What is your opinion on LASIK?

Ditto.

I had it done about 8 years ago. Vision before was terrible. Vision after was better than if I'd had contacts or glasses. It was AWESOME. That lasted about 4 years, and now I have to wear contacts most of the time. My vision now is MUCH better than it was before I had surgery, but its deteroriated consistently since I had the surgery. I get halos around lights at nights, and night driving is less than desirable (I often see imaginary animals or people due to the halos, which makes my passengers a tad nervous   

Overall, I don't regret doing it, but most people I know that have had it done, now wear contacts or glasses...something to consider before taking the plunge.

First of all I will state that I am an Optometrist. Second of all I will state that my Lasik was the best $300 I ever spent. Sorry, I got a heck of a deal for being the subject during a live seminar 8 yrs ago.

I will address some of the issues and comments, but by no means am I all knowing and seeing(get it, seeing). There are no surgical proceedures that are 100% perfect 100% of the time. Lasik is a success 98% of the time. Dry eyes is one of the more common complaints. But again, the majority of people do not have a problem after a few months. Lasek, Lasik, and PRK can all be done more than once if you are still a good candidate. Your Dr. will determine which proceedure would be best for you. There is no such thing as X-ray vision. JUST KIDDING!! Large pupils are a concern, again your Dr will determine if the size of your pupils disqualify you as a good candidate. I would not worry about you or the Dr. sneezing. The laser can be halted at a moments notice, and then restarted from the point it was stopped. Chances of your vision going back to your original prescription are extremely slim. You could have some prescription come back, but if your RX was -5.00 before it will not be going back to -5.00. I have never, ever heard of someone not being a good candidate because of their eye color. I have no explanation why someone would be told that. "MarkK", I suggest a second opinion.

The #1 rule I tell patients is to NOT shop for the cheapest bidder. One other note would to be aware that everyone having refractive surgery, in their 20s and 30s, will eventually need glasses for reading. It is called presbyopia or Mother Nature, which ever you prefer.

I would have LASIK in a split second, I am tired of losing a contact lens swimming (always the left one) and have terrible astigmatism...BUT my eye doctor won't sign off on it b/c I'm almost 50 and in his mind everyone gets cataracts at some point so I should wait to get a known correction with cataract surgery (like when I'm 70 and not doing anything that strenuous but the occasional workout b/c I want to?)

Everyone I know who has had the procedure has been thrilled with the results

Your near-sightedness or far-sightedness can be corrected by adjusting the power, of the implant lens, during cataract surgery. Your astigmatism can NOT be corrected by the same means. I would recommend a second opinion.

Thanks for chiming in with your expertise here, it's appreciated.

You mentioned that the eye doctor would determine if you're a good candidate...  Offhand, do you know if type 2 diabetics are disqualified from LASIK?  I'm type 2, but my diabetes is well controlled.  Of course I'll ask my eye doctor when I see him next, I'm just curious if you have some idea.

Two of my sisters had LASIK done back in the 90s - they both LOVED it.

I had RK (back when they used a KNIFE! before there was LASIK) and I LOVED it.

I'd do it again if it became necessary.