Caster Eye Center
Excellence in Laser Vision Correction of
Nearsightedness · Farsightedness · Astigmatism
My Own
Experience as a Lasik Patient
Dr. Andrew Caster
I began
wearing glasses when I was twelve years old. Although I
could see very well with them, I never liked the way I
looked in glasses. Growing up in Florida, I loved to swim,
but I couldn’t see very well when I took my glasses off.
Playing sports with glasses was often a problem, because
my glasses would become foggy, sweaty, or would get
knocked around.
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"Home and Family Show"
March 12, 1997
Host: Hey! Welcome back. We are here with a very happy young woman on our show. Mayita. Dr Andrew caster has written a book called Eye Laser Miracle the complete guide for better vision. Treatment for nearsigtedness and astigmatism called Laser surgery. Welcome to the show.
Host #2: Yes Dr. Welcome. Now how does this laser surgery work?
Caster: Well, Millions of Americans have to wear glasses or contact lenses because they can't see well far away. This procedure corrects their eye so that their eye has the proper focus, so that you don't need glasses or contacts anymore.
Host #2: What is the procedure? What do you do to the eye that corrects this?
Caster: We apply a laser light to the surface of the eye and it changes the shape ever so slightly.
Host #2: The shape of what? The eye ball, the pupil, the cornea?
Caster: The shape of the cornea, this shows what we're doing. This is the laser light on the cornea. Removing a small amount of the cornea, a microscopic amount actually.
Host #2: now, the cornea is the colored part of the eye?
Caster: No, it is the clear part in the very front of the eye.
Host #2: Oh, the clear part.
Caster: It's perfectly clear, you can see it most easily if you look from the side.
Host #2: Oh, I see.
Mayita: You turn the flap back down and then you're done.
Host #2: Can you get rid of wrinkles at the same time?
Guest in Green: So you have to pull the flap back first?
Caster: We have a little devise that makes a simple little flap and turns it back, it takes about a second or two.
Mayita: That's exactly how I felt. According to Dr Caster I was the most nervous patient he had ever met. Is that right?
Caster: Well, You were up there.
Mayita: Cus later on I told him later, I checked him out. I read.
Host #2: Oh we sat here we said, We gotta call the MA. We gotta read. We did the whole thing last week.
And she said.
Guest in Dress: I kept saying, "Go with the miracle" I've had friends who have done it. It will change your life forever.
"Home and Family Show"
Host #2: By the way, You checked out what? Super great, super great. Everything was super great.
Mayita: I recommend him, and I read his book, which made a big difference, because I felt like I was an educated consumer. Like I knew everything I would ever possibly need to know about this. And it also prepared me to ask
questions when I went to meet you as well. So the book is really, really important in this whole step. A very, important step in this whole process, because I wasn't sure that I wanted it. A lot of your patients who go to you are so sure that they want it.
Host: Are they counseled at all when your patients come in?
Caster: Oh extensivly, You know the most important thing is that the patients really understand what this procedure is about. And that's why I wrote the book.
Host: What are the risks?
Caster: Well the main problem is that you may not get a perfect correction. Now Mayita is
20/20 today. No everybody ends up 20/20 afterwards.
Mayita: Not 20/40, not 20/50, but 20/20.
Guest in Green: But is it a permanent correction?
Caster: The correction is permanent, it's going to last her the rest of her life.
Host#2: She also said though that you gave her. She said she asked you a lot of questions and you gave her the time. And that is so important because if your physician yea, just brushes you off that's a sign. She said you were great.
Guest in Dress: Can you do this to people who have stigmas?
Caster: Astigmatism Yes.
Host: Let's take a look at the surgery itself. Mayitas surgery.
Caster: Mayita can you read the large letter in the mirror there please?
Mayita: I can't see any letter in the mirror there Doctor.
Caster: Well that's the largest letter in the eye chart.
Mayita: What can I say? And you guarantee that I will be seeing something after this.
Caster: Well we can never guarantee anything. But I think you will be seeing that letter pretty shortly.
Mayita: Ok.
Caster: So this is yesterday, This is Mayita.
Host: How cute.
Caster: Going into the laser room.
Host #2: Does she have anything in her eyes at this point?
"Home and Family Show"
Mayita: No. I had no contacts and I wasn't that nervous because I had taken a Valium.
Caster: So you don't need to change your clothes. You can wear your street clothes.
That's a nice scarf by the way.
Now we're putting some drops into the eyes. There are no shots, no IV's.
Host: Are the drops the anesthetic?
Caster: Yes, and this is looking through the computer screen. This is the view that I actually have. Now we're putting a mark on the eye. And now we're making the flap. It takes only a second or two.
Now we're going to start the laser treatment. Mayita's treatment lasted for 49 seconds.
And that blue bar on the left side shows that the treatment is almost over now.
Host #2: How do you keep the eyes or their head from moving during all this?
Mayita: It's easy. I just kept thinking.
Caster: Scared stiff.
Host #2: Oh now their wiping it.
Mayita: I'm glad it's over.
Caster: Was it easier than you thought?
Mayita: Oh yea.
Caster: a lot easier huh?
Mayita: Yea, it's funny cus I think I can see you out of this eye, but not out of this side.
Caster: The eye that we did you can see out of.
Mayita: yes
Caster: Mayita it's all over. Why don't you? Congratulations. It was easy wasn't it?
Why don't you cover the eye we didn't work on? Can you see the clock over there?
Mayita: I certainly can, It says 4:29.
Caster: Congratulations
Mayita: it's incredible.
It's hard to believe you feel like its some kind of magic that happens, because somebody does something which is totally painless. Its not like somebody says, Ok you'll see but you have to walk through fire. It's like, you go and everybody treats you really nicely. And they do something to your eye, and when they take the patch off and its like oh my god, there's the clock and I can see.
Host #2: How long have you been doing this procedure?
Caster: This version of the procedure started about 2 years ago. Using all the different techniques I've done about 3000 cases.
"Home and Family Show"
Guest in Green: Now do you get to wear one of those cool black eye patches?
Mayita: No. You don't need to.
Host: Bob you can wear one if you want to.
Guest in Green: Ok thank you.
Host: We'll take a break and come back to see if your vision has improved since 4:00 yesterday.
Host #2: We're back, we're back with Dr. Andrew Caster and a very lovely Mayita. And they're talking to us about a new treatment for nearsigtedness and astigmatism. It's called laser surgery, so Mayita is very happy. And we're going to see how your visions improved over the last, less than 24 hours.
Host: Can I address this because we had a lot of calls on the commercial break people wondering "Is this for real?" Is it really this easy? Is there really virtually no pain?
Mayita: I'll tell you the worst part of it is you have to have your eye propped open. That's it.
Host #2: Any down side?
Mayita: And you don't feel making the flap. The only thing I saw was you know while the machine going over my eye and I stopped being able to see. And then as soon as it finished I could see clear. You now after the laser.
Host #2: 49 seconds, now that's amazing.
Mayita: And they count down, Ok Ok, its almost over, Its over!
Host #2: Does it always work or are there some side effects or problems?
Caster: yea different people respond different ways but over all 95% of the people see well enough to pass their drivers test after the procedure without needing glasses or contacts.
Host: Do you need glasses yourself?
Caster: I used to.
Host: And did you have this done recently?
Caster: I had this procedure about 6 months ago.
Host #2: he did it to himself.
Host: How much. What would this run?
Caster: Usually about $4000. $4500. For the two eyes combined.
Host: and obviously you do one eye first and then wait and see then do the other.
Guest in Green: that's not a bad price though, to get a lot of your life back.
Guest in dress: to not buy glasses replacing contacts, solution.
"Home and Family Show"
Host #2: Do you have easy payment plan?
Caster: Most Doctors have payment plans.
Host: I've sat on $4000. Worth of glasses.
You know what I mean
Host #2: I bet you can't wait to go to the DMV now you'll pass your test.
Host: Let's take a look at the chart. Should she do it from here or do you want her to stand?
Caster: Yea right here is fine.
Host: Start from the top I assume.
Mayita: Ok that's an E. F, P second line. Third line T, O, Z
Fourth line L, P, E, D. Fifth line P, E, C, F, D. sixth line E, D, F, C, Z, P. Seventh line F, E. L, O, P, Z, D,
Host: Ok now stop right there what is that, is that 20/20?
Caster: No that's 20/25 the next line is 20/20
Mayita: D, E, F, P, O, T, E, C,
Caster: 20/20.
Audience: Try the other eye.
Host #2: now you have a contact in that other eye?
Mayita: Yea I have a contact in. Now remember this eye will fluctuate. And you know.
Host #2: can you take your contact out and do it?
Mayita: I wouldn't even see the E. You saw, I was not joking when they said do you see the E. It was the largest E. I thought he meant you know something's gonna come up. It was nothing, I couldn't see.
Guest in Green: I just memorize the E.
Mayita: it was like a ghost.
Guest in Green: You always know it's an E, it never changes. I feel kind of bad for you Mayita.
Mayita: I was trying to be honest.
Host #2: Now one of the questions we have is how long before you see an improvement, but evidently she saw the minute she got up she saw.
Caster: Mayita saw a dramatic improvement right away. It depends on which technique you use there are different ways of doing the laser procedures. And some ways take longer before you see than others.
Guest in Dress: What is the kind that you did on Mayita?
"Home and Family Show"
Caster: That's called Lasik, L.A.S.I.K. and that has the most immediate. I
generally do that it's the procedure of choice.
Host: the book is called The eye laser miracle The complete guide to better vision.
If you want more information call us at 1-888-504-2020.
The Caster Eye Center in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California
specializes exclusively in Lasik-Laser-vision correction and other
procedures to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism,
including the latest wavefront technology. Dr. Caster was selected by
Los Angeles Magazine as the Best Lasik Laser Eye Surgeon in Los Angeles.
Dr.
Caster in the News
