I checked out LASIK MD around a month ago after hearing a co-worker had laser eye surgery to correct nearsightedness (like me) here that went well, and my optometrist recommended this place (along with Gimbel Eye Centre) to me.
I was going to have a consultation at both LASIK and Gimbel, but I didn't want to commit to the $200 consult at Gimbel, so I do not know anything about laser eye surgery clinics besides LASIK MD. From the first call, they were professional, courteous, and accommodating, and continued that throughout my experience with them. They gave me all the information I wanted to know what to expect going into the consultation, and I was also sent a document via e-mail with detailed information about various types of laser eye surgery, its risks, and what to expect. I was told they would only give an estimate once I had finished all their tests in the consultation.
When I went, the office and waiting area was clean and comfortable. The consultation itself went as expected, and I didn't feel pressured to book with them, never mind choose the more expensive options. The staff were great about answering my questions, and whenever they were uncertain, they got someone who could properly answer. They always made it very clear that I had the freedom to choose. I decided to book my surgery during the consult. The staff member who booked the surgery with me went the extra mile to take the time to help me apply for a loan. He was wonderful, reassured me, didn't make me feel awkward when I was not approved, and gave me other suggestions.
There was only one point when I felt they really dropped the ball. I scheduled my surgery for the Thursday following my consultation, and I was told that they would call to inform me of the exact arrival time by Tuesday at the latest. By the time Wednesday afternoon (less than 24 hours until surgery) came, they still had not contacted me, which made me very anxious. I called them, and was promptly given the arrival time. I'm uncertain about how they missed informing me earlier when clearly I was already scheduled in.
That aside, the actual surgery went smoothly. The surgeon and his assistant were courteous, took the time to answer my questions, and got the procedure all done with no problems. I was delayed getting into surgery, however, because I needed to contact my bank (for which the staff graciously gave me an entire office to myself so I could privately use their phone), and my bank put me on hold for 20 minutes. The staff did not make me feel bad at all for this delay or for taking up their office for so long. I was told to expect everything to take about 4 hours, but even with my delay, I was all done within 3 1/2 hours of my arrival time. Unfortunately, my ride was much later than anticipated. The staff noticed me in the waiting room for so long and checked with me to make sure that everything was okay. They even encouraged me to borrow their phone to call my ride (which they dialed for me since I wasn't supposed to read). Their attentiveness and courtesy again were wonderful.
I received a call from them a few hours after arriving home to address any concerns I had. The call was reassuring and it was good to know I could easily access them if I had new questions.
Both my one day and one week follow up appointments went very smoothly and quickly. I was in and out of the building in half an hour both times! They answered all my questions about the healing process and reassured me that my eyes were doing just fine.
During my first month of recovery I did sometimes notice that my vision was a little worse in one eye, or that I felt like there was something in my eye, but those symptoms were almost always resolved after I put in lubricating eye drops. The exceptions are when I have had hair, fluids, and/or nail clippings get into my eyes (I work in a vet clinic and this has happened multiple times already, though I managed to avoid these incidences until around 3 weeks after surgery), and after rinsing out my eyes, I haven't had any issues. As of now, just over a month after surgery, I no longer need regular eye drops (though I do sporadically get a dry eye symptom and use eye lubrication), and have 20/20 vision basically all the time.
Apparently my positive experience is a very different from what other reviewers have experienced, but their reviews are from a few years ago. Perhaps LASIK MD has had some staff and policy changes for the better since then? Overall I am quite satisfied with LASIK MD. Keep in mind that I have no (relevant) health complications, my prescription was moderately nearsighted with only minor astigmatism, I kept my contacts out for months prior to my consultation and surgery (out of personal paranoia), and I am a young adult. Those with more complications or less adherence to professional recommendations regarding contacts and eye health may not have the same smooth experience with this process that I did. read more
