If you're looking for personal testimony, I'll add mine. I think LASIK is a VERY good investment. I had it done two years ago, and I've been extraordinarily happy with it. I personally know six other people who have had it done between two and fifteen years ago, and they are ALL, without exception, giddy with delight. Everyone tells me horror stories, but they're just that--stories. I don't know a single person who has had so much as a minor glitch after the LASIK procedure. Oh, and there ARE studies about the structural integrity of the eye 20 years down the road--LASIK has been around for longer than that!
Are there risks? Of course. But check the statistics: Worrying about going blind as a result of LASIK is like worrying about being in a fatal wreck when you drive to the grocery store. It happens, but the payoff of convenience greatly outweighs the risk.
My suggestions:
1) Go to a seminar at a reputable clinic that performs the surgery, one that has been around for a while and has a good record. They'll give you all the information you could want.
2) Make sure your doctor is a good opthalmologist, preferably a cornea specialist, not just a LASIK surgeon. The computer does 99% of the surgery, the doctor is there in case something goes wrong. In that EXTREMELY rare case, you want a good cornea specialist.
3) Sign up to pay for the surgery from a medical savings account at your job. Have it done as soon in the year as you can; the first week of January is ideal. The money is deducted tax-free from your pay throughout the year, making it effectively an interest-free and tax-free loan. Plus, if you leave your job for any reason, you don't have to pay any remainder back! (This happened to me, and I ended up saving around $450 from being laid off. It was one of the few bright sides of losing my job...)
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If you're looking for personal testimony, I'll add mine. I think LASIK is a VERY good investment. I had it done two years ago, and I've been extraordinarily happy with it. I personally know six other people who have had it done between two and fifteen years ago, and they are ALL, without exception, giddy with delight. Everyone tells me horror stories, but they're just that--stories. I don't know a single person who has had so much as a minor glitch after the LASIK procedure. Oh, and there ARE studies about the structural integrity of the eye 20 years down the road--LASIK has been around for longer than that!
Are there risks? Of course. But check the statistics: Worrying about going blind as a result of LASIK is like worrying about being in a fatal wreck when you drive to the grocery store. It happens, but the payoff of convenience greatly outweighs the risk.
My suggestions:
1) Go to a seminar at a reputable clinic that performs the surgery, one that has been around for a while and has a good record. They'll give you all the information you could want.
2) Make sure your doctor is a good opthalmologist, preferably a cornea specialist, not just a LASIK surgeon. The computer does 99% of the surgery, the doctor is there in case something goes wrong. In that EXTREMELY rare case, you want a good cornea specialist.
3) Sign up to pay for the surgery from a medical savings account at your job. Have it done as soon in the year as you can; the first week of January is ideal. The money is deducted tax-free from your pay throughout the year, making it effectively an interest-free and tax-free loan. Plus, if you leave your job for any reason, you don't have to pay any remainder back! (This happened to me, and I ended up saving around $450 from being laid off. It was one of the few bright sides of losing my job...)