I went to Joffe for LASIK last spring, and wanted to wait until I was fully recovered to write a review.
First of all, my experience at Joffe was really incredible. So incredible, I refer anyone who asks about it in a heartbeat, and so far, two of my friends have gotten LASIK performed there. So if you're too lazy to read the rest of my review, know you're in good hands.
In the past, some a-hole eye doctor had told me that I wasn't eligible for lasik since my vision was so poor (-7.75 contact lens prescription). I mentioned this on the phone booking my consultation, and they assured me that typically doesn't qualify/unquality you - only the shape of your eye, density of your cornea, things like that, could really affect your eligibility. So, good news to begin.
It took several weeks to get the initial appointment. The consultation is about 2 hours long, including an eye dilation, so keep that in mind as you try to balance your work day (Excel + dilated eyes = trippy). When I had my surgery, if you booked within 4 weeks of your consultation, you received a $300 discount. I imagine they run this offer all/most of the time, but I'm not sure.
During your consultation, they prep you by making you watch videos of the surgery in animated form. I mostly tuned these out - for me, ignorance was bliss. Seeing a cartoon eye get cut open by a cartoon scalpel is still frightening. I know they're trying to set you up for what surgery will be like, but if you're squeamish (but want to do it anyway) like me, this method kind of worked. If I truly knew what was going to happen, I'm not entirely sure I could have gotten on the surgery bed.
I booked my appointment for a Friday morning, which was probably the best time to do it. Your eyes heal insanely quickly, but it was nice to have a couple days to recover and rest since they're so dry afterward.
Joffe really works to get you relaxed - a cup of tea, a dose of Valium, and a massage chair (facing a TV screen with an aquarium scene) really did it for me. I was literally dozing off in the half hour before my surgery.
Once I got on the table though, my adrenaline piqued. Keep in mind, you're awake for the surgery, and you have to, you know, keep your eyes open (well, an apparatus holds them open, but still) and watch as they cut them open and shoot lasers at them. I was incredibly scared and nervous, but this would have been the same anywhere. My experience had been pleasant so far, and I trusted them, but regardless, overall knives and lasers in your eye is truly terrifying. I feel like they made it as calm and quick as possible, and told me each step of the way what was going on, what was going to happen next, and how long it would take - which I was really impressed with. Once I sat up from my surgery, I could already see better than when I laid down - freaky!
Boyfriend drove me home, where I popped my own Ambien (they do not provide this service, unlike the Valium) and slept from about 11 am - 6 pm. When I awoke, all was well and I could see pretty well. Joffe books a follow up about 24 hours post-surgery - by the next morning, they measured me at almost 20/20.
One month later, I was at 20/20, which was a huge improvement over my truly terrible vision before. Everyone reacts differently, but I have had absolutely no complications. My eyes aren't overly dry, and while I still see "halos" at night, they're not too bothersome.
BTW, my two friends are also incident-free. I would highly, highly recommend Joffe... and if you want more details on my personal experience, feel free to send me a message! read more