David Drucker, MD

If you have stable, healthy vision and are interested in reducing your dependence on glasses for distance vision then LASIK is an excellent option for you.  Many of my patients are in their 50s when they have LASIK and are very happy with their decision.  

Our eyes do change as we age, of course, and so laser vision treatments also change. Younger patients will find that laser vision surgery may eliminate the need for glasses all together. Patients in their 40s and older, however, will discover they still need readers after surgery unless they have monovision or near vision surgery. Monovision corrects one eye for distance and one eye for near.  The brain adapts and believes that it is seeing both distances with both eyes.  Before deciding if monovision is a good choice for you, speak with your surgeon about your options.

Whether laser vision correction is appropriate for you or not depends less on your age and more on what your desired outcome is.  Schedule a consult with a local surgeon to find our what choices are available for you.

It may be hard to believe these days, when everything is "LASIK this" and "LASIK that," but PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) used to be the most common refractive surgery procedure.

Both are grouped under the umbrella "laser eye surgery," but each is a little different when it comes to advantages and disadvantages.

LASIK patients have less discomfort and obtain good vision more quickly (with PRK improvement is gradual and over a few days or even months), but many surgeons prefer PRK for patients with larger pupils or thin corneas. Dr. Drucker is one of these surgeons, and, in fact, is a PRK specialist.

PRK was invented in the early 1980s. The first FDA approval of a laser for PRK was in 1995, but the procedure was practiced in other countries for years. In fact, many Americans had the surgery done in Canada before it was available in the United States.

PRK is performed with an excimer laser, which uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove ("ablate") very tiny bits of tissue from the surface of the cornea in order to reshape it. When you reshape the cornea in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before.

Both nearsighted and farsighted people can benefit from PRK. With nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. Also, excimer lasers can correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

It may be hard to believe these days, when everything is "LASIK this" and "LASIK that," but PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) used to be the most common refractive surgery procedure.

Both are grouped under the umbrella "laser eye surgery," but each is a little different when it comes to advantages and disadvantages.

LASIK patients have less discomfort and obtain good vision more quickly (with PRK improvement is gradual and over a few days or even months), but many surgeons prefer PRK for patients with larger pupils or thin corneas. Dr. Drucker is one of these surgeons, and, in fact, is a PRK specialist.

PRK was invented in the early 1980s. The first FDA approval of a laser for PRK was in 1995, but the procedure was practiced in other countries for years. In fact, many Americans had the surgery done in Canada before it was available in the United States.

PRK is performed with an excimer laser, which uses a cool ultraviolet light beam to precisely remove ("ablate") very tiny bits of tissue from the surface of the cornea in order to reshape it. When you reshape the cornea in the right way, it works better to focus light into the eye and onto the retina, providing clearer vision than before.

Both nearsighted and farsighted people can benefit from PRK. With nearsighted people, the goal is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. Also, excimer lasers can correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

Here's some advice: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Of the millions of people who have undergone LASIK in its ten years since inception, you would be hard pressed to find one who only paid $299 per eye. For example, a certain Laser Center advertises Lasik surgery on one eye from $299. While the fine print lists an incremental rise in the price depending on the level of myopia, you must also qualify for the promotion by having good credit. This Laser Center has previously been found guilty for operating a bait and switch tactic whereby patients were lured in by the low price but were then told they didn’t qualify for it. Lasik eye surgery price promotions like these usually come to light sooner or later.

Recently a patient reported to our office that he went in to a laser center that advertised $499 per eye. After his consultation, however, when they added a fee for his level of myopia, another fee for his level of astigmatism, a fee for his credit rating, and a fee for the lifetime guarantee, his total was over $2200 per eye. His price was higher if he wanted to have post op visits included as well!

The moral of this entry, however, is not beware of false advertising, nor is it even a warning to read the fine print. Rather the moral should be that price should NOT be the main reason you choose a LASIK surgeon. Choosing a well-established trusted eye surgeon who has your best interests in mind should concern you more than the cost of the procedure. These are your eyes, after all, and LASIK surgery is surgery. Even though it is a very popular procedure that seems rather routine, there are risks that are associated with any type of surgical procedure. Before you go under the laser, do your homework: choose a reputable doctor who makes you feel comfortable and who is conservative when predicting your potential outcome. Another good rule of thumb: When in doubt, don't.

This is a question I get all the time.  How can one LASIK center offer such a low price while most reputable surgeons are charging between $1600 - $2500? It seems incredible!

Here's some advice: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Of the millions of people who have undergone LASIK in its ten plus years since inception, you would be hard pressed to find one who only paid $299 per eye. For example, a certain Laser Center advertises Lasik surgery on one eye from $299. While the fine print lists an incremental rise in the price depending on the level of myopia, you must also qualify for the promotion by having good credit. This Laser Center has previously been found guilty for operating a bait and switch tactic whereby patients were lured in by the low price but were then told they didn’t qualify for it. Lasik eye surgery price promotions like these usually come to light sooner or later.

Recently a patient reported to our office that he went in to a laser center that advertised $499 per eye. After his consultation, however, when they added a fee for his level of myopia, another fee for his level of astigmatism, a fee for his credit rating, and a fee for the lifetime guarantee, his total was over $2200 per eye. His price was higher if he wanted to have post op visits included as well!

The moral of this response,  however, is not beware of false advertising, nor is it even a warning to read the fine print. Rather the moral is that price should NOT be the main reason you choose a LASIK surgeon. Choosing a well-established trusted eye surgeon who has your best interests in mind should concern you more than the cost of the procedure. These are your eyes, after all, and LASIK surgery is surgery. Even though it is a very popular procedure that seems rather routine, there are risks that are associated with any type of surgical procedure. Before you go under the laser, do your homework: choose a reputable doctor who makes you feel comfortable and who is conservative when predicting your potential outcome. Another good rule of thumb: When in doubt, don't.