Saturday, 26 of May of 2012
In a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
Just seen: a red pickup truck driving on University Boulevard in Durham, North Carolina with the following hand-painted words across one side:
“DUKE/LASIK Trashed My Vision”
This may or may not be true. But I know for sure that I was glad to see the truck from the relative safety of the sidewalk.
Date: April 24, 2006
Categories: general
(645 votes, average: 2.95 out of 5)
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That’s my truck. Have you SEEN my SUV? What a great way to connect with other local LASIK casualties!
The saddest were the parents who bought their son LASIK for Christmas – he had a retinal detachment
as a result.
Yes, it’s true… Duke LASIK trashed my vision. I have piles of scans to prove it.
More specifically, Dr. Terry Kim of Duke’s Laser Vision Correction Center (can you believe
they call it a vision ‘correction’ center?) performed a surgery which resulted in wrinkles
in my flap, metal debris trapped underneath the flap, and an optical zone far too small for
my >8mm pupil size (this causes blurry/distorted vision in dim light).
Also surgically-induced nerve damgage has left me with permanent dry eye.
I don’t drive at night unless I have to. Although my vision is distorted even during the day
and my eyes burn and sting, I can manage not to run over people or I wouldn’t be driving at
all… you would have been safe even crossing the street.
I wouldn’t recommend LASIK to anyone, however. VISX performed a clinical trial that demonstrated
that all LASIK patients lost contrast sensitivity (ability to distinguish things in dim light)
at all time points tested… out to a YEAR! VISX conveniently left these data out of their application
for FDA approval.
Hey, millions are driving with impaired vision from LASIK. It’s not just ME you should be worried
about! Get some of those little reflectors for your shoes…
LASIK itself is not to blame- The process is not an automated one- it’s done almost entirely by the surgeon, so any damage is the fault of the surgeon him/herself. I seriously doubt “millions”… millions have had the procedure, sure, but millions damaged by it? Damage by the procedure is rare.
LASIK doesn’t blind people. People blind people.
Would the SUV owner contact me please? I am starting my own complaint process with Duke and Dr. Kim, and would like to know about your experiences.
Thanks.
Chuck Davis, 919.682.0900.
It was great talking with you Chuck! Sadly, you are not the first Duke casualty I met. I am beginning to think that Duke is operating an eye-wrecking factory. I met yet another Duke LASIK casualty this week. A very sad case. Seems that Duke LASIK surgeons are not familiar with the concept of pupil size/optical zone mismatch. If the fully corrected area is smaller than the fully dark-adapted pupil area, unfocused rays of light can enter the eye producing a blurry retinal image. It’s as simple as that. Duke, for your equipment, 6 mm is the largest scotpic pupil you can treat without going off label. Yes, this is smaller than the scotpic pupil diameter of the average person, so you’d disqualify more than half of your patients on this basis alone. You should disqualify the rest on the grounds of the Hippocratic oath – LASIK has been demonstrated to damage every eye permanently. The flap never heals. Nerves don’t recover fully. 13% of patients and 24% of high myopes have posterior vitreous detachment with the procedure. So many other present and future complications are not only possible but LIKELY. You need to stop mauling healthy eyes NOW.
Duke LASIK surgeons should read The LASIK Report at http://www.thelasikreport.com which would, hopefully, explain everything. Then, perhaps they would put an end to the practice of LASIK at Duke.
You can also read more about the underreported and hidden complications of LASIK at the LASIK flap forum : http://www.lasikflap.com/forum.
To clarify my last post, 6.5mm is the largest fully treated zone (optical zone) approved for the VISX laser by the FDA. The fully treated zone often ends up smaller than planned for a number of reasons, so to ensure that the fully treated zone is of adequate size after surgery and healing, the optical zone, or fully treated zone excluding blend, should ideally be a bit larger than the scotopic (dark-adapted) pupil. Any decentration will affect the visual outcome in dim light as well. This is why patients with fully dark-adapted pupils larger than 6 mm in diameter should NEVER consider corneal refractive surgery on the VISX laser.
Of course, larger zones would increase the incidence of corneal ectasia. There is just no winning with LASIK. Surgeons will never get past barriers of biology and physics to develop a procedure that removes corneal tissue with a laser to correct for sphere and cylinder that is safe and effective.
As long as LASIK surgeons continue to perform LASIK they are going to hurt people.
thanks for the news, i had tought about it for myself, but yours is not the 1st horror story iread. plus it just cost too much. sorry to hear about your eyes.
Hudson, so glad to hear you didn’t have the butchery known as LASIK eye surgery. I’m bumping into plenty of people who have problems with their LASIK and it is fundamentally wrong that surgeons are allowed to continue marketing a harmful procedure to an unsuspecting public.
If any patient fully understood the procedure they would never want it for their own eyes. LASIK really wreaks havoc with corneal stability and visual quality, and the health and comfort of the eyes. Chronic eye pain is one fairly common outcome. The AAO states that dry eye is common. Dry eye hurts. Hello?
I never knew I had even had “chronic eye pain” until a very good friend of my, Dr. Howard, who happens to be an eye surgeon from Duke and happened to turn me on to the B.S.
Anonymous… sorry about your chronic eye pain. Is it from LASIK? One of the staff at the Duke LASIK center called one of their patients who receieved chronic eye pain as a surprise surgical complication at Duke. The Duke LASER Center staff member told this man on the the telephone that there was no such thing as pain after LASIK. Incredible. The journals are full of reports of chronic pain after LASIK. I myself have chronic pain after my disastrous LASIK surgery by Dr. Terry Kim at Duke University’s LASIK center. I’m glad Dr. Howard was more forthcoming with you!
That truck’s awesome! Yeah, Dr. Howard prescribed “rose” colored glasses for me and they seem to working out just fine!
Anonymous… is this a tongue-in-cheeck reply? I have heard from many patients that ‘rose colored glasses’ and feel-good nonsense was all that was provided by their LASIK surgeons to tide them over until their statute of limitation to sue had been reached. Duke LASIK surgeon Dr. Tery Kim told me that he was “pleased with my outcome” altnough my vision was destroyed and I had difficulty functioning after LASIK in many ‘normal’ situations. I can’t turn off my own garden hose at night because my contrast sensitivity is so poor. Driving at night after LASIK performed by Dr. Terry Kim of Duke Laser Center is a nightmare. It is like driving through an explosion at a fireworks factory. Then there is the eye pain from LASIK nerve damage after surgery with Dr. Terry Kim. LASIK severs corneal nerves and the dry eye can be permanent, according to the FDA website. LASIK surgeon Dr. Terry Kim never bothered to inform me of this common and devastating complication of LASIK in my informed consent materials. Failure to provide fully informed consent is malpractice in every state. Stay very very far away from this surgeon, Dr. Terry Kim, this clinic… Duke LASIK Center….this procedure (LASIK)!
On a serious note, I have heard that hellow glasses really help brighten things up for LASIK patients who have lost much of their contrast sensitivity and color perception. If everything looks ‘washed out’ to you after LASIK try a pair of yellow lenses.
Make that YELLOW glasses, hello? Can’t see my monitor very well afer LASIK performed by Dr. Terry Kim of DUKE LASIK CENTER. Ugggghh..
I like your style and I like “HELLOW” classes much better!…don’t think I’ve ever tried yellow before even though it is my favorite color. Dr. Howard prescribed Rose to comfort me because she knew I could only see things black or white.
Laser Vision Correction Said:
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:06 pm
Excerpt:
“…millions have had the procedure, sure, but millions damaged by it? Damage by the procedure is rare.”
Actually, EVERY eye is harmed permanently by the LASIK procedure, even in the absence of clinically significant immediate compications.
The LASIK flap never heals, has 2.4% the strength of the normal cornea and is vulnerable to traumatic flap dislocation for life. Since when is a fragile cornea with a big permanent split in it NOT a problem? Almost every LASIK patient has debris caught in that flap interface. One litle corneal scratch and you could get an infection in that interface.
Dr. Charles Casebeer, one of the founders of LASIK and the head of the clinical trials for FDA approval of LASIK testified under oath in a deposition that “all LASIK eyes are bulging”. Removing the support provided by roughly 1/3 of the tissue balancing the eye against forces of intraolcular pressure and that’s no surprise. Microkeratomes are notoriously unreliable in the flap thickness they produce. If your flaps happen to be thick this means less tissue under that flap supporting your eye and increased risk of corneal failure requiring transplant. This is called post-LASIK ectasia.
My right eye is showing signs of foward movement and central thinning 3 years after my LASIK by Dr. Terry Kim at Duke University Medical Center’s Laser Eye Center.
Flap wrinkles are nearly universal after LASIK as well, as is corneal nerve damage… which the FDA warns can be permanent. Everyone gets nerve damage from LASIK. The symptoms that result vary. All LASIK patients may end up with fairly serious dry eye as their eyes dry naturally with age. Stock in Restasis anyone? Personally, I don’t feel that it works very well for dry eye that is a result of surgically induced nerve damage.
Hey ‘Laser Vision Correction’ – many millions of people smoked, and smoking used to be considered a perfectly ‘OK’ practice. Many physicians smoked. Like LASIK, everyone was harmed to some degree by smoking. Some more, some less. There is enough information on LASIK complications in the medical literature to bury the LASIK procedure… it is a harmful procedure but still lucrative for physicians and the LASIK industry. So it continues…
I am another LASIK victim from Duke that suffers from constant eye pain and damage. The more you know about LASIK, the worse it looks. The motto for Duke LASIK should be “Do NOT trust the Duke difference”. Like many LASIK MD’s, they will lie to you when you are at your weakest and most vulnerable state after being damaged by LASIK done by that same MD. If LASIK was so safe and wonderful, then why do the Duke LASIK MD’s like Alan Carlson, MD and Terry Kim, MD not disclose the informed consent to the patient until minutes prior to LASIK. Actual Alan Carlson, MD and Terry Kim, MD are not even the ones who show the patient the informed consent form. The form is presented to the patient by a LASIK technician or nurse who presents you with the form in one hand and the valium in the other. These people involved with LASIK are sick!!! They see the damage that they contribute to creating yet they continue harming others in so many different ways that are morally wrong. Why do they do this? That answer is simple. Money means more to them than contributing to the betterment of mankind. The best advice you will ever get if you are considering LASIK at the “Duke Center for Vision Correction” or any other LASIK place is “STAY AWAY”! Do not expect a LASIK MD to give you the truth regarding LASIK risks, many of which are much more common than they want you to know about.
After reading thdse posts and noticing that just about every eye doctor I have ever seen wears glasses, I have come to the conclusion that there is more to LASIK than meets the eye. When big money is involved, it appears that the buyer needs to beware (even at the Eye MD’s office).
Dr. Terry Kim, MD was recently in Hawaii discussing what he would do if a flap during LASIK got dislodged and was stuck to a wall like spaghetti. You can see his response at the weblink below. Note that Dr. Terry Kim, MD is wearing contact lenses in the photo since this gives the appearance that he too had LASIK (he did NOT). Dr. Terry Kim, MD has never chanced his own eyes to LASIK. After all, who would take a serious chance on his/her eyes if he/she truly knew all of the REAL risks of LASIK. Dr. Terry Kim, MD hides the risks from patients until just minutes before the patient’s LASIK. STAY AWAY from LASIK!!!
http://www.osnsupersite.com/view.asp?rID=23169
Two questions:
1)Have any of you ‘LASIK disasters’ found the person who held the gun to your head and MADE you have the surgery?
2)If all of this adverse information is so readily available to everyone, why did you go ahead with the surgery? Refer to question 1.
First of all, what kind of IDIOT paints or whatever the side of their truck with such “trash”? What is your vision now? I had LASIK at Duke a little over a year ago and I am 20/15. Anyway, My experiece was great. Everyone there was helpful, and compassionate. But, maybe I am just a good patient for LASIK, and not a Psyco like some. One would think that just like any other proceedure, the results would depend on the individual. I had knee surgery (simple knee surgery) 8 years ago and I have not been able to walk properly ever since. Should I paint on my truck somethink like what this nut job has? It is time for some people to GROW UP!!
In response to the above ‘victim’ (commnet number 18)… Soooooo in your tiny little mind, everyone who wears contact lenses is trying to give the appearance that they too had LASIK? What kind of asinine ASSumption is that?
And to the idiot with the decorated truck… why don’t you CONNECT your mouth to the exhaust pipe on that truck and inhale deeply and repeatedly.
Sadly, the clinical trials data for the FDA approval of LASIK were not properly conducted and data were not properly disclosed to the public. So there is no way a patient could properly research LASIK. Informed consent materials for corneal refractive surgeries are inadequate. People who ‘loved their experience’ develop debilitating dry eye and corneal failure from post-LASIK ectasia years later.
Idiots are vicious and insulting. I find the person who posts as ‘Not stupid enough to have LASIK’ vicious and insulting.
It may be too late for my eyes, but I will do what I can to warn others in my community about the understated risks of excimer laser eye surgery.
In response to the person who loved his LASIK experience at Duke (post #20), here’s what I have to say …
You state that everyone there (at Duke) was helpful and compassionate. You then go on to say that your experience was great and that your vision is 20/15. Just as an fyi, it is easy for the folks at Duke and other LASIK centers to be “helpful and compassionate” to the “good” outcomes. The true test of help and compassion is determined by how they handle the bad outcomes. I was told by an employee at UNC-Chapel Hill Eye Center that they see lots of Duke complication patients since “Duke does not want to see them”. For you to state that Duke is compassionate based on how they handled a you (who had a good outcome) shows that you played Russian Roulette/LASIK, you won, and now you feel smug but yet your really just naive.
Also, having a bad LASIK surgery outcome affects your EYES. I understand that your knee had a not so good outcome, but try driving at night with MAJOR starbursts and glare and compare that to your aching knee. Also, why don’t you put acid in your eye and walk around for about oh … the rest of your life with that and see how someone with severe post-LASIK dry eye feels like. Then you can also compare that to your knee.
Even if 95% of LASIK patients have your kind of outcome is it right to have 5% or even 1% living in misery due to their most vital sensory organ being permanently damaged. How can you claim that the staff at Duke was compassionate when you yourself lack compassion?
I realize that lots of people wear contact lenses. However, why would so many Ophthalmologists and even LASIK surgeons where glasses/contact lenses if LASIK was as wonderful as they say it is?
Next time you see an optometrist or ophthalmologist, look around his office. There’s a good chance they are wearing glasses. Of course, on the LASIK clinic day, most of them switch to contact lenses so that they can give the appearance of having had LASIK. Others will tell you that they were just bad candidates and they turn down lots of bad candidates in their screening process (I fell for that one).
Hope that clears things up from a prior post that seemed to confuse one of the posters.
26.7% regression rate after myopic LASIK
Since nearly a third of patients who have LASIK for myopia apparenty REGRESS, LASIK is not even an effective surgery. We KNEW it wasn’t SAFE!
—————————————————————–
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007 Aug;48(8):3516-23.
An interval-censored model for predicting myopic regression after laser in situ keratomileusis.
Chen YI, Chien KL, Wang IJ, Yen AM, Chen LS, Lin PJ, Chen TH.
Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
PURPOSE: A time-varying statistical model was proposed to predict the risk of regression toward myopia after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and to identify significant predictors within a time frame.
METHODS: A total of 615 eyes of 311 patients derived from a retrospective cohort who underwent LASIK in 2003 were analyzed. Refraction outcomes were recorded at 1 day, 1 week, and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months or longer after LASIK. A cross-validated design was used, to split data into trained (n = 308) and validated (n = 307) data sets. These data sets were used in an interval-censored model to predict the probability of regression toward myopia and to assess the predictors including demographic features and preoperative and postoperative variables.
RESULTS: Myopia regression was observed in 164 (26.7%) of 615 eyes during the follow-up period of 12 months or longer after LASIK. Significant predictors for myopia regression after LASIK included preoperative manifest spherical equivalent (P =
The bottom line is LASIK sucks for you. There is even a website with that name … lasiksucks4u.com.
There are people who have had LASIK and are happy. However, there are also too many people that have been disabled by this elective procedure. MD’s need to warn patients of these risks and provide REAL statistical data to the patient so that he/she can make an informed decision. Also, for those happy patients, perhaps they are living in ignorant bliss. The LASIK flap never heals (only 2.4% as strong as the original eye strength), the % of dry eye is surprisingly high and can hit several years after LASIK, the % of regression is much higher than LASIK MD’s tell patients, etc. etc.
With LASIK, the more you know, the worse it looks!
http://erotische-verhalen.bestel-pornodvd.nl/viewtopic.php?p=50200
Here’s a news article that just came out today (2/3/08) on LASIK and the mental impact that bad LASIK can have on a person.
http://www.newsobserver.com/150/story/920341.html
It’s appalling that the LASIK procedure is still performed. In my opinion, informed consent at Duke by Dr. Terry Kim and others has been inadequate – and informed consent issues there likely STILL have not been properly addressed.
My night vision was destroyed by Dr. Terry Kim, MD and my soul has become weary of hearing of new casualties with damage as severe as mine or worse… even with the supposed ‘latest and greatest’ LASIK technologies.
There are multiple Duke Eye Center/Duke LASIK victims of Dr. Terry Kim, MD posting on this thread. Unconscionable that one man should be allowed to continue to have such a negative impact on so many lives.
Patients, try this website – http://www.lasik-flap.com
It is amazing the personal vendetta that you must have against Dr. Kim. I have been seen by Dr Kim and other members of the staff and I feel like I have been completely informed of the risk. There is an unbelievable amount of research and results available on the net as well. Everyone of the symptoms that you incessantly complain about are listed as potential adverse reactions or side effects in the literature. Sounds to me like you didn’t do your homework and made a decision based on hope without truly considering the reality of eye surgery. i am sure there was not a single time that a physician gave you a 100% guarantee of success. Yes, I sympathize with your plight, but you really should stop with the slander of Dr Kim on a public web space. You may not think this is slander, but I can guarantee you that this is admissible in court as vengeful and slanderous.
First, I have to question the qualifications of the person who posted as “LASIK lawyer & patient”. I would expect that a lawyer would know that slander is based on spoken words, not things written. Are you really a lawyer or just playing one on the web because you have a hidden vested interest?
Based on the above, I also question whether you were even a patient at the Duke LASIK Center? If so, when were you a patient and when and what type of risks were you informed of?
You don’t know the details of the negligent and reckless care that several complication patients received at the Duke LASIK Center. You simply assume that we did not do our homework. If patients homework includes doing the Duke LASIK MD’s work as well, then there is a serious problem. At the Duke LASIK Center, there has historically been serious problems. That is a fact and the public has a right to know.
New article on the NY Times about injured lasik patient.
What is at least equally interesting is the comments posted by readers of this article. There are lots of damaged LASIK patients out there. The vast majority suffer silently. I didn’t even know my brother-in-law had a very sub-optimal LASIK outcome until after my LASIK disaster at the Duke Eye Center.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/fashion/13SKIN.html
I am considering the LASIK MD PRK Zyoptix Procedure with Dr John van der Zweep in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Just starting to do my homework and you guys are scaring me.
I’m 32 yr healthy male and i had “VISX Star4 CustomVue Lasik surgery” for 4000 about 2 weeks back and vision wise i’m probably ok but…. The reason for this ‘probably’ is because at night time i still see starbust around oncoming traffic and street lights but its that not that bad to stop me from night driving. Also another side effect is severe dry eye because i stare at computer (i mean i’ve to for my living) 8-9 hrs a day. Also there is another annoying side effect – i’ve a nerve pain and pretty good ‘uneasiness and strain’ for last 2 weeks only around my right eye and that never goes away (It increases with more computer use at day end). I checked with doctor 3 times but they are saying everything is good and those symptoms are just because “being healed”.My concern is why i don’t have any nerve pain and strain on my left eye (i’ve dry eye in both eyes though). Did my nerves get permanently damaged on right and i’ve to live with a “mild but continuous” pain on top of paying that 4000 ??
Let me tell the good part though – already spelled lot of concerns.My right eye(which ha nerve pain) is 20/20 and left eye (which has no pain) is 20/25. Oops !
At the end of day – my cousin sister was asking me because she is going to do LASIK and could not tell her a definite ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ recommendation. After all this technology and milion dollar money why LASIK is not 100% foolproof – why a surgeon who did 20,000 surgery can end up with a devastated patient in 20,001 – Science should hold true everywhere , everytime , everyone – I’m confused !
Sorry to hear about your vision.
I am on total disability several years now after my “lasik.” I lost binocularity (eyes working together)have edema,epethelial ingrowth and baby cataracts (within a year of surgery),have vertigo,induced irregular astigmatism (none previous),and progressing ectasia (bulging distortion of cornea. I literally have so many vision problems I may have missed something.
They are finding now that they do not know what a safe cornea thickness is. Mine was within what they consider safe. So many people are getting post lasik ectasia that the FDA has started an ectasia registry. It took me years to find the truth.(statute is one year in my state,how convenient is that?) No opthalmologist will admit another one damaged your eyes,in my experience. It’s being left to the optometrists to try and heal these injured people. My “surgeon”never even examined me again and told me it must be something other than my eyes over the counter and hurried me out. Total and complete denial.
I’m hoping when all truth is revealed there will be a huge class action suit and lasik will be stopped!
Ectasia can progress until you must have a corneal transplant. Mine is progressing.
Lasik still sound good? Your risk.
I noticed what an above poster mentioned about lasik doctors trying to appear to have had lasik. This is common. They know too much to have lasik themselves. I actually had an opthalmologist tell me that when I asked why he was wearing glasses.
They are hiding the facts and skewing the complication rates. You had better believe it. It is absolutely the truth.
Please don’t let this happen to you. Don’t risk your vision. We take it for granted but it is our most important sense. Don’t roll the dice on your eyes. I just don’t want this to happen to someone else.
thanks for reading
I should mention,I never went to Duke and that I have seen this doctors name mentioned over and over associated with negative results. I went to one of the large chains with initials L.P.
I don’t believe it matters where you go,this is a flawed damaging procedure even when it goes well.
Kathy Griffin had surgery with one of the famous “makeover show” doctors and had 8 surgeries and a cornea transplant. She is rich enough,they couldn’t pay her to shut up. Check her website.
They literally can’t fix the damage sometimes.
Why are there always a few idiots attacking victims? I’ve yet to understand why since you think you had a good result,everybody with a complication must be a nut. There are some really stupid people in this world. nuff said
In response to post # 24. Is it fair that the rate of death for open heart surgery is 12.3%? The fact of the matter is that open heart surgery in most cases is an emergency procedure, NOT ELECTIVE. LASIK is ELECTIVE. Each patient IS given the informed consent prior to the actual surgery. This document is NOT given to the patient in one hand and a valium in the other. I was given my informed consent 24 hours prior to my procedure, and I was FULLY aware of the risks involved. I agree with the poster “Lasik Lawyer & Patient” that SOMEONE (an SUV driver) has some personal vendetta with Dr. Kim at Duke LASIK. I regret that this poster has problems with their LASIK outcome, however, with ANY medical procedure there can and will be complications. And for the poster “Another Duke LASIK victim”, how can you say I lack compassion? Is it because I think you and “that’s my truck!” have other issues going on in your life than your LASIK issues, I still think you are both crazy and need hobbies. Maybe you two would not have dry eyes, and pain if you would do more with your life than sit in front of a computer monitor and waste your lives trying to defame and slander one doctor and one LASIK eye center. If it was strictly about LASIK, we could all tell. But, for some reason you both have it out for Duke. Someone that is crazy enough to paint grafetti on their personal car is crazy enough to do harm to others. WHERE IS THE COMPASSION THERE?? Please move on with life and leave Dr. Kim alone. HE DID NOTHING TO HARM YOU, YOU DID IT TO YOURSELF. If you want to spread the word to the general public about LASIK awareness, you have done that and thank you. BUT STOP THIS MADNESS of “bad-mouthing” innocent Drs and facilities. If you are looking for FAIR and BALANCED information in regards to LASIK, try going to a seminar and hearing the information for yourself. Ask questions and ask to speak to the doctor that will perform the surgery.
To poster #38, when you state that the “patient is NOT given to the patient in one hand and a valium in the other”, then you obviously did not have LASIK at Duke when I had mine done. To the person with the SUV that wrote that Duke LASIK ruined her eyes and provides her contact information, the fact is that this person is doing something that people do very little of in this day in age. She is informing her community to be aware of dangers that profit minded LASIK doctors may not inform their patients about. Most people think that if they go to Duke, they will get the best care. This was definitely not the case at Duke LASIK and this person took an active role in informing the community in the best way she could. Unlike Duke LASIK that spends LOTS of $’s advertising, she used the most resourceful means she had to get the message to her fellow community members (her car as a moving billboard). Note that because of her actions, I have learned that Duke has changed several areas that they refused to change for a long time. For example, the informed consent form is now included in the packet that is sent home with the patient at the pre-screening rather than presented to the patient for the first time just minutes before the person’s LASIK as was done. As for hobbies, I still have some. I can’t do most of the hobbies that I could do pre-LASIK due to my LASIK complications but I have moved on with my life. However, informing the public of the risks of LASIK that many LASIK doctors will not do since it interferes with profit is something that I feel strongly about. I am still dumbfounded to find people like “Love My Experience” lacking compassion and understanding when people try to do what most people no longer do in this day in age … go beyond themselves to warn others of wrongs being done. Why do “happy” LASIK patients feel a need to insult those who had bad outcomes (even at the Duke Eye Center) and are warning others in their community of the risks of LASIK?
I went to Duke and Dr. Alan Carlson was my physician, and honestly, he was the best physician of any kind I have ever seen. My father, sister, and most of my friends are doctors, so I know what it means to be a good doctor. I know nothing of Dr Kim but it sounds like he is the problem, not Duke. Dr. Carlson saw me and examined my eyes at several pre-op visits, and explained everything to me that I was and was not to expect. He told me I should not get LASIK because I have dry eyes, and explaining the risks of LASIK with dry eyes. He suggested PRK for me, and older and safer procedure, which I had done. Since I was moving, he suggested I may want to wait to have my surgery by someone in my new area so he could see them for follow-up, and offered to research physicians in that area for me. So, he did not care at all about my money – all he cared about was the health of my eyes! It was that atitude that made me choose him for my surgeon, and I’ve never regretted it. I’ve heard of people having pain after PRK and problems after LASIK, and I didn’t even have pain! That was because he’s one of the few surgeons that uses cold saline right after the surgery – it almost completely reduces post-op pain.
I am so sorry that anyone has had vision problems from eye surgery. You cannot pick a place though – you have to pick your surgeon. I paid to see 3 different surgeons before picking mine. Yes, that’s expensive, but my vision is worth it, and if you’re not willing to do that, then you are risking your vision. Go to several doctors, point out to each of them the differences in their recommendations, and ask them to explain their choices. See who you feel is honest and the most talented. Ask about their complication history – any good doctor will openly tell you about all their past patients that had problems. and NEVER have surgery from some one that did not do your pre-op evaluation – if you saw a tech, and are meeting your surgeon the day of your surgery, run in the other direction. The doctor needs to see your eyes to determine which type of surgery you should get, and even which laser to use. Many centers have 2 or 3 lasers, and they may use a different machine for each eye. Hope this helped.
I know three patients who suffer from permanent life altering LASIK complications after LASIK with Dr. Carlson as their surgeon. One of them told me he asked Dr. Carlson during one of his many post-op visits what went wrong with the surgery. He said Dr. Carlson just paused for about fifteen seconds and then he threw the patient chart on the counter and said … I don’t have time for any more questions, I have other patients to see.
One thing you learn when you end up with LASIK complications is that the LASIK surgeon doesn’t want to spend time with you. He’d much rather go to the room next door and see a patient like poster #40 who tells him how wonderful he is and how great everything is going.
The test of a good doctor is not how he handles his successes, but also how he handles his failures. With LASIK, failures are guaranteed since it is a flawed surgery. Learn more at lasikcomplications.com
I just wanted to include that I had LASIK performed on both of my eyes in December of 2009. I had a lot of complications during the first few weeks (the first day, I had to return to the center because I couldn’t open my eyes and I was in a lot of pain.) However, it is now April of 2010, and I am very happy with my vision, knock on wood. Vision has been great since late January, and the dryness pretty much went away in late February. Dr. Kim wasn’t my surgeon, so I can’t comment about him… I feel sorry for those that have had problems. It really is terrible. I guess I would just say, I knew going into this that, like most medical procedures, there was some risk involved. Either I got lucky or you got unlucky. Either way, sorry for your loss.
And just to clarify, I had my surgery performed at the Duke Aesthetic Center. I should also disclose that I am a Duke University employee (although not affiliated with the medical side of things at all) and did receive an employee discount for my surgery.
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