The first to see LASIK

In the process of de-cluttering, I found a file containing information & receipts on LASIK. It might be just a file, but it brought back memories of my LASIK experience during my undergraduate days.

Wavefront-guided LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis)  is a variation of LASIK surgery in which, rather than applying a simple correction of focusing power to the cornea (as in traditional LASIK), an ophthalmologist applies a spatially varying correction, guiding the computer-controlled excimer laser with measurements from a wavefront sensor. The goal is to achieve a more optically perfect eye, though it was still in its early stages with preliminary findings showing more superior results than the traditional LASIK then.

My experience started with a public forum on 'Wavefront and LASIK' that I attended on 13th April 2002 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. I remembered paying $5 for the forum which gave me information on the benefits and cost of LASIK done locally. It wasn't easy making a decision at that point in time. In 2002, LASIK hasn't landed in Singapore. It was still in its infant stages - with procedures being strictly controlled by the hospitals. Information wasn't easily available. No friends have done it and I had to rely on the Internet to make a conscious decision to go for it.

I remembered asking my bespectacled doctor during the eye check-up - why he did not go for LASIK himself. His reply was 'LASIK is a lifestyle, just like wearing spectacles is.' He added that his degrees was only about 200 and each of us need to evaluate the benefits versus the cost in going for LASIK.' His answer didn't comfort me; he laid down the bare truth of going for such a cosmetic operation.

I was a student then, and I sacrificed a lot in order to fulfil my dreams of seeing the world clearly without aids.

1st visit, which includes a consultation and a cornea topography = $128.30

2nd visit for a cornea topography = $60.00

Cost of wavefront lasik for left eye = $2,298.00

Left eye check-up = $75.85

Cost of wavefront lasik for right eye = $2,298.00

Re-visit 1 = $30.00

Re-visit 2 = $43.30

Re-visit 3 = $43.30

Total Cost of my LASIK operation in 2002 = $4,976.75

Factoring a yearly inflation of 3.5%, that sum is equivalent to approximately $6,780 in today's terms. Today's LASIK operations are selling for a third of this price and are carried out with a third of this hassle.

But I never regretted my 2002's decision - to be a pioneer in living my own dreams of having perfect vision. It was a well-thought-of decision, for I have considered the benefits of such an operation. Today, I am still enjoying such a benefit. On hind sight, do I regret going for LASIK when the cost was high? No, I do not think so, because (i) there were many achievements I did w/o my specs since 2002, and (ii)I might not have done it when I'm older.