Comments on: Under the Laser

By: doco

doco — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 11:38:00 +0000

I don’t know whether or not this is the same everywhere as regarding signing wavers; and I am not an attorney. But in Oregon, signed wavers are not worth the paper they’re written on as it is a legal impossiblility to sign away a potential future liability. Attorneys here want every possibility to shuck anyone that may be a ‘potential future’ forty percenter…

By: DA

DA — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 04:09:00 +0000

DK:

I talked with the same guy who did the "parking lot laser", and he remained content with the results. Of course, he typed his email using a braille adapter. (Kidding.)

J Walk: K-Mart is not the place for a discount eye surgery. Go to Wal-Mart, where vision isn't an issue for their low, low prices.

DK: Do you have experience with all procedures for which you say a person should pay top dollar? Please, do tell.

By: John Walkenbach

John Walkenbach — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 01:50:00 +0000

So if K-Mart has a blue-light special on LASIK, I should probably ignore it?

Dick, I would add computer monitors to your list. Well, absolute top of the line isn't necessary, but if you're going to buy something that you look at 6-7 hours per day, don't scrimp.

By: Dick Kusleika

Dick Kusleika — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 23:32:00 +0000

Thanks for the comments. Regarding my high BP, I shan't be going to a doctor. I don't need to pay someone $$ to tell me I'm a fatass. That's why I play golf with DA.

Re cut rate places: A friend of mine told me he was going to an opthalmologist who officed in a semi-trailer parked outside of a local seafood restaurant. For USD400 per eye, he could get LASIK, as long as he qualified. I assumed that when he went to his consultation that he wouldn't "qualify" and that most people didn't. He did, however, and he had the procedure done on both eyes. He's at least as happy with his outcome as I am with mine.

I don't care if semi-trailer doctor has done 10,000 of these with 100% success, I'm still not going to him. If he's that good, why doesn't he pony up the dough for an office with a foundation instead of wheels? There's something very untoward about that situation and I'll have nothing to do with it. Even my doctor offered me various plans at different prices. Which one did I choose? The most expensive one, that's which. I probably overpaid, but I'd do it again. There are somethings in life that merit buying the absolute best (most expensive=best in case you weren't aware). Eye surgery, vasectomy, and breast augmentation are three in the medical arena. Go to the free clinic for that discrete shot of penicillin, but not for your wife's boob job.

Other products where anything less than top of the line is not an option: pillows, vacuum cleaners, and foosball tables.

By: DM/Diddy

DM/Diddy — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 23:02:00 +0000

I had it done about 8-9 years ago and I'm still seeing 20/20. As a techno-geek, I was fascinated by the whole procedure. My favorite part of this is that I no longer have to worry about my glasses getting wet when it rains.

One warning: beware of ANY procedure where the first time you meet the surgeon is when you're lying on the operating table. That's what happens at the cut-rate places (pun intended).

-Dave

By: DA

DA — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 15:58:00 +0000

Hi DK:

Glad to hear about the positive results. Others are correct that your BP is too high, although nerves may have contributed to that reading. I had a high BP reading in law school and modified my diet a bit to bring it down.

While not giving you legal advice here, my gut feeling as an attorney is that re-writing the sentence has no legal significance and, as you noted, likely is simple reinforcement of lowered expectations.

See you on the golf course with your new eyes. Now you have no more "glasses" excuses for poor play. Perhaps you can blame it on elevated blood pressure.

By: Jason B

Jason B — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 14:54:00 +0000

Good work Roger... I was going to quip about the BP as well. Cool to hear an insider's perspective on LASIK. I always hear the radio commercials -- "Tired of not being able to see the clock in the morning??" -- but never much about the procedure.

My guess is writing out the sentence has no additional legal ramifications. Mostly expectation management I presume.

-Jason

By: Roger

Roger — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 13:20:00 +0000

Dick, glad that the eye procedure went well. My brother and other friends have all had great experience with it. Too, bad it doesn’t last for a lifetime though. However, the 148/95 blood pressure is much more serious than your eyesight problem. Go to a doctor and get advise, soon!

By: ken lee

ken lee — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 16:21:00 +0000

Congrats — please do a follow-up to let us know if other problems, e.g. “starring” when seeing headlights of oncoming cars, etc.

By: Will Riley

Will Riley — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 10:31:00 +0000

Thanks for sharing that Dick.

As a long-time myopic spectacle wearer, I have recently started to consider
this surgery. I dabbled with lenses but to be honest couldn’t really get
organised enough to cope with the “maintenance” – having too much beer &
falling asleep with them in accounted for at least two sets

So it’s good to see that your experience was a positive one.

Maybe I’ll pluck up the courage yet!