Sharing Success

I had my surgery done on January 24, 2003 and I would like to have my success story posted on your website.

After wearing contacts and glasses for a combined 20 years, I was excited to have the Lasik procedure performed. My vision was very near sighted... - 6.50 in my right and - 7.00 in my left... basically 20/700. Now I am seeing 20/15 out of both eyes! It is incredible. The results took a few months to stabilize, but after 6 months, I am so pleased. At the 6 month post-op examination, when my optometrist looked at my eyes, he told there was a small amount of healing still to go so he anticipates my vision to improve even more! I can not imagine seeing any better than I already do! I also noticed that my depth perception is sharper than ever.

Lasik surgery is amazing. I encourage anyone thinking of having the procedure to go to TLC and have a consultation.

Thank you Dr. Ernest and all of the TLC staff in Kalamazoo for doing excellent work. Your service is first class and life changing!

Best regards,
Robert Jara

It's been one month since my LASIK procedure and the results have far exceeded my expectations. After nearly 20 years with corrective lenses, my most recent eye exam revealed 20/15 vision! I just returned home from a Caribbean vacation where my contacts would have limited my activities, but not anymore! After LASIK I enjoyed the sun, sand and ocean all day and danced well into the night.all with crystal clear, comfortable vision. Thanks TLC!

Sincerely,
Barbara Martin

Thanks for everything! Thanks so very very much for your hospitality, but most of all for my eye sight!

Respectfully,
Connie Gittings

In 4th grade I found out that I was near-sighted and was prescribed my first pair of glasses. I was amazed that I could see every bud on the trees and wanted to wear my glasses all of the time because my vision was so much improved. It changed my life. But as a child, glasses held me back from a lot of things like sports and recreational activities that other kids could enjoy without worry. I was afraid to swim because I couldn't see well while in the water. I didn't like to play sports because I was afraid I would break my glasses. My nearsightedness was mild; beyond a foot in front of my face things began to get blurry. I had to wear my glasses just to read at night.

I was fitted for contacts in 11th grade. Unfortunately my eye doctor recommended the boiling method of cleaning them, and after about 4 years of wearing contacts I was diagnosed with GPC, a type of conjunctivitis (swelling of the papillary glands or tear ducts in the eyelids) resulting from an allergic reaction to protein deposits that were boiled onto the lenses. It became too painful to wear contacts and I had to resort to glasses. The worst part of it was that I was stuck with the GPC for life because of wearing contacts.

I hated glasses. I couldn't swim, wrestle with my children, see the alarm clock when I woke up, or see the soap when I dropped it in the shower. Once the dog knocked my glasses off my face and scratched the lenses and frames up. Several times they got sat on because I couldn't see them. They distorted my vision and as a result my peripheral vision was very poor. And rain, fog, and snow always had to be wiped from the lenses when I came in from outside. Not to mention the stigma attached to glasses...if you wear glasses people automatically label you as an intelligent nerd, amongst other things.

I first heard about the radial kerotomy procedure and it sounded too radical. And since I would have to go to Canada to get it done (at the time) I decided to wait a few years. But after talking to someone about LASIK about a month ago who had it done here in my hometown, I was very interested in getting it done myself. I made up my mind to get it done and make monthly payments, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

The procedure was relatively painless, and a bit uncomfortable, but the TLC doctors talked and reassured me throughout the whole procedure. The next few days were a bit uncomfortable, as the whites of my eyes were sore and a bit bruised from the procedure, but nothing a little pain reliever couldn't take care of. Overall, I was amazed that I could be awake throughout such a procedure.

The following day my vision was 20/20. A week after the surgery I had even better vision at 20/15. For the first couple of weeks it took a bit for my eyes to get adjusted and one day one would be better than the other. It also took a little getting used to not having glasses on my face after 25 years, but each day I can't believe what I had to put up with in the past. After one month, my vision is getting better and more stable every day. If only this procedure had come a little sooner, I wouldn't have the GPC to deal with too.

Thanks for giving me the miracle of sight back again. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Sincerely,
A very happy TLC-Kalamazoo patient