no pain involved except for a minimal stinging sensation and vision is most often markedly improved within minutes after the procedure ends (although perhaps not to 20/20 - this result can take some time to achieve); still, there are no guarantees to the outcome of surgery (just like any other surgery on any other part of the body). I learned that, although the FDA has not yet approved the LASIK procedure as a whole (and they're moving in that direction), the VisX laser machine itself and the procedures used in LASIK have been approved separately for years - these two technologies are simply now being used together to benefit people like me, and it is perfectly legal for an ophthalmologist to perform LASIK if he/she and the patient so desire. I learned that things can go wrong (with less-than-perfect results that take more time to resolve), and that sometimes the results are not "freedom from glasses or contacts" like some ads tout, but rather a reduced need for glasses or contacts. I learned that huge numbers of LASIKs performed do not necessarily make a surgeon worthy to be trusted with one's vision.

I got to know some of the other bulletin board participants (special thanks to Ed who is also a patient of Dr. Doane's, and Sara and Susan who both were blessed with rotten vision like mine!!!), and continue to share with them their successes and frustrations. Through them, I learned most importantly of all that a good measure of patience is absolutely essential for one's sanity and happiness during the next several months, as clear vision can often fluctuate - looking great one day and fuzzing up the next, clearer in one eye in the morning and clearer in the other in the evening. Will I eventually have 20/20 vision, or will I still have to wear glasses, albeit thin ones? Every patient is different and so there is no way for anyone to predict when my vision will stop changing, but Discover Vision has a policy of "enhancement" procedures (repeat LASIK to fine-tune undercorrection or overcorrection) at no cost (lifetime warranty for most, but limited 1-year warranty for high myopes like me, a stipulation which I accepted with no concern), so I have no doubt that I'll be at 20/20 eventually.

By the way, just a little tutorial on the numbers used to measure sight: when we hear the term 20/20, the second 20 means that with perfect vision an object can be seen clearly 20 feet away, and the first 20 means that the person being measured can also see that same object 20 feet away. In my case, I was seeing 20/2000 which means that with perfect vision an object could be seen clearly 2000 feet away, but *I* would have to be standing 20 feet away to see the same object.... think about that! What a person with good vision could see 2000 feet away I would have to be nearly on top of to see! In my vision measurements below, I also use terms like 20/40 (-1). When your vision is tested in the doctor's office, they don't actually stand you 20 feet away from something and measure it that way, they use the line chart (the chart with all the letters of different sizes on it). At 20/40 (-1) I can read all but 1 of the larger letters of the 20/40 line. Likewise, if I see 20/30 (+2), I can read all of the letters on the 20/30 line plus 2 letters on the 20/25 line. Now, because there isn't a projector big enough to show a letter that I could see on the doctor's office wall, the 20/2000 measurement is based on my refraction. Refraction numbers (such as -14.5 diopters which is about where I was) are a mystery to me other than the higher they are in the negative territory the more nearsighted one is, the higher they are in the positive territory the more farsighted one is, and everybody wants to be at plano, or 0. I'm not even going to try to explain astigmatism... look it up ;-)

Oh, and corneal thickness is also an important factor in deciding a patient's ability to undergo LASIK, usually the thicker the better. According to Patti at Eye Care Inc., a normal corneal thickness measurement would be 520... mine was 580, so with that information Dr. Doane determined he could get my vision to 20/20.

Now for the journal entries:

April 1, 1998- My own experience with LASIK is thus far brief but typical: I took 15mg of Valium to settle me down about an hour before scheduled surgery (of course I was scared!), went in and had the LASIK done (did not feel a thing, and both eyes took maybe 15 minutes tops) by Dr. Doane with VisX Star system, and came out seeing (without glasses) details of people's faces, scenery, everything - something I hadn't done since I was a kid. I went home wearing clear plastic shields (to discourage rubbing the eyes and displacing the flaps which needed a few days to begin healing in proper position), slept for about a half hour and woke up with stinging in the eyes (just like after swimming in chlorinated water for a couple of hours), went back to sleep for a few more hours, and woke up with no residual stinging and vision getting clearer. I see starbursts when I look at lights but I can tell that is just from the right eye, and frankly it's no worse than when I had dry contacts. I'm able to see my kids, the neighborhood, larger words on TV, and headlines. Very happy already.

April 2 - At my 24-hour check up, I am seeing without glasses or contacts 20/40 (-1) in right eye (slightly farsighted at refraction +0.50), and 20/50 (-2) in the left (slightly nearsighted at refraction -0.75), with 20/40 (-1) both together... not perfect, but remember that I had been seeing about 20/2000 before. Still very happy.

April 5 - Third day postop has been the best so far, and there has been some fluctuation of vision in the days following (clearer at times than at other times), but vision has been fully functional throughout and I have driven during daylight and night time with no glasses and no difficulty.

April 9 - I went to my one-week postop visit this morning, and the eyes are looking good with stable flap healing and no infection. Although I cannot tell it, my vision has continued to progress slightly since last week, 20/40 (-2) on the right (slightly more farsighted at +1.00), and 20/40 (-2) on the left (not much refractive change, still at -0.75). I still see better in the evening than in the morning, but the starbursts I saw with the right eye are decreasing.

April 12 - I worked the whole weekend at the hospital and managed quite well, just a little more tired of typing than usual - I am guessing the oddness of having one eye nearsighted and the other one farsighted is the cause of that. I notice today that I am more prone to wanting to close my eyes and rest, and I wonder if that's from my eyes working harder or maybe it's just all those black jelly beans I ate. Anyway, still doing great.

April 15 - I swear I'm not whining, just making observations so others will know how it went for at least one other person in the world. Anyway, I worked at home today and I guess I have to admit it was kind of hard going sometimes. I am a medical transcriptionist by profession and use Word Perfect 5.0, blue background with white text. I realize that reading e-mail and anything with white background and black text do not give me such fuzziness with near vision. I will have to work on this.

April 16 - I changed the WP5.0 background to gray (white is not an option) with black text. It helped quite a bit and the day was easier, but of course not perfect yet as I still have near-sightedness in left eye and far-sightedness in right eye.  I tried patching the right eye, but patch kept slipping and the effect wasn't worth it. Far vision continues to be very good, and vision overall is definitely better in the evening than in the morning.

April 18 - Today watching TV I noticed that if I close my left eye and focus with right, vision is clear and defined... that's encouraging for sure! Left eye is pretty clear but still a wee bit fuzzy; I think it has regressed a bit with more near-sightedness than in the days right after surgery, but STILL not even in the same league as before LASIK. I'm still happy I had it done!

April 24 - First time in several days that any noticeable change has occurred, but I am guessing most of the change is too subtle to notice. This morning woke up and realized things were a little clearer than they had been the morning before - not a lot, but a little. Close up vision is a bit better than before, far vision is still pretty good. I'm wondering now too if I don't have some seasonal allergy or something, as my eyes are a little itchy and dry lately, but no pain. I changed the Windows 95 font back to small today (yippee!), but still have the Word Perfect background and text colors changed to see work better.

April 26 - The bit of improvement from Friday did not last the whole weekend, but at least I have an inkling that more stabilization will bring that better vision back. Still seeing Windows small fonts fine, so I'm quite sure progression is happening, just very subtly. Very much looking forward to my 4-week check up on Thursday to see where I am right now - I am still positive that I am seeing better than I did at the 1-week exam. Beginning to no longer reach for contact lens case at night after brushing my teeth (yes I still have it and all the paraphernalia and my old glasses, and no I don't know why).

April 30 - Ah, finally! My 4-week check-up! I could tell there was change, but had no idea in what way..... and the latest numbers are: right eye uncorrected line chart 20/25 with refraction +1.25 +0.50 x 150; and left eye uncorrected line chart 20/40+ with refraction +0.50 +0.75 x 115.... can you believe it? I'm far-sighted! LOL (Laughing Out Loud)! Best corrected vision right now is 20/20 right and 20/30 left, but Dr. Doane tells me my left eye still has some swelling so the left eye will be correctable to 20/20 or better when the swelling has gone. The itching is due to allergy, and I was given Ocu-Hist to use - it helps, when I remember to use it. When I went in for the check-up, I was thinking the vision wasn't doing so well today, but as I left and drove off I noticed that things were looking really pretty good - not perfect, but pretty good... when I put aside memories of 20/20 with contacts, I appreciate the improvements these last 4 weeks a whole lot more, and I realize I am getting back to perfect vision. What I have now is nothing to sneeze at - I can drive day and night, I can work on the computer, and I can do detail work such as sewing and stuff - but it's going to get even better I am certain.

May 7, 1998- 5 weeks out from surgery and I'm seeing obvious improvements lately. I finally threw away the contact lenses (still have the specs, in case I need the frames later) and have almost stopped reaching for them at night.

May 15 - 6 weeks out and I'm starting to forget I even had LASIK, just little reminders when I try to read really small print or do close-up work. Far vision is very good, and mornings I am waking up able to see more clearly than I have since the beginning. If I had to guess, I'd say my left eye is really close to 20/20 or so, and the right eye is still slightly far-sighted but not by much. I think back to a couple of weeks ago and remember how cranky I was getting - the situation is so much better now. I would like to stress to people who are frustrated early on after LASIK that things will almost certainly get better - you just have to be patient and let your eyes heal.

May 25 - A little over 7 weeks postop and vision is very good but not perfect, and we are getting ready to go on vacation for 2 weeks, so of course I'd love to be able to see everything clearly. I've been stopping at the "reading specs" stand at Wal-Mart and trying on their little cheapy readers ($7.97 and up), looking around the store to see how they worked, but neither the strongest or the weakest power lenses they had cleared everything up. I e-mailed Dr. Doane who said it would be okay for me to come in for a check-up early so I could order new lenses for my old frames if I really needed them.

May 29 - Check up today at nearly 2 months (plans had been for a 3-month check up), and I learned that my eyes have continued changing a wee bit in the last 4 weeks, now measuring right eye uncorrected 20/25 with refraction +1.25 sphere (astigmastism is gone now); and left 20/30- with refraction -1.00 +1.50 x 130. Best corrected vision now is right 20/20 (same as 4 weeks ago) and left 20/25 (improved from 20/30 4 weeks ago). So at almost 2 months post LASIK, my right eye has lost the astig but the hyperopia is still present, and the left eye regressed 1.5 diopters, moving back to slight myopia but with better vision (go figure - maybe it's just because I know how to focus a myopic eye better than a hyperopic eye?). This explains why the Wal-Mart readers helped a bit but didn't help completely - they corrected the right eye but increased the undercorrection of the left eye. With this information, I'll forget about the glasses - driving vision is really very good, and most near vision is fine with enough contrast - black text on white background is still best, with bright lighting improving any other color combinations. I have a follow up visit in another 2 months, and the doc says at that time we can decide whether or not the vision is stable enough to do enhancement if I want. STILL very happy with my results!

June 22 - Got back from 2 weeks vacation, driving maybe two-fifths of the 6,000 mile trek to the West Coast. The trip was great, due in part to the fact that I did not have to take along all that extra contact lens and glasses stuff! I was able to see the scenery very well (thank you God for those unbelievable mountains, the dramatic desert, and that fantastic ocean!!!) and the difference between the left and right eyes is decreasing in some way. My only complaint (and it's a small one) was that I had a harder time seeing detail when I wore my dark sunglasses (I had been very photosensitive before LASIK and bought lots of cheap really dark sunglasses)... but it only took a little while for me to realize that my eyes did not hurt as much in brighter light now as they had before LASIK, and I did not need the sunglasses while driving unless the sun was in front of me, so that kind of fixed that problem. I also noticed that when letters on road signs were in shadow I could not read them as early as when the sun was shining on the letters (this occurred with traffic lights too). This fits in with what I've been reading, that vision is better in bright light than in dim, and since we are not cats with night-vision this makes a lot of sense. Anyway, I started to anticipate these things and slowed down when I saw them coming. Near vision is better but not perfect, and I guess I really should get some cheapie readers for close-up work.....maybe. Happier with the results than I've been to date - this has definitely worked for me!

July 12, 1998- Just a note that nothing has changed much since the last entry, vision is still really pretty good but I won't know exactly how good until July 23. I did watch fireworks on the Fourth of July and can't remember having seen them so well in a long time - it was great! I've also gotten up the guts to open my eyes underwater at the pool (and, by the way, I am much happier now that I can see my kids all the time now at the pool without having glasses or contacts to worry about - and that's what got me to thinking about LASIK in the first place) and noticed that vision underwater is pretty blurry but out of water it is really good, and I'm told by Dr. Doane that this is normal. Still haven't bought those readers! :-)

July 23 - 4-month check-up this morning revealed new numbers, and here they are... right eye uncorrected 20/25 (refraction plano with zero astigmatism - yippee!) and corrected 20/25(+1), and left eye uncorrected 20/40+1 (refraction +0.75 +0.75 x 090) and corrected 20/20(-2). Heading into the exam room, I was asked how I thought I was seeing; looking around, I felt like my vision was blurry somewhat and said so (this surprised me a bit too, because I'd been working in the yard this morning and had no trouble at all!). Then when the numbers came back looking so good, I couldn't figure out why I was seeing blurry at all.... I couldn't even read labels on cans on a shelf a couple of feet away! :-{   But then Dr. Doane walked into the room and switched on a brighter light, and - voila! - I could see great detail again.... so that's the explanation for that, and I'd known before about seeing better in bright light but had forgotten. Dr. Doane explained that most often this phenomenon (blurriness in less light) goes away after about 9 months or so, and I'm OK with that. Next appointment is in October and we will decide then if any enhancement needs to be done on the left eye (or the right if it regresses). If I don't update this page before then, you can assume nothing has gone wrong and my vision is still great.

October 1 - Well.... 6 months postop and the readings have changed yet again (some of us are just really slow, I guess!): right eye uncorrected 20/25 (refraction +1.0 but still with zero astigmatism) and corrected 20/25, and left eye uncorrected 20/50 (refraction -0.50 +1.50 x 030) and corrected 20/25. Compared to the last check up, then, the right eye did go back into hyperopic territory but the astigmatism is still gone, and the left eye swung into myopia again with moderate astigmatism which is I believe what causes my 20/50 vision even with such slight myopia. So....... I am heading for Enhancementville on Thursday, October 15, to fix the astigmatism and myopia in the left eye and the hyperopia in the right eye. Dr. Doane again mentioned to me that fixing the hyperopia may result in the right eye vision bouncing back into mild myopia, and this would be followed by another enhancement to go back to plano (the result of which would be easier to predict than the high myopia I started with). Despite the numbers, my vision is still very functional and I am still very happy I have had this done. Just greedy now to have perfect vision, and I have no doubt I'll get close enough to that to make me happy! I will update next after the enhancement on October 15.

October 15 - This afternoon I went in for enhancement to treat what turned out to be hyperopia in both eyes - apparently the refraction numbers I was given last time were typos (the chart had the right ones). In any case, my vision checked out stable with same readings as Oct. 1, so I was ready for enhancement; Dr. Doane used the VisX Star S2 laser with Hansatome microkeratome system. I had LASIK this time without Valium as I remembered it didn't hurt last time... I felt this time the brief panic when the suction was applied and I couldn't see the blinking light, plus I kept thinking my eye was moving (learned later that it is really hard to move the eye while in the microkeratome vacuum), but the flaps were cut just fine and that was the only thing that was new compared to last time, so I guess the Valium helps hold the worry down but at least this time I remembered everything afterward ;-). I had forgotten about the foggy vision right after, and it occurred to me that the healing process would be starting all over again (duh me). Went home and took a nap. I woke up 1 1/2 hours later which I guess was too early because the stinging was more pronounced this time, but that went away within 15 minutes and now I'm doing fine. Vision is blurry again as expected from swelling, but I know the routine now and will just wait for it to calm down. I will be driving myself to the 1-day follow up tomorrow and post results...LOL, here we go again! :-)

October 16 - One day post enhancement and - wow! - what a relief! The blurriness is clearing up much faster this time than original. Left eye is much better, with no ghosting. I can read the 1+ line on the Jaeger reading chart pretty easily with the left eye, and the next line up with both eyes. The right eye is at 20/80 (-1) (refraction -2.50 +1.25 x157) which isn't too great but I'm not worried since I know it can be fixed if it doesn't get better in 3 months, and also since both eyes together see 20/25 (-2); left eye is 20/30 (+1) (refraction -0.75 +0.50 x 164). In real life I think I see far better today than the office numbers reflect. I really have a much easier time seeing now that I am back in myopic territory - small print doesn't make me dizzy anymore and I'm not working as hard to see the computer screen as I had been (but hadn't noticed - funny what you can get used to!). So far this postop course has been oodles easier than after the original LASIK! :-) Next appointment is in 2 weeks (October 29).

October 29 - Check up today is showing some really great numbers just 2 weeks after touch-up! Uncorrected, right eye is 20/25 and left 20/20(-); near vision acuity is right 20/20 and left 20/20(+), best corrected is right 20/20(-) and left 20/20; and refraction is right plano with +0.50 astig, and left -0.25 with +0.25 astig which basically cancel each other out - these are the numbers I have been waiting for!!! There is still some swelling of the right eye which might account for the odd refraction last month and the astig, and which should diminish over time. In real life, vision from left eye is perfect and I wouldn't touch it if it stayed at this point, and right eye could use improvement but time is needed to let it heal further before the need for another touch-up is determined. God willing, I will be one of those people for whom the hyperopia treatment does not need to be tweaked further! Next check up is at 8 months postop original LASIK (December 28), I'll update then unless something comes up and need to do it sooner. This is grrrrrreat! :-)

December 28, 1998-At 8 1/2 months post original LASIK and 2 1/2 months post touch-up, vision has changed again (no big surprise here; we expected this and I could tell). Uncorrected, right eye is 20/25+ and left 20/40; corrected, right is 20/20 and left is 20/25; near vision is 20/15 both eyes (reading Jaeger -1 line); and refraction is right +0.50 +0.50 x 135 and left -0.75 sphere. So right slid back into very mild hyperopia with a wee bit of astig and left slid back into mild myopia with no astig. Most of the time this is great vision and I don't think about it, but sometimes the 1.25 diopters combined difference between the two eyes is something of a strain. At the beginning of it all 8 1/2 months ago, I truly believed if I were this close I'd fold my cards and consider myself a winner, but I'm immensely more comfortable now with what goes on and I'm going to go for another touch-up if the vision numbers are stable in 3 weeks, hoping this will do the trick - but if not I'll keep at it til it's perfect (as long as there is enough cornea to handle the ablation). I'll update after the touch-up - this is still definitely the best thing I've done for myself. :-)

March 8, 1999 - I did have that follow-up visit in January but got busy and forgot to update the journal, and now I can't find the paper the numbers were actually written on - but today's visit the numbers have remained the same as the January visit and currently read: right -0.75 +0.75, and left -2.25 +1.00. The astigmatism value and very mild myopia in the right eye presumably cancel each other out (although I do still have a mild brief starburst in the right eye with night driving, and hope that will continue to diminish with time), but the left eye vision is blurrier than I'd like - so we go for enhancement #2 on the left eye on March 17. We are hoping very much to be able to use the flap from last enhancement rather than making a new cut. Update afterwards!

March 18 -I had the left eye touched up again yesterday, March 17 (sure, 'n I was wearing the green!). The flap was lifted this time rather than a new flap cut - I liked it better this way! Check up today is normal with right eye measuring 20/25 by chart (refraction not measured), left eye measuring 20/40 by chart with refraction +0.50 sphere, and both eyes seeing 20/25. I can tell I am seeing the world around me better now, something about the eyes being closer refraction-wise really made a difference. Next check up is April 1.

April 1, 1999-Check up today exactly one year from original LASIK (I can't believe it's been that long!) and 2 weeks from left eye enhancement #2. Right eye is seeing 20/25(+1) by chart and again not refracted, left eye sees 20/40 still but measuring slightly different refraction at plano with +1.00 astig (there's that variable astigmatism back again for now, might be gone again next time), and both eyes again seeing 20/25. Healing has been about the same as the first enhancement... faster than the original but changing slightly daily. I can tell there has been further improvement, not just in the left eye but in the right as well; the brief starbursts at night from right eye are diminishing further, happening less and less frequently. Left eye is slightly fuzzy/foggy yet, but again it's only been 2 weeks since the last surgery and that is normal from swelling, et cetera. When I think of how far I've come in just one year...... :-) Next check up is May 27. I doubt there's much room for improvement.... Hey! I think I'm finally satisfied with what I've got! ;-)

May 27 - Check up today reveals great-looking numbers - both eyes plano (not near-sighted and not far-sighted) with just a little astigmatism.... actual refraction uncorrected is right plano with +0.75 units astig, and left plano with +0.50 units astig. Line chart uncorrected reads right 20/30 (+2), left 20/30 (-2), and both 20/25 (+2); corrected reads right 20/25, left 20/25 (-2), and both 20/25 (+2). I hope I never lose either eye, because the absolute best vision is with both eyes working together; individually, they are still somewhat blurry, I guess from the astigmatism. And I still have some halo effect going on in the right eye *sometimes* at night, and that is annoying when it happens. I know, "wah, wah, wah." ;-) So that (and the mysterious occasional muscle tic that started under my left eye after the last enhancement) is the total extent of residual side effects for me, and I couldn't be happier! :-) Next check up is July 6 - update then!

July 8 - Here it is - my last journal entry!!! I forgot the July 6 appointment but went July 8, and here are my final numbers: right eye refraction uncorrected +0.25 with +0.50 astigmatism, and left plano with +0.50 astigmatism. Line chart uncorrected reads right 20/25 (+2) and left 20/30 (-2) with both reading 20/20 (-2), and corrected right same as above with left 20/30 (+1) and both 20/20. The periodic halo/starburst at night continues to decrease and is almost never there. I am seeing just as well as I could with contacts (and better than glasses) before my LASIK saga began, and I am quite happy with my results!

May 5, 2001 - I've received a lot of e-mails asking how my vision is doing three years after my first LASIK. Things are going quite well, and I'm fairly confident that my vision is still 20/20 both eyes, although since I have had no problems I haven't gone back for a recheck since July 1999 and don't know the precise numbers. We had a new baby in February 2001, and I certainly didn't miss having to mess with contacts or glasses in the delivery room. And it's nice to not have to mess with them three or four times a night when Adam the Tyrant demands to be attended to! ;-)

Final Words: I would, without hesitation, recommend Dr. Doane doing LASIK for myopia OR hyperopia OR astigmatism to anyone who is a candidate...as I don't know the competency of any other surgeon but Dr. Doane and I know there are people out there doing LASIK who shouldn't be, I would strongly urge anyone considering LASIK to investigate their surgeon even more thoroughly than they investigate LASIK or the laser being used. Having been in contact with some patients whose LASIK experiences were not as good as mine, I cannot stress enough the importance of making sure you know your LASIK surgeon well and are positive beyond a doubt that he/she has had experience and success doing eyes *like yours* (best determined by talking to patients whose eyes were *like yours* - it doesn't matter if he/she has had phenomenal success treating low myopes if you are one of the first high myopes he/she will be treating!). If you are still searching, best wishes to you in your quest for improved vision, and God Bless You! :-) If you have had LASIK and are experiencing worrisome or annoying side effects, *be patient* and feel free to e-mail me at roflol@softhome.net or visit the bulletin board listed above; sometimes talking it out with people who've been through it can help a lot.

*My goal in authoring this page has been to record my experience with LASIK, and hopefully give you further insight ;-) with one person's actual experience with this procedure. I am receiving no compensation from anyone for making my story available (...as if!). If anything changes, I will update this page...

Terri S.