www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Can anyone recommend a place to get laser surgery and is it safe yo do in CR.

http://www.clinicavisualiza.com/en/our- ... vices.html has a good rep says my doc in SJ.

I'd have it done at home, not that much more expensive and you have recourse if something goes wrong, not so in CR. Plus some pain and poor vision for awhile afterwards, not fun for vacation time. Lots of lawsuits. If you do it at home, go to your county clerk of the court's office and run his name and his clinic's name thru their civil case computer. Routinely done, no charge. That'll help you make a decision.

Dental, colonoscopy, skin cancer removed, hand surgery, plastic to remove a bad scar, I had all that done in CR and was cheaper and great results.

My eyes, I don't think so. Just me. But even in the states, they are only trained by the manufacturer. They buy the equipment and then they advertise they're #1. Make sure you find a doc that can prove he has done a thousand of these. Ask your opthamologist for his opinion, but it seems like most docs refer you to their bud's and say he is Number 1.

I had the surgery done in 2001, in the USA; the surgery is life changing, no more glasses or contacts, worked great, no issues 12 years later, I have 20/20 in both eyes, although reading requires off the shelf reading glasses - agree 100% with Gersens post - not something I'd have done in CR, for all the good reasons he mentioned.

Agree 100% with Gersen and Scuba1. I looked into it a while back and talked to two docs here about it. I didn't get a real good feeling from them, like it was still something new. Being it was my eyesight, I ended up passing and still wear the glasses.

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Every once in a while, you luck out and live less than one mile from the guy you want. I lived very close to this guy's office until about 5 years ago. This is the guy that tells the manufacturers how to improve their equipment, and the manufacturers call him for advice.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/lasik-sur ... ington.htm

I had my Lasik done in Dallas about 3 years ago. Completely feel liberated from Glasses and contacts that I had been wearing since high school. It is 20/20 now except occasional need for pair of over the counter reading glasses.
I wouldn't have done Lasik 10-15 years where they used to incision, flip and operate. It used to take several days for complete recovery. I didnt want to take any chances with eyes even for a 1% risk. So i delayed for more than a decade and waited for technology to improve. With Lasik, you just take a seat, open your eyes, laser passes thro', fixes ur vision, u get up and walk out. No pain, no cuts. As simple as that. It will be blurry for few hours due to numbness eye drops but you can still see through as soon as u step out of that operating chair. When i had my Lasik finally, i was driving with in 24 hours for my followup SIN glasses.

Coming to OP question on getting it done in CR, i probably wouldnt dare. Not that they are not good, but that just me as eyes are the most important part, i want an absolute zero or lowest risk. Saving few bucks isnt worth it when it comes to eyes.

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First of all, have you done the research to see what the cost difference is? Lawsuits should be the least of you worries. If the difference is not too much, opt for the US. I have tons of friends that have done it with no problems. From what i understand, the new method done with a laser is all done the same way with the same machine. The doctor doesn't even have to physically touch you. It is punched into the machine and done automatically. That said, you should still want to find someone that has done thousands of these just for the piece of mind!

Good luck!

I agree with the others, I wouldn't trust my eyes to a guy learning the procedure.

Find a LASIK center in your hometown. These are places that only do LASIK. You don't want to go to a guy who does a few per year. You want a guy who does it daily.

When it comes to my eyes, price is not important. Also be aware of these places that advertise for less than a thousand dollars per eye. Unless prices have decreased since I last checked, a good reputable doctor will charge $2k or more per eye.

Thanks for the advise . I think I will have it done in the states

There's a guy in NYC, Dr. Joseph Dello Russo, who has done 150,000 of these refractive corneal surgeries, even before it was LASIK, he was doing the manual flap ones. He helped design the LASIK technology at Harvard (I think) and teaches other doctors to use it.

This is the kind of guy you want doing your LASIK.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newslette ... er-midlife

Here's an informative article from Harvard on the topic.

I had laser surgery in 1 eye back in 2002 for a bleeding blood vessel due to diabetes at Kaiser Permanente,had to return approx 6 months later due to a floater but after the 2nd laser treatment-it has been fine and i had cataract operations in both eyes prior,just need reading glasses for seeing close up.

If you are fortunate enough to have access to health insurance, it's worth asking the insurance company (or your HR department) if they will cover some or all the cost. Here's a bit more: http://blog.ehealthinsurance.com/2012/0 ... nsumer-qa/
The great unknown is if ACA implementation will open this up a bit more.
Another thing: I will always use spectacles if only for the debris/sun protection they give my eyes...but that's just me.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED