[thechat] Astigmata

[Hugh Blair]

> -----Original Message-----
> On Behalf Of matt g
>
> Not to be alarmist...
>
> The people doing these eye surgeries aren't really surgeons, are they? Not
> usually anyway.

In the US, they -must- be Ophthalmology MDs. And most of them are surgeons
in some specialty. Yep, there might be some doing LASIK that haven't done
many surgeries, but just to get the MD they must do some in their residency.

> My friend the ophthalmologic surgeon recommends against lasik and the like,
> just because if it ever does go wrong he's the one who has to fix it. That's
> the main time he sees lasik patients, so he has that bias against it built
> in. [Side note: he has performed many cataract surgeries in far-away lands
> for $12 an eye using tiny fragments of a razor blade - the pictures make me
> shudder]

The eye is the strangest and most intricate organ. You just answered the bias
question when you said "the main time he sees LASIK patients" is when there's
a problem. Of course, if there's no problem, he doesn't need to see them :)

> On the other hand, my brother and several of his in-laws have had lasik and
> they are all happy. Most had to have "tune-ups" afterward to make things
> final, but they're all fine, far as I know.

I'm really not a preacher (although the above might sound like it) but what
I don't like to hear is misinformation (not you, others). I spend most of
my business day with Ophthalmology/Optometry docs. I've seen good. I've seen
those that I wouldn't let put a bandage on a scrape. IMHO, LASIK-VISX is the
way to go if you're a good candidate. And that's the key. Not everyone is
a proper candidate.

> I forget my prescription, but think it's +.75 and +1.00 or something minor,
> and I've got *better* than 20/20 with my glasses on, so I'm leaving my eyes
> as they are.

Ah, almost the same here. +1.00/-1.00 at 90 Add+2.25 both eyes. So I'm not a
candidate for SX and neither are you. But my GF? +6.50 in both eyes. So
why do you think we're rebuilding a doc's web site? <grin>

Folks, take care of your eyes. Get annual exams. You only get 2.

-Hugh