Lasik Surgery - South Bay/Peninsula places (Mountain View: insurance, price)

[HDL]

I'm considering Lasik type eye surgery and was looking for local testimonies from posters who've had it done in the South Bay or Peninsula area. Which type did you do? How long ago? Any complications? Did you do mono vision? Price per eye? Are you happy with the doctor that you used? Would you recommend them?

TIA

[Zeya]

I Lasik back in February 2010. So I'm 3 years later and my vision is basically 20/20 and 20/15. Anyway let's see if I can answer your questions...

What type did you do?
I had Lasik. There's another common type called PRK. With PRK, they use the laser on the outside of your cornea. And with Lasik, they cut a flap, peel that back, laser, and put the flap back down, so your outside cornea heals over. PRK has a longer, more annoying recovery. People say it's like having sand in your eye. I could go into the Lasik recovery in detail if you want. But basically it involves some light painkillers and frequent eye drops, maybe 1-2 weeks off work depending on your job.

How long ago?
3 years now (Feb 2010).

Any complications?
I had none. Well I should say at day 2 I did call the doctor because one eye wasn't like the other, but it turned out to be normal. What happens is your vision in either eye can/will be wavy for a day to 3 days maybe, sort of like opening your eyes underwater. But it stabilizes with each day. Doctor will go over all that if you consult... But yeah, no complications.

Did you do mono vision?
I don't know what that means, sorry. Wait, is that the thing where some people get one eye for close distance reading and the other eye for distance? I had both my eyes done the same. I was 27 at the time (I'm 30 now) so reading vision wasn't/isn't a concern for me.

Price per eye?
I remember they set the price so that every red cent of FSA would be used. In 2010 the FSA limit was more than it is now (2500 now). I think the total amount was $5k, iirc. It's not cheap. I met some people who said theirs cost $3k from some other doctor, but that seemed at the low end of the spectrum, so expect to spend something north of $4k total... So per eye? That works out to $2k or more per eye.

Are you happy with the doctor that you used? Would you recommend them?
I went to Dr. Scott Hyver. He advertises on the radio and billboards I think, and I suspect his price is a little higher than other places. But I looked into him and all his reviews were good. And for something like this, you don't want to take chances or "cheap out". I was happy with him. He's got a nice facility with the latest gear (laser etc). I would recommend him.

Let me know if you have other questions I can answer. Of course a proper doctor consultation is recommended (they do that for free btw).

[nagleepark]

I had LASIK in November 1999. So, it's been 13+ years. My vision is 20/20 in one eye and 20/15 in the other eye for this entire time. I had it done just before I turned 30.

Even then, LASIK was a tried-and-true technique; it was long past the experimental stage. But I still meet people that consider LASIK to be unnecessary cosmetic surgery. As I saw it, it was like repairing a broken foot: I could hobble along my whole life on a bum foot but it is better long term to fix the problem.

I went in on a Friday and took the bandages off on the Monday, if I recall. Maybe I went into work on Wednesday or maybe later; I forget. It didn't seem very long.

I remember that an eyelash was trapped under my eyeball and I was afraid to retrieve it. Normally, I would rub my eye but that's a bad idea right after surgery. Through some amount of contortions and light lubrication with eye drops over something like 5 hours, I managed to remove it. But that was very uncomfortable.

The benefits are that it is very convenient to look at a clock or get up in the middle of the night and be able to see immediately. It's convenient to be able to travel on long airplane flights and not mess with it or haul around a bunch of contact lens solutions. It's convenient to be able to swim. I'm sure it is nice for people who play sports. It's very nice to see during sex.

I really didn't have any serious complications. I see some halos at night (i.e. a sort of bulb of light around bright light sources) but I'm pretty sure that I saw the same thing with glasses and contacts. Pretty soon, I got used to seeing that.

I didn't do mono-vision.

I paid $2,500/eye so $5000 total back then. I had it done by Dr. Furlong on recommendation from my long time eye doctor. Originally, I was planning to see somebody else but my regular eye doctor said that Dr. Furlong was much more careful and precise.

I would recommend Dr. Furlong but it's been so long. Maybe he isn't as good or maybe somebody else is better.

[Heidi60]

I won't have my eyes fixed until after open enrollment when I can change insurance as I don't want Kaiser touching my eyes. For years I have been going to Dr. Volpicelli in Mountain View and wouldn't trust anyone else to do the procedure. Some of his patience travel from Canada so please check out his information:

Dr Mark Volpicelli | Peninsula Laser Eye Medical Group of Mountain View

Hope this helps and keep us posted.

[HDL]

Thank you for taking the time to post and share your experiences Zeya, Nagleepark and Heidi60 ! I am doing a consult soon and will post my results after.