Lasik surgery: Most in our survey were very satisfied

Consumer Reports News: August 26, 2009 06:13 PM

My wife recently expressed frustration that she can no longer see the bedroom clock without putting on her glasses. Knowing the time is important when you wake up in the morning. It can mean the difference between grabbing another hour's sleep or needing to bounce out of bed and get going. Seeing the alarm clock is apparently a crucial eye test for many folks. In our recent survey of people who had Lasik and other types of laser vision correction, those who were better able to see the alarm clock were among those most satisfied with their results.

Interestingly, although people said they underwent laser vision correction to get rid of their glasses, 55 percent said they still needed to use glasses or contact lenses, at least sometimes, even after the surgery. But this still didn't interfere with their overall satisfaction: 80 percent of folks were completely or very satisfied and few had regrets. That's pretty good, especially since in general in health care, we only get things right about 60 percent of the time.

I wear glasses, but only intermittently, and my far vision actually has improved with age. Since I am one of those people who thinks a pair of glasses improves my "mug shot," I never seriously considered Lasik for myself.

As a physician, I know it is rare to improve on what you were born with. And it usually does not make sense to mess with your body until the original equipment is clearly not in good shape. Many of the folks we surveyed felt they made a good decision taking a risk with their eyes. But if your vision problem is mild to moderate, is it worth any risk at all to see the bedroom clock? We don't know, for example, what corneas will be like 30, 40, or 50 years after they meet up with a laser.It has been almost a year since I came to Consumers Union, and I am still learning something every day. When I looked at our laser vision correction survey results, I realized that a lot more goes into being a satisfied customer than I thought. I was surprised to learn that being able to see a bedroom clock is so important to people. Maybe it's a proxy for looking good in the bedroom. Nothing wrong with that, and let's face it, glasses can get in the way.

But, no, I'm not recommending surgery for my wife. With or without her glasses, I think she's gorgeous. But her birthday is coming around in a few months, and I've decided that instead of treating her to Lasik I should go out and buy a bigger clock.

—John Santa, M.D., director, Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center

Our new Lasik decision guide will help you decide whether you should have surgery or not.

—Aaron Bailey