My LASIK Experience
23 Feb 2021 money
Background
I started wearing glasses and contact lenses in middle school. Prior to that, I didn’t even realize I had poor vision. From then on, I wore contacts nearly every day, glasses at nighttime. The routine never bothered me.
I switched from biweekly lenses to dailies shortly after graduating college, which was also when I started paying for them myself. And it was expensive. An annual supply of lenses cost about $600 after a $200 rebate. It wasn’t long before I decided I wanted to get LASIK surgery. My primary motivation was financial, though I didn’t hate the idea of a simpler morning/bedtime routine.
My eye doctor(s) instructed me to wait until my prescription stabilized before getting the procedure, which supposedly happens in your late twenties. I begrudgingly paid for lenses for five more years until finally, recently, I got the go-ahead from my doctor to get the procedure; my prescription had stabilized at around -3.0 in each eye and I had the contact lens receipts to prove it.
Research
Finding a provider was relatively straightforward. I Googled for LASIK facilities in my area and found two that looked promising: TLC Laser Eye Centers and The LASIK Vision Institute, both in Garden City, NY; and, as I later found out, both owned by the same parent company. I booked consultations online.
While I waited for my appointments, I perused r/lasik for anecdotes: costs, experiences, outcomes, etc. Many people were happy with their results, but a few said they regretted getting the procedure because it left them with chronic dry eyes. Those stories definitely gave me pause, but I figured it was still worth talking to doctors in person.
My first appointment was at TLC Laser Eye Centers, which is where I ended up having my surgery. The facility made a good first impression: the offices were clean and the staff was friendly. I had my temperature taken, filled out a few forms, and was brought into a back office for some testing. They measured my current eyeglass prescription, the curvature of my eyes, and the thickness of my corneas, all nearly instantaneously. (Today’s eye-scanning technology is magical. Watching a hot air balloon slowly come into focus is way better than taking the “1 or 2” test over and over again.) Moments later, I was declared a great candidate for LASIK, primarily due to my stable prescription and thick corneas. I asked a few questions (apparently it’s mostly postmenopausal women who complain of dry eyes), chatted about costs, and booked the surgery, knowing that if I could always cancel if necessary.
My second appointment was with The LASIK Vision Institute (LVI). The staff was friendly but the facility seemed - for lack of a better word - grungy. They ran the same tests as TLC and came to the same conclusion: that I was a great candidate for the surgery. They quoted me $300 cheaper than TLC and offered to perform Contoura vision surgery, a more advanced procedure. I told them I’d get back to them.
I called TLC back to ask about Contoura and matching the cheaper price. They explained that Contoura is usually no better than traditional LASIK for most patients, but that the surgeon would decide if it was appropriate and, if so, perform it at no additional cost. And yes, they would be willing to price match. At that point, I was confident in my decision to go with TLC, especially after reading more about my surgeon, Dr. Eric Donnenfeld, who has apparently performed over 70,000 LASIK procedures. I knew I’d be in good hands.
Surgery
Two days prior to surgery, I had another appointment. They dilated my eyes, ordered post-op eye drops to my local CVS, and answered any remaining questions that I had. I pre-paid for the procedure and was out the door.
At TLC’s suggestion, I scheduled my surgery for just after lunchtime. The plan was to eat lunch, have the procedure, and then take a nap until dinnertime. And that’s exactly what happened.
On the day of surgery, shortly after my wife dropped me off, I was given numbing eye drops, Valium, and a hairnet. Then I had my eyelids cleaned and was brought into the operating room. I was instructed to lay down on a table and stare up at a bright blue light, which I did to the best of my ability. They covered one of my eyes, put a ring around the other (to push back my eyelids), and then slowly lowered some instrument onto the exposed eye. I didn’t feel or see anything; my vision went black before I had the opportunity to think about what was happening (they were cutting a flap in my cornea). After a ten second countdown, they switched eyes, and then sat me up and walked me over to a second table. This time, I was instructed to stare at a dull green light while the surgeon lifted each flap and zapped my eyes with clicky-sounding laser. It smelled like burning plastic and was over before I knew it. Someone helped me up and walked me into an exam room where Dr. Donnenfeld checked the quality of his work. With a quick, “Enjoy your vision, you deserve it,” he was off to the next procedure. I was given some protective goggles and sent on my way; my wife was waiting outside in the car.
The thirty-minute car ride home felt like hours. The Valium made me feel sick - not nauseous, just tired and grumpy - and my eyes started to leak and string. I collapsed on my bed as soon as I got home and napped for nearly five hours. I woke up feeling much better and was happily surprised when, upon opening my eyes, I could clearly read my alarm clock. Success!
Post-op
It’s only been a few days since surgery but my vision is already better than expected. My first post-op appointment revealed that I now have 20/15 vision - better than average - in both eyes, and things are only expected to improve in the coming weeks. I see bloom more than previously, especially at nighttime, but I’m told that should improve as time goes on. My eyes don’t feel particularly dry except first thing in the morning. (If you’ve ever slept with contacts in, you know the feeling.) Again, I’m told dryness should improve as time goes on. I have a few broken blood vessels but no pain associated with them.
My post-op routine is relatively straightforward. I’m not allowed to rub my eyes, and I sleep with protective goggles to ensure I don’t do so mid-slumber. I use prescribed anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops twice a day, and over-the-counter Refresh Plus preservative-free lubricating eye drops every two hours. After a few more days, I’ll stop using the first two kinds of drops and reduce the lubricating drops to four times a day (for the next couple of months).
Overall, I’m really happy with the procedure and I’m really looking forward to life post-recovery.
Cost
In case it’s helpful, here’s what I paid:
| Original price | $5800 |
| Price after VSP discount | $4500 |
| Price after price match | $4200 |
| Price after reimbursement | $2200 |
| Amount paid with FSA | $2200 |
Thanks to a generous $2000 once-per-lifetime LASIK reimbursement benefit from my employer and some careful planning with my Health Care Flex Spending Account (FSA), I spent only about $1500 after-tax dollars on the procedure and eye drops. Not too shabby for a lifetime of clear vision.
