::Here's what you said!!::
First things first.. here is the chocolate study link!! It's easy to make light of it ((like, "Oh, sign me up")) but the goal is noble. They're trying to figure out the health boosting power of dark chocolate.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL2838269320080428?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
And a lot of you had thoughts about Lasik.. here are some snippets!! I took out specifics about which clinic or doctor-- you'll have to do your own research if you're in the market, but here's the gist of the emails I got!!
Maggie writes: I had Lasik one year ago, and I went to a clinic at a hospital rather than a less expensive independent clinic. I picked the hospital location due to the cornea specialist backgrounds of the doctors. The pre-screening medical exam was very thorough, and increased my confidence that they would rule me out if I were not a good candidate. They measured the thickness of my corneas and the amount of moisture my eyes produced normally along with other tests. The surgery itself was painless and quick, and my recovery was the same. I now have 20/10 vision (I think I was 20/150 before.) I have no side effects at all now, and feel extremely fortunate to have had access and funding for this surgery. My heart goes out to those who have problems with their vision and eyes now due to surgery that didn't go as
well for them. I would still highly recommend this surgery to family and
friends, but would caution of the potential side effects, just like any surgery, and would tell them the only option is to pay more to go to a specialist rather than a store front shop.
Richard writes: It appears that the laser story is being blown out of proportion but as with any medical procedure, there are many things that can go wrong and many people loose sight of that. I went to three Lazer vision correction facilities before deciding on going ahead and who to do it. Along with the notes on the web, all explained reiterated the possible side effects such as halos, dry eye, etc. All of them ran a thickness test saying that I was a good candidate and also the tearing "tear strip" test relative to anticipating little chance of dry eye problems.
I went ahead with the laser eye at the third center and started with 20/200 and ended up with 20/15 in one and 20/20 in the other eye. I had no problems with dry eye, halos, or night vision. It has now been 3 years and I am ever so happy to not rely on glasses particularly when sweating, rainy weather out in the boat, etc. I have no complaints and would highly recommend it providing they go to multiple providers to ensure that they run all the standard tests and all say you're a good candidate for the procedure.
As stated on the web site and many places, *if they say you're not a good candidate*, *believe them and do not do it. *My wife has a cousin who had it and is fine but the wife on one of her friends was one they said was not a good candidate but she wanted it anyway and was not satisfied.
Another friend had the *RK* type correction done and was not happy with it and went back to glasses but still has the halos and glare remaining.
Jerilyn writes: from the segment I saw last evening (4/25), I think the conclusion from the Federal panel that was investigating this procedure is that the surgeon makes the difference the outcome. Fortunately, I had the ABSOLUTE best surgeon.
I had my surgery in 1996-1997 and [the doctor] was very careful to explain the procedure as well as the possible outcomes that were known at that time. I had all 4 surgeries on my eyes - PRK, AK, PK, and Lasik. Lasik was just coming into being at the time [and the doctor] did the original surgery. The effects were absolutely breathtaking for me. I saw the world clearly for the first time as my eyes had been very bad (20/400 and 20/600) before the surgery.
Over the years the only problem I seem to have was dry eye which can now be treated. [The doctor] had given me monovision - one eye attuned to distance and one to close work. I noticed in 2006 that the left eye, the one tuned to distance, was not working as efficiently as it had due to some astigmatism caused by blinking over the years. I went to [the doctor] and he did an enhancement on my left eye. It has been functioning quiet well since then.
I know that as I get older, I might have to wear glasses again, perhaps when I reach 70 (I hope). For now, I can fully enjoy God's beautiful world and I thank him for allowing the miracle to happen - again!
Vicki writes: I had Lasik 5 years ago. My doctor was very clear with me about the risks and potential problems, including dry eyes, blurred night vision, etc. I already had dry eyes which made wearing contacts difficult, so I wasn't sure I would be approved for Lasik. I also already had bad night vision.
Since having the surgery I have had no problems with dry eyes, night vision or anything else.
I appreciated then, and now, how brutally honest my doctor was about the risks of Lasik. I'm one of the successful patients and am very glad it was successful for me.
As with any surgery, patients need to research the pros and cons and risks of undergoing surgery.
Janet writes: When I was considering Lasik surgery, I had real concerns about anyone touching my eyes and doing permenant damage. When I went for my consultation with what my research proved to be one of the best regional surgeons, I asked the questions that anyone taking responsibility for the decision would ask. The doctor appeared to not want to be bothered with taking real time to assure me and talk to me about my particular situation, and any real concerns that may have existed that only an educated surgeon could inform me of. Instead, my concerns were treated as if they were unreasonable, and the doctor seemed more annoyed than anything.
Essentially I felt bullied by someone that believed they were far more intelligent than I. It seems that they just wanted to run the people in and run the people out at light speed level to hit quotas to make as much money as possible. With the way patients were run through the office, we might as well have been in the airport being rushed to the next gate. Greedy.
Thankfully the end result for me was positive. Although, I would not call
it perfection. I have some glare at night, and my eyes get dry and tired
in the evenings, sometimes to the point where I can't focus well. However, I can easily remember the hassles involved with wearing glasses and contacts and would easily trade those problems with the ones I sometimes have to address now.
Randy writes: I had Lasik done about a month ago and love it.So far there have been no bad side effects. My last eye exam (last thursday) showed improvement from the previous exam. I'm really looking forward to the boating season without glasses or contacts.
Bernie writes: I had Lasik 2 yrs ago and couldn't be happier. [The clinic] spent a great deal of time informing me of the positive and negative issues so I could make an educated decision. The procedure went exactly as they had described..
