Yup. I agree with Smash on this one. Do a *lot* of research on the subject before proceeding. More importantly, do a *lot* of research on the team that's doing the proceedure.
There are huge degrees of quality with the proceedures depending on where you go, and who performs it. I would strongly discourage you from just going with one you saw advertised on TV and that seems affordable. Odds are they use a "generic" technique, that's kind of like an assemblyline. As long as you have no unusual conditions with your eyes, you're *probably* ok, but no guarantees.
My roomate had the proceedure done a couple years ago. She was planning on going on a dig in Jordan, and contacts would have been unrealistic given the environment. However, her family has a history of cornea problems, specifically with cataracts. A standard lasik proceedure can remove too much of the layers in the cornea, making future cataracts impossible to deal with. The same idea as with carprentry applies: Measure twice, cut once. But a standard treatment will often cut too much in a "one size fits all" kind of way.
She ended up going with a specialist who deals with exactly that kind of condition, and has been very happy with the results. She's had no adverse health issues from the surgery. Of course, she did get anemic disentary on the dig (huge disaster, long story, most of the people ended up hospitalized due to some idiot not washing their hands), and will have digestive problems for the rest of her life, but the lasik surgury has been no problem. ;)
In this particular case, you really get what you pay for. You can get lasik at a bargain price, but do you really want the cheapest proceedure being performed on your eyes? What they do is permanent. They are removing tissue from the lens of your eyes. You don't get to take that back if they ***** up. Shop around. Find out your family's history with relation to eye problems. Get 2nd and 3rd opinions. Don't skimp on the cost. Ultimately, a couple more grand today is worth it if it means you don't end up with some irreversable change in your eyes that may cause you problems 30 years down the line.
____________________________
King Nobby wrote:
More words please