Author: Tamara Harris
Published: March 23, 2006
Tool: [ email ]
New vision is the ultimate goal of the eyeglass and/or
contact lens wearer as well as the spiritually
curious. Dr. Michael Grandberry’s Lasikspa will not
deliver a trip to the devotional but many patients do
have a momentary belief in some kind of higher power
after taking in the post-surgery results. According to
the Vision Council Of America 146.1 million people
wear prescription eyeglasses. Last year 1.4 million
people had corrective eye surgery and 1.8 million are
expected to have it this year. It is a small number
considering the overall number of eyes with imperfect
vision. Beyond a fashion statement, glasses are the
recurring cost of a delicate necessity for many.
Damage, theft or loss of the invention first
documented in 1000 AD as a reading stone, can render
one’s life as being almost useless until they are
replaced.
A quick retooling of the clear covering of the eye
called the cornea with light-assisted lasers is one
way the 20/20 challenged are bringing convenience to
situation formerly hindered by yearly optician trips.
Refractive eye surgery or Lasik as it is commonly
known, developed over a 22-year period starting in
1973 with the discovery of cornea reshaping by Russian
eye surgeon Svyatoslav N. Fyodorov. By 1995 the
United States approved the excimer laser that could
remove tiny bits of corneal tissue thereby ridding the
patient of nearsightnedness, farsightedness and
astigmatism. Advertisements in various print and
electronic media boast accessible discounts for the
surgery with coupons and time-based specials. But
shopping for an eye surgeon should not be approached
with the same strategy used when purchasing clothing,
entertainment or even food. Dr. Grandberry spoke to
Manhunt about some of the misconceptions about Lasik
surgery and to advise those who are considering
tossing their old school methods of vision correction.
1. What is Lasik surgery?
Laser vision correction is what I do so basically what
the laser does is reshape the patient’s cornea to
their prescription so that they don’t need glasses
or contacts anymore. We take the patient’s
prescription and type it into the laser and it
reshapes the cornea on the front part of the eye. You
know that’s the part where the contact lenses rests
on the eye.
2. Who is it for?
Anybody that is dependent upon contacts or eyeglasses
for their vision that’s anybody that’s
nearsighted, farsighted with or without astigmatism a
lot of people are under the misconception that it
doesn’t treat astigmatism but it does treat
astigmatism too. We can also use it for people who
have good distance vision but just need reading
glasses we can correct that also.
3. Is there ever anyone who can’t benefit from the
surgery?
That’s why we do a complete eye exam to make sure
the patient’s a good candidate for the surgery.
4. What are some things that could not make them a
good candidate for the surgery?
If they have for instance cataracts, retina problems
we do a lot of patients in the Latino population and
they have really bad diabetes and they come in with
their eye full of blood. Many of the Latinos don’t
have good health care and the diseases go untreated.
5.I read somewhere that an estimated 3% of patients
have complications from the surgery, how can that be
avoided?
First of all, if my complication rate was three
percent I would retire (laughs) I don’t know if
that’s true it’s also hard to define a
complication,
vision threatening complications are rare and so
that’s why it’s the most common surgery performed
in the United States and maybe the world because
it’s safe, it’s quick and efficient.
6.Are public and private health plans covering this
procedure?
Some insurances do pay for it but laser vision
correction is an elective surgery so usually it’s
out of pocket cash, credit card we have excellent
payment plans so it’s really very affordable because
of the payment plans.
7. Can a patient expect to be 20/20 for the rest of
their lives after the surgery or do patients come back
for adjustments later in life?
Normally an adjustment is called an enhancement and my
enhancement rate is less than five percent not per
patient but per eye. The reason is because let’s say
you did surgery on a hundred patients so two hundred
eyes all of them were in the same age and had the
exact same prescription so I line them up and do the
surgeries. Let’s say we check them three months
after the surgery do you think each eye is going to
heal the same or respond to the laser the same?
There’s going to be some variability from patient to
patient from eye to eye and if it varies to the point
to where it affects the patient’s vision then we go
back and fine tune it with the laser based on that
person’s genetics and how they healed. So basically
our hands are tied by Mother Nature probably my
enhancements rate are a lot less because our lasers
are upgraded. Mine is way lower than the national and
world average because I’ve done over 45,000
surgeries.
8. How long have you been doing laser surgery?
I’ve been doing laser surgery full-time for the last
five years. I used to deal with cataracts and general
ophthalmology but not anymore I just focus on
specifically on lasik. I like giving people the gift
of sight so for me it’s very exciting to have people
who are otherwise blind and dependent upon eyeglasses
and contacts and often the same day the night of the
surgery for sure the next morning they’re 20/20 or
better.
Most of my patients see as good or better than they
did with their glasses or contacts the next day. Most
patients they drive themselves to their one-day
appointment and they go to work. So the recovery is
very fast that’s why Tiger Woods has had it done. A
lot of prominent athletes and actors have had it done
and many of them have gone back to action I think
Tiger Woods had it done in ’99 right before he went
on tour and won all those tournaments. Most people are
back doing their normal activities with very little
restrictions the next day. Refractive eye surgery
commonly known as Lasik surgery, is an ideal option
for vision correction. A short procedure entailing a
15-minute per eye timespan and immediate recovery, a
patient should not to see his or her doctor again for
years to come. Dr. Michael Grandberry, a California
based Lasik doctor is trying to introduce the other 39
miliion Americans still wearing
9. Have you treated any celebrities?
I did Dorien Wilson Professor Ogivery from The
Parkers, Big Shorty who is Beyonce’s bodyguard. I
did Sandra Crouch.
10. What inspired the Laser Surgery/Spa environment?
I found that even though the technology is very safe,
quick, very effective, A ot of patients still have a
lot of anxiety. I wanted to address that issue so I
came up with the idea of having more like a medical
spa environment where basically I’m trying to not
only improve the whole experience for the patient but
I really want them to relax for the surgery. Before
the surgery the patients get a valium and then they
rest for a little bit and then they go back to our
other room I have a full time esthetician and she’ll
give them a face, head, neck and shoulder massage
right before their surgery. Then they’ll go in and
have their laser vision correction. It’s helped me a
bit because they don’t move around a lot and
they’re focused on the light. I can tell the
difference because I do surgery sometime at other
centers where we just kind of line them up and those
patients are a lot more nervous.
11. What do patients like most about the combined spa/
medical office setting?
That It was an unexpected surprise to get that extra
massage because it’s not necessary. But what they
like most about the whole thing is their vision the
next day.
