We cannot decide for you. But you will probably decide to have LASIK laser eye surgery if you desire a reduced dependency on glasses and contact lenses, and you are prepared to take a well-informed risk with the health of your eyes.

What you need to know:

LASIK is an operation on your [...]]]> Should You Have LASIK?

We cannot decide for you. But you will probably decide to have LASIK laser eye surgery if you desire a reduced dependency on glasses and contact lenses, and you are prepared to take a well-informed risk with the health of your eyes.

What you need to know:

LASIK is an operation on your eye that is irreversible. It is often described as a treatment, and sounds nothing more innocuous that a visit to the dentist. This is not exactly the case, despite what the marketing says – while it is true that LASIK is relatively quick and painless compared to other types of laser eye surgeries, it is STILL surgery, and there is a list of potential complications.

What Are The Long-Term Risks?

Put simply, no one knows the very long-term implications of LASIK laser eye surgery (i.e. beyond 10 years or so) on the health of eyes that have undergone it. Some cases of corneal ectasia have been reported – this is an abnormal bulging of the cornea, due to it being weakened by LASIK. However, at the moment this only appears to be a problem if you have had LASIK for a very high prescription, e.g. for myopes around -10. There is also a lot of division over whether the flap created in LASIK Surgery ever really does heal to the point where the eye is as strong as it was before the procedure. LASIK laser eye surgery is still a relatively new procedure, around 10 years old, and to an extent some of the bugs are still being ironed out. It is important for this reason, that you take your time to choose a eye surgeon who is experienced.

LASIK Eye Surgery in Denver, Colorado

LASIK surgery is a booming business, and it is becoming more popular in Denver, Colorado. Treatments here have been in the millions. If you are thinking of getting laser eye surgery, here are a few guidelines to start with.

• Before visiting any eye surgery clinic in Denver, Colorado, DO RESEARCH on what questions to ask them. The key questions to ask the laser eye surgeon are about your pupil size and corneal thickness. Both of these factors are very important in selecting what type of laser eye surgery you require.
• PRK, the older type of laser eye surgery is becoming less common, but it is still just as effective as LASIK laser eye surgery for low prescriptions, and avoids any potential complications with the flap. A newer version of PRK laser eye surgery, called LASEK laser eye surgery is now being performed.
• Get at least TWO different consultations with different laser eye surgery clinics and beware of any contradictory things you hear. Get clarification.
• Be realistic about your result. If you have a high prescription, there’s a chance you’ll need a second enhancement surgery.
• Treatments for far-sightedness, while generally effective for low amounts (and not so effective for higher amounts), have a considerably longer recovery time than for near-sighted treatments.
• Don’t fall for the marketing hype. LASIK laser eye surgery has made the majority of people very happy, but is still surgery. And there are a number of documented examples of where it has gone horribly wrong. It is up to you to get the facts and make a decision based on them.
• Read as much as you can on this site! It will give you an idea of what to expect, before, during and after your LASIK experience. And if you do decide to go through with it, please post your experience here, we’d love to hear from you.

And Finally

We wish you the best of luck!

Cutarelli Vision Denver LASIK
7887 East Belleview Avenue, Suite 180
Denver, Colorado 80111
303-486-2020

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Dr. Stephen Slade was the first surgeon in the United States to perform LASIK eye surgery and also has the longest experience with Bladeless LASIK or LASIK performed with two lasers including one to make the flap. Dr Steven Slade has extensive experience and has performed LASIK and other types of [...]]]>

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Dr. Stephen Slade was the first surgeon in the United States to perform LASIK eye surgery and also has the longest experience with Bladeless LASIK or LASIK performed with two lasers including one to make the flap. Dr Steven Slade has extensive experience and has performed LASIK and other types of refractive surgery on more than 25,000 patients from Houston and around the world. More recently, Dr. Steven Slade performed the first Laser Cataract Surgery procedure in the United States, setting a new standard in cataract care. LASIK eye surgery pioneer Dr. Stephen Slade, MD, FACS is a Houston, Texas native who is a specialist in vision correction procedures. Patients from all around the world seek the professional ophthalmology and LASIK eye surgery services of Dr. Stephen Slade. The following article is by Dr. Slade:

Surgeons who have surgery.  The cover focus this month is on Ophthalmologists who put their eyes where their money is made and lay down on the operating table.  Although some detractors criticize us as not practicing what we preach, a high percentage of surgeons do have eye surgery. We surgeons go under the knife at the highest rate of any identifiable demographic group (Richard Lindstrom, Royal Hawaian Eye Meeting 2005)

In the spirit of disclosure, I have not had eye surgery, (I am a little myopic in one eye and old enough to like the natural monovision). Nevertheless, I am humbled and a bit amazed each time a surgeon selects me for their surgery. It is the highest honor of my career without a doubt.

Each time I see a surgeon/ patient in consultation it makes me think about the obvious issues that each doctor must confront in their decision to have their own eyes operated on. How is their decision to have surgery made? Why now? Which surgery and what parameters? Who to do the surgery?

I believe the decision for a surgeon to have surgery is the same as any patient, intensely personal and individual. Either yes or no is completely ok. I don’t believe a surgeon must have surgery on his own eyes to avoid being hypocritical or to be able to consult properly with his own patients. A surgeon who has undergone eye surgery is uniquely positioned to counsel his patients though. As to when to have surgery, of course there is always something better around the corner (we have included RK stories!).  But here I like Bruce Greene’s quote, “There is never something perfect around the corner”. I believe many doctors choose their surgeon based on the operation they want. For example, few doctors ever come to me for PRK although I certainly do the procedure. Many come to the doctor that taught them the procedure. Most go out of town. I know they all contemplate the risk of a devastating, career ending complication.

The surgeons who come to me are the best of patients. Many are good friends that I am excited to simply visit me, let alone have surgery. They are uniformly good natured, properly motivated and a joy to work with. They all play the patient role well. We use their valuable knowledge of the field to confer and plan the surgery together, yet when they lay down on the table, they become patients. They are not complainers. If I could have a practice consisting entirely of surgeons, I would in a femtosecond.

I hope you enjoy this issue; I did. I suspect you will all see a bit of yourselves in these wonderful personal stories whether you have had surgery or not.

One last thing. What was their most common preop question to me about the surgery? Not about complications, my experience, recreational activities or science but:

“When can I go back to work?”

Maybe we are a bit too dedicated?

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