After all my eyes have been through, I consider Lasik to truly be a miracle. So, what have my eyes been through? Well, first of all, I should mention that I am a commercial pilot and, previously, an Air Force pilot. Eyes have always been considered one of a pilot’s most valuable assets. Having good vision has been a concern of mine since the time I entered the Air Force Academy 30 years ago. In my quest to improve my vision so as to ensure my eyes would meet Air Force standards and, later, airline standards, I tried every trick available:
A. Books on vision that actually recommended staring directly at the sun (the authors must
have owned stock in seeing-eye dogs).
B. Orthokeratology, which are hard contact lenses designed to forcibly, and painfully, flatten
the eyeball to the correct shape. Caution: insanity may be a side-effect.
C. Eye exercises designed by a “doctor” who wore trifocals herself. Any irony there? I think
her degree may have been “Witchdoctor” from the University of Hogworts.
Hard as I tried and enduring great pain and/or expense, none of these attempts resulted in any
true improvement in my vision. Then, I heard about Lasik. For years, I was too squeamish to
have the surgery. After all, I thought, any mistake and I might not only have degraded vision,
but could also lose my job as a pilot.
As the procedure improved to Intralase – using a laser for the entire operation – my interest
returned. Finally, I concluded that if I were to be able to enjoy the full benefits of the improved
vision Lasik offered, the time to act was now.
I decided that if I was going to have Lasik surgery, it should be performed by the best I doctor
I could find. My exhaustive research led me to Dr. Holzman, a veteran of more than 90,000
procedures. Using Dr. Holzman would require that I travel three hours for the surgery, but I
had no doubts that the drive would be well worth it.
The final impetus for me was talking personally with Dr. Holzman. He was surprisingly easy
to get in touch with. He patiently and confidently answered all questions and concerns that I
had. His staff was also accommodating and a great source of knowledge. On the day of the
operation, Dr. Holzman displayed a quiet confidence that let me know everything was going to
go just fine. Just a few minutes of surgery per eye and I was a changed man.
One final note, do not be discouraged by the required disclaimers associated with the surgery
such as “your vision my not be as sharp as can be achieved with glasses or contacts.” No one
is more picky about their vision than I am and I can tell you that my eyes see more clearly than
they ever have. In fact, as my last follow-up exam proved, my eyes are seeing the absolute best
that they able. What a testimony to the precision of this operation.
I am one very satisfied customer. Don’t wait to have your life improved by Dr. Holzman with
Lasik.
If you would like to read the full (and comical) story of my life-long struggle for improved
vision before Lasik, there’s a chapter, “Eye, Eye Sir” in my book “Don’t Look Before You
Leap” available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
