Hi spikemomma I had Lasik Wavefront last October and have gone from a prescription of -5 to 20:20 vision. However this is with both eyes together, as they have left my right eye very slightly short sighed to delay the onset of needing reading glasses.
I can answer your questions but only wrt my own experience.
- It worked for me (see above) and I'm glad I had it done.
- The side effects I had are very common:
Very sensitive to light for the rest of the day after having the procedure.
Had to wear eyeshields in bed for a week (to stop eye rubbing in sleep).
No makeup for a week (and then I bought all new stuff to make sure it was clean).
Had to take seroid eye drops 3 or 4 times a day for first couple of weeks.
halos around car/street lights for some months afterwards.
Dry eyes for about 7 months (had to use artifical tears, especially when I was tired). This can be a long term problem if you already have dry eyes.
There are lots of things that can go wrong and you have to remember that it is a cosmetic procedure and you have to sign a really long (and quite frightening) disclaimer form before hand.
- Mine cost £3k but I did negotiate them down from £3.5k.
The £350 per eye they quote on the TV ads is for those with such a small prescription that you wouldn't really need it TBH. I also paid for the flaps in my eyes to be cut with a laser rather than a blade as it gives a more even cut.
There are loads of forums where people post their expereinces if you look around.
I'd say have a few consultations with different companies to get a feel for them. Also find out how many procedures the surgeon has carried out of the type you are contemplating.
That's all I can think of for now but if you want to know about the actual procedure let me know and I'll give you the gory details .