LASIK EXPLAINED

The decision to get LASIK is honestly the best decision I have ever made. It truly is life changing. I have been wearing glasses and contacts since the 5th grade. I have wanted LASIK for years but was always too terrified to do it, that was until I met the staff at TLC Vision. They made me feel so comfortable and put me at ease with the procedure. My confidence in them gave me the courage to go through with it. For that I can never thank them enough. I cannot even begin to count how many times glasses and contacts have gotten in my way at work. As a TV news reporter I am constantly being thrown into different situations. I can go from an indoor press conference to a tornado in a matter of minutes. Wearing glasses is always a struggle with outdoor stories like fires, or weather. They get in the way and many times conditions have forced me to take them off and report on something I can barely even see. Contacts have their own set of problems causing dry, watery eyes that make it nearly impossible to read off a prompter. Those problems are all a distant memory to me now. I no longer have to worry about my vision or glasses or contacts. I can see everything 20/20 and that is the most amazing feeling. I cannot even put into words how grateful I am to TLC. The feeling of waking up in the morning and being able to read the alarm clock is indescribable. The surgery was quick and painless and I could see immediately after. I would not trust my vision to just anybody. I knew I was in good hands with TLC and will never be able to repay them for the incredible gift of sight they have given me. -Tiffany Tatro Fox 25 News

As a professional athlete, any advantage over your opponent is critically important. In the past few years, I started noticing my vision getting worse, and little things that used to be easy were now more challenging. I had previously tried improving my vision with contact lenses, but never felt comfortable enough to wear them during a game. That's when I started to ask about and consider laser eye surgery. During my offseason, I met with Dr. Steiner at TLC in Billings, MT to find out more about my options. At my consultation, I was told I was a great candidate for PRK (similar to LASIK, but without the flap). On the day of surgery, I met with my surgeon, Dr. Boes. He talked me through the entire procedure and told me exactly what to expect. I knew I was in good hands. It has been a little over a month since my surgery and I now wake up in the morning with clear vision, and am very excited about my upcoming season with my "new eyes". If you are ever considering LASIK or PRK, you would be crazy not to consider Dr. Boes, Dr. Steiner and the entire staff over at TLC. They are the best!!

My husband had LASIK surgery about 15 years ago. I thought about doing it then, but I was too scared. Since then, I have had two children do eye surgery, so I decided to try it. The staff was so nice to me! All my questions were answered and I feel like they took extra care to make me feel comfortable. Dr. Boes was so friendly and made me feel at ease during the surgery. It went so fast. It has now been 8 months, and I LOVE it! I would recommend TLC to anyone!

The most interesting technological marvel I have experienced is the procedure to remove my near-nearsightedness caused by astigmatism. I've been wearing prescription lenses from the age of 16; thanks to LASIK I am able to navigate the world without glasses or contact lenses for the first time in 24 years! To give you an idea of how poor my vision was before the procedure my optometrist revealed to me today that is was 20/500. In actuality my vision was worse than 20/500 - just that the computer couldn't display any letters larger - ack! I'm in week 2 after my surgery and I'm amazed at how fast the recovery time. I've noticed some small but interesting things after having the procedure: * I had a "wow" moment after shoveling the snow off of my driveway. My vision didn't fog up due to the cold and I actually stopped to appreciate it. * I seem to have a wider and clearer view of my surroundings which takes a bit to get used to. I find that I'm looking at people slightly differently due to not having to keep them centrally in my vision to see them clearly. It's like watching a TV show in HD where the director has taken advantage of the extra film space to frame a scene. If anyone is considering corrective surgery I highly recommend it. If I knew it was this easy and painless I would have done it sooner! For a full account of my surgery, visit my blog at: http://ow.ly/h2VY1

I rarely ever write reviews on products or services but I am so passionate about how my TLC Lasik Surgery has changed my life that I want to write a review. I had TLC Lasik Surgery exactly 2 years ago and it has changed my life. I had been wearing contacts for years but every year when I went to the eye doctor he wanted to change my contact type because they didn't look good on my eye and I was getting a ton of conjunctivitis. Every year he would tell me the future of me wearing contacts was not looking good. I hated hearing that because I did not like wearing glasses. Then about 4 years ago I started getting headaches in my right eye. It would feel like my eye was pulsing. I went to a few doctors and they didn't know the reason for the headaches. I even went to a Chiropractor with no success. I got the headaches about 2 -3 times a month. They were debilitating. At that time too my eyes would get very red at the end of the day, and I would have to take my contacts out as soon as I got home from work. One day I noticed something white on my iris of my eye. I went to see a specialist and told it was an ulcer on my eye and I couldn't wear my contacts for 8 weeks. I was so frustrated and a bit scared that the possibility of me wearing contact in the future was getting worse. I was still getting the headaches also, so I knew my contacts weren't causing the headache, they were only causing conjunctivitis, ulcer and bloodshot looking eyes. I talked to my eye doctor and my family and we all thought Lasik would be a good option for me. I needed to stop putting contact on my eyes. I was nervous about the procedure and worried about the cost of the procedure. I went to the local TLC center that was 5 minutes from my house and talked to them and was reassured about the process and how I could pay for the procedure. Before the procedure TLC made me feel relaxed and not nervous about my upcoming procedure. This reassured me I was in good hands. The procedure was not bad at all and I could instantly see after it was over. I was shocked that I could see clearly instantly. I couldn't believe I could see clearly without my glasses. I was also relieved not to have to put contacts in my eye because the problems they caused. I love waking up in the morning and not putting in my contacts. I travel a lot so it is nice not having to add contact solution to my luggage. I often forget that I have had it done. But when I remember I am always thankful. The most amazing part is I no longer get those debilitating headaches in my right eye! They think that I had a slight stigmatism that was not easily detected but was fixed during the surgery. I no longer get headaches, bloodshot eyes or ulcers. My life has been so much better since the surgery and I am very thankful for TLC! Lasik Surgery changed my life!

I have lived with glasses and/or contacts since I was 8 years old due to an astigmatism which runs in my family. For the past couple of years I have been on the fence regarding laser eye surgery and finally took the plunge on January 10th. I am amazed by the fabulous results I had! The procedure itself took a couple of minutes and was pain free! At my follow up appointment the day after surgery, 3 hours shy of 24 hours, I had 20/20 vision in both eyes and it continues to get better! My only regret is that I didn't have laser eye surgery years ago! Thank you TLC, you are wonderful!

I had been debating actually going through with Lasik for a couple years. My vision was horrible. The doctor actually told me "well, we stop counting after 20/800" when I asked what my vision was. My eye doctor recommended TLC and I set up an appointment to check things out. Next thing I knew, I had the surgery scheduled and a payment plan set up. The staff at TLC were wonderful and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The surgery was very quick, painless and at my followup appointment the next day my vision was 20/20. My brain is still trying to register that my contacts aren't in anymore, but it has been wonderful to wake up and see my alarm clock!

I have needed vision correction since middle school and have worn contacts since high school. I am active with water sports, outdoor activities, and lifeguarding and have even lost a contact in the water. Now with LASIK I never have to worry about losing contacts ever again and I am free to do what I love! I loved my experience at TLC from the very first phone call. Very friendly, helpful, supportive and genuinely happy for all patients who completed the surgery. The doctor and staff eased my nerves before during and after surgery and it was overall a wonderful experience. Highly recommending it to all my friends! THANK YOU TLC!

Almost three years, ago, my husband and I started comparing the cost of my glasses, contacts, and contact lens supplies, and we estimated that the LASIK would pay for itself within 2-3 years. For some reason, after having children, wearing contacts became more and more uncomfortable for me. I started wearing my glasses 24/7 and dealt with all those inconveniences: sweating, fogging up, vision with less clarity due to my astigmatism, as well as not being able to see in the shower, at the swimming pool/beach or in the middle of the night. In addition to the inconveniences, I also experienced neurological issues. Headaches/migraines caused by sunlight increased in number and severity, so I reached a point I had to do something. I either had to invest in prescription glasses AND sunglasses, or consider LASIK. So, I started talking to friends/colleagues who had LASIK, began conversations with my eye doctor, and researched all the benefits, risks, costs, and recovery. My eye doctor loved my attitude and indicated I would be a perfect candidate, and she highly recommended TLC. I met with my neurologist and she gave me the go-ahead. After meeting with the doctors, going through the consultations and screenings at TLC, and being told I had "chunky corneas", I was set. With all the research, the one thing I didn't want to see was an actual procedure. With my dread of needles and doctors, I didn't want to know how everything took place; I just wanted to know the final outcome. I convinced myself if I could handle two natural childbirths, I could cope with a few minutes of discomfort on my eyes. My hope with LASIK was not 20/20 vision; my hope was that I would be able to wake up and read my alarm clock that sits less than 2 feet from my face and to be able to check on my children in the middle of the night without needing to search blindly for my glasses. When I arrived the morning of my procedure, I was nervous, but excited for the end results. The doctors warned me I might experience some discomfort: I was told "some people experience slight pain, some feel burning in their eyes, and others indicate it hurts like hell". I, of course, braced for the worst. The procedure took less than 10 minutes. When I sat up, I could clearly see my husband standing outside the room, watching from an observation window about 10-15 feet away! The drive home was the worst part of the entire event. My eyes burned and watered for the entire 40 minute drive: the best way I can describe it: I felt like I had been peeling onions and rubbing my eyes the entire time. That discomfort was minor and I would endure it all again, knowing I can see my children clearly any time of day or night. I no longer have to worry about broken or bent glasses, or buying contact lens supplies, and my astigmatism is gone! From my research, one of the concerns expressed by some patients was the "starburst" effect many see while driving at night. For me, I can honestly say that improved after my procedure. I always hated driving at night because my astigmatism and contacts caused a great deal of glare and distortion. That star burst or halo effect actually disappeared almost entirely; today, I don't mind driving at night! If possible, the only thing I would change from this whole experience is I would have done it 10 years sooner. Thank you TLC for your knowledge, professionalism, care and concern! I'm loving my new life free of glasses and contacts! I highly recommend TLC for anyone even thinking about LASIK.

I actually don't remember a time in my life without contacts or glasses. I started with glasses when I was in Kindergarten, and moved onto contacts when I was in middle school. Over time my astigmatism got so bad, it became impossible to order contacts with my prescription. My doctor tried to get as close as he could, but I could never see 20/20. My contacts were expensive and took awhile to order, I think they were special made in a dungeon somewhere! I received PRK treatment in 2010, and my life was forever changed. No more smashing my glasses because I fell asleep with them on, no more being half blind at the pool because a contact fell out on a water slide, and no more creepy squinting and blinking from the back of the classroom trying to get my contacts in focus. The doctors and staff at TLC made the whole experience comfortable and stress-free. I would recommend TLC to anyone considering laser eye surgery!