Vancouver Forum: laser eye surgery - Vancouver Forum

hey sandy can u tell me about his price/eye? thanks a lot

Had it done and it's awesome (but gross at the time... yuk)! Dr. Lin at Pacific Laser has the rep as best in Van. It's approx $3000 but could be more or less depending on your prescription and procedure.

I know a lady who had laser eye surgery that went badly wrong.

Now she has to wear contact lenses AND glasses at the same time.

Hey SS...he charges $995/eye for everyone, not based on your prescription.  It also includes all follow-up care and retreatment if necessary.  He also works out of Burnaby General doing cataract surgeries, etc.

hey...I highly recomend coal harbour eye centre www.seewell.ca  the surgeon there is dr steven kirzner...I liked him because he operated on his own daughter. He also likes to do PRK surgery..not lasik..lasik involves cutting the eye...prk does not. the operation costs 2000.00 all drops included and all appointments afterward. Alot of the other clinics do not include your followups or eye drops. I had it done ands swear it's the best 2000.00 I ever spent!

thanks sandy
and i don't think there are any LONG TERM effects, i know a few ppl that did it and are completely fine after years
also, my mom had hers in my country like 7 years ago and she says it's the best thing she's done in her life (her number was quite high)

Whats so gross about lasik surgery

I just had it done by Dr Boyd 2 weeks ago.  He's my ophtomologist so I felt very comfortable with him and I agree with you, I liked the fact that he offers very personal care.  Unlike many of the "mass" laser eye clinics where you don't see the dr who will perfom the procedure until its time for the surgery, Dr Boyd checked my eyes himself, answered my questons, etc.  I had the surgery done at noon on a Friday and by the evening I was fine - no pain, my eyesight was almost perfect.  What really impressed me was that Dr Boyd called me that night from his home to see how I was doing.  How many dr's would do that??

you really should check out a laser clinic in new westminster ( the london place eye centre). They have done laser eye surgery on celebrities and their method is less invasive than wavefront and lasik technology. This clinic uses the "no-touch " surgery which is wayy better lasik b/c with no-touch they have no surgical instruments or cutting used on the cornea. It's well known clinic. Please check their website out and the price is great, my dad is getting $3000 for both eyes including all the medical attention needed after ( eye examinations, check-ups, eye drops etc..) .and all the costs included unlike some clinics that have "hidden costs". Go make an appointment there, they also fill you in on why lasik isn't as great and the risks associated with it where as the no-touch has almost none. My dad went to a well-known clinic for lasik but they just didnt' inform him about the operation ( how its done, they just skirt the question b/c the lasik is quite invasive) and the costs were so high ( i.e u have to pay for eye appointments after etc..).

http://www.lasereye.com/

I work with 2 people who went to londonplace  optical to have the PRK surgery..both of them had alot of pain afterwards and one of them still has to wear glasses sometimes. I just tell people do your own research, dont go cheap because these are your eyes! but check out www.seewell.ca dr. Kirzner and his staff are excellent! he even did Marcus Nasland! and my recovery was just like they said it would be no I have 20 20 again.

I did lasik surgry 6 years ago...

my eyes are good & i still alive

It's gross cause they slice a flap off your cornea, peel it back and the start reshaping it with the laser. Meanwhile you can see the whole thing through the eye they are working on and smell the burning flesh from your eyeball. Then they pull the flap back over and brush your eyeball for like 5 minutes to smooth it all out. Really fast procedure, but  disturbing at the same time! Like I said though, the results are awesome and totally worth it!!!

Most people who have Lasik are happy with it, although not all can give up their glasses completely. It's difficult to reshape the cornea exactly to a 20/20 level.

But, anyone who's considering Lasik should research the possible permanent side effects. One big one is permanent dry eyes, which can quite simply ruin your life. You might consider taking a look at dryeyezone.com and read some of the posts from people who have permanent dry eye because of their Lasik surgery. Again, it is a rare side effect, but a potentially disabling one.

ajay, it says on londonplace optical has the " no-touch" technique, not the prk surgery. They specifically tell you on the website that the prk surgery isn't good. so not sure , maybe ur coworkers went for a cheaper laser surgery eh.

no touch is prk....lasik is invasive proceedure that touches the eye with a "slicer".  most eye surgeons will tell you they  prefer prk..it takes a little longer to recover fully but the long term results are better than lasik. lasik patients are not normally good canditates for  'touch' up lasering later on if they need it  prk patients are as less material is removed  during the porceedure. this stuff is all explained in detail in the handout packet you get when you go in for your intitial examination. the pros and con of both surgeries are explained. and in the end it's your decision. Tho the Dr. will tell  you what he thinks is the best option for you.

Just had "no touch" on Friday.  Been to 2 follow ups and they say its healing well.  Wednesday shoulc get the contact off and start seeing clearly.  There was nothing to the surgery the only time I was worried is when they said my blood pressure was 192 over 90.  Then that made me nervous.  Other than that it has been good so far.

so just wondering is the no touch a form of prk, coz the website says they don't use standard prk.

yeah i've heard of dr.lin too, but don't they use lasik? it's over 3000 dollars for sure

I got PRK done at coal harbour eye centre yesterday. I just got back from my followup checkup. I'm seeing better than without corrective lenses but not as good as with corrective lenses. It apparently takes time for your vision to stablize. I was -9 on both eyes so its a big jump. The proceedure was not painfull because they numb your eyes.. but it was wierd... like out of a sci-fi movie... It was pretty quick. I'm now on a chedule of drops... I'm putting drops on every 15 minutes an there are other drops that I use 3x/day, one 1 use 4x/day and one only for pain... I tried not to use the numbing drop for pain but couldn't handle it anymore so I'd use it sometimes... So far, I've used it less than the max recommended use so it's all good...
Before going for this surgery, I 've read up a lot... I mean... a lot..
What I've gathered on the no touch thing... no touch is a trade mark name used by london place.. From what I've gathered, it is a form of PRK. In PRK, the doctor can use different meathods to remove a layer off... either by alcohol that is wiped off, by laser or by something else (I don't remember)... No-tuoch just means they remove the layer using a laser... The rest of the proceedure is PRK.. Coal harbour can remove that layer using a laser as well.. they just can't call it no touch... But the doctor from coal harbour prefers to use the alcohol meathod.. They gave me a reason but I don't remember... Anyway.. I looked into the london place as well.. What sold me aside from everything else I've read is that I tried calling London place cuz I had a question... They transferred me and told me to leave a message... I never got a call back. I then wondered, If I had my proceedure done there and I had an issue... Is this how I'm going to be treated? Every time I call coal harbour.. I always got a live person answering my questions... and I've called numerous times before my surgery cuz these questions kept on comin up... Anyway, so far it's been good... It's a little too early to tell I guess.. To everyone else doing laser eye surgery - good luck. Please share your experiences as I will check in every once in a while to see how others are doing...

oh.. I forgot to add to my list of drops.. 1 I have to use every 2 hours... I have all my stuff downstairs so I'm going from memory.. the one that iw every 2 hours is an antibiotic to ward off infections... the one that is every 15  minutes is lubircant to keep the eyes from getting dry.. the one that is 3x a day is anti inflamatory and I think the one that is 4 x a day is steriod to help the eyes heal...

that's awsome 2tone...I had my eyes done there in febuary..and let me tell you the first week is the worst..after that it's all gravey. I'm 20 20 now and you will find them excellent at after care! and yea I got the prk only after the dr recommended it I'm really pleased with my result and I'm sure you will be too

Hi, I'm having my PRK surgery at Coal Harbour this coming Friday.  How long am I going to be putting drops in my eyes, I'm assuming the schedule will eventually taper.  Also wondering how soon you were able to 20/20 vision....did it take weeks or months?

Thanks, I appreciate all the info given so far.

T

I know of 2 people who have had it done. My uncle has it done a couple of years ago but his eyes have worsened and now he cant where glasses or contacts there for can drive at night or in the rain. 2nd is my ortodontist. He had it done, it went bad and he ended up lossing his practices and now sells realestate.

Thanks ajay. I got my protective contacts taken out on Tuesday (4 days ago)... I'm not seeing that clearly yet... I noticed my left eye sees more clearly than my right eye. Should I be worried? I mean, I used to be about -9 on both eyes so I do see better than I did without lenses but not nearly as good as I did with lenses so I know I'm not 20/20. I've read everywhere that it takes time but the one eye seeing better than the other is kindda freaking me out. ajay, how long did it take you to see clearly after your lenses came out? How bad were your eyes?

Hey scary, where did the two people you know get theirs done?

I had my laser surgery done 8 years ago at London Eye Clinic in New Westminster.  I have had no side effects whatsoever.  My vision is better now than before I started wearing glasses.

The added advantage is that they correct one eye for distance and one eye for reading.  I now have bi-focals without ever having to put on specticle.s
 
My daughter went in at the same time.  She had a -11.75 diopter correction and now has perfect vision.  I cannot say enough good things about this surgery.

My sister on the other hand had the lasik and ended up back in glasses within three years.

Hope this helps.

Grandma... do you work for London or something?

Nope.  Just very happy to have found them. 

With all the eye surgeries, you only have 2 eyee. What if they mess it up. Sorry not gonna do it.

Totally know what you mean rj... My two older borthers, sisters-in-law and my sister got theirs done over 10 years ago... All are doing fine and don't regret it. My sister got lasik done and my brothers got PRK... I refused to take the risk... well, until now... 2 months ago, I had issues with my eyes... doctor did not know what was wrong so she sent me to an opthalmologist.. He kindda suggested I get it done.. I asked around, read up on it a lot, got a 2nd opinion, etc, etc.. and made the decision... I have my reasons and I guess others do it for different reasons... but I totally know what you mean... It's scary.. it's your eyes!

Had it done July 29, Can't say anything bad about it so far.  Still trying to read signs 30 feet away, little blurry. 

I know two friends who got theirs done at London place in New West and one got it done at Coal Harbor (it was cheaper). All are happy and say its the best thing they did.

Another friend looking into all this is thinking of going to Dr. Lin at Pacific laser (charges the most $3000, supposedly has a good rep, and doesn't include the post check up sessions)

Just thought I'd update:

I was and am now seeing 20/25 on both eyes, which is excellent considering I use to see 20/900 before PRK. I've been to the Philippines and back... The 12 hour airplane ride was brutal! I had to put drops in my eyes every few mintues cuz it was so dry... I've been surfing every weekend since I was given the 'okay' by Coal Harbor and I'm going again this weekend.. That's three weekenends so far and my eyes are doing well... I love them and now whish I've done this sooner... I surfed with contacts for years and can finally do so without them!! I was okay with the contacts until one day (a few months ago), my eyes got really swollen and irritated after a session... I saw my doctor who didn't know what was wrong and sent me to a specialist who suggested I get the surgery done... Apparently, it's safer to have the surgery done than have contacts in the ocean... I was sketched at first but finally got the surgery done... The recovery is just as they told me it would be and now I can see!!  It's frigin awesome! I go for my next checkup on Oct 1... Keeping my fingers crossed!

Wowza!!!!!!!!!! I'm having mine done at coal harbour on september 29th and I'm excited... thanks 2 tone for charting your progress because I'm getting prk and I don't want to be depressed when I don't see any progress at the beginning... I know it takes time for the eyes to fully recover from prk.  You were clearly able to email the next day- I'm wondering when I'll be able to return to work- was your vision really blurred when you were wearing the post operative contacts?  Any more hints and tips for the quickest recovery? I appreciate the support out there!

Pacific Laser Eye on W. Broadway is one of the best clinics in the world. Both doctors who work there are internationally known.

I had mine done at Coal Harbour 2 years ago this December.  Best thing I ever did!  I had a very high prescription and have diabetes so it was a tough go.  The best advice I can give is keep your eyes very moist and use them.  Mine hurt so much at first because I wasn't putting enough drops in and kept them closed (it was Chrsitmas and I was able to laze around). 
Dr.K was amazing.  He saw me outside of business hours - and helped me out when I had to fly back east due to a family illness (I still had one lens in).  I would recommend Coal Harbour to anyone. 
Do your research - like folks are saying - you only have two eyes.  But it has made my life so much better.  If you don't wear glasses or are able to function without it's harder to understand.  It's such a gift.  I feel so lucky to live in a country where we can have these types of procedures. 
Good Luck Willow!

willow - I was able to read and see after surgery but it was not comfortable. I would not recommend spending a lot of time in front of the computer.. I took two weeks off work and just relaxed, religiously put eye drops in. I charted my drops for the first three weeks or so.. I took vitamine c and e and multi vitamines as well. I dont' think it's necessary but I did it. Basically, I just took really good care of myself.. Didn't drink, didn't smoke, etc.. I'm back to my normal routine now with work and play and I'm still seeing perfectly. Coal Harbour is awesome. They gave me a hand out of what to expect after surgery and I knew it would take time but I was still freaking out anyway... Each time I called them with a question during office hours, they always had someone there to answer, which is more than I can say about other places. I called a few places before I got my eyes done. One place put me on hold then I left a message then I never got a call back. I think you chose a good place Willow. Good luck.