My answer is too long to post here but if you send me an email to tye.joe@gmail.com I'll send it to you. Bottom line is that you are taking a very big gamble with your most precious physical resource - your eyes - and because of the Lasik industry code of silence you can never tell the good docs from the bad ones.
I had LASIK 15 years ago then PRK 7 years ago. I still have lousy night vision because of starbursts. Recently I spent $5k on scleral contacts that did not fix the starbursts. Now I find I have subepithelial scar tissue that might be the root cause of starbursts. More surgery is not an option so I'm kinda screwed for life.
lets say i find a top of the tops doc who is i mean like really experianced and i know that my eyes are fine for the procedure and i pass him over some money beside so that he will take extra care....still to risky to do it?
cause i mainly hear about cases where ppl were not "in the condition"
sry for my bad english but i think you get the point
would be nice if you could send me a honest response
I had double vision when both eyes were open because I had latent strabismus before the surgery - a condition that they should have checked for (I've seen several medical journal articles saying that every Lasik candidate should be checked for this, but most are not). I'm very sorry to hear about yours. It sounds like they might have programmed the laser wrong if they burned a line through your iris.
ow should have told also my left eye has double vision i know why now cause of my iris they burned a line trough it plz answer me cause you say you have double vision ,with one eye, ?
I am really sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, too many lasik docs who have a profound financial conflict of interest seriously downplay the dangers, and maintain a state of deliberate and militant ignorance regarding the harm they are doing to innocent people. The next time I do this video, I will not tell people that I'm not trying to talk them out of it, i will say that the risks are so severe that in most cases they are not worth taking. Good luck in finding some relief!!
@joebtye3 Is there something I can say or do to motivate you to make that new video now? :) I will put you on the front page of LasikComplications for a period of time.
@LASIKComplications I'll work on it. For anyone who watches this video, when I do the next one I will NOT say that I'm not going to try and talk you out of Lasik. Since doing this video I've heard so many horror stories, and seen the unethical side of this business, that I believe the risk is far out of proportion to any possible benefit.
PRK was a horrible decision I made. I was never warned of the risks od bad vision by my doctor.Only was warned of risks that you would get from any surgery not messed up vision. I have a too small optical zone and have NVD
One of the best ways to deal with personal adversity is to transform your misfortune into a benefit for someone else. So, for example, if you happen to lose a job, one of the best things you can do for yourself is devote one day a week helping someone else find a job. Warning people about the serious ethical failures of the Lasik industry and the dire risks of the surgery is important for those considering it, but it's also part of my personal therapy.
i had rk done in 1996.I use 1.50+ to see far away [objects are clearer but smaller ].
1.75+ for mid range and 2.75+ for close up reading.All these glasses are READING GLASSES.NEVER HEARD OF USING READING GLASSES TO SEE FAR AWAY.I CAN'T GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER. HELP
You are absolutely correct. Today I absolutely do try to talk people out of having Lasik, for several reasons. First, hardly a day goes by that I don't hear another horror story (or several) from someone whose eyes have been damaged by Lasik. Second, I have come to believe that the failure of the medical profession to confront fraudulent advertising and unethical doctors is an ethical failure of great magnitude.
If you are considering lasik, watch my movies to know why you shoulndt have lasik, and why lasik a big fraud. My eyes were also damaged from lasik surgery.
If you are considering lasik, watch my movies to know why you shoulndt have lasik, and why lasik a big fraud. My eyes were also damaged from lasik surgery
Joe, in this video you say you won't try to talk anyone out of having LASIK, but I believe since the time you recorded this you have changed your thinking on this. Why don't you make a 2nd video and tell what you know now, which, I assume, is that you would not recommend that anyone have this surgery. I'd be happy to place your new video at the top of my website homepage.
I am very sorry to hear that. It is absolutely appalling (and in some cases downright criminal) the way some of these eye "doctors" put their own financial interests ahead of the welfare of the people whose eyes they cut up.
Thanks. Later this week I have an appt with the University cornea clinic and one of the things the doc will be evaluating is bandage soft contact lenses for night time, but I'm probably not a candidate for the others. I once heard an opththalmologist say that if Lasik was the only treatment for nearsightedness and someone invented glasses, they would win the Nobel Prize!
I've been using my new scleral lenses for about a month now. Technically I use just one lens and only for 4-5 hours a day. The left lens was never comfortable but the right I put in and forget it's there. So when the sun goes down that's my cue to put the right lens in so I can see to drive home. The trip cost $3000: $500 for the flight to Texas and $2500 for the lenses. I didn't spend much on food for the week because the motel had a free breakfast.
Sorry to hear about your side effects but thank god it isnt as bad as some who end up doing corneal transplants. Have you tried wearing special contact lenses which fix the irregular surface of your cornea which is causing the double vision etc...
I have keratoconus so I also see double vision etc... and in our case we wear special types of lenses which make up for the irregularity of the cornea. Only difference is yours is surgery induced while mine (keratoconus) is natural.
I speak with a lot of healthcare audiences and have started making a (very brief) comment about the ethics of Lasik. It is appalling how many Lasik horror stories I hear afterward. The Lasik industry has done a masterful job of pulling the wool over the public eye regarding the risk of permanent and serious damage. This is not a simple, safe procedure. I would give anything to be back in glasses!
Wow! I'm soooo sorry that happen to you and I thank you so much for sharing your story up untill a few weeks I was adament about getting the surgery but the risk (however small) is just not worth it...THANK YOU!
I am very sorry to hear about your Lasik disaster and hope that over time some of the worst consequences will ameliorate. Thanks for helping to inform others about the dangers. We have to do that, since so many Lasik surgeons won't do it. At least in my case, and it appears in yours as well, because they were more interested in the contents of our wallets than they were in the quality of our lives.
@joebtye3 Joe, I just got back from a trip to Texas to see the optometrist who makes custom scleral lenses. They work very well in good light. They work somewhat well in dim light but in poor light I still see starbursts. But they're smaller and I'm hoping in time I'll learn to not focus on them when driving.
yep. Laser vision surgery ruined my life. I lost my career due to an unethical surgeon. I was never screened properly and warned that I was a serious risk for surgery. I only found out after the operation when things went wrong. These hack surgeons have ZERO accountability if they don't screen properly. I lost my night vision. Severe Dry eyes 24/7. MY vision sucks now and I can't use contacts ever again due to dryness. MY eyes look like hell. DON"T GET LASER VISION SURGERY!
Thanks. I really think as the stories of the hundreds of thousands of people who have suffered permanent eye damage as a result of Lasik come out, and as they look at the deceptive and downright fraudulent advertising being used to promote it, the FDA will have no choice but to put more limits on it, or to ban it altogether.
wow...i'm so sorry you had such a negative experience with lasik :( thank u for sharing your story, it's amazing how they're reconsidering the FDA approval of this surgery!
I fell for the Lasik industry sales pitch of 95%+ success rates - but now hardly a week goes by that I don't hear another Lasik disaster story. I think you are very wise to not take the risk. You can always change glasses, but once they cut your eyes it is forever.
Thank you for posting this video. I'm very sorry to hear of your problems but so glad you're making people aware of the potential problems they may experience. I've not had laser eye surgery, though I had been considering it for a couple of years. The more I look into it though the more nervous I become and your video is the final push I need to forget about it. Thanks again and all the best!
Thanks for asking. After several years of wearing glasses with prism lenses, the double vision has been substantially reversed. Unfortunately, because the wrong prescription was carved into my eyes, I still require a different pair of eyeglasses for different activities. Most concerning is that nearly 4 years after the surgery, my eyes hurt nearly all the time; though I use eye drops 40-50 times a day and several times during the night, they still feel like they are being rubbed by sandpaper.
I'm glad you've made this decision. You are only 18 - by the time you are 28, they will have technology that will make Lasik seem barbaric by comparison. But if you have Lasik now, you will never (never!) be able to take advantage of that future progress. As you said, you only have one pair of eyes - don't take the risk of ruining them now.
Hi Joe, thank you for making this video! I considered lasik a year ago but didn't do much research since I was only 18 then and way too young for lasik. I dreamed to see clearly without glasses/contacts. But since my eyes are one of the most valuable to me, I soon forgot about lasik and found out about orthokeratology. Now I can see without corrective lenses during the day (I wear my contacts during night). I hope others will make the same choice and don't do lasik. There are alternatives!
Hi Joe, thank you for making this video! I considered lasik a year ago but didn't do much research since I was only 18 then and way too young for lasik. I dreamed to see clearly without glasses/contacts. But since my eyes are one of the most valuable to me, I soon forgot about lasik and found out about orthokeratology. Now I can see without corrective lenses during the day (I wear my contacts during night). I hope others will make the same choice and don't do lasik. There are alternatives!
Good call - it's just not worth the risk. If the only way available to treat nearsightedness was non-reversible surgery with at least a 5% failure rate, and someone invented eyeglasses, they would win the Nobel Prize.
Good luck Kevin - I hope he can help. I'm having more trouble than ever with eye pain (not just dry eye - keep-you-awake-at-night eye pain. If Dr. Gemoulles has any suggestions, I'd appreciate you sending them along.
I sent back the Wave lenses. I've made arrangements to travel to Coppell, TX to see Dr Gemoulles, who has had success making lenses for guys like us. I tried his lenses a few years ago. They reduced the starbursts but not enough that I felt safe to drive at night. I'm hoping improved technology can make a difference this time.
thank u alot for the advice im going to do more research on these doctors
my doc said i was fine to get it done even though i had a flashing light in my left eye i asked him questions about it he said he didnt see any signs of cancer im going to ask for my records me wearing contacts really messed my eyes up i cant leave them in for long periods and when i did my eyes became dry if i get the surgery i dont want them to become excessive dry. i also have a stigmatism in the left eye and floaters.
@dnllhn If you already have problems with dry eye syndrome there is a very real risk that having Lasik will make you miserable for the rest of your life. I wake up several times each night having to put in eye drops, working at a computer is a miserable experience, and my eyes hurt almost all the time. You need to get another doctor to give you an opinion, because it sounds to me like the first one is giving you a sales pitch rather than an honest diagnosis.
You are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts. "95% satisfaction" is LASIK industry spin designed to fool the public. I read the full text of the article and references. Go to lasiknewswire(.)com and read "The Truth Behind LASIK Satisfaction". The LASIK surgeon-author of that junk article included "somewhat satisfied" patients in the satisfied rate. The author also hid complications ("side effects") reported by "satisfied" patients, which was in the double digits.
Anyone with an unhappy LASIK result might not broadcast that fact. If only to keep their job. If I were required to drive at night I would have killed someone by now because of my lousy night vision. In the optometrist's exam chair I'm 20:20. At night I can't drive.
Things are looking up mainly because the days are getting longer. Yesterday it was getting light as I left for work and there was still light on the horizon when I left for home at the end of the day. So for the next seven or eight months I won't be driving in the dark. I sent back the RGP Wave lenses for a refund. Just too painful to keep in my eyes more than an hour.
What are the "success" rates of chemo and radiation therapy? I believe they are low as well so I am not surprised that the medical community is deems the 95% success rate as satisfactory.
My friend went through over 5 years of hell - chemo, radiation, stem cell and died. Yet his wife is saddled with debt because of the bills.
I am sorry for your friend, who is a great example of one of the many ways that our healthcare system is broken. But you cannot begin to compare success rates for chemo, treatment for a disease that without treatment is almost always fatal (and agonizingly so) and Lasik, which is a largely cosmetic procedure on healthy eyes that just need glasses for vision correction.
@peopleselbow I have sympathy for your friend, who is an example of one of the things profoundly wrong with our healthcare system. But you cannon begin to compare success rates of cancer therapy - treatment for a disease that is otherwise agonizingly fatal - with those for Lasik, a largely cosmetic procedure on otherwise healthy eyes that only need glasses to see straight.
I just got RGP wave lenses in hopes of helping the starbursting that LASIK left me with. But so far the lenses are painful and do not have the right prescription. I see worse with them. So now I have to make the three-hour drive back to Utah to have them redone.
Not a day goes by that I don't wish I'd never had LASIK.
Thanks. My had breast cancer and undured a mastectomy and months of chemo. Five years later the doctors say she's cured. It's hard to whine about lousy night vision when I see what she went through. But I'd still like to run down that b****** LASIK doctor. :-)
Superb procedure but buyer beware. Avoid the LASIK "chains" where you don't meet your surgeon until you are having surgery. Otherwise you will get a sales pitch and a screening supervised by an optometrist. Yesterday's technology is always cheaper. 1 patient out of every 800 patients regret surgery where I went but it cost me over $5K for both eyes but I wanted the best and had ALL of my questions answered before having the surgery!
You are absolutely correct about buyer beware. I'm not sure where you got the 1 in 800 figure but it is a gross underestimate of the percent of people who regret having had Lasik. The industry's own figure is 5 out of 100.
95% success is different. I went to a high end facility that turns away a lot of patients and you meet the surgeon in advance of surgery. Less than 1 in 800 patients at that facility "if they had it to do all over again would not have LASIK." To be clear, they told me that most patients can find something they "wish was better" but less than 1/800 would actually undo the surgery if they could. This place also fixes problems but they are not a discount LASIK chain!
You are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts. "95% satisfaction" is LASIK industry spin designed to fool the public. I read the full text of the article and references. Go to lasiknewswire(.)com and read "The Truth Behind LASIK Satisfaction". The LASIK surgeon-author of that junk article included "somewhat satisfied" patients in the satisfied rate. The author also hid complications ("side effects") reported by "satisfied" patients, which was in the double digits.
I came within 10 minutes of destroying my life with Lasik. But after reading PAGE AFTER PAGE AFTER PAGE of the things that could go wrong, I bailed. What should I have done? Had my eyes destroyed and then asked God "why didn't you warn me?". He DID warn me. And I heeded it. Gives new meaning to the phrase "Thank God".
If the industry hype was accurate, you would not have read page after page after page of things going wrong. Most people who have Lasik are happy with it, but there is a substantial number of those for whom it was the beginning of a real nightmare.
@Kleurrijke, have you seen my newest video, LASIK Flap Never Heals - The Sequel? The words are right out of the mouths of LASIK doctors. It's funny you said "don't give me ****** stats that reflect 200 persons", because that's about how many patients were enrolled in LASIK clincial trials (per trial).
Don't get me wrong. I think LASIK sucks. i am just a skeptic and it seems to me that Dr, Boshnick has made quite a little industry for himself. His web site uses a lot of half truths and false information. He dispenses the same Synergeyes and Jupiter lenses that many other OD s do across the country. He uses deception to have people fly to Miami. He is also buddys with one of the top LASIK doctors in the country.
I don't know of a more anti-LASIK optometrist than Dr. Boshnick. He does so much for damaged patients that HE DOESN'T GET PAID FOR. His work doesn't stop when he leaves his office. I hope he truly is earning a good living because he deserves it, and more.
I agree! Any doctor who will devote him or herself to treating damage caused by another doctor (at least in my case, the Lasik surgeon and his clinic totally lost interest once it became clear that more eye drops wouldn't resolve the problems) - and to donate time to those who can't afford to pay takes one back to the chivalry of the old docs who made house calls.
I've herd those numbers, but as far as I know, there have been no serious studies attempting to quantify the nature of the risk. Frankly it is not in the interest of the Lasik industry to do those studies. Before submitting to Lasik, a person should honestly ask whether - given their career and lifestyle - they could live with the possibility. Furthermore, Lasik dry eye is not just dry eyes - it is a more complicated and physically uncomfortable condition.
I recently spoke to a cousin who is an eye doctor and who sadly I did not consult prior to Lasik. He is a contact lens wearer and I asked him why he does not get Lasik. His response "too risky". He also added that he gets many post Lasik dry eye cases. Now, if elective refractive correction is not safe enough for someone who has made vision their life's work, why would it be o.k. for the lay person? As I have posted previously, Lasik damages all eyes regardless if you are pleased with the result
I actually consider myself very lucky. Special prism lenses have helped to correct the Lasik-induced double vision and using eye drops 40-50 times a day keeps the eye discomfort under reasonable control. I feel really bad for the people for whom Lasik was a life-diminishing disaster. Hopefully the FDA will regulate the industry more closely, but it is still very much caveat emptor - buyer beware.
Thanks for the vid. It is people like you speaking out that educated me on what was going in the Lasik industry. I will never have the surgery...too many unknowns and like many have sadly discovered, your eyes impact everything you do in life. The risk is too high.
Those odds would be great if you were playing the lottery, but not very good when you are considering the potential damage to your most precious physical sense. If Lasik was the only way they could correct nearsightedness and someone invented eyeglasses, that person would win the Nobel Prize for medicine.
You are absolutely correct. Of all people, I should have known better, and I deeply regret my negligence in not investigating both the surgery and the clinic more carefully. But if a presumably well-informed person like me can fall for the hype, the real tragedy is the people who put their trust in eye surgeons who are more interested in their wallets than they are their eyes.
LASIK left me with night blindness. I'm having Wave scleral RGP lenses made. I hope the give me back some of the vision deficits that LASIK caused but I'm not hopeful.
people who have short/long sightedness are considered lucky in my books. I was born virtually blind in one eye, short sightedness in the other, horrible double vision, floaters at an early age. I can cope very easily though, as i have never seen the world in a different way so i class this as normal. I can have have surgery to correct my double vision, but i choose not to as there is a high risk that the remaining vision in my bad eye could be lost, though that was told to me 10 years ago ------
I will be surprised if there are not amazing advances over the next ten years. In some ways, today's Lasik patients (and in some cases, victims) are part of a larger medical experiment that will hopefully yield progress that can someday help you. I hope so!
RK patients were the first guinea pigs, er, I mean, patients to undergo experimental corneal refractive surgery. Look at them now. lasikcomplications(dot)com/RK-radial-keratotomy(dot)html
For quite awhile I believed the hype out there and thought how medicine is advancing. Thankfully I have good vision and never needed glasses. But my wife was wise when she said she would NEVER let anybody operate on her eyes. It is SO CRIMINAL!!!
Certainly some of the hype is unethical - and so is telling a patient that he/she is a perfect candidate when as a medical professional you know, or should know, otherwise, but are giving a sales pitch instead of an honest diagnosis.
Understand the importance of pupil size in Lasik. Research terms: area of ablation, blend zone, higher order aberrations, stromal nerves, UV radiation, ectasia, and Lasik induced chronic dry eye. A good resource is Dr. Ed Boshnick of Miami, Florida. My sympathies to all who are suffering.
No problem Joe. I sincerely believe anyone who does the research on Lasik can only come to one conclusion. This procedure IS NOT SAFE. Cutting and cauterizing the eyes is a crude response to vision correction. If it such a great idea, why do so many doctors continue to wear corrective lenses?
Cui bono - who benefits? Lasik is one of the only procedures available to these 'doctors' which is unencumbered by insurance. This is strictly a cash infusion to their bottom line.
@midnightcatfight Don't let Dr. Ed Boshnick fool you. He may say he is against LASIK but he is making a ton of money selling contact lenses to people who have had refractive surgery.
Yes Dr. Boshnick is against Lasik. It says so on his web site and the man has testified at the most recent FDA panel regarding the procedure. He is one of the few doctors specializing in post Lasik lenses and as such the only hope for many who have been injured. He has been top notch in my experience and the one doctor out of the many I have seen who gave a damn.
Your comment "Don't let Dr. Ed Boshnick fool you" implies that his motivation is strictly pecuniary. His long established practice is partially based on helping those with visual disesase/trauma. He is compensated as would be expected for providing a good/service. He is explicitly anti Lasik as his site states "If you are comfortably wearing contacts or glasses, don't even think about getting involved with Lasik".
Research. Do not rely on those with such tremendous financial interests to provide information critical of the procedure. Success rates are industry generated. The internet abounds with injured patients. Vision is the supreme sense and is our primary means of experiencing the world. The eyes are the second most complex organs on the human body and a slight alteration CAN have a profoundly negative impact on your quality of life.
Joe, much sympathy to you and all those effected who have commented. Lasik damages all eyes. Period.
1. A flap is created, which never heals, leaving the cornea at 1% of pre op tensile strength.
2. The laser destroys the stromal nerves responsible for the critical biofeedback loop of tear production. The nerves do not return to pre op density. Dry eye
3. Exposure to extreme amounts of UV radiation. Not good
Even if you have had the "perfect" outcome, the health of your eyes has been undermined
I never imagined a life as horrible as mine is now before I got Lasik. Lasik completely destroyed my life, constant pain, blurry vision, can't work, can't socialize. I beg all of you out there considering this surgery not to do it.
I am truly sorry to hear this and hope that over time some of the problems will become ameliorated. Thank you for your effort to warn others of the potential dangers.
The FDA knows there are major problems with the laser eye industry and they're looking for feedback . I suggest everyone with complications send in their information on the matter.
lasikcomplications (.) com/FDA-LASIK-Docket.html
You can also get your complaints heard by the FDA by going here:
lasermyeye (. ) org/patients/filinganmdr.html
I suggest filling out both forms. The more vocal you are the better chance there is of something being done to improve this industry.
Activists have been critical of the FDA for its failure to investigate and regulate Lasik surgery - this is our opportunity to help them do a better job of it.
Thanks for helping to get the word out - that this is not the same as getting a wart removed: you are allowing an irrevocable surgical invasion of the eyes.
"95% patient satisfaction" is a hoax. It comes from a literature review conducted by biased LASIK surgeons. The article is deceptive and misleading, IMO. Patients in the studies reported double-digit rates of dry eyes and night vision problems, yet the authors (LASIK surgeons) did not report this data. Patients who were "somewhat satisfied" were counted as "satisfied". Read the letter published at lasikadvisory (.) com which has a section devoted to exposing the 95% satisfaction hoax.
Even if the 95% figure was accurate (and it is not) in the world of medicine today that is atrocious! It's like a cardiac surgeon saying "I only kill 5% of my patients" or an ortho surgeon saying "only one in twenty of my patients ends up crippled." In any other field, a doctor with a five percent failure rate would be investigated and probably lose his or her medical license.
I had lasik 6 months ago. Worst 6 months ever. My vision is definitely degraded from what it used to be. Great advice to look over your chart beforehand. I saw things checked off that had not been discussed. nervx mention the 95%- as long as you don't go blind and your eyes don't fall out, your most likely in that percent no matter how miserable you are. As long as you read that chart.
I'm really sorry to hear about your outcome. For a doctor to claim that potential problems have been discussed with you when they have not is more than malpractice, more than garden variety dishonesty - it is unethical and evil. Especially when the motive is not to help the patient live a better life but rather to enrich the doctor.
Part 1: i had PRK surgery($3000) oct 2008 when i was 25. i suffer from double vision, glare, halos, starburts, loss of contrast/color, a large floater, as well as slight dry eyes. currently im draining my money trying various contacts to see what can resolve these problems best.
something of interest is that 95% success rate is based on being able to see 20/20. i can see 20/15 and so im a success to the stats even though my vision is horrendous. it's all marketing.
The 20/20 criteria for calling Lasik a success is like calling "didn't die" a success after knee surgery. I am technically 20-20 because I can read the eye chart - but it was a lot better with glasses before I had the surgery. The Lasik industry has defined "success" in a way that ignores all of the damage the surgery can cause.
Part 2: i've been restested 3 times to see if anything can be done via surgery and i will go once more in march. i recently got copies of all my files & noticed the machines read your eyes slightly different each time. also noticed they mention issues in my report that were never discussed. mainly decreased sharpness of vision compaired to glasses/contacts. if they would have mentioned that i would have glasses still. imo no one should consider laser surgery if you can see with glasses.
I think there are two lessons here: 1) be sure to check your medical record carefully before letting a doctor cut on you; and 2) get multiple tests adn if they are not identical, stop the process until you understand why.
I heard an interview with an eye surgeon who said that if surgery was the only option for correcting vision and someone invented glasses, that person would win the Nobel Prize!
Like you, I had a bad outcome from LASIK. I was a large-animal veterinarian. For me the LASIK caused severe night-vision problems, to the point on me being night-blind and unable to drive to farms or ranches after sunset. I still practice medicine but no longer see farm cases, the reason for my becoming a vet in the first place. So for me LASIK ruined my life.
I sympathize with your personal tragedy, but it is also a tragedy for the animals you cannot care for - especially when there is a shortage of large animal vets in this country. It is criminal that Lasik docs do not discuss the way people make a living or the hobbies they enjoy before they cut into their eyes.
Thank you for telling your story. Your story is very similar to thousands of others who have undergone this procedure. There is new emerging non-surgical technology that may help you regain much of your vision loss and ocular comfort. Don't give up on getting help. There are a number of specialty contact labs and doctors who are dedicated to assisting you and so many others regain useful, functional vision and ocular comfort.
@dredbosh Thanks. One thing that helpe me is that I referred myself to the University Hospital eye department for the double vision problem. It took more than a year and several expensive pairs of glasses with built-in prisms, but that has done a lot to help eliminate the double vision problem. It is, of course, unconscionable that the clinic that did the damage left me on my own to find someone to help me cope with it.
@dredbosh Don't let Dr. Ed Boshnick fool you. He may say he is against LASIK but he is making a ton of money selling contact lenses to people who have had refractive surgery.
This is important - thank you for doing it. It never ceases to amaze me that more patients report stories identical to this, and doctors continue to ignore it. "Just stay off the Internet, there's a lot of negativity on there," said the quack who did my procedure.
I think the day will come that this will be seen as having been a medical fad, and I fear that some (perhaps many) of the people who think they are happy with their results will eventually come to regret it. Most reprehensible is the way so many docs allow economic conflict of interest to motivate dishonest communication with their patients.
Finally, someone who gets it right by telling the truth. The best thing to do is to get the word out. I personally stopped at least 20 people from getting LASIK. Much to my chagrin, I may need an 3rd surgery, but I will make sure no one else gets a 1st one.
Excellent, Joe. I'm sorry about your LASIK-induced issues. I'm 11 years out and no longer have to use eyedrops constantly, but I'm stuck in hard contact lenses for the rest of my life because glasses won't correct my irregular astigmatism caused by LASIK. Also, I wear expensive progressive lens glasses over the contacts. Certainly not what I had in mind when I paid my $4400.00. You mentioned consulting an optometrist, but mine sold me to the highest bidder-- for a kickback of $1100.00.
There is a special place in hell for an optomotrist who would sell out a patient for a financial inducement. I was fortunate find someone honest - but unfortunately not until after the damage was done.
God bless Joe Tye for taking the time to give everybody an honest assessment with very good questions to ask PRIOR to having IRREVERSIBLE ELECTIVE LASIK PERMANENT EYE SURGERY...
Angie's List magazine will be doing a story on this later this year (I think in March). They called me because I posted my story on their website - anyone who's had a bad outcome should do the same.
My answer is too long to post here but if you send me an email to tye.joe@gmail.com I'll send it to you. Bottom line is that you are taking a very big gamble with your most precious physical resource - your eyes - and because of the Lasik industry code of silence you can never tell the good docs from the bad ones.
joebtye3 4 months ago
@joebtye3
Hi Joe,
I had LASIK 15 years ago then PRK 7 years ago. I still have lousy night vision because of starbursts. Recently I spent $5k on scleral contacts that did not fix the starbursts. Now I find I have subepithelial scar tissue that might be the root cause of starbursts. More surgery is not an option so I'm kinda screwed for life.
kevin
crvc56 1 month ago
I was considering it.
but now im split cause ..
did alot of research and im not sure anymore.
lets say i find a top of the tops doc who is i mean like really experianced and i know that my eyes are fine for the procedure and i pass him over some money beside so that he will take extra care....still to risky to do it?
cause i mainly hear about cases where ppl were not "in the condition"
sry for my bad english but i think you get the point
would be nice if you could send me a honest response
SaysSim0n 4 months ago
I had double vision when both eyes were open because I had latent strabismus before the surgery - a condition that they should have checked for (I've seen several medical journal articles saying that every Lasik candidate should be checked for this, but most are not). I'm very sorry to hear about yours. It sounds like they might have programmed the laser wrong if they burned a line through your iris.
joebtye3 5 months ago
ow should have told also my left eye has double vision i know why now cause of my iris they burned a line trough it plz answer me cause you say you have double vision ,with one eye, ?
007foppe 5 months ago
my left eye fucked yes -_- the clinic looked very trustful and also more expensive as other clinics :(
007foppe 5 months ago
I am really sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, too many lasik docs who have a profound financial conflict of interest seriously downplay the dangers, and maintain a state of deliberate and militant ignorance regarding the harm they are doing to innocent people. The next time I do this video, I will not tell people that I'm not trying to talk them out of it, i will say that the risks are so severe that in most cases they are not worth taking. Good luck in finding some relief!!
joebtye3 11 months ago
@joebtye3 Is there something I can say or do to motivate you to make that new video now? :) I will put you on the front page of LasikComplications for a period of time.
LASIKComplications 11 months ago
@LASIKComplications I'll work on it. For anyone who watches this video, when I do the next one I will NOT say that I'm not going to try and talk you out of Lasik. Since doing this video I've heard so many horror stories, and seen the unethical side of this business, that I believe the risk is far out of proportion to any possible benefit.
joebtye3 11 months ago
@LASIKComplications This is newest video - with more to come: youtube.com/watch?v=AJW2UYUK_nI . Comments welcome!
Joe
joebtye3 6 months ago
PRK was a horrible decision I made. I was never warned of the risks od bad vision by my doctor.Only was warned of risks that you would get from any surgery not messed up vision. I have a too small optical zone and have NVD
badlasikeye 11 months ago
One of the best ways to deal with personal adversity is to transform your misfortune into a benefit for someone else. So, for example, if you happen to lose a job, one of the best things you can do for yourself is devote one day a week helping someone else find a job. Warning people about the serious ethical failures of the Lasik industry and the dire risks of the surgery is important for those considering it, but it's also part of my personal therapy.
joebtye3 1 year ago
Thanks for sharing your experience. This is very good information. I am sorry to hear your misfortune. Thanks for trying to help others.
lisabauman1000 1 year ago
i had rk done in 1996.I use 1.50+ to see far away [objects are clearer but smaller ].
1.75+ for mid range and 2.75+ for close up reading.All these glasses are READING GLASSES.NEVER HEARD OF USING READING GLASSES TO SEE FAR AWAY.I CAN'T GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER. HELP
jazzstars 1 year ago
You are absolutely correct. Today I absolutely do try to talk people out of having Lasik, for several reasons. First, hardly a day goes by that I don't hear another horror story (or several) from someone whose eyes have been damaged by Lasik. Second, I have come to believe that the failure of the medical profession to confront fraudulent advertising and unethical doctors is an ethical failure of great magnitude.
joebtye3 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
If you are considering lasik, watch my movies to know why you shoulndt have lasik, and why lasik a big fraud. My eyes were also damaged from lasik surgery.
lasik7463 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
If you are considering lasik, watch my movies to know why you shoulndt have lasik, and why lasik a big fraud. My eyes were also damaged from lasik surgery
lasik7463 1 year ago
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lasik7463 1 year ago
Joe, in this video you say you won't try to talk anyone out of having LASIK, but I believe since the time you recorded this you have changed your thinking on this. Why don't you make a 2nd video and tell what you know now, which, I assume, is that you would not recommend that anyone have this surgery. I'd be happy to place your new video at the top of my website homepage.
LASIKComplications 1 year ago
I am very sorry to hear that. It is absolutely appalling (and in some cases downright criminal) the way some of these eye "doctors" put their own financial interests ahead of the welfare of the people whose eyes they cut up.
joebtye3 1 year ago
I"m another victim of this surgery. Lost my career.
TheVengefulGod 1 year ago
Thanks. Later this week I have an appt with the University cornea clinic and one of the things the doc will be evaluating is bandage soft contact lenses for night time, but I'm probably not a candidate for the others. I once heard an opththalmologist say that if Lasik was the only treatment for nearsightedness and someone invented glasses, they would win the Nobel Prize!
joebtye3 1 year ago
@joebtye3
Hi Joe,
I've been using my new scleral lenses for about a month now. Technically I use just one lens and only for 4-5 hours a day. The left lens was never comfortable but the right I put in and forget it's there. So when the sun goes down that's my cue to put the right lens in so I can see to drive home. The trip cost $3000: $500 for the flight to Texas and $2500 for the lenses. I didn't spend much on food for the week because the motel had a free breakfast.
kevin
crvc56 1 year ago
Sorry to hear about your side effects but thank god it isnt as bad as some who end up doing corneal transplants. Have you tried wearing special contact lenses which fix the irregular surface of your cornea which is causing the double vision etc...
I have keratoconus so I also see double vision etc... and in our case we wear special types of lenses which make up for the irregularity of the cornea. Only difference is yours is surgery induced while mine (keratoconus) is natural.
messiah4u 1 year ago
I speak with a lot of healthcare audiences and have started making a (very brief) comment about the ethics of Lasik. It is appalling how many Lasik horror stories I hear afterward. The Lasik industry has done a masterful job of pulling the wool over the public eye regarding the risk of permanent and serious damage. This is not a simple, safe procedure. I would give anything to be back in glasses!
joebtye3 1 year ago
Wow! I'm soooo sorry that happen to you and I thank you so much for sharing your story up untill a few weeks I was adament about getting the surgery but the risk (however small) is just not worth it...THANK YOU!
Msritz86 1 year ago
I am very sorry to hear about your Lasik disaster and hope that over time some of the worst consequences will ameliorate. Thanks for helping to inform others about the dangers. We have to do that, since so many Lasik surgeons won't do it. At least in my case, and it appears in yours as well, because they were more interested in the contents of our wallets than they were in the quality of our lives.
joebtye3 1 year ago
@joebtye3 Joe, I just got back from a trip to Texas to see the optometrist who makes custom scleral lenses. They work very well in good light. They work somewhat well in dim light but in poor light I still see starbursts. But they're smaller and I'm hoping in time I'll learn to not focus on them when driving.
kevin
crvc56 1 year ago
yep. Laser vision surgery ruined my life. I lost my career due to an unethical surgeon. I was never screened properly and warned that I was a serious risk for surgery. I only found out after the operation when things went wrong. These hack surgeons have ZERO accountability if they don't screen properly. I lost my night vision. Severe Dry eyes 24/7. MY vision sucks now and I can't use contacts ever again due to dryness. MY eyes look like hell. DON"T GET LASER VISION SURGERY!
EliteDefenseInc 1 year ago
Thanks. I really think as the stories of the hundreds of thousands of people who have suffered permanent eye damage as a result of Lasik come out, and as they look at the deceptive and downright fraudulent advertising being used to promote it, the FDA will have no choice but to put more limits on it, or to ban it altogether.
joebtye3 1 year ago 2
wow...i'm so sorry you had such a negative experience with lasik :( thank u for sharing your story, it's amazing how they're reconsidering the FDA approval of this surgery!
best wishes 2 u
thesecret14 1 year ago
I fell for the Lasik industry sales pitch of 95%+ success rates - but now hardly a week goes by that I don't hear another Lasik disaster story. I think you are very wise to not take the risk. You can always change glasses, but once they cut your eyes it is forever.
joebtye3 1 year ago
Thank you for posting this video. I'm very sorry to hear of your problems but so glad you're making people aware of the potential problems they may experience. I've not had laser eye surgery, though I had been considering it for a couple of years. The more I look into it though the more nervous I become and your video is the final push I need to forget about it. Thanks again and all the best!
jepowelldotcom 1 year ago
“LASIK eye surgery complications are already a major public health problem. Hundreds of thousands of eyes are permanently injured each year.”
Morris Waxler, Ph.D., a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official in charge of evaluating PRK and LASIK between 1996-2000
joebtye3 1 year ago
Thanks for asking. After several years of wearing glasses with prism lenses, the double vision has been substantially reversed. Unfortunately, because the wrong prescription was carved into my eyes, I still require a different pair of eyeglasses for different activities. Most concerning is that nearly 4 years after the surgery, my eyes hurt nearly all the time; though I use eye drops 40-50 times a day and several times during the night, they still feel like they are being rubbed by sandpaper.
joebtye3 1 year ago
very informative and honest, thank you sir.
But I hope you're doing better now?
leavinginthepast 1 year ago
very informative, thank you sir! i was considering lasik surgery too, but i think the risk isn't worth it :)
are things getting any better for you?
leavinginthepast 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
very informative, thank you sir! i was considering lasik surgery too, but i think the risk isn't worth it :)
are things getting any better for you?
leavinginthepast 1 year ago
very informative, thank you sir! i was considering lasik surgery too, but i think the risk isn't worth it :)
are things getting any better for you?
leavinginthepast 1 year ago
I'm glad you've made this decision. You are only 18 - by the time you are 28, they will have technology that will make Lasik seem barbaric by comparison. But if you have Lasik now, you will never (never!) be able to take advantage of that future progress. As you said, you only have one pair of eyes - don't take the risk of ruining them now.
joebtye3 1 year ago
Hi Joe, thank you for making this video! I considered lasik a year ago but didn't do much research since I was only 18 then and way too young for lasik. I dreamed to see clearly without glasses/contacts. But since my eyes are one of the most valuable to me, I soon forgot about lasik and found out about orthokeratology. Now I can see without corrective lenses during the day (I wear my contacts during night). I hope others will make the same choice and don't do lasik. There are alternatives!
retarddakota 1 year ago
Hi Joe, thank you for making this video! I considered lasik a year ago but didn't do much research since I was only 18 then and way too young for lasik. I dreamed to see clearly without glasses/contacts. But since my eyes are one of the most valuable to me, I soon forgot about lasik and found out about orthokeratology. Now I can see without corrective lenses during the day (I wear my contacts during night). I hope others will make the same choice and don't do lasik. There are alternatives!
retarddakota 1 year ago
Good call - it's just not worth the risk. If the only way available to treat nearsightedness was non-reversible surgery with at least a 5% failure rate, and someone invented eyeglasses, they would win the Nobel Prize.
joebtye3 1 year ago
WHOA! I've thought of lasik in the past-not anymore! Thanks for the information!
OmegaisNearV2 1 year ago
Good luck Kevin - I hope he can help. I'm having more trouble than ever with eye pain (not just dry eye - keep-you-awake-at-night eye pain. If Dr. Gemoulles has any suggestions, I'd appreciate you sending them along.
joebtye3 1 year ago
@joebtye3 Thanks, Dr G's forte is custom fitting semi-scleral lenses. He prescribed Restasis but the lens fit so well I never needed the drops.
kevin
crvc56 1 year ago
@crvc56 Great news Kevin! It sounds like it was worth the trip.
Joe
joebtye3 1 year ago
Hi Joe,
I sent back the Wave lenses. I've made arrangements to travel to Coppell, TX to see Dr Gemoulles, who has had success making lenses for guys like us. I tried his lenses a few years ago. They reduced the starbursts but not enough that I felt safe to drive at night. I'm hoping improved technology can make a difference this time.
kevin
crvc56 1 year ago
thank u alot for the advice im going to do more research on these doctors
my doc said i was fine to get it done even though i had a flashing light in my left eye i asked him questions about it he said he didnt see any signs of cancer im going to ask for my records me wearing contacts really messed my eyes up i cant leave them in for long periods and when i did my eyes became dry if i get the surgery i dont want them to become excessive dry. i also have a stigmatism in the left eye and floaters.
dnllhn 1 year ago
@dnllhn If you already have problems with dry eye syndrome there is a very real risk that having Lasik will make you miserable for the rest of your life. I wake up several times each night having to put in eye drops, working at a computer is a miserable experience, and my eyes hurt almost all the time. You need to get another doctor to give you an opinion, because it sounds to me like the first one is giving you a sales pitch rather than an honest diagnosis.
joebtye3 1 year ago
You are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts. "95% satisfaction" is LASIK industry spin designed to fool the public. I read the full text of the article and references. Go to lasiknewswire(.)com and read "The Truth Behind LASIK Satisfaction". The LASIK surgeon-author of that junk article included "somewhat satisfied" patients in the satisfied rate. The author also hid complications ("side effects") reported by "satisfied" patients, which was in the double digits.
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
Anyone with an unhappy LASIK result might not broadcast that fact. If only to keep their job. If I were required to drive at night I would have killed someone by now because of my lousy night vision. In the optometrist's exam chair I'm 20:20. At night I can't drive.
crvc56 2 years ago
Things are looking up mainly because the days are getting longer. Yesterday it was getting light as I left for work and there was still light on the horizon when I left for home at the end of the day. So for the next seven or eight months I won't be driving in the dark. I sent back the RGP Wave lenses for a refund. Just too painful to keep in my eyes more than an hour.
crvc56 2 years ago
Joe,
What are the "success" rates of chemo and radiation therapy? I believe they are low as well so I am not surprised that the medical community is deems the 95% success rate as satisfactory.
My friend went through over 5 years of hell - chemo, radiation, stem cell and died. Yet his wife is saddled with debt because of the bills.
peopleselbow 2 years ago
I am sorry for your friend, who is a great example of one of the many ways that our healthcare system is broken. But you cannot begin to compare success rates for chemo, treatment for a disease that without treatment is almost always fatal (and agonizingly so) and Lasik, which is a largely cosmetic procedure on healthy eyes that just need glasses for vision correction.
joebtye3 2 years ago
@peopleselbow I have sympathy for your friend, who is an example of one of the things profoundly wrong with our healthcare system. But you cannon begin to compare success rates of cancer therapy - treatment for a disease that is otherwise agonizingly fatal - with those for Lasik, a largely cosmetic procedure on otherwise healthy eyes that only need glasses to see straight.
joebtye3 2 years ago
I just got RGP wave lenses in hopes of helping the starbursting that LASIK left me with. But so far the lenses are painful and do not have the right prescription. I see worse with them. So now I have to make the three-hour drive back to Utah to have them redone.
Not a day goes by that I don't wish I'd never had LASIK.
kevin
crvc56 2 years ago
Hi Kevin, I hope that over time things will get better and that others will listen to your warning. With much sympathy.
joebtye3 2 years ago
@crvc56
Hang in there and forgive yourself. I have a hard time letting go but I have to.
peopleselbow 2 years ago
Thanks. My had breast cancer and undured a mastectomy and months of chemo. Five years later the doctors say she's cured. It's hard to whine about lousy night vision when I see what she went through. But I'd still like to run down that b****** LASIK doctor. :-)
kevin
crvc56 2 years ago
Superb procedure but buyer beware. Avoid the LASIK "chains" where you don't meet your surgeon until you are having surgery. Otherwise you will get a sales pitch and a screening supervised by an optometrist. Yesterday's technology is always cheaper. 1 patient out of every 800 patients regret surgery where I went but it cost me over $5K for both eyes but I wanted the best and had ALL of my questions answered before having the surgery!
jciljciljcil 2 years ago
You are absolutely correct about buyer beware. I'm not sure where you got the 1 in 800 figure but it is a gross underestimate of the percent of people who regret having had Lasik. The industry's own figure is 5 out of 100.
joebtye3 2 years ago
95% success is different. I went to a high end facility that turns away a lot of patients and you meet the surgeon in advance of surgery. Less than 1 in 800 patients at that facility "if they had it to do all over again would not have LASIK." To be clear, they told me that most patients can find something they "wish was better" but less than 1/800 would actually undo the surgery if they could. This place also fixes problems but they are not a discount LASIK chain!
jciljciljcil 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
You are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts. "95% satisfaction" is LASIK industry spin designed to fool the public. I read the full text of the article and references. Go to lasiknewswire(.)com and read "The Truth Behind LASIK Satisfaction". The LASIK surgeon-author of that junk article included "somewhat satisfied" patients in the satisfied rate. The author also hid complications ("side effects") reported by "satisfied" patients, which was in the double digits.
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
I came within 10 minutes of destroying my life with Lasik. But after reading PAGE AFTER PAGE AFTER PAGE of the things that could go wrong, I bailed. What should I have done? Had my eyes destroyed and then asked God "why didn't you warn me?". He DID warn me. And I heeded it. Gives new meaning to the phrase "Thank God".
sevenonpaper1 2 years ago
If the industry hype was accurate, you would not have read page after page after page of things going wrong. Most people who have Lasik are happy with it, but there is a substantial number of those for whom it was the beginning of a real nightmare.
joebtye3 2 years ago
@Kleurrijke, have you seen my newest video, LASIK Flap Never Heals - The Sequel? The words are right out of the mouths of LASIK doctors. It's funny you said "don't give me ****** stats that reflect 200 persons", because that's about how many patients were enrolled in LASIK clincial trials (per trial).
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
1 on how many had a bad experience ... ? don,t give me shitty stats that reflect 200 persons. Get your own opinion but this video is total crap
Kleurrijke 2 years ago
Don't get me wrong. I think LASIK sucks. i am just a skeptic and it seems to me that Dr, Boshnick has made quite a little industry for himself. His web site uses a lot of half truths and false information. He dispenses the same Synergeyes and Jupiter lenses that many other OD s do across the country. He uses deception to have people fly to Miami. He is also buddys with one of the top LASIK doctors in the country.
peopleselbow 2 years ago
I gave this video a 5-star rating.
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
I don't know of a more anti-LASIK optometrist than Dr. Boshnick. He does so much for damaged patients that HE DOESN'T GET PAID FOR. His work doesn't stop when he leaves his office. I hope he truly is earning a good living because he deserves it, and more.
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
I agree! Any doctor who will devote him or herself to treating damage caused by another doctor (at least in my case, the Lasik surgeon and his clinic totally lost interest once it became clear that more eye drops wouldn't resolve the problems) - and to donate time to those who can't afford to pay takes one back to the chivalry of the old docs who made house calls.
joebtye3 2 years ago
Thank you!
baxzy 2 years ago
I am wondering if you know what percentage of patients develop severe dry eye. I have heard 5%
for severe and 20% for some degree of chronic dry eye.
denise7021 2 years ago
I've herd those numbers, but as far as I know, there have been no serious studies attempting to quantify the nature of the risk. Frankly it is not in the interest of the Lasik industry to do those studies. Before submitting to Lasik, a person should honestly ask whether - given their career and lifestyle - they could live with the possibility. Furthermore, Lasik dry eye is not just dry eyes - it is a more complicated and physically uncomfortable condition.
joebtye3 2 years ago
I recently spoke to a cousin who is an eye doctor and who sadly I did not consult prior to Lasik. He is a contact lens wearer and I asked him why he does not get Lasik. His response "too risky". He also added that he gets many post Lasik dry eye cases. Now, if elective refractive correction is not safe enough for someone who has made vision their life's work, why would it be o.k. for the lay person? As I have posted previously, Lasik damages all eyes regardless if you are pleased with the result
midnightcatfight 2 years ago
I have lasik problems to, but yours is so much worse! how do you cope?
daysin1234 2 years ago
I actually consider myself very lucky. Special prism lenses have helped to correct the Lasik-induced double vision and using eye drops 40-50 times a day keeps the eye discomfort under reasonable control. I feel really bad for the people for whom Lasik was a life-diminishing disaster. Hopefully the FDA will regulate the industry more closely, but it is still very much caveat emptor - buyer beware.
joebtye3 2 years ago
Well, its inspiring how you stay so positive through this, gives me hope on how to cope with what happened to my eyes.
daysin1234 2 years ago
Thanks for the vid. It is people like you speaking out that educated me on what was going in the Lasik industry. I will never have the surgery...too many unknowns and like many have sadly discovered, your eyes impact everything you do in life. The risk is too high.
Zeny2222 2 years ago
Those odds would be great if you were playing the lottery, but not very good when you are considering the potential damage to your most precious physical sense. If Lasik was the only way they could correct nearsightedness and someone invented eyeglasses, that person would win the Nobel Prize for medicine.
joebtye3 2 years ago
you graduate from stanford and your job is to communicate with people,you even worked at a hospital, yet you still get fooled by these sales pitches.
with your background experience, i thought when people talk to you , you could immediately tell their true motive. you disappoint me.
truenorthcorn 2 years ago
You are absolutely correct. Of all people, I should have known better, and I deeply regret my negligence in not investigating both the surgery and the clinic more carefully. But if a presumably well-informed person like me can fall for the hype, the real tragedy is the people who put their trust in eye surgeons who are more interested in their wallets than they are their eyes.
joebtye3 2 years ago
you are a decent guy.
I hope you use your media / political connections to stop this travesty and prosecute those responsible.
the interesting thing is that no politician/billionaire wall street bankers have ever got laisk.
I guess it's because 1st they are smart enough to avoid lasik and 2nd they surgeons know not to screw with these powerful ppl.
truenorthcorn 2 years ago
LASIK left me with night blindness. I'm having Wave scleral RGP lenses made. I hope the give me back some of the vision deficits that LASIK caused but I'm not hopeful.
kevin
crvc56 2 years ago
---- Ive been told my eyes are un suitable for lasik anyway. but there is still hope with all the medical advances
mamaskiddy 2 years ago
people who have short/long sightedness are considered lucky in my books. I was born virtually blind in one eye, short sightedness in the other, horrible double vision, floaters at an early age. I can cope very easily though, as i have never seen the world in a different way so i class this as normal. I can have have surgery to correct my double vision, but i choose not to as there is a high risk that the remaining vision in my bad eye could be lost, though that was told to me 10 years ago ------
mamaskiddy 2 years ago
I will be surprised if there are not amazing advances over the next ten years. In some ways, today's Lasik patients (and in some cases, victims) are part of a larger medical experiment that will hopefully yield progress that can someday help you. I hope so!
joebtye3 2 years ago
RK patients were the first guinea pigs, er, I mean, patients to undergo experimental corneal refractive surgery. Look at them now. lasikcomplications(dot)com/RK-radial-keratotomy(dot)html
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
For quite awhile I believed the hype out there and thought how medicine is advancing. Thankfully I have good vision and never needed glasses. But my wife was wise when she said she would NEVER let anybody operate on her eyes. It is SO CRIMINAL!!!
bodryn 2 years ago
Certainly some of the hype is unethical - and so is telling a patient that he/she is a perfect candidate when as a medical professional you know, or should know, otherwise, but are giving a sales pitch instead of an honest diagnosis.
joebtye3 2 years ago
Understand the importance of pupil size in Lasik. Research terms: area of ablation, blend zone, higher order aberrations, stromal nerves, UV radiation, ectasia, and Lasik induced chronic dry eye. A good resource is Dr. Ed Boshnick of Miami, Florida. My sympathies to all who are suffering.
midnightcatfight 2 years ago
Thank you for these constructive comments and suggestions. I hope that anyone considering Lasik will take them to heart!
joebtye3 2 years ago
No problem Joe. I sincerely believe anyone who does the research on Lasik can only come to one conclusion. This procedure IS NOT SAFE. Cutting and cauterizing the eyes is a crude response to vision correction. If it such a great idea, why do so many doctors continue to wear corrective lenses?
Cui bono - who benefits? Lasik is one of the only procedures available to these 'doctors' which is unencumbered by insurance. This is strictly a cash infusion to their bottom line.
midnightcatfight 2 years ago
@midnightcatfight Don't let Dr. Ed Boshnick fool you. He may say he is against LASIK but he is making a ton of money selling contact lenses to people who have had refractive surgery.
peopleselbow 2 years ago
Yes Dr. Boshnick is against Lasik. It says so on his web site and the man has testified at the most recent FDA panel regarding the procedure. He is one of the few doctors specializing in post Lasik lenses and as such the only hope for many who have been injured. He has been top notch in my experience and the one doctor out of the many I have seen who gave a damn.
midnightcatfight 2 years ago
@midnightcatfight
...and makes a lot of money selling lenses.
peopleselbow 2 years ago
@peopleselbow
Your comment "Don't let Dr. Ed Boshnick fool you" implies that his motivation is strictly pecuniary. His long established practice is partially based on helping those with visual disesase/trauma. He is compensated as would be expected for providing a good/service. He is explicitly anti Lasik as his site states "If you are comfortably wearing contacts or glasses, don't even think about getting involved with Lasik".
midnightcatfight 2 years ago
@peopleselbow
Please let me know where I can find a compassionate knowledgeable doctor who works for free.
midnightcatfight 2 years ago
Research. Do not rely on those with such tremendous financial interests to provide information critical of the procedure. Success rates are industry generated. The internet abounds with injured patients. Vision is the supreme sense and is our primary means of experiencing the world. The eyes are the second most complex organs on the human body and a slight alteration CAN have a profoundly negative impact on your quality of life.
midnightcatfight 2 years ago
Joe, much sympathy to you and all those effected who have commented. Lasik damages all eyes. Period.
1. A flap is created, which never heals, leaving the cornea at 1% of pre op tensile strength.
2. The laser destroys the stromal nerves responsible for the critical biofeedback loop of tear production. The nerves do not return to pre op density. Dry eye
3. Exposure to extreme amounts of UV radiation. Not good
Even if you have had the "perfect" outcome, the health of your eyes has been undermined
midnightcatfight 2 years ago
what is you say on Natural Therapy Joe? You think it is a better alternative to Lasik?
harkeerat19 2 years ago
I'm not familiar with Natural Therapy, but I would say that the best alternative to Lasik is glasses!!!
joebtye3 2 years ago
I never imagined a life as horrible as mine is now before I got Lasik. Lasik completely destroyed my life, constant pain, blurry vision, can't work, can't socialize. I beg all of you out there considering this surgery not to do it.
lasikruinedme 2 years ago
I am truly sorry to hear this and hope that over time some of the problems will become ameliorated. Thank you for your effort to warn others of the potential dangers.
joebtye3 2 years ago
The FDA knows there are major problems with the laser eye industry and they're looking for feedback . I suggest everyone with complications send in their information on the matter.
lasikcomplications (.) com/FDA-LASIK-Docket.html
You can also get your complaints heard by the FDA by going here:
lasermyeye (. ) org/patients/filinganmdr.html
I suggest filling out both forms. The more vocal you are the better chance there is of something being done to improve this industry.
nervx 2 years ago
Activists have been critical of the FDA for its failure to investigate and regulate Lasik surgery - this is our opportunity to help them do a better job of it.
joebtye3 2 years ago
Joe, I posted this video on the front page of my website a couple of days ago, lasikcomplications (.) com
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
Thanks for helping to get the word out - that this is not the same as getting a wart removed: you are allowing an irrevocable surgical invasion of the eyes.
joebtye3 2 years ago
"95% patient satisfaction" is a hoax. It comes from a literature review conducted by biased LASIK surgeons. The article is deceptive and misleading, IMO. Patients in the studies reported double-digit rates of dry eyes and night vision problems, yet the authors (LASIK surgeons) did not report this data. Patients who were "somewhat satisfied" were counted as "satisfied". Read the letter published at lasikadvisory (.) com which has a section devoted to exposing the 95% satisfaction hoax.
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
Even if the 95% figure was accurate (and it is not) in the world of medicine today that is atrocious! It's like a cardiac surgeon saying "I only kill 5% of my patients" or an ortho surgeon saying "only one in twenty of my patients ends up crippled." In any other field, a doctor with a five percent failure rate would be investigated and probably lose his or her medical license.
joebtye3 2 years ago
I had lasik 6 months ago. Worst 6 months ever. My vision is definitely degraded from what it used to be. Great advice to look over your chart beforehand. I saw things checked off that had not been discussed. nervx mention the 95%- as long as you don't go blind and your eyes don't fall out, your most likely in that percent no matter how miserable you are. As long as you read that chart.
denise7021 2 years ago
I'm really sorry to hear about your outcome. For a doctor to claim that potential problems have been discussed with you when they have not is more than malpractice, more than garden variety dishonesty - it is unethical and evil. Especially when the motive is not to help the patient live a better life but rather to enrich the doctor.
joebtye3 2 years ago
Part 1: i had PRK surgery($3000) oct 2008 when i was 25. i suffer from double vision, glare, halos, starburts, loss of contrast/color, a large floater, as well as slight dry eyes. currently im draining my money trying various contacts to see what can resolve these problems best.
something of interest is that 95% success rate is based on being able to see 20/20. i can see 20/15 and so im a success to the stats even though my vision is horrendous. it's all marketing.
nervx 2 years ago
The 20/20 criteria for calling Lasik a success is like calling "didn't die" a success after knee surgery. I am technically 20-20 because I can read the eye chart - but it was a lot better with glasses before I had the surgery. The Lasik industry has defined "success" in a way that ignores all of the damage the surgery can cause.
joebtye3 2 years ago
Part 2: i've been restested 3 times to see if anything can be done via surgery and i will go once more in march. i recently got copies of all my files & noticed the machines read your eyes slightly different each time. also noticed they mention issues in my report that were never discussed. mainly decreased sharpness of vision compaired to glasses/contacts. if they would have mentioned that i would have glasses still. imo no one should consider laser surgery if you can see with glasses.
nervx 2 years ago
I think there are two lessons here: 1) be sure to check your medical record carefully before letting a doctor cut on you; and 2) get multiple tests adn if they are not identical, stop the process until you understand why.
joebtye3 2 years ago
I heard an interview with an eye surgeon who said that if surgery was the only option for correcting vision and someone invented glasses, that person would win the Nobel Prize!
joebtye3 2 years ago
Like you, I had a bad outcome from LASIK. I was a large-animal veterinarian. For me the LASIK caused severe night-vision problems, to the point on me being night-blind and unable to drive to farms or ranches after sunset. I still practice medicine but no longer see farm cases, the reason for my becoming a vet in the first place. So for me LASIK ruined my life.
crvc56 2 years ago
I sympathize with your personal tragedy, but it is also a tragedy for the animals you cannot care for - especially when there is a shortage of large animal vets in this country. It is criminal that Lasik docs do not discuss the way people make a living or the hobbies they enjoy before they cut into their eyes.
joebtye3 2 years ago
Thank you for telling your story. Your story is very similar to thousands of others who have undergone this procedure. There is new emerging non-surgical technology that may help you regain much of your vision loss and ocular comfort. Don't give up on getting help. There are a number of specialty contact labs and doctors who are dedicated to assisting you and so many others regain useful, functional vision and ocular comfort.
dredbosh 2 years ago
@dredbosh Thanks. One thing that helpe me is that I referred myself to the University Hospital eye department for the double vision problem. It took more than a year and several expensive pairs of glasses with built-in prisms, but that has done a lot to help eliminate the double vision problem. It is, of course, unconscionable that the clinic that did the damage left me on my own to find someone to help me cope with it.
joebtye3 2 years ago
@dredbosh Don't let Dr. Ed Boshnick fool you. He may say he is against LASIK but he is making a ton of money selling contact lenses to people who have had refractive surgery.
peopleselbow 2 years ago
This is important - thank you for doing it. It never ceases to amaze me that more patients report stories identical to this, and doctors continue to ignore it. "Just stay off the Internet, there's a lot of negativity on there," said the quack who did my procedure.
MrRobertKahn 2 years ago
I think the day will come that this will be seen as having been a medical fad, and I fear that some (perhaps many) of the people who think they are happy with their results will eventually come to regret it. Most reprehensible is the way so many docs allow economic conflict of interest to motivate dishonest communication with their patients.
joebtye3 2 years ago
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Finally, someone who gets it right by telling the truth. The best thing to do is to get the word out. I personally stopped at least 20 people from getting LASIK. Much to my chagrin, I may need an 3rd surgery, but I will make sure no one else gets a 1st one.
peopleselbow 2 years ago
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peopleselbow 2 years ago
Thanks for helping to educate the public.
kkruecke 2 years ago
Excellent, Joe. I'm sorry about your LASIK-induced issues. I'm 11 years out and no longer have to use eyedrops constantly, but I'm stuck in hard contact lenses for the rest of my life because glasses won't correct my irregular astigmatism caused by LASIK. Also, I wear expensive progressive lens glasses over the contacts. Certainly not what I had in mind when I paid my $4400.00. You mentioned consulting an optometrist, but mine sold me to the highest bidder-- for a kickback of $1100.00.
SandyK001 2 years ago
There is a special place in hell for an optomotrist who would sell out a patient for a financial inducement. I was fortunate find someone honest - but unfortunately not until after the damage was done.
joebtye3 2 years ago
God bless Joe Tye for taking the time to give everybody an honest assessment with very good questions to ask PRIOR to having IRREVERSIBLE ELECTIVE LASIK PERMANENT EYE SURGERY...
dkantis 2 years ago
Angie's List magazine will be doing a story on this later this year (I think in March). They called me because I posted my story on their website - anyone who's had a bad outcome should do the same.
joebtye3 2 years ago
Thank you for making this video and speaking out about the risks of LASIK.
LASIKComplications 2 years ago
thank you very much
sdpgposd 2 years ago