Dishler Laser - Blog

Let me start out by putting the link to the video which inspired this topic right here: Fear of LASIK

This patient discusses how he overcame the fear of LASIK surgery and went on to have an experience which was much easier than he anticipated and now has great uncorrected vision.  Many patients have two concerns, fear and cost in that order.  They often ask about cost because they are uncomfortable talking about fear.  Chris Meyer in this short video described it so honestly and clearly when he said that he heard a little voice in his head that said, "I can do this" and then took the next step.  Our job is not only to perform LASIK to the best of our abilities but also to help those who want to examine this option be able to make that same statement, you CAN do this.

Although Franklin D. Roosevelt was talking about the "great depression" when he uttered these famous words in 1933, they have come to symbolize a much greater range of ideas. It may be apropos to remind ourselves of these times since we are now going through what has been called the greatest recession since the depression, but this post is about something else entirely. After more than two decades of performing vision correction procedures, it is obvious to me that virtually everyone is afraid at some level of having their eyes operated on even with the amazing advances that allow this to be a relatively safe and painless procedure. Everyone has a different way of dealing with their anxiety and their method to overcome it in order to achieve a goal of improved vision. While we as doctors cannot and should not completely relieve this anxiety, we can temporarily reduce it by appropriate preoperative medication and full and accurate disclosure.