Extraordinary Stories from Ordinary People

The most popular version of laser vision correction, Lasik (laser in-situ keratomileusis), applies the laser treatment to the deeper portion of the cornea. Both versions of laser vision correction are quick—usually taking no more than five to ten minutes—and painless. The results, as patients and their doctors will tell you, are impressive.

Stacy, a forty-year-old music publisher, had been wearing corrective lenses since she was in the sixth grade. For thirty years, she couldn’t get out of bed in the morning without putting on her glasses. “As a child, I would play a game: If I had three wishes, what would they be? 20/20 vision, 20/20 vision, 20/20 vision. It’s always been the first thing I would change about my life.” Three weeks after having Lasik, Stacy’s vision had improved from 20/800 to 20/20. “Your confidence level goes up,” she said. “It’s not so much the way you look. It’s the way you feel. I feel so good about myself.”

Ted was so nearsighted and astigmatic that he could barely see his hand in front of his face without glasses. Before having surgery, he went sailing with his nine-year-old son. The boom knocked Ted’s glasses off. He grabbed them just before they landed in the water.
Without them, he couldn’t see the shore. That close call convinced him that it was time to get rid of his glasses. Lasik surgery gave him 20/25 vision. “What’s dramatic,” the forty-eight-year-old teacher said, “is being able to open your eyes in the morning and actually being able to see.”

Ethan, a thirty-two-year-old actor with 20/800 vision, had been wearing contact lenses for years. By the end of the day, his eyes were tired and red. Now that he’s had PRK, he has 20/25 vision in the left eye and 20/20 in the right. “It’s one less worry in my life,” he said. “It’s made my life a little less complicated. I don’t have to put in contacts or get my glasses. I just feel freer.”

Lasik surgery gave Diane, a forty-five-year-old physician’s assistant, a newfound sense of freedom. Before Lasik, she couldn’t clearly see her feet when she was in the shower. Now she’s taking rock-climbing lessons with her twelve-year-old daughter, something she would never do when she had to wear glasses or contacts. “I always believed I was entitled to see well,” she said. With 20/30 vision in her left eye and 20/40 in the right, she finally does. “It’s within a person’s grasp. It’s wonderful that technology has come this far.”

A Note From Dr. Caster

I have written this book to explain to you the pros and cons of laser vision correction and to present other information necessary to help you make an informed decision.

Part I provides basic information and should be read by everyone contemplating this procedure, Part II provides additional information for those who want to know more, and the Afterward describes my own experience as a patient having laser vision correction.