My Research:

I began considering some form of surgery to correct my eyes many years ago. Unfortunately, I recently threw out some of my background information, but I looked at RK (Radial Keratotomy) and was not comfortable with the process. Other procedures followed such as the surgical procedure PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) and the non-surgical procedure Orthokeratology. There was an excellent article on Orthokeratology in the Hartford Courant of 8/17/99. You can find information of these alternate procedures on the following web pages:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/health/vision.htm (RK, PRK & Orthokeratology)
http://www.eyefreedom.com/ortho.htm (Orthokeratology)

The current popular method of vision correction is of LASIK (Laser in Situ Keratomileusis). There are thousands of articles for Lasik or any of the other methods that you can find with any web search engine. My suggestion is to use:

http://www.google.com/
which is my favorite.

A suggested web site is:

http://www.lasikinstitute.org

From this web site you can learn about the process, eligibility, expectations, advantages, risks and complications, cost, the technology, selecting a surgeon and treatment options. I think that all of this information is very useful because it is important that you go into this process with your eyes wide open (pun intended) and that you are aware particularly of the risks because that should be an important part of your consideration. I obviously came to terms with the risks because, in my own mind, I became informed and selected a surgeon and organization that I was comfortable with and which would minimize the risks.

My next step was to research the doctors and/or facilities within a reasonable distance that performed the surgery. I started with a web site that I will not list since it now doesn’t even contain the doctors that I saw at that time (last June). However, as a result of looking at the web site, reading the Hartford Courant where I found various ads and a publication from Anthem, my current health insurer, I investigated the doctors and facilities that I will list.

Once again, the observations and opinions are mine. I am sure that every one of the doctors that I met was very competent and capable of performing the surgery successfully for me. It was my goal however to select a surgeon that I had personally met and with whom I had developed a comfort level. I was by no means an easy sale, so to speak, because I came armed with the knowledge gained from all of the above (which I am sure that each doctor found to be trivial) but I was going to ask the questions and seek my comfort level.

Grove Hill Medical Center
Precision Laser Vision Center
One Lake Street
New Britain, CT 06052-1335
860-826-4460
Alan L. Stern, M.D.
http://www.precisionlaservisioncenters.com/
http://www.grovehill.com


I attended a seminar at the Medical Center (they have them periodically) and listened and watched as Dr. Stern showed a film and went through the process, the risks, etc. The seminar was attended by one of his recent patients who spoke highly of his success. The seminar was professionally done; Dr. Stern was very thorough and answered many questions. I stayed after the seminar was done and asked additional questions. I also scheduled a free screening wherein Dr. Stern and his associates did sufficient tests to qualify me as a potential candidate. Additionally, I was given a very informative CD that described the process, etc. and included an actual operation in real time (it doesn’t take very long). The cost is $2,250 per eye or $4,500 total. Dr. Stern uses the latest LadarVision machine made by Autonomous. I was very comfortable with Dr. Stern and would easily have gone there.

Peter C. Donshik, M.D.
47 Jolley Dr.
Bloomfield, CT 06002
860-286-5448
http://www.drdonshik.com


I attended a seminar at the Farmington Marriott given by Dr. Donshik. Similar to the seminar at the Grove Hill Medical Center, Dr. Donshik showed a film and went through the process, the risks, etc. The seminar was professionally done; Dr. Donshik was very thorough and answered many questions. I stayed after the seminar was done and asked additional questions. The cost is $2,150 per eye or $4,300 total. Dr. Donshik goes to New Haven or Enfield and uses, I believe, a LadarVision made by Autonomous, which he rents, for surgery. I chose not to pursue this alternative because I was comfortable with Dr. Stern who had much more experience with Lasik.

Fichman Laser Vision Center
178 Hartford Road
Manchester, CT 06040
1-877-FICHMAN
Dr. Richard A. Fichman, M.D.
http://www.fichmaneyecenter.com/


I attended a seminar at the Vision Center that was conducted by Dr. Miranda, an ophthalmologist who works for Dr. Fichman. Dr. Fichman was unable to be at the seminar for some reason. Dr. Miranda and an associate conducted the seminar professionally, were thorough and answered many questions. I stayed after the seminar was done and asked additional questions. One question that concerned me was that unless a “special” request was made, I would not meet Dr. Fichman, the surgeon, until the day of surgery. All preliminary appointments, testing, etc. would be done by Dr. Miranda or others as well as the postoperative visits. Additionally, on their web site they offer an informative CD. I requested it and never received it. There are two potential costs at the center. If they use the older machine, an Apex 4000, the cost is $1,250 per eye or $2,500 total and that includes 1 year of enhancements (essentially a redo of the process) if necessary. If they used the newer machine, which I believe is the most current LadarVision machine, the cost is $2,500 per eye or $5,000 total and that includes a lifetime of enhancements, if necessary. Additionally, if you have a AAA card, you can get a 20% discount on the cost using the LadarVision machine reducing the costs to $2,000 per eye or $4,000 total. I was not comfortable with the fact that the surgeon was not accessible to me which would not afford me the opportunity to “get comfortable” with the surgeon and as a result I discarded this center as an alternative.

Connecticut Eye Center, P.C.
43 Woodland Street, Suite 120
Hartford, CT 06105
860-525-5688
35 Waterville Road
Avon, CT 06001
860-525-5688
Dr. Patrick F. Albergo, M.D.


After a great amount of confusion with the phone numbers and locations (note that both locations have the same number) I made an appointment with Dr. Albergo for an evaluation of my candidacy for Lasik. Dr. Albergo did a professional job of assessing my candidacy and gave me a Patient Information publication containing a summary of much of the information that I pointed you to in the prior web pages. Dr. Albergo uses a SVS Apex Plus Eximer Laser Workstation which I believe he rents for surgery. The cost is $1,700 per eye or $3,400. I was not comfortable that Lasik was a specialty of this practice and hence did not consider it as an alternative.

Northeast Laser Center
1132 Westfield Street
West Springfield, MA 01089
413-781-NELC
Dr. John P. Frangie, M.D.
http://www.frangieeye.com


I saw an ad in the Hartford Courant stating that the cost was $2,500 per eye and that Dr. Frangie used the same machine as Dr. Stern, my selected surgeon to that point. Since it represented a potential cost savings, I was willing to drive the additional distance and investigate. I checked the web site and felt comfortable with Dr. Frangie’s credentials and became very comfortable with him after meeting him and having him screen me as a potential candidate. I watched the customary films at his facility and scheduled a preoperation appointment with Dr. Frangie. I was equally comfortable with him and Dr. Stern and was willing to drive the distance to save the $2,000.

Diamond Vision
131 New London Turnpike
Glastonbury, CT 06033
860-633-6090
Dr. Jeffrey D. Gold, M.D.
http://www.diamondvision.org


I was all set to proceed with Dr. Frangie when I received a publication in the mail from Anthem, our current health carrier. In it was an ad for a marketing company called TruVision (http://www.truvision.com). This is a company who makes arrangements with organizations such as Anthem to provide to them (or more appropriately their customers) a network of laser vision corrections services (among other things) who will perform the Lasik operation at a reduced fee and in turn, TruVision provides the laser vision correction services with a marketing wing, namely Anthem and similar companies. I checked with TruVision and only Anthem & Blue Cross are affiliated with them in Connecticut. Feel free to call them yourself. TruVision’s phone number is 1-877-330-2020. It is a win-win situation for Anthem, who offers a reduced price to its customers at no cost to Anthem, for the laser vision correction services (in this case Diamond Vision), who get increased patient possibilities as a result of the marketing efforts of Anthem and others, and of course TruVision who of course gets a piece of the action. The bottom line is that the Anthem member cost is only $895 per eye or $1,790 in total. The normal cost at Diamond Vision for the operation by Dr. Gold is $1,250 per eye or $2,500 total and the price is scheduled sometime in the future (I’ve been told) to go up to $1,500 per eye or $3,000 total. If you have Anthem, the cost using TruVision will remain at $895 per eye or $1,790 total.

There was also an ad in the Hartford Courant indicating that there was an open house or Grand Opening in Glastonbury where the newest Diamond Vision office is located – they have many other locations. I did a little research on the web and decided to attend the open house. The open house seemed primarily to introduce Diamond Vision to the community with speeches from local dignitaries. There were a few of us potential patients there also (I was on the way to a Uconn men’s basketball game) who received a warm reception from the entire staff. I was prescreened and was able to speak with Dr. Gold at some length. I found out also that the machine that they used was the latest Visx machine, the VISX S3 with eye tracking – a feature similar to that on the previously mentioned LadarVision machine.

Based upon four factors:

1. I was comfortable with Dr. Gold.>
2. Diamond Vision used one of the two machines that I preferred.
3. Glastonbury is much closer (about ½ hour) than West Springfield (about 1 hour).
4. I could save over $700

I proceeded to work with Diamond Vision and Dr. Gold. The rest is history. Dr. Gold, similar to Dr. Frangie and Dr. Stern, the two others that I was equally comfortable with, is very conservative and will not proceed with the operation until he feels the patient, and more particularly the patient’s eyes, are ready for the operation. In my case, since I had worn hard contacts and then gas permeable lenses for a combined 30 years, they tend to reshape the eye. Despite my decision to switch to soft lenses in July, my eyes were not returning to their natural shape as quick as the commonly used 2 to 3 week period. Dr. Gold repeated the preoperative procedure on my eyes 4 times (that is 4 different dates) before he was comfortable with the readings and he would proceed. This necessitated the rescheduling of my surgery from 12/27/01 to 01/09/02. My position was that I would wait as long as necessary and I did not want to rush him. I had read of instances where it took as long as 8 months before the eyes stabilized (and hence the reason why I transitioned to soft lenses – I didn’t want to have to play golf with glasses).

To repeat what I said earlier, Dr. Gold of Diamond Vision in Glastonbury performed the operation on 01/09/02. As of this morning, 01/10/02, one day after the surgery, Dr. Gold tested my vision and it was 20/20 in my right eye and 20/15 in my left eye. To say the least, I am thrilled. Further I went to the Uconn game tonight and enjoyed looking around and reading all of the signs in the Civic Center without any problems. I actually saw better than my wife, Elaine, who doesn’t wear glasses or contacts.

Conclusions:

This more or less concludes my “report” to you concerning my research and experience to date. But what does this mean to you?

1. Am I advocating that you have the operation done? No. This is a very individual decision. I personally came to this decision only after a lot of research and soul searching. Be sure to read about all of the possible things that can go wrong before proceeding. Be aware that as part of the process you have to sign a waiver indicating that you are aware that things can go wrong and that you could even be blinded. The odds of that are slim, but the laser vision correction services all cover their a__es with those type of comments.

2. Am I suggesting that you should go to Dr. Gold and Diamond Vision? No. This is also a very individual decision. I obviously am thrilled with the handling of my situation and the results and feel that Dr. Gold is an excellent doctor and that Diamond Vision is an excellent organization, but that is a decision that you have to make.

One other thing that I might mention. Most of the laser vision correction services tout the celebrities that have used their services. Diamond Vision lists, among others, Tiki Barber and Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants, Sue Wicks of the New York Liberty and musician Tito Nieves. Additionally Dr. Gold did the surgery for Uconn broadcaster Joe D’Ambrosio. Fichman Eye Centers has a similar list of famous people that used their services. And of course, for you golfers, it has been broadly published that Tom Kite and Tiger Woods had the surgery – among many others. But what does that mean to you? Besides perhaps giving you some confidence that people whose living depends upon their sight and who do not have to consider the cost have used the service, it means very little. The decision is still yours. They are your eyes. I am making no attempt to move you to proceed. I did it and it was my decision. If you do it, it is your decision.

I have merely spent the time preparing this write-up for you, my friends who have asked me to keep them posted on what I decide to do. Please use this information as a guide and make your own decisions.

What I will ask of you:

If you have any questions about what I have written, please don’t hesitate to contact me. My phone number, etc. are at the top of this note.

My only request is that should you decide to use the services of Diamond Vision that you mention my name when you make contact with them. Diamond Vision has a referral policy. If 5 people that I refer come to them and have the surgery done there, they will reimburse to me the entire cost of the surgery. That policy would obviously be available to you also should you proceed and then refer 5 people.

Is that why I have written this note? No. I hope that this helps you with your thought process. Yes it would be great to get my money back, but if you decide not to go through with this or you decide to have someone else do the surgery, it won’t matter to me one bit. The important thing is that you are comfortable with your decisions.

Should you pass this on to someone else that I don’t know (I am not advocating that you do that), I would hope as a courtesy that they would use my name as well.

One other thing on the subject: I have one coupon worth $100 off the cost of LASIK surgery. It was given to me for attending the Grand Opening. I was not able to use it because of the already reduced cost that I was paying with TruVision. I will be happy to pass the coupon on to whoever is the first person to have the surgery done at Diamond Vision. It isn’t of any value to me and it might help one of you.

Final Disclaimer:

Please be aware that the information contained herein are my layman’s observations and opinions and I do not profess to be an expert. I am however a concerned consumer who did my best to satisfy myself that I was doing the right thing. I have given you my subjective feelings about doctors, facilities, etc. I am confident that all of the doctors and facilities that I visited could perform the surgery properly. It was my goal to find the best combination that suited my need and provided me the most comfort. Initially I expected to spend $5,000 for the process and was pleasantly surprised that it cost me much less.

I am happy, but I am in no position to guarantee similar success for anyone.

Sincerely,
Stan Phillips


PS. Here are a few other web sites that might be of interest to you. There are many more that you can find. Some of the sites that I would’ve liked to list are no longer active. All of these are active today:

Equipment:
http://www.seeclearly.com/lasertable.cfm
http://www.willvision.com/html/lasersys.htm
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/lasik/lasers.htm

Miscellaneous articles of interest:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/lasik/when.htm
http://www.eyeworld.org/oct97/450017.html
http://www.raleigheyecenter.com/faqs.html

Eye Chart:
http://www.i-see.org/eyecharts.html

Oh yes, one other thing, I guess I now have ONE thing in common with Tiger Woods.

ADDENDUM:

When Elaine read this over for me, she suggested that I put in something about the process. She was impressed herself and actually watched the brief – less than 15 minute – operation. There isn’t much to tell and you can learn from some of the web sites that I listed, but I’ll give you a brief outline of what I experienced. Obviously each practice will be different, but the primary steps are similar.

PRESCREENING:

The doctor examined my eyes and asked a variety of questions to determine if I was a candidate for LASIK.

PREOPERATIVE EXAM:

The doctor examined my eyes and performed additional tests including an eye topography, which shows graphically the shape of your eyes. At this time I also viewed a videotape which described the process and outlined the risks associated with the operation. I filled out a questionnaire that indicated that I understood the risks, etc. Dr. Gold repeated the exam portion of this process 4 times for me in order to make him comfortable with the fact that my eyes were “stable” and it was safe to proceed. My guess is that I am in an extreme minority concerning this matter, but if you wear hard lenses or gas permeable lenses, it may be necessary for you also. Before leaving I was given a Pre Operative and Surgery Packet which included a series of consent forms which indicated I was aware of the risks, etc. These forms had to be later initialed and signed in the proper locations on the day of surgery.

PREPARATION AT HOME:

I had to get two prescriptions – one for Valium which would be taken the day of the operation and the other for an anti-bacterial agent (eye drops) that I took for three days prior to and will take for four days after the operation.
Three days prior to the operation, I took the eye drops 4 times per day and also followed an eyebrow cleaning procedure daily.

DAY OF THE OPERATION:

We arrived at least 30 minutes prior to the operation. I sat with one of the staff who made sure that my bill was paid -- it was before I got there --, we reviewed the
Pre Operative and Surgery Packet and I signed the forms, which were witnessed by Elaine. I then took one of the Valiums.
Roughly 15 minutes later Dr. Gold examined my eyes again and then I proceeded to the operating room.
The operation took approximately 15 minutes. There was no pain. I felt mild pressure when they applied the microkeratome to my eye. The flap was then created, the laser energy applied and the flap repositioned. Before the operation on the second eye was done, I asked to be allowed to “look around”, which is one of the options on the consent form. Being satisfied, Dr. Gold proceeded with the second eye in similar fashion.
Before I left, Dr. Gold examined my eyes and gave me another bottle of eye drops, a steroid medication that eases redness, irritation, and swelling due to inflammation of the eye as well as samples of an eye lubricant (eye drops also).
I went home, took the other Valium and napped for 4 hours. Now I am following the post operative instructions and am taking the drops as they have indicated.
I will be examined 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after the operation.