Matthew Sharpe, MD

This is a review of Sharpe Vision in Bellevue, Washington. Because I'm in my mid-40s now I received a lot of warning about doing LASIK. The more distance correction a lens or a surgery provides, the more you strain your reading range. If you're young, your eyes adjust. As you get older, you just start losing that up-close range even without distance correction, so distance correction makes it worse. So, the question was, would LASIK be worth needing reading glasses? Maybe I am just lucky, or maybe Dr. Sharpe is magic, but I ONLY need reading glasses for tiny print on labels since the surgery -- which is BETTER than it was when I used contact lenses for my distance vision and astigmatism. And, my distance vision has never been better. I honestly spent more time outside because of it! I also have none of the side-effects people warned me about -- no dry eye, and no halos around lights. The actual surgery made me a bit queasy, but was over quickly. Just as I was told, I didn't feel great for about four hours after surgery. They provide you with eye drop pain killer to use every 15 minutes, but there was no pain at all after those first four hours. I then slept all night and woke up with vision well good enough to drive, despite some foggy vision, and returned to work! It was that quick! It took about a week for all the fogginess and glares from lights to go away, but every day for WEEKS the acuity of my vision just got better and better. Dr Sharpe slightly undercorrected one eye to save my reading range, but with both eyes open I'm a perfect 20/20. You won't meet the surgeon at Sharpe Vision until right before surgery, and you won't see him after. His nursing and optometry staff take care of all pre- and post-care. This was a little odd to me, but the staff was very attentive and informative, and the surgery could not have had a better outcome. Highly recommended if you're in the Seattle area.

For all 35 years of my life, I've lived with vision that's been pretty terrible. And for as many years as I can remember during that time, glasses and contacts were always a necessary part of life as i knew it. Without those, I was, for all intents and practical purposes, legally blind. And because of my astigmatism, I'd been evaluated long ago (2010, if I recall) as not a viable candidate for LASIK. Fast forward to July 2016. I'm told by Doctor Matthew Sharpe in Bellevue that I'm a prime candidate for a procedure known as ICL, or Implantable Collamer Lens. The procedure is not as scary as it sounds, I'm told - two lenses, made of material similar to what doctors use on cataract surgery patients, are implanted behind both irises. I did extensive research when I got home that night and decided the cost, associated risks, and short-term discomfort were all worth it. The procedure that would come a bit before this was called YAG, which is also common practice with cataract surgery patients. This laser procedure is used to relieve pressure in the eyes and takes place about a week or two before the actual ICL surgery. Admittedly, the YAG procedure was a little uncomfortable. Dr. Sharpe described the feeling as "like a small rubber band being snapped against your eyes," and I wouldn't disagree. However, the numbing drops, valium, and reassurance of the doctor that it would be a quick in-and-out visit helped calm my nerves. What discomfort I did experience was short-lived, and only occurred during the YAG itself. When I got home that day, I rested comfortably and woke up without any pain. About a week later, I went in for the ICL surgery. And though I suffered through some side effects of the medication I was given beforehand (which is the exception and not the rule), my vision improved almost immediately after I left the building. I was in sheer disbelief this morning when I woke up and could see everything in my bedroom for the first time in my life, without putting on glasses or contacts. A follow-up visit today went swimmingly. Dr. Sharpe said my eyes couldn't look better. I'm still seeing some blur and some difficulty reading distant signs and text, but I was able to drive to and from the appointment without any issues. My final appointment for astigmatism correction will be next month, which is the common final step in these procedures in patients with vision as bad as mine was. Essentially, I'm told, that will be the final step in this process, whereupon I'll be seeing 20/20 or better. Overall, this has been pretty unreal. The ICL treatment has definitely improved the quality of my life immediately, and I am looking forward to getting the final bit of treatment later this month that will help me see better than I ever dreamed I would.

Dr. Sharpe truly is as good as it gets. I was petrified of this procedure and waited WAY too long to do it. The first impression you get is of the office. WOW. It's like heaven. Everything is pure lily white, clean, and cool. Everyone there is insanely sweet and helpful and very calming, which is vital. Dr. Sharpe's informational video about lasik is incredibly detailed but if you're like I am--paranoid beyond any rational sense--they will schedule a time for you to talk directly to Dr. Sharpe. And if you can't find a time in your schedule, you can email him. He was so responsive and calmed my nerves entirely. You can and should do your homework when you're considering any type of surgery, especially to something as important as your eyes. What I found was that Dr. Sharpe came highly recommended and has done lasik for many of the Sounders' players. The SOUNDERS!? Come on. If it's good enough for a professional athlete, that's my bar. The day of the procedure they give you as much valium as you need but let me tell you, you don't need it. The anticipation is really all that affects you. The procedure is so quick, there wasn't really even enough time for the valium to kick in. He of course was again super calming, reassuring, and lets you take as much time as you need. Eventually I had to get it over with. The procedure is NOTHING! I'd do it again twice more if I had to! Your eyes are completely numb and it sort of just feels like you're in an intense eye exam. You feel the pressure of something pressing against your eye but it feels just like if you push on your closed eye with your palm. NBD. The laser is really just a light you look at. It's on, then it goes off, then it's on again. The second laser is the part that everyone says smells terrible. That is true. It smells a lot like burning hair or skin. But it's SECONDS. My strategy was not to breathe. So I held my breath while he did both of those lasers in seconds and then it was over. I could see immediately. It was a little blurry, but not really blurry, more like you're looking through a dirty window. My eyes were pretty dry for a couple of weeks but that was the only real discomfort. Here's the deal. I CAN SEE PERFECTLY. Wait! BETTER than perfectly! 20/15. Jelly? I know. Go get it done. WHAT are you waiting for?

Hi all I wanted to take a moment and share my lasik journey. I have been thinking about getting lasik for about 20 years. Since it first became available in the United States I have wanted it. There were a couple of things that held me back. First, I was scared to death! The thought that something could go wrong and that I wouldn't be able to see anymore was a huge fear of mine. I've been doing research for years and knew that the likelihood of that was very small but for whatever reason I couldn't get over that fear. Second, the money. Let's all be honest Lasik is expensive and it's not covered by insurance like glasses and contacts are. So I talked myself out of it for 20 years and dealt with not being able to see without my glasses or contacts. So you ask... what changed? Well my body I guess. All of a sudden I couldn't wear my contacts for very long. My eyes would dry out really quickly every time I tried to wear my contacts so much so that I could barely make it a couple of hours. Don't get me wrong I don't mind wearing glasses sometimes but the thought of having to always wear them was not something I was looking forward too. How could I rock that little black dress the way I was used to doing in thick glasses :-( So... you see vanity is a very strong motivator. I was finally able to overcome my fear and justify the cost because I was going to be faced with a life of having to constantly wear my glasses. As of today I'm 4 days post op. All I can say is WHY? I MEAN WHY did I wait so long!?!? What I'm telling you here is that after dealing with legal blindness for almost 30 years after 15 minutes I could see perfectly. Better then perfectly really. They tested my eyes the next day and I could see 20/15! And, to be straight the procedure itself only lasts 5-7 minutes the other time is used to recheck the prescriptions and to provide numbing drops for comfort during the procedure. I'll say it again...Why did I wait so long!? Here's what you can expect if you go to the doctor I worked with Dr. Sharpe from Sharpe Vision in Bellevue WA. Pristine office with state of the art equipment. You walk into the office and are greeted warmly by the staff. From that moment throughout the consult you are treated with respect and as if you have the right to any and all information they can provide. Dr Sharpe has each patient watch about a 10 minute video on an iPad that walks you through the whole procedure as you wait. This was really helped put my fears to rest and let me focus my questions during my consult. I felt fully informed and booked my procedure for a week later. I called the office a couple of time in between my consult and procedure to ask some followup questions. Each time I was treated with patience and respect. On the day of my procedure Dr. Sharpe was a bundle of energy and confidence. This is a unique combination but had a calming effect on me. He obviously loves what he does and it radiates through his practice. Once I was on the table for the procedure and the numbing drops were in full effect he started the treatment. They place this eyelid holder to keep your eye open and tell you to stare at the green light. He walked me through every step. Explaining that as part of the treatment the first laser will cause everything to go black for about 10 seconds. And then the second laser will cause the green light to go blurry for about 10 seconds. Everything happened just as he explained it would. After he completed both eyes and I sat up I could SEE PERFECTLY!!! I let out a little scream of delight! I had no idea it was going to be so easy and so dramatically different right away. The only thing you notice is that things seem a little hazy. Like you're looking through smoke or something. They sent me home with some more numbing drops and a couple of eye drop prescriptions that I have to use for 7 days. I had no pain just mild discomfort for the first hour after the procedure. Pain did start to kick in at about 3 hours and so I took a sleeping pill and slept for 12 hours. When I woke up the next morning I had no pain just the feeling that my contact lens was inside out... or like I had an eyelash in my eye. NO BIG DEAL! Now at four days I have no discomfort. I have been religiously using the artificial tears and the medicated drops as directed. If you are considering this procedure don't be like me and waste all of that time and money on glasses and contacts. Do yourself a favor and go see Dr. Sharpe he will take great care of you! Updated on 15 May 2014: So the doc told me that I may have a side effect called "halo effect" for a few months after surgery. I'm happy to report that I don't have any of that!What I'm noticing more of is difficulty focusing first thing in the morning and late at night. It's like my eyes are tired. My vision is still clear it's just that small letters become a little fuzzy and I have to blink a couple of times. The other thing is that sometimes I get the feeling that I need to take my contacts out. You know, cause they're dry but them I remember nope! no more contacts or glasses!! After a couple drops of artificial tears the feeling goes away. The dryness of my eyes fluctuates throughout the day. I have noticed in the morning on some days then in the evening on others. All of this was explained to me and is normal. I couldn't be more happy with my decision. And, I say it again. WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS EARLIER!?!?!