On the Other Side of The Slit Lamp: Our Team's LASIK/PRK experiences
One of the true joys of working at Cornea Associates of Texas, is knowing that we can change lives through improved vision. We are fortunate to experience this miracle on a daily basis. Custom IntraLASIK and PRK have been life altering procedures for many of our patients, and also for our very own team members at Cornea Associates. We wanted to share a few of the experiences from our own team members. Be sure to ask them all about it, when you come in for your visit!
Our latest employee who had LASIK, Chelsey, had Dr. McCall do her procedure earlier this August. Chelsey commented on her life after LASIK saying, “With my new eyes thanks to LASIK, I no longer have to mess with contact lenses. No worrying about falling asleep in them, or my eyes becoming irritated after a long day. Life without contacts saves me time, money, and hassle. I love that I can wake up in the morning, open my eyes and see everything! It is truly life changing; my vision is better than it has ever been!”
Twice a year we hold educational meetings, to help referring practices better understand refractive surgery. At our most recent LASIK 101, Nadya had her procedure done with Dr. Gelender. Nadya is another patient coordinator on our Fort Worth team, and Nadya states, “My vision is GREAT after Lasik! It's been a little over four months since the procedure, and words cannot describe the freedom I have with my new vision. The clarity is amazing! Having my eyes ready to go and not having to deal with smeared glasses made a world of difference. I am now 20/20 and I couldn't be happier!!”
Two years ago, Tonya, one of our Fort Worth patient coordinators, had her PRK done. It was something she had been thinking about for a while. Because of her corneas being a little bit on the thin side, PRK was a great option for her. Tonya says about her experience, “My PRK was done 5/30/2012. The surgery itself went great and even though the recovery took longer than expected I am very blessed to have had the privilege to have the surgery with great results. It has been life changing in that all my activities without glasses or contacts have been better. Especially, swimming, exercising, and reading. I am grateful to Cornea Associates of Texas for such a wonderful gift.”
January of 2012, Melody had her Lasik with Dr. Bowman. “I had to drive with glasses previously before Lasik as well as put them on if I was at the movie (which is mine and my husband’s favorite thing to do). After my Lasik, it was amazing seeing everything crystal clear like HD vision while driving! I can now go to movies and watch them in 3D without struggling with glasses under the 3D glasses. It has been such a huge blessing in my life!”
Laura Tellini, one of our technicians in Dallas, had her LASIK done in 2011 before she was on our Cornea Team. She said that her experience was so good, it was part of the reason she eventually joined our team! She was nervous at first, but was reassured by everyone and felt such a calm environment. The staff and Dr. Gelender made her feel at ease the whole time. Before LASIK, she had a really hard time with contact lenses. But now, her eyes feel so much better without contacts. She can go running and do many outdoor activities without worrying about glasses or contacts bothering her. Also in 2011, Dr. Beebe's daughter, Lindsey Bridges had her LASIK done by Dr. Bowman. “For me the convenience of having one less thing to do in the morning (i.e. -contacts and prep) as a mom of (almost) 3 kids that are 4 and under has been a huge blessing.”
Sidney Morrison has been a member of our team for the past 18 years, and back in 2007, Nicole Simone, Sidney’s daughter had her PRK procedure. Here is what she had to say, “When I was 16 I began working as a file clerk at Cornea Associates after school and during the summers. The doctors and staff were not only my first co-workers, but they became like a second family. Even after going off to college I would always make time to pop into the office and say hello. Many of them are still working there 17 years later! After graduation, Dr. McCall suggested PRK surgery. While not as easy as LASIK, it was the better long term choice for my eyes. As a 26 year old on the move, the idea of giving up my contacts and glasses was thrilling! The surgery was quick and easy. While I did experience some recovery time, the overall outcome has been spectacular. Now at 33 years old, I can wake up every morning and I can see immediately. I never have to think about rubbing my eyes and possibly injuring myself. I travel frequently for work and pleasure and not having to take out contacts on a plane makes my life much easier! I can’t thank Dr. McCall and everyone else enough! Oh, and yes – my mom STILL works there and I visit whenever I am in town.”Back in January of 2003, Shirley and Jennifer H. both had LASIK with Dr. Gelender. Shirley said, “The first place I wanted to go after surgery was Wal-Mart so I could test my eyes out. I was at the front of the store and could see the layaway sign all the way at the back of the store (yes Wal-Mart had layaway). I can also go swimming and still be able to see everything. It is not like it was before when everything was blurry.”
Jennifer H. said about her awesome experience, “I was pretty nearsighted so I hated trying to find my glasses when the kids were little and would get up in the middle of the night. I found myself sleeping in my contacts often to avoid the problem although I knew what a BAD idea that was and the problems it could potentially cause. I was so happy to be able to wake up and see the clock and go straight to the kids without fumbling for my glasses. I also not longer feel guilty about telling our patients not to sleep in their contacts when I was doing at the time what I was telling them not to do.” Jennifer’s brother had LASIK as well, but with Dr. Bowman.
Karie, one of our amazing LASIK coordinators had LASIK back in 2001. Her son was a baby at the time; she said that it was so nice when woken up in the middle of the night to not have to worry about contacts or glasses. Her prescription wasn't that bad, but she did have to wear glasses while driving all the time. No more of that for her! Her husband Daron also had LASIK in 2001. He really enjoys water sports and swimming without the hassle of contacts. He no longer has a really bad prescription, or as he liked to call it, his "coke bottles." Karie's brother, Brent had LASIK back in January of this year. He always travels everywhere, Hawaii being his most visited. For him, it has been an incredible experience to enjoy the Hawaiian islands without working about traveling with contacts and glasses.
And that's not all, Janice S. had LASIK 12 years ago with Dr. Bowman. She can now see the stop lights without her glasses! Adriana had PRK with Dr. McCall in September of 2008. She says that it is the “best decision I have ever made!”
Lori had LASIK in February of 2009 and loves it. Chris Fleming, our Practice Administrator Jennifer's husband had PRK and is constantly pointing things out that he can see and she can't. Our technician Veronica's husband Anthony now sees 20/10 after his LASIK that he did at one of our LASIK 101s. Veronica doesn’t have to wear contact lenses either, following her procedure several years ago. Our Crosslinking/Refractive Coordinator Candy's husband Robert, doesn’t have to put in contact lenses when he wakes up in the morning ever since his LASIK procedure. Misty having had her procedure in November of 2012 no longer has to worry about keeping glasses in the car or having her two twin toddlers pulling her glasses off her face. She said that "the freedom is amazing!"
Custom IntraLASIK and PRK provide fantastic visual outcomes for a wide range of patients. The visual freedom gained after having LASIK or PRK is liberating. As you can see by the number of our team members that have had refractive surgery, we truly believe in the results! If you would like to know more about LASIK or PRK, you can call our Refractive Surgery Coordinators directly at 214-696-5900. We can set you up for a free consultation to see if you are eligible for one of these life changing procedures!