LASIK Restores Distance Vision for Raleigh Woman
Georgia Spence wore contacts for more than a decade. After LASIK surgery at the Duke Eye Center, her vision is better than perfect, and she no longer has to deal with the hassle of contacts. “I wish I’d done it sooner,” Spence said.
A Diagnosis and an Imperfect Remedy
Georgia Spence was 8 years old when her grandmother took her to see the Broadway show Wicked. When Spence was unable to see the map of Oz onstage, it prompted a visit to an eye doctor where Spence was diagnosed with nearsightedness, or problems with distance vision. She started wearing glasses at age 8 and monthly contacts when she was 11.
But during the summer after her freshman year of college, Spence began to have problems with her contacts. “I switched to daily contacts, but they tear, fold, fall out, or you put them in backwards,” said Spence, now 24. It was time to consider other options. In November 2023, Spence’s optometrist referred her to Duke. “Proximity to my house and reputation made Duke the very clear answer for me. My optometrist said, ‘This is your vision we’re talking about; I’m not sending you to a shack on the side of the road,’” said Spence.
Seeing Better Immediately After LASIK
In December 2023, Spence came to Duke. She was “the perfect candidate for LASIK,” said Duke corneal specialist and ophthalmologist Kourtney Houser, MD. “She had the right prescription, a normal cornea, and a desire to be out of glasses or contacts.”
During the LASIK procedure, explained Dr. Houser, “we use one laser to make a flap in the cornea and a second laser to reshape the cornea according to your eye and prescription. Then we put the flap back down. Patients usually see better immediately after the procedure.”
“I was there for two hours in total, and awake for the whole thing,” said Spence. After the procedure, she waited in a recovery room for 30 minutes to be sure there were no complications. Then her husband drove her home, and she slept. In her bedroom hangs a painting of her college campus, and when Spence woke up, it was the first thing she saw. She thought, “Oh my God, I can see the flowers. It’s not just blurry mush.”
At 20/15, Spence’s vision is now sharper than average.
Where You Go for LASIK Matters
Dr. Houser noted that it’s important to choose a LASIK surgeon who sees a lot of patients and offers the latest treatment advances. The Duke Eye Center offers the most advanced type of LASIK, which uses a laser rather than a blade, to cut the cornea flap. Studies show laser-based LASIK is more precise and reduces the risk of some complications when compared to blade-based LASIK.
“Going to a place like Duke where you’re able to have a consultation with your surgeon before the procedure is helpful, too. If you have healthy eyes and a desire to be out of glasses or contacts, it’s very reasonable to get checked out for LASIK,” said Dr. Houser, adding that most of her patients say they wish they had done it earlier.
Spence agrees. “I would 100% suggest it. It was much easier than I had expected.”
