LasikPlus - Edina

Biggest mistake of my life. Following a PRK surgery for my right eye in 2014, I had numerous complications, including severe dry eye and floaters (just in the rt eye). However, I would be remiss if I didn’t share the patient care I received from Optometrist Cleary; the disinterest in my complications and lack of compassion was disheartening. At one point, when asking for help or advice regarding my blurry near vision, he coldly replied “Yeah, we took that away.” Even the surgeon Awad, when describing the floaters, smiled when stating that surgery wouldn’t have caused them and continued that most people complain about dry eye. When I shared that I also have dry eye since surgery, he said I should see my regular eye doctor. Since 2014, I have met with 7 eye specialists, have had a Vitrectomy on the right eye for floaters developed shortly after surgery, and have been on numerous medications as well as IPL treatments. By far the most significant complication, and the risk that many of the doctors stated patients should be made more aware of, is severe dry eye. The dry eye symptoms developed immediately after surgery, fluctuate from irritating to disabling (imagine grit or a hair in your eye with no relief), and are predicted to worsen as I age. Severe dry-eye can have dramatic life changing repercussions. As a layman, reading the word dry eye among a lengthy list of possible side effects, carries the same weight of concern as the word back pain. But as we know, they both can range from insignificant to life changing. My symptoms can escalate to an intensity that makes it almost impossible to open my eyes much less engage in any work that requires a degree of vision. I’m sure you agree that it is the doctors’ responsibility not only to provide treatments, but to counsel patients on options and risks. Please practice due diligence and do your homework. I recommend researching “lasik complications”.

The experience was seamless and professionally done. My results are wonderful with 20/15 vision! Very happy with the job Dr. Awad did and the staff were excellent. I felt very supported through the whole experience. It’s amazing how such a quick procedure can change your life!

11/4/14: Pre-Eval at the Edina, MN. LasikPlus.  Went in to discuss enhancement options as my distance vision in my right eye was becoming blurry.  They recommended PRK, said my vision in the right eye would be as good or better than that of my left eye.  The Optometrist, Cleary, said my near-vision may be effected and I may possibly need reading glasses after PRK enhancement but that I would end up needing reading glasses anyway due to my age (I was 44yrs at the time).  No other risks or complications were discussed.  I was given a Patient Information Booklet that includes Surgical Risks and Possible Side Effects.  Floaters, my biggest post-surgical complication, is not mentioned as a surgical risk or possible side effect for PRK or Lasik.
11/21/14, I had PRK surgery at the Edina, MN. LasikPlus under Surgeon Awad. 

Post surgery to present (Right eye): Loss of near-vision (require reading glasses). Halos/shimmer around lights at night.  Ghosting.  Vision is hazy/cloudy (like looking through a dirty transparency).  Dry irritated eye: frequent use of “blink tears” lubricating drops (using drops multiple times within an hour).  Night vision difficulty (simply can’t see as well in low-light).  Floaters: pre-surgery I had one floater in my left eye and I can’t remember if I had any in my right eye.  After surgery the dry eye irritation slowly increased.  In April 2015, I began to notice floaters in my right eye.  I met with my surgeon and told him of my complications and asked if PRK could have caused floaters.  He smiled, almost laughing, and said no.  In July 2015 the dry eye irritation became very intense.  On one particular Saturday, I had difficulty keeping my right eye open as it was so irritated.  I went to bed that night with intense irritation.  The next morning the irritation was gone but there was a huge increase in the floaters.  I tried to reassure myself that everything was ok.  Not only that, but Sunday night I noticed flashes of light when I looked side-to-side.  Researching online, I read that could be an indication of a Retinal Detachment.  I was in a panic and called LasikPlus immediately on Monday.  The Optometrist downplayed my concern and responded that floaters are normal, he has them in both eyes, and that the flashing light would have to be like a lightning bolt.  I responded the floaters were blurring my vision and that I noticed the flashes only at night.  He said I could get my eyes dilated if super concerned or if the floaters become like a shade, that LasikPlus wouldn’t be my primary care provider so I should go to my regular eye doctor.  He recommended just monitoring it and didn’t inquire further about my vision.  I felt a lack of interest and got the impression that he thought I was wasting his time.

I am so frustrated with the amount of floaters in the right eye – they constantly blur my vision, are impossible to ignore, and have dramatically impacted my life.  E.g. My love of the outdoors and recreational activities has dramatically decreased and my ability to perform at work is severely jeopardized.  My left eye had no surgery (control group) and still has perfect near (and distance) vision, no dryness/irritation, and no increase in floaters.  My right eye had PRK (experimental group) and my near-vision is blurry and requires reading glasses, has constant dryness and irritation, and has a life-changing amount of floaters.  It’s been about 10 months since the optometrist told me floaters are normal (a year and 4 mo since surgery) and the floaters haven’t gotten better.  I’m so frustrated with the floaters at this point that I’m now looking at the option of a Vitrectomy.  I would do anything to go back and choose glasses or a contact for my right eye over the PRK surgery.

11/27/15, my last LasikPlus appointment, Awad sympathized with the dry eye irritation but didn’t think it was due to the surgery and said that “some people just acquire dry eyes.”  I told him of my frustration with the haze and floaters and he asked if I had an eye doctor I could visit.

I want to touch further on the service as when I read about other’s eye-surgery experiences, I notice a common theme of patients voicing a concern, looking for help, and many eye doctors are dismissing the concerns, are not showing compassion, and/or are not considering that the eye surgery was responsible or partly responsible for the complication/s.  The surgeon, Omar Awad, appeared interested and concerned, but I as I wrote above, he dismissed my concerns, didn’t even consider that surgery had any part in my complications, and politely suggested I see a family eye doctor. 

My main contact was the Optometrist Ryan Cleary.  His bedside manner and attitude was one of disinterest.  When I was hoping for reassurance, I received no expression of concern.  I left every visit with him anxious and frustrated.  E.g. After surgery, I was told and given a note that says Vision will fluctuate for 4 – 8 weeks.  I was also given the “PRK What To Expect” sheet, which read that “Your vision may be blurry for the first 48 – 72 hrs and will gradually clear.  You may notice a significant improvement by the end of the first week.  During the first few weeks, you may experience some ghosting or glare.  This is normal and will improve.”  After 3 months of terrible blurry vision, I finally decided to share that I was concerned that my near vision was much worse.  He replied: “Yeah.  We took that away.” in an unconcerned tone one might use to inform someone their shoelace is untied.  My heart sank into my stomach, not only because my near-vision was “taken away”, but because I realized that the person I was relying on to help me, didn’t care.  I felt horrible, but added that my left eye had perfect near-vision.  He replied that within 6 months, my left eye would be as bad as my right and I would need reading glasses.  Again, the manner in which he gave his prediction was so disheartening.. and for no reason: It’s been a year since that conversation and my left eye near-vision is still perfect.  After a couple similar visits, I chose to visit another LasikPlus Optometrist (Minnich) in Maple Grove.  That was a stressful visit as well.  She seemed very rushed and impatient.  Possibly because it took me some time to make out which letters were clearer on the eye chart as I frequently had to wait for the floaters to pass.  She was Very short/rude.  She brought up the idea of an enhancement, but said it was up to me and added that it basically would be for a small improvement.  When I began to say that my eyes seemed better prior to surgery, she slapped open the one page on her clipboard and said “I’ve got nothing!”.. no previous records, despite Edina saying they would send my file.  I asked if I could meet with the surgeon and she said that I could make a Surgical Consult appointment.  At the front desk, they looked up my surgeon and said it was Buntrock.  I said that I thought it was Awad (the two look completely different).  The reassured me that it was Buntrock.  Finally, Jessica said that the surgeon signs all the surgical documents and she’d check and call me.  I called the next day and was correct.  Fast forward to 9 months post surgery, I go back to Cleary.  Symptoms at that time: still blurry at all distances with a cloudy film, irritation like there is something in my eye, and floaters.  Cleary’s feedback: irritation/dry eyes are normal for 2 yrs after PRK, if I was lucky the floaters will settle, and that my eyes are now 20/20 – that I only got one wrong on the eye-chart.  I wonder how long I had to blink and roll my eyes around to get the haze and floaters out of the way to guess better at the letters? 

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I ended up going with the place my insurance covers, but definitely would have followed through with LasikPlus if my insurance hadn't covered some. They seemed friendly, available, and their website seemed to have good information. The only downside is being able to schedule consultation appointments only two weeks in advance.

He did an excellent job with surgery. He was fantastic. He was very extremely detailed surgeon on a complicated case and spent a great deal of time reviewing the possible procedure and different eye lenses that I could have and make sure that I understood them all and assisted me in choosing the appropriate lens for my eyes for the cataract surgery. He is the most detailed and precise eye doctor I have ever seen. You can feel confident that he will provide the highest degree of care possible for the most complex cases.

He is efficient, professional, and caring. I was very happy with my results.

First a technician (may have been an optometrist -- not sure) collected some history such as the old prescription I brought with me. Then she did the refractive exam. This is the usual, "which looks clearer, one... or two." I noticed that she skipped measurements for a slight prism correction I happen to have (most people do not). When asked about this she indicated that Dr. Awad would be doing that part. She also applied drops to desensitize the cornea and dilate the pupils. Next I was ushered into another exam room where Dr. Awad introduced himself. He double checked the Rx provided by the technician, adding the prism correction as mentioned. The latter was measured with some sort of laser contraption I was not familiar with. He then did the glaucoma test, followed by a bright lights eye exam where he checked the retina etc. This is what you are really here for. Of course, an optometrist can do all this, too. The difference for those with older eyes is "Who you gonna call?" It seems prudent to this writer to go with a medical specialist. Dr. Awad was pleasant, personable, and open to questions, to which he gave clear and understandable explanations. As it happens, he knows my previous ophthalmologist, who had treated me for a retinal tear but is no longer in the twin cities. We were able to jokingly compare notes on that very skillful guy. To be sure, Dr. Awad has the more gentle touch. Billing-wise, if you are willing to pay on the same day there is a substantial discount. Just ask the nice lady at the front desk. For those who have passed on those lousy vision insurance plans offered by employers these days, this is no small feature.