Sharing Success

Dear Dr. Carmen Foster and TLC staff,

Good Morning, I thought I'd drop a quick note to let you know I LOVE being able to see without glasses or contacts. It's amazing, I feel like a new woman. I am definitely pleased with the results of my custom laser surgery. I now wonder why I waited so long to have it done. I can do everything I did before with more confidence since I no longer have to worry about losing a contact or breaking my glasses. I even find myself more open to trying new activities. Thank you so much!

I do not miss the days of driving home with one eye open and the other closed because I had lost one of my contacts. Nor do I miss re-adjusting my glasses or having to push them back up on my nose. I no longer have to buy contacts or glasses or any of the products for either. Good riddens to those days. I figure in time my procedure will pay for itself since I no longer have those extra expenses.

Prior to my eye surgery I can remember waking up and having to clean contacts or find glasses before I could even see the clock. What a waste of time. I now wake up, glance at the clock (which I can see) and get up to eat breakfast or read the paper before I get ready for my day. I can even wear sunglasses and I no longer have to worry about finding a sun-clip for my glasses. Did I already tell you this is great?!

I appreciate the kindness and dedication of your employees through out my visits to your office. All my needs were met and my questions answered at my consultation and during my laser eye procedure. The extended eye care plan is also a great perk. Thank you again for this opportunity to see the world with my own two eyes.

Seeing clearly,
Karyn Tuller

Dear Michelle:

I want to take this opportunity to let you and everyone at the TLC Laser Eye Center know how extremely happy I am with the outcome of my LASIK procedure that was performed by Dr. Foster on March 4.

Before I talk about the results, let me say last week's experience was so pleasant in respect to the way I was treated before, during and after the procedure. Everyone at your facility conducts themselves in a professional, yet friendly manner. I was told each facet of the procedure prior to it happening, and Dr. Foster explained everything she was doing as she was performing it. I was never left wondering what was happening; indeed, you anticipated my questions and answered them before I was thinking of them. I felt like I was with friends, yet in a professional manner.

I went home and went to bed as instructed. The next morning I took the shields off my eyes and was almost afraid to look across the room, but I did and was pleasantly surprised. I then went to the kitchen for my first cup of coffee and dared to look out the window. I could not believe that I could see so far in less than 24 hours! I thought it must be a temporary phenomenon, and as soon as I blinked my vision would be foggy, but that was not the case. When I went in to see Dr. Franics that morning for my 1-day check-up, he informed me my vision was 20/20. I am overwhelmed at the success of the LASIK procedure, and especially because I was corrected for distance in one eye and under-corrected in the second eye, so that I would not be so dependent on reading glasses. I can read the newspaper now without my reading glasses, yet I can see further away than I could before my LASIK procedure. I feel I can honestly say at age 55 I am seeing with more visual acuity than at any time in my life. I would recommend LASIK vision correction to anyone who qualifies for this procedure. The only mistake I made was waiting as long as I did. I love the convenience, and I love being able to see!

I think it bears repeating how impressed and appreciative I am of everyone who worked with me during this process. I hesitate to start naming names, because I fear leaving someone out. Thank you all for your sincere care and concern.

If a prospective LASIK patient is contemplating this procedure and has any doubts or questions, I would be happy to speak to them.

Sincerely,
Shirley M. Decker

Dear Michelle (Laser Vision Coordinator),

I wanted to let you and the staffs at Iowa Eye Care and TLC know how pleased I have been with the results of my recent LASIK surgery. Dr. Foster performed the procedure on the first day that it was offered in the Iowa Eye Care offices in June 2002. Dr. Noyes had recommended LASIK surgery to me several weeks earlier, when he had established that Dr. Carmen Foster would be the surgeon that would be representing TLC. He was very confident in TLC's reputation and commitment, and was especially impressed with Dr. Foster's vast experience with and dedication to performing only laser eye surgeries.

During the days leading up to my surgery, Dr. Noyes and the Iowa Eye Care staff took very good care of me, making sure that I knew what to expect, making sure that all preliminary tests were complete and as accurate as possible, and making sure that all my questions had been answered. On the day of the procedure, my appointment was scheduled for late in the day. The staff was very excited with the results from earlier in the day and was very excited to offer the same care and success to me. This was the first time that I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Foster.

Dr. Foster was very confident with her skills, with her staff, and with the equipment that was being used. She completed the final examinations, made sure that I understood what to expect, and performed a flawless LASIK surgery. The actual procedure took about 20-30 minutes and was slightly different than I expected. I was very alert during the entire process, which allowed me to listen to all of the activity going on in the surgical room. Dr. Foster continuously talked to me, to make sure that I was relaxed and to let me know what would happen next. Her voice was very soothing and reassuring to let me know that things were going well.

Following the surgery, my eyesight continued to improve, just like Dr. Noyes and Dr. Foster said it would. Now that it has been 8 months since the surgery, I have almost forgotten what it was like to wear contacts and glasses on a daily basis. The inconvenience and hassle of messing with contact lenses and solutions, of finding my glasses in the middle of the night so that I could see the clock, of figuring out which way to turn my contact lenses when putting them in my eyes, of getting dust under a lens, or of losing/tearing a lens during sports events is ALL GONE. It is also wonderful to be able to jump in the shower or the swimming pool without the fear of losing a contact lens.

Although the procedure was fairly expensive, it will actually pay for itself within about 10 years, simply from eliminating the need for glasses and contact lenses/solutions on a yearly basis. In the mean time, I am getting extreme value and convenience from 20/20 vision without the need for corrective lenses. Thanks to Dr. Noyes, Dr. Foster, and their staffs for bringing this wonderful gift to me!

Sincerely,
Gary Mills