This started when I asked if anyone had Lasik done on facebook.

me: geo wants to know about lasik experiences
friend 1: i love it
friend 2: (emailed a detailed description of his experience)
friend 3: i wish i had it done sooner
friend 4: i had a lazer enema (followed by a detailed description of his experience)
friend 5: it was the best thing i had done, other than my sex change

Too funny! I replied in long to everyone here:

Thanks for all the replies from those of you who've had Lasik done—especially friend 4. Since I have the appointment already booked, I might just ask them to do that if I chicken out with my eyes. Feel free to skip ahead, I have a couple specific questions for the people who have had it done near the end. :)

Experience with Lasik MD
First I got checked out at Lasik MD, where they ran all the tests and they booked an appointment. I've read about some shops being done like an assembly line—this was a pretty accurate description. It was a very finely tuned assembly line to get me to agree to the surgery.

There were three parts to the exam, each time they were pushing my boundaries just a little bit further. First was the normal optometrist test. Next they dilated my pupils (which I had never done before), and did a few more tests. Just a bit outside my comfort zone. I was expecting that the last part was just pricing. But when I got into the room the woman said that there was one more test. This is where she froze my eye with drops and touched some sort of probe to it. It was all too slick, sly and polished. This is when she recommended I book my surgery. I could always change my mind later, but this was just to ensure that I get it booked before January fills up.

This reminded me way too much of those guys who go door to door selling electricity and natural at (inflated) fixed rates. Smells like a scam. Almost enough to turn me off completely. Almost. But this IS something that I've wanted for a long time, so can it be that wrong?

Anyway, skip the rest of the life story, the appointment is in a week and a half and I'm starting to do research. When booking the appointment I fully expected to bail on it, but once the time approached I started thinking about it again. Maybe they expect that to happen, I don't know.

Where to get it done?
I know I'm already booked, but there's no reason for me to change where I get it done if there's a need. I know Lasik MD is considered the low-end. I mean advertising $499 per eye is ridiculous and misleading at best. Even from what I read on Red Flag Deals, nobody has heard of anyone who has even gotten this price. It just goes to undermine the credibility of Lasik MD further.

But once it's all said and done, none of the negatives I've mentioned yet have any effect on the final outcome. I would get Zyoptix by an experienced surgeon. I don't have astigmatism, so it should be pretty basic. The pricing is less than getting it done at TLC, Herzig, or Yonge/Eglinton, but it's not enough to really make it a factor.

I feel like the technology is comparable, although it would be done with a microkeratome instead of intralased. It's hard to tell what to believe with these places. The companies that use microkeratomes say that's the best, the ones who use intralase believe that's the best.

The more questions I have, the more confused I get. Does any of this even matter?

As far as surgeons go, I know that's supposed to be the most important thing, but it's a bit of a wash. Any of the places sound like they have experienced and inexperienced ones. I'm not entirely convinced that an experienced one will necessarily do a better job. Maybe it's naïve of me, I don't know. Even the more experienced ones can screw up. There's a site entirely devoted to badmouthing Dr. Stein. I'm sure there can be problems anywhere.

Specific post-op questions
I'm really nervous about losing what I've got right now. The other day I wanted to see how far away the furthest recognizable object was. It turned out it was a hydro tower 6km away. Since then I've noticed just how good my vision is when I'm wearing contacts or glasses. I suppose it must have something to do with the cold air and the lack of smog, but it's insanely good. I don't want to lose that

20/20 vision- I understand that 20/20 is good, and they generally aim for 20/15. I realize it's very unscientific, but is it unrealistic to expect it to be as good as it is now?

Contrast- I've read some places suggest that contrast range is cut for everyone who has had Lasik. It's just a matter of how much. Some places say that 70% of Germans who've had it done are unable to pass the night driving test. Hah. That must be bullshit, but it does bring up a pretty big concern. Has anyone noticed any reduction in contrast, specifically with seeing things in the dark?

Halos, starburst, night vision, etc- It seems like it's still possible, just not super likely anymore. Especially going with the Zyoptix (or other custom guided laser of course).

Dry eyes- I was warned that it might not be a great idea to get it done if your eyes are already dry, but how dry is that? If I wear my contacts, usually by the afternoon my eyes are dry as hell, and I can't wait to get them off. I wear single-use daily disposables, so maybe they're just not very high quality.

Probably the biggest things I'd miss are the super crazy macro vision I get when taking off my glasses/contacts. That and it's much easier to calibrate a display for colour when your vision's blurry. I suppose those aren't that big of a deal, but I hear that the crazy wild close-up vision can be helpful when you're older. Then again, I guess it comes down to whether I want to wear glasses/contacts ALL the time now, or just some of the time later.

So after all's said and done I'm more confused then I was before. I was just about to postpone my appointment this morning, then I saw friend #5's wall post and changed my mind back. Maybe I should think about getting a sex change instead?