I have really bad eyes- farsighted, astigmatism, the works. But my eyes are stable.
I am in India right now. I have been wearing the same contacts for four years. I cannot afford new ones, and cannot see a time when I will be able to. Frankly I’m sick of contacts (been wearing them since I was 10) and especially not being able to afford new ones regularly.
LASIK is cheap and popular here. They have many clinics, with the newest wavefront technology (which can help my astigmatism). I’ve looked in to what machines are FDA approved, and they are readily availible here. It would be around $300 an eye, versus a couple thousand in the States.
I know anything I do in India will not be 100% safe, but is it reasonably safe to get it done here? Could I do my aftercare in the US and how much would that cost? Do you know of any good doctors, preferably in the Delhi area?
I am just thinking about this, and I’m not commited to the idea. But it sure would be nice.
Please don’t answer if you are just going to speculate that it is not safe because it is India. I am looking for people with experience and facts on the subject.
I checked into getting LASIK done in Thailand (when we lived there, about 3-4 years ago). It was less expensive but the doctors I found hadn’t done nearly enough surgeries to satisfy me. Otherwise I’d have done it. Apparently one of the most important factors in a successful outcome is the number of surgeries that they’ve performed, and IIRC it should be over 2-300.
Here’s a decent link on things to consider.
Right. You really want to find a doctor who’s done a lot of surgeries. That’s key.
I’ve never been to India - I don’t know firsthand what conditions are like there. But I’d be hesitant. IMHO, this is one thing you don’t want to skimp on. I ended up going to the most expensive doctor I found, because I trusted him the most, and he had the best record. I’d feel very uncomfortable going to a doctor simply because he’s cheap, you know? You don’t want to have to trust Bob’s Discount Mufflers and Eye Surgery.
Also, the follow up care lasts for about a year. At least mine did. Mine was all included with the price of the surgery. If you’re not going to be in India that long, I’m not sure what your options are.
Many threads on Lasik here, some quite recent. Just search for Lasik.
Even if medical care in India was the best in the world, there are good reasons to approach Lasik with both eyes open (so to speak):
(i think this link to the ftc was cited above):
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/health/lasik.htm
also, some unsatisfactory experiences with Lasik:
http://www.surgicaleyes.com
http://www.lasikdisaster.com
But I don’t understand why you don’t at least try to get new contacts. How much could they cost, especially in comparison with irreversible surgery? And glasses aren’t so bad either. (I usually wear contacts during the day and glasses around the house, and they work fine. It would take an awful lot of misery to make me fry my eyes.)