Lasik Vision Correction

My husband went to Dr. Tylock and had a great experience. He does the Intralase without the blade, meaning the laser does everything. My husband now has 20/15 vision, and has had no problems at all. Good luck!

I saw Dr. Beebe with the Cornea Associates in Dallas. Since they deal specifically with the cornea and not just doing Lasik, I felt more comfortable.

I had a great experience. The first 36 hours scared me a bit because I could see SO much better than before, but not as good as with my glasses. I was a little freaked out thinking that it hadn't worked since everyone else seemed to have had perfect vision when they walked out. By day two it was 20/20 with a little fuzziness, but every day it just got crisper and clearer!

It's a miracle for me. I was legally blind and had glasses since I was three. I have 20/20 vision now!

My husband went to Dr. Harvey Carter. We had heard Dr. Boothe's office was just as described... a cattle ranch. While Dr. Carter had lots of patients, we had a very personalized experience. They have things set up in stages. You have the main waiting room. Then you have a second waiting room where you fill out paperwork. Then a third room where you wait for the dr visit. After the visit you wait for a person to take you into a small room with a video on the proceedure. Then they come back and talk to you about costs and what happens on surgery day. Because it's a very personalized proceedure, they have to be very thorough in their tests and that can make for a long day (we asked lots of questions and were there for 4 hours). We had our 5 year old with us, and they did everything they could to keep him happy. We had a guided tour of the pictures all around the office of Dr. Carter's fire engines that he owns. My husband was amazed at how well he could see even immediately after. He is a firefighter and has to have good vision. It's been 2 years and he still has 20/15 vision. I will go have mine done there after I am through nursing our son. My mom had her eyes done 9 years ago when the proceedure first came out. She needs reading glasses now, but given that she was legally blind before, she's great! And she was told she would need the reading glasses as she got older when she began the proceedure so there were no surprises. Good luck finding a doctor. Go with who makes you feel most comfortable. Your eyes really are your window to the world. I'd ask as many questions as you want and if you aren't happy don't be afraid to go somewhere else. Dr. Carter was our second stop. We went to American Laser Center in Plano the year before. We were standing shoulder to shoulder and a small hot stuffy office for an hour plus and were in and out without ever seeing the doctor who would perform the surgery. And once we went to the back, we were in and out in 20 minutes. We weren't happy. That's probably why we asked an extra hour of questions at Dr. Carter's. Again, good luck!

I went to Dr. Whitman at Key Whitman on Lemmon in Dallas. My surgery was done in 1995 -- back before Lasik. Dr. Whitman was wonderful and everyone in the office was great to deal with. I was practically blind beforehand -- they estimated my vision was 20/1600 -- I could not function without my contacts in. After the surgery and to this day, I have 20/25 vision. It was like a miracle and by far the best thing I have ever done for myself! The only side effect was a bit of the "halo" around lights at night, but it did not take long to get used to and would not be a deterrent to doing it again. I would do it again in a heartbeat and use Dr. Whitman! Good luck!

K.,

I don't think you will ever regret having the corrective surgery. My eyesight was so poor, and now thanks to Dr. Boothe it's 20/15 and truly a blessing from God. Everything is beautiful, crisp, and full - so much better than with my old contacts and glasses.

Going with Dr. Boothe was my choice since he was the most experienced, but what you've heard was true of my experience: I don't think I had one appointment, from the consultation, to the surgery, to the follow-up check ups that was less than 3 hours long with all the crowded wait time.

Good luck with your research - it's amazing what you'll see when you can SEE!

I had Lasik back in 2001, and it was one of the best things I ever did! I had terrible vision, and am now 20/20 and have been for 7 years.

One thing, though, that I did not expect when I had my Lasik, was that it took a couple of months for my eyes to stabilize to 20/20. A lot of people get out of the chair seeing perfectly, but not me. It made me have dry eyes, and I had to get plugs put in my tear ducts in order to keep moisture in my eyes, since the dryness was impacting my sight. This was a hassle more than anything, and it meant I had to go for follow-ups for several months after, but it eventually cleared up and I got the plugs out. This does not happen to everyone, but I would have like to know that it was a possibility. I was expecting the surgery to work like magic, but it took a couple months before I had perfect vision. I had mine done before the blade-free lasik, though, so things might be different nowadays.

I went to Dr. Boothe in Plano. Some pros on him are: he has done more surgeries than any other doctor in the world, he meets all his patients beforehand, he does the surgery and doesn't pass it off to another doctor in the practice, and he is comparatively priced (or was when I had it done).

Some cons on him are: I usually had to wait a while at my appointments, as he shuttles people through there. I honestly felt like we were cattle at times. He has zero personality, which actually isn't such a bad thing, as he is working on a delicate part of your body.

Overall, I would recommend him though, and I would go back to him. I would strongly recommend lasik, since it is so nice to see the clock in the middle of the night, not have to deal with irritated contacts, not have to buy glasses . . . a ton of reasons. I totally take my vision for granted now, which is amazing, since I wore glasses since 3rd grade.

Good luck on making your decision. I hope this helps!

I went to Key Whitman and would do it again in a minute! My vision was terrible and now is great. One thing I did not know is that when you have lasik you can (but not everyone does-but I did) develop a hale effect with your night vision. It took a little getting used to, but I wish I had known about it before I had the surgery. I walked out of there with 20/20 vision then my sight flexuated a little over the next few months before stabilizing. My left eye was my really bad eye and has slowly deterioriated (20/60), but I am scheduled for an "adjustment" at no cost.

Pros: I loved all the doctors I have seen there. They are incredibly responsive to phone calls and questions. I have never had to wait more than 5 minutes past my appointment time.

Cons: I am having to have an adjustment to my left eye.

I would do it again in a heartbeat, it was truly a miracle for me to be able to see-I haven't been able to see without glasses since the 5th grade and I love it! If you go there, tell them A. Blakeney sent you.

Good luck, A.

I'd recommend Key-Whitman also. I'm very impressed. My DH had his done in January he has 20/15 vision now.

Hi K.- I had my lasik performed a little over a year ago by Dr Boothe. My vision is now perfect and I am so glad I did it.

If I had to do it all over again I would most likely choose a different doctor. There is little to no one on one time- I felt like a cow on a cattle ranch. You are literally one of MANY that they are rushing to get through in a day and I felt that it was a perfect "you get what you pay for" scenario.

Pay a little extra for the comfort of knowing you are not as Pink Floyd put it, "another brick in the wall".

I have heard great things about Tylock and Key-Whitman. Good luck on your selection and enjoy your new eyes!!!

About a year ago, I had lasik from Dr. Robert Smith, at LasikPlus Vision Center, 2108 Dallas Parkway, Plano, TX 75093. Both the doctor and his staff were absolutely WONDERFUL!! I felt very personalized attention, the prices were explained well, I had many options for how to pay, and the appointments are made practically the next day. I had 20/800 vision for over 20 years and now I'm 20/20. I would recommend Dr. Smith and his staff to anyone and everyone. I am so happy that I had the surgery, and this location I chose made it that much better.

I personally would call Dr. Newberry in McKinney. He works at the surgery center in Grapevine (I think) on Fridays and HIGHLY recommends the clinic he goes to. He said celebrities and high profile people fly in all the time to use this low-named surgeon. I wish I could remember the name right off, but if you call the office they will be able to tell you where he is on Fridays. I trust Dr. Newberry---he is so genuine and thorough. I know he does the pre-exams for the surgery too. Hope that helps.

I had mine done at Key Whitman in Feb 2004. Dr. Whitman was the person who actually did the procedure. I choose him for a couple of reasons - first my sister and BIL used him with great results, he's been listed as one of the best doctors in D maganize for several years and lastly, I had heard bad things about Tylock (personnaly know someone suing him for malpractice) and Booth (feeling of "cattle calls).

I was THRILLED with my results. I had very bad astigmatism and had worn glasses since I was 8. I was near the top of where they actually say it's "too" much for Lasik. Dr. Whitmas had prepared me that I actually might require 2 separate procedures to get me ultimately to the best place. As it turned out, 1 procedure and I was at 20/20. Four years later, I'm still 20/20!

My procedures was about $4k total, however I was spending nearly $700/year on glasses, prescription sunglasses (we have a boat, so really needed) and contacts (speciality b/c of the high astigmatism).

I recommend planning ahead so you can use your flex health account. At least that way the money is before taxes and thus somewhat less expensive.

Certainly let me know if I can answer any other questions.

I had Lasik performed in both eyes eleven years ago and have been so pleased with it. Dr. Herman from Eye Care and Surgery Center performed my surgery. At the time, I worked for an optometrist and I learned that Dr. Herman & Dr. Pazendak were well known and most referred to by other physicians; they didn't have to advertise to bring business in b/c so many doctors referred their patients to them. In fact, at the time, they were the doctors who taught other physicians how to perform Lasik surgery. Good Luck! I think you'll be pleased with Lasik if and when you decide.