Why I Don't Get LASIK Eye Surgery | Q&A | Doctor Eye Health

As you may know, I love connecting and answering your eye health questions every week. But I wanted to interact with you in a different way so I decided to make a video reading comments as well as answering your questions. Eye doctors can be tough to reach some times and I want to be more available for you. So connect in this video’s comment section and let’s chat!

One of the most popular questions I get is about lasik eye surgery and why I haven't gotten lasik. Also, I want to make q and a type videos regularly so please let me know if you like this video.

Please let me know if you have a video idea or a topic you want covered as I take them seriously! Thank you and love you all!

-Doctor Eye Health (Joseph Allen, OD, FAAO)

🔔 Subscribe for more free eye health education and tips:

✅ Recommended playlists:

Best Contact lens and Contact Lenses Review

Dry Eye Tips!! What Causes Dry eyes and Dry Eye Treatments!

Have Itchy eyes from Allergies?

💡 Videos for frequently asked questions:

Let’s Connect! Dr. Allen on Social Media:

1239 2nd St N # 741, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379

⚡ Doctor Allen is now scheduling new patients at

---------Cameras and Gear Used To Shoot This Video -------


======================================================
MEDICAL ADVICE DISCLAIMER: All content in this video and description including: infor­ma­tion, opinions, con­tent, ref­er­ences and links is for infor­ma­tional pur­poses only. The Author does not pro­vide any med­ical advice on the Site. Access­ing, viewing, read­ing or oth­er­wise using this content does NOT cre­ate a physician-patient rela­tion­ship between you and it’s author. Pro­vid­ing per­sonal or med­ical infor­ma­tion to the Principal author does not cre­ate a physician-patient rela­tion­ship between you and the Principal author or authors. Noth­ing con­tained in this video or it’s description is intended to estab­lish a physician-patient rela­tion­ship, to replace the ser­vices of a trained physi­cian or health care pro­fes­sional, or oth­er­wise to be a sub­sti­tute for pro­fes­sional med­ical advice, diag­no­sis, or treatment. You should con­sult a licensed physi­cian or appropriately-credentialed health care worker in your com­mu­nity in all mat­ters relat­ing to your health.

Photo Credit for BRVO:

About This Video:
It has been about time I complete a q&a video for my viewers. In this video I am reading your comments and going through questions and answers. I greatly appreciate your youtube comments and I hope you enjoy watching me reading comments. One of the biggest questions I get has to do with why I don’t get lasik eye surgery. Watch this video to learn why I haven't had lasik surgery.
#doctoreyehealth #lasik

[DoctorEyeHealth]

QOTD: Do you have any other eye health questions or topics you would like to have covered in my next Q and A video?

[xthe_moonx]

ya i got a question, how may optometrists does it take to screw in a light bulb, 1 or 2? 1....or 2?

[----]

I had SMILE laser eye surgery 7 months ago. I had “somewhat dry” eyes prior to surgery but the eye doctors said I was still a good candidate. I now suffer from blurry vision due to the poor tear quality caused by the surgery. I struggle to read small text and driving at night is dangerous. I regret getting it done big time! If you have even remotely dry eyes do not get laser eye surgery!!


Update: Its now over 3 years since surgery.
Unfortunately things just got worse and worse. Over 3 years since the surgery. I am unable to work, be outdoors due to intolerance to moving air and have extreme dry eyes. My corneas have no sensation due to the cut nerves and I have neurotrophic keratitis and chronic pain. I have been on steroid drops since the surgery and am at high risk of cataract formation and glaucoma. I have also been on blood serum drops for over 2 years. Doctors say there are no real treatments available for me and I need to learn to live with this disability. My vision is terrible. My glasses help the myopia and astigmatism a little but I feel partially sighted now. This industry is disgusting.

[briannarivera]

I was 20/60 both eyes wanted get LASIK for years heard so many horror stories then I went to work for Ophthalmologist and saw how they did surgery and did iLasik and now I see 20/15 both eyes!! Best thing I ever did!! I think the key is to research your doctor really well don’t look for the best deal either it’s your eyes don’t use Groupon!!

[KCkoolaidking]

Go to a reputable place for Lasik. Dont go to those places offering it for 300 bucks an eye. Where i went did in depth testing on my eyes, they offered 3 different types of procedures and based on your eyes they tell you whats best for you and why. I had SBK lasik and the next morning my vision was at 20/15, and it stayed there. They told me before i had the procedure that i would more than likely get to 20/15 due to having healthy eyes.

And be careful about using insurance to help you pay for the procedure. Sometimes insurance companies only pay for certain procedures despite the fact that that particular procedure may not be best for you. Thats another factor that can play in to how likely you are to not get optimal results. Where i went was cash only, and that was their reasoning, they refused to let insurance companies dictate procedures to patients.

Just be smart about doing it

[mangoldm]

I had LASIK 20 years ago. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. My vision went from 20/400 (I couldn’t see the eye chart at all) to 20/20. For someone who wore glasses since first grade it was life changing.

[TheJustaz]

I had LASIK almost 15 years ago. One of the best investments I ever made.

[xyffypb]

I’m sticking with glasses. My eyes are easily irritated and dry as it is. I don’t need the risk of an irreversible surgery on top of that.

[clwade]

I would love to see a video about night vision issues specifically related to astigmatisms! Really enjoyed this video!

[DrKarthikRamanan]

Love the Q&A Doc! The LASIK question was a great question and your answer was very insightful. It’s something I’ve pondered over the years myself but determined my lifestyle isn’t hindered enough by glasses and contacts to be worth the effort.

[EyedocZeller]

My first job out of school was in the neighborhood of a terrible lasik surgeon. I fit so many hard lenses on those sad, angry patients. Great learning experience for me, bad for my patients. Fortunately the surgeon lost his license (for financial malfeasance, not crappy surgery). I’ve also seen patients become myopic again afterwards, or develop double vision, or horrible dry eye. While these complications are rare, “it’s not rare if it’s in your chair” as my professors opined. Based on what I’ve seen, I would never get lasik. I always tell my patients that I’m biased because of what I’ve seen, to do their due diligence, ask LOTS of questions, go to a doc who has done many many procedures, and avoid the discount lasik mills.

Thanks for putting this info out for people. It will save me tons of time at parties, I’ll just sent folks to your channel.

[fidah]

I just got surface laser eye surgery done last week which I think is LASEK. I was referred to LASIK too but a surgeon recommended me to get surface laser instead. So far I am so happy with the results no dry eye, no glare, no halo and no starbursts. The surgeon actually said it is better to get surface laser instead of LASIK or Smile due to the fact of it being around for a lot longer and it regarded more safe. Great for athletes and people who have more of an active lifestyle.

[katopikaa]

Hi, I’m a Belgian optometrist. I would love to see a video on interpreting different OCT images (optic nerve, cornea, macula, ...) Optometrists in Belgium are not allowed to make any diagnose, but I think it’s important that we can recognize different pathologies so we can refer quickly if needed to an ophthalmologist! Love your channel!

[svtzeater]

I’m 42 and just got my lasik done on July 15 2022 and already seeing 20/15. Worth every penny and no pain or other issues at all. It’s so nice not wear glasses anymore.

[flutefun]

I got lasik in Nov 2022 at 55 years of age. I chose it because I was born without a left ear so wearing glasses was a challenge and my eyes wouldn't tolerate contact lens. I did my research for 2 years before I did this.

Right eye went perfect from 20/60 (with astigmatism) to 20/15 without astigmatism (although I lost all of my near vision immediately) and left eye, went from 20/50 to 20/200 because the "suction cup" thing created a huge abrasion in the lower left corner of my eye (outside the field of vision) because they went so FAST and pushed it on too hard. I could not see far or near at all.. afterwards for months....it was like looking out of a very dirty window. Not to mention I had a huge abrasion that HURT SO MUCH and you can't take pain killers for that because they don't work on eye nerves. I was in pain for over 2 months and had to wear a protective lens in that eye for most of that time and could not drive at all due to the massive difference in vision (the eye they damaged was my dominant eye).

They had to go back in and do a manual "debriding" (scraping) of all of the "gooey cells" that sloughed off of my eye from the abrasion 2 months later which set me back again for healing.

It took 6 months before the left eye healed and now I am at 20/40 in that eye... so not much improvement over where it was before all this AND I now have horrible near vision from close up all the way out past my hands (holding my arms out). This means I now need to wear glasses ALL of the time when trying to do anything close up, even to work on a computer. (never had to before). I have gotten used to the difference in vision 20/40 left and 20/15 right and can drive at night without glasses but like I said, I have to wear them more than I ever did before because of loss of near vision. AND the near vision loss is different in each eye so a single pair of reading glasses doesn't work either (need 3.0 ones for the left and 2.25 for the right . I have modified several pairs by popping out the right lens of my 3.0 ones and putting a 2.25 one in to compensate). They never told me that would happen. And I am an artist and need to see close up. UGH.

I also have dry eye but not too terrible.. enough though that I have to use drops almost every day. I also have starbursts at night but it is doable - they did tell me this may happen. I hope this clears more as time goes on.

However, after all is said and done, I am DEFINITELY a "wish I never had done this" Lasik recipient. NOT WORTH IT!

[kelvinsteffen]

End of 2017 I got the newest technology lasik & I’m seeing 20/15 still. It’s the clearest vision out of my whole life still, I’m loving it so far. My surgeon said I am an excellent candidate for the surgery and can get my vision up to my 60’s, I’m 26. I’ll see if that lives up to the hype!😃

[rubencohen]

Your blue shirt matches your intense blue eyes. ⭕⭕👀

[gardenlarder]

I got the surgery when it was just out of experimental about 30 years ago, when it was still done with a scalpel and a steady hand. I am thankful every single day that I got it and have had practically perfect eyesight since then up until two years ago when age related problems have made me buy reading glasses.

[youthestar]

I had LASIK after it came out. I had very poor nearsightedness and needed this option. However, when I got the surgery I could see so far I was elated, every leaf, every nook and cranny on a mountain side, BUT, I could not see up close. I now needed to get glasses to see to cook, to read, to see the dashboard, anything up close. So I trade one pair of glasses for another. However, my vision started leveling off. I lost far vision and gained back the near. No longer needing the glasses to see close. BUT I knew how much distance I was losing, I wanted that super distance. Over the years with age I have lost distance and gotten glasses, not the old coke bottles, but still need glasses. When diving or snorkeling I use one contact lens for distance underwater. The brain just works it out so you're not trying to work it, you just see naturally out of what ever you're seeing. The eye has a memory, so the shape of the eye is changed when you get LASIK, but it remembers and returns to the shape you were born with, just like getting braces for your teeth, you need to wear a retainer, to retain the new straighten teeth. same principle. I wondered about getting LASIK in one eye like wearing the one contact lens but the eye dr said scarring the LASIK leaves would not be recommended depending on the thickness. I want the super distance.Oh well, new eye glasses here we come.

[stevetrevor]

The PD is only given if you ask for it. The rationale for that is easy: “they” don’t want you to purchase eyeglasses online.