First thing I must say to anyone reading is if you’ve had a bad, even very bad outcome from lasik, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP HOPE!!

To start my story, I had been wearing soft contact lenses for 33 years, until the year 2006 where I was having trouble wearing my contacts. To make a long story short, I was diagnosed with dry eye and thought, well then maybe I’ll go ahead and get lasik and then I won’t have to worry about contacts anymore. Little did I know that having dry eye already and then having lasik will make my dry eye even worse.  I had family members tell me about their lasik, and I used to say no way,,, until the issues with the contacts.. I thought you know they’ve been doing this surgery for a years, surely it’s very safe, now! So I researched the doctors in my area and got references from others who had been to the clinics in town and made a choice.  I had Custom Lasik in my left eye (prescript was -8.50) and traditional lasik in my right eye (prescript. was -9.50) and had the intralase flaps done in both.  My surgery was June 13, 2006 and I was so excited about being able to wake up and see the “huge” letters on my alarm clock for first time after being almost blind without contacts my whole life, not being able to even read the clock. I was so excited and truly had faith that I’d come through just fine and be elated about this experience and how wonderful life was going to be. Well, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth!!! The very first day it was clear that this was the start a very devastating/debilitating “NIGHTMARE”.  I felt like I was cross eyed and everything was wrong and crooked, like Alice in Wonderland, or The Twilight Zone, or even the Fun House at the Fair. It was scary and affected my equilibrium with dizzy spells, etc.; and my ability to function, my faith, and my spirit were broken. My floor was crooked – one height in one eye and another height and shape in the other, like walking on a tilted ship all the time,, the room looked stretched, circles weren’t round, rectangles fatter on one side than the other, my phone warped, the walls bent, the ceilings falling in, the words across my computer dipping down on the right and not straight lines anywhere, and very faint and I felt like I was in a fish bowl with the curvy walls moving with me. I was horrified and could hardly keep going.

Since June 13, 2006 I researched to death, as it was clear my surgeon was lying like crazy to my face about my condition saying it was just overcorrection and wanted to do surgery again- I said NO, I wasn’t going to let him touch me again and tried many doctors for second opinions, finally finding out that more surgery was not only NOT possible (below amount of tissue left), but learned in all my research and talking with many others harmed, that it could only make it worse; and that my only safe choices were glasses or contacts.

I found through trying; that glasses would not work, and soft lenses would not work, so in all my research I found out that Gas Perm type contacts would be my only hope to address all my abberations, irregularities. Also, my eyes were so very dry, so I eventually had punctual plugs put in the bottom ducts of each eye. That did help my amount of dryness and definitely helped my vision to be a bit better… but I still saw like a freak. I was so desperate at times, I would go to surgeons “begging” for corneal transplants, just to find that I’d still need specialized fitted lenses to fit them and may even have worse or no vision after a transplant including rejection.

I spent more money on fitting fees, and gas perms with doctors in town. It helped some, but things still looked more fuzzy and colors not as bright and still saw the stretched room and distortion and crooked floor still just did not seem to ever be able to get addressed with those lenses. I had an episode where I woke up and saw a line around people and things and lost all 3 dimension in pictures, cards, magazines, tv, etc. a month into recovery.  This made my vision EVEN worse, too.  I could not believe how bad off I was. But I knew I COULD “NOT” LIVE LIKE THIS and so pursued anything I could. Guys, even down to calling a company who makes 3D glasses to see if that would help me see more 3D.  They were happy to send to me for free, but those paper things weren’t going to be very do-able. I kept researching, writing people, talking to people to try and find some/any resolve. I did not want to live, but I didn’t want to die either. I was determined to not live like this and NOT give up!  Well, It paid off...DON’T GIVE UP!!!

Even though I was told by many doctors there were no contacts to help address all my issues, etc. or that they had done the best they could with the lenses we worked for months on and still saw so badly; I did not want to believe them. And I’m glad I did not! I even had doctors I told about how I wanted to go to Florida for Z-Wave gas perms (since it seemed by my research that was the best option and maybe my last hope for better vision) tell me not to “waste” my money. I was told by even good, caring doctors that because I now have an irregular posterior float and such high amounts of spherical abberations, coma, etc, etc.. I would never walk in a straight world again.. and my floor would always be crooked... Well, guys don't believe everything you hear, HOLD ON TO FAITH AND HOPE! They didn't mean to harm, at least not the ones that really cared, but they knew they could not help, because all they had at their disposal were either regular or reverse geometry gas perms or Synergeyes (again with only specific fits-didn’t help me) that could not address my issues. I even read that some people believed that z-wave gas perms were just like regular gas perms. Well, I now do not believe that, as I am proof that is just NOT SO. I see almost normal now and it's all due to Dr. Maller and Z-Wave lenses... (and I have to be honest, it’s not totally like before lasik- the tissue damage has caused me to lose most of my 3D vision and I see a line around everything-that’s why it doesn’t look 3D to me, but no contacts fix that damage no matter how good they are) However, the line is a bit dimished with my z-waves. I went to Dr. Ken Maller in Florida in June 2008,,, and even came back somewhat dissappointed that the lenses I was wearing still saw swervy,etc,,,, but what I did and I encourage all to do,,, is tried different combinations with all my lenses I came home with and the ones I already had from doctors previously, to find best that work together. I couldn’t give up hope. Each of my eyes is so different and every time you change one lens for me, it could effect how I see out of the other, too... Even after having tried so many of his lenses, I could have given up, but I DID NOT I found a doc here who made a right lens better and I wore the left z-wave from FL that gave me the straightest vision and the right from my hometown, but I still knew that the z-wave product gave so much better vision and contrast compared to even my new right lens that I just had to keep trying... That either meant a trip back , which was NOT possible to do again soon, or asking Dr. Maller to do what I see as the almost impossible, but I asked and he agreed to try and make a new design for the right lens even without seeing me in person. His left lens made things straight (that which all others said could not happen) and now I had hopes for a right lens of his to match. You get two tries per cost of lens.. First try, no good,,, second try,,, just about right on!!! I see almost completely normal now in regards to color, and straight world, and normal size objects and my words go almost completely straight across my computer screen, now. He has mentioned using a certain material, so I believe that with the combination of the z-wave design and the material he uses makes alot of the difference. Some had told me before I went on the trip, that the lenses for them felt like rocks in their eyes.. Hey, I don't feel them at all. They are "Totally" comfortable for me. It’s like wearing soft lenses and I seem to use less rewetting drops as before, as well. (lately, almost not at all during the day- maybe just a couple times, especially on weekends when I’m not in front of the computer) I also changed to Optimum cleaning solution which is the BEST, clearest vision every day! (vs. Boston) I will probably make another trip to FL again in the future to tweek these lenses, as I now believe that I could see the world totally straight again with a small amount of tweeking. At this time, it is slightly off, and I mean slightly, but if I had given up I would not have enjoyed the fabulous holiday season this year as I did. I stayed in town, and hit all the new spots I missed over the years of seeing like a freak and went to museums, and events and truly enjoyed myself again. But if I had given up and not kept trying, even up to the very end, just recently asking him to take a stab from FL in making that right lens,, I would not be here seeing like this today!!!!! I have to say these lenses truly ARE different than other gas perms,, these have thousands of curves in them,,, and if you can relate,, the other gas perms I had made things look like they had a harsh almost rigid look to things,, With these lenses things look smoothed out and more real and normal like it was before lasik. The contrast is amazing, (and remember I'm someone with corneal damage, even) I feel almost totally normal when I go to the grocery store now.... I can see in my cart- if you know what I mean.. it's all real and it’s all there... and when I look at magazines in the store,,, the people AGAIN look more like real people and ALIVE, like they used to pre-lasik.(minus some real heavy 3D-like I said the corneal damage caused) After lasik, they all looked fake and unreal, like dead stick people.

IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH THE TRIP TO FLORIDA AND THE COST OF THE FITTING FEE AND THE EXPENSIVE LENSES. Did I have the money, NO!!!! I put in on credit card and will pay it off,, but I figure what is money worth, when it's about the REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!! It's just money!!!!!!! I couldn't handle being miserable forever, so I had to try... And if I hadn't I'd be no-where better! I'M SO, SO, SO GLAD I NEVER GAVE UP!!! THERE IS HOPE!!!!! I want you all to know that, there is hope!! and Dr. Maller AND the contacts he used DID make a difference for me. I wanted to share my story, because I know how hard it is and how much I wanted help and for me found very little of it before going to Florida (btw,Ft. Lauderdale is gorgeous) .. but finally I can say I found some resolve and can get back to enjoying life with my friends and co-workers and just do things that make me happy. I'm happy to answer any questions from people who have any for me. I just want to convey how HAPPY I AM I DID NOT GIVE UP!!!!!! LIfe is now do-able again!!!! And to add to that, I've also found that buying a Full HD 1080P LCD tv with high contrast (25,000 to 1) and buying a blu ray player with blu ray movies, has also made me feel more normal. It's the best money I've spent besides the contacts... I wish you all well... Dont' Give Up!!!!!