given this is a blog, probably a good idea to blog something on my mind, pressing if you will…having worked in the LASIK arena for a number of years, I stepped away from it because it was getting too pushy for me.  I felt like I was being asked to push the limits by both the patient and the surgeon that I employed me.  I had to call it quits when I got to the point of feeling like a “refrigerator salesman” (no offense intended to those that help us keep our food from spoilage).  There are some times when it just didn’t feel right recommending LASIK, you know that “gut feeling” and there are times when it is just not the correct thing to do.  Take a condition like Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune condition that can be debilitating by the drying effects it causes.  Dry mouth, dry eye, dry every orifice of your body…

Now, don’t get me wrong. I actively recommend LASIK to those that I believe are good candidates, actually for all the cases I have managed since opening Gee Eye Care in 2007, we have a record of everyone being at least 20/20 and very, very happy.  So, it struck me as interesting when a patient of mine accompanied her child to her examination yesterday and I asked how she was doing.  Her reply was, “I got LASIK!”.  Really?  So, I diagnosed you with Sjogren’s Syndrome a few years back.  I recognized some signs of the condition and recommended her get tested by a rheumatologist that started her on methotrexate as a treatment.  And she ended up having LASIK?  I am pleased to hear that she is doing well, I only hope that she will continue to do well, but history and case studies do show that you should approach LASIK with caution when Sjogren’s is present.  I just hope she didn’t end up in an over-zealous LASIK surgeon’s hands…..