Exposing the LASIK Scam

Just got visual disability from Social Security, therefore just got some insurance...

So first thing I did was make an appointment for dry eye. I got semi-permenent plugs put into my lower ducts today and the pain in my eyes really went down. I am anxious to see if my eyes begin to feel even better. It is a strange feeling to have moisture in my eyes again. Its like a really bad sunburn that lasted for years finally went away.

The doctor who placed in the plugs in my eyes said to gradually take myself off using my MSM drops over the next week and see how it feels. I don't feel the plugs at all. My eyes are still somewhat dry, but I only had the plugs in for a few hours now. I am hoping by the time I wake up tommorrow they will be even better.

But I just took a nap and when I woke up, for the first time in years, my eyelids did not stick to my eyeballs. Great feeling...

I go back to visit the doctor in 3 weeks, & if all goes well, I am going to do all I can to get my lower ducts cauterized. The doc does not like to do cauterization on such young patients since reversing the cauterization is very invasive, but I know that even with my lower ducts cauterized that my eyes will still be on the dry side, so reversing the cauterization won't really ever be a consideration.

Tony

That's good news, Anthony!

Hey dude, great to hear the plugs are workin' out. Mine were a gigantic nightmare and money sink. Had to go through brand after brand, so you're lucky numero uno did the trick!

I ditto the above poster in cautioning against cauterization, though. I met this chick who did all 4, and it got all fucked up. Got referred to a plastic surgeon to fix it.

She looked like she had cancer and was not a happy camper. If the plugs fit and you don't feel 'em and it works, why mess with it? Not like we have a good track record with surgery, haha.

very bad news on the plug front...
After my first set was put in, they fell out. Another larger pair was put in, and they fell out. The plugs worked well while they were in...

Unfortunatly / fortunatly...I have an appt. for the 30th of April for cauterization...
I am worried sick but I have been extremely bitter / angry lately, and if cauterization goes well, maybe some of the extreme eye pain will go away and I can at least be a slightly less anger bitter human being.

On a side note, I paid for a lifetime package for my eyes post lasik. Now my doc. sent me a certified letter saying he no longer wants to see me. I wrote the BBB and the laser company (Kremer, now owned by TLC) offered me $800 bucks to switch my platinum package to a standard, non-lifetime package. I said no way and I wanted my full $5500 refund. I waiting to hear back...

Hi Anthony,

It's good to hear from you -- we've missed you on the bulletin board lately.

Sorry to hear about your problems with plugs. It's a never ending battle with LASIK complications.

We have an old saying "LASIK is the gift that keeps on giving".

I hope the cautery works out for you.

BE

Went to the doc today... they rescheduled my cauterization for my eyes for May 19. They doctor was out but they called him. They said they do not like to go into cauterization, espesically with such young patients, so easily.

They (the residents looking at my eyes) said my tear pool in my eyes is "non-existent." Nada. zero. nothing. I LOVE RESIDENTS!! It is the first time a person has been really honest with me about my eyes. That explains why my Schmer's is always OK but my eyes are bone dry.

Everytime I get a resident, they are always curious to hear about my experiences, especially since I use Alphagan P and Pilo (not so much pilo) and they want to hear all about it. Generally the doc's don't care or don't want to to hear about it since they refer people to the butchers but it is refreshing to exchange ideas with the uncorrupted.

So, May 19th is the big day. I am horribly nervous. Can anyone tell me if the results of cauterization are similar to plugs? I did not have any excess tearing with the plugs and I am expecting the same with cauterization. If this true? I hope with all my heart it is. I know that with plugs, some tears do drain around the edges of the plugs, but that does not account for much (I think?). Thanks in advance...

Anthony The Disabled, The Work in Progress, Pizzo

I had one eye cauterized and hated it. The doctor had to reverse it, which wasn't easy -- it took several attempts.

Even though my Schirmers score is extremely low, somewhere between 3 and 7, with cautery the tear pool did build up and wet my eye, but the tears would just hang there on my lower lid and I couldn't look down without it running over and down my face. It felt good, but it drove me nuts. And I couldn't see very well with a pool of tears hanging in my eye. I had an upper plug and lower cautery, so the tears had nowhere to go. Maybe my experience would have been different if I hadn't already had a plug in the upper duct.

After that experience I gave up on plugs and cautery. I just live with the burn.

Other patients I know think cautery is great. So don't let my experience discourage you.

Ah, thank you so much. I knew you had cautery and had it reversed, but I did not know you also had plugs in the top part of the eye as well.

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with the cauterization in generally, at first I thought it was simple to reverse the cautery but after reading your comments and talking with the doctors / residents, i know if really is not.

Thanks again and I'll update the post if anything changes.

Anthony

Just had my two lower ducts cauterized on Monday, May 19, 2008.
I didn't realize they would give me as many eye drops and needles before the procedure. The drops were fine, the needles hurt and put alot of pressure on my eyes, I definitly did not like that.

During the procedure, I wondered how I got into such a mess, if you told me years ago that I would be having my lower tear ducts cauterized as a result of post-RS complications, I would have thought you were speaking Greek.

However, enough complainin'...on to my 'results'...

My eyes FEEL better, I use my drops about half as much, and I am beginning to rely on them less and less, especially when I wake up. I am trying to not use the drops at all after waking up any more since I am able to actually open my eyes after waking up without my eyelids sticking to my eyeballs.

Regarding my HOA - I want to say that as of now my HOA improved slightly. Its hard for me to write about how I feel about the cauterization, but I am happy I did it, and very glad its done (without excess tearing!). My eyesight feels like it has changed, but I am not sure in what way yet. I go back for a checkup and possibly to fully close my right tear duct, since it is slightly open still. But if the doctor expects my ducts to stay the way they are and not reopen, I am not going play around with getting things 100%, this time around, good enough is good enough.

I don't want to talk anyone into or out of cauterization, but I am adjusting, and believe I made the right choice. My results are very similar to when I had plugs in my eyes (even though they did fall out every 3 days or so).

So hope this helps anyone out there interested in cauterization. Feel free to write me or email me if you want any specifics. I'll post some more if anything changes.

Also, FYI, since I am24, it took ALOT of convincing my new eye doctor to cauterize my eyes, but he knew from my tear film and tear pool and my use of drops that I needed the cautery, so don't let anyone discourage you from getting this done if you KNOW it what is best for YOU.

Anthony