Laser eye surgery in Russia: anyone done it?

Paul said:jadesailor14, which website specifically?

Please don't send me to pet websites, haha!😁

Do you have the link for that clinic in Russia?

Does anyone have the site for this clinic? Or the doctor's name... any info at all, please!

The one I mentioned earlier: www.bilicvision.com

I checked back later and noticed their site doesn't say much about those specific surgeries, but I'm sure we could call and ask!

Sadly, I don't personally know anyone who has had that kind of procedure, otherwise I'd love to give you some firsthand info.

Why the pets though? 😕

Dennis Torres said:Wait, how does that actually work??

I haven't really had the chance to see one in person yet.
Actually, I'm not even sure if what I saw was a standard LASIK procedure or some other kind of eye surgery... but man, it looked intense! (The doctors were speaking German, so I didn't have a clue what they were discussing.)

So, do they just lift the cornea, zap it with a laser, and then put the flap back down? Do they use stitches? I can't even imagine what an eye feels like right after surgery—if a single eyelash falls in there, it’s going to feel like absolute torture. Imagine having actual stitches or incisions in there!

Some people are trying to convince me that they don't even need to lift the cornea...

Does anyone here know more about this?

Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it.

Dr. Slaven Bilić mentioned that they record every single procedure, so patients can actually get a digital copy of their own surgery.

jadesailor14 said:Dr. Slaven Bilić mentioned that they record every single surgery so patients can actually get a CD of their own procedure.

Oh please... as if I’d want to watch that and then immediately feel the urge to go out and end it all!

Honestly, my dream would be to just knock me out, let me wake up in some heavy, drug-induced haze while my eye heals, and then have everything back to totally normal—zero issues, zero glitches, zero stitches, and absolutely zero memories of the actual surgery ever happening.

And like, "here's a recording of the gore," yeah, okay, maybe tomorrow.

I'd honestly rather just shove silicone directly into my eyeballs than deal with watching that... once my prescription hits -12, then maybe I'll consider it.

Seriously though, I remember watching a surgery on TV once... there was this one part where he was working on those incisions and I just started sobbing uncontrollably—like, full-on Niagara Falls tears because he was pulling out tiny little pieces of tissue.
evo now just typing this out is making me tear up all over again...
😳

Jessica said:What else can you expect from an eye doctor? Once you undergo surgery, you aren't exactly his patient anymore, and he relies on patients for his livelihood. Just think about it; don't let yourself be misled.
In my experience, this type of surgery is successful in about 95% of cases—honestly, it feels more like 100%.

That might be true, but I personally wouldn't take the risk. Not when there are so many different types of lenses available now, and technology is constantly improving.

I have two close friends who actually traveled all the way to Russia for their surgery. One of them went last year and, honestly, everything turned out absolutely fantastic! But then there's the other one—she had the procedure about ten years ago when she was just a kid, and it was a total disaster. Nothing really worked; sure, her prescription improved for a little while, but it eventually just drifted right back to where it started. A complete waste of money if you ask me... You should probably dig a little deeper into the specifics before making any moves.

That's just throwing money down the drain

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend an operation like that. No ethical doctor in the US would ever perform it on someone under 18.

Call me old-fashioned or biased if you want, but I’m not backing down when it comes to Russians. People can say whatever they want, but I don't trust them—not even when it comes to buying a car, let alone trusting them with my eyes.

Based on everything I've heard and read, it feels like Štambuk is getting way too much hype. It honestly seems like money has overtaken quality at his place; they've ramped up production but the actual standard has dropped. From what I know, there's Bilić-vision, Visumed, and Svjetlost. He thinks Gabrić is one of those top-tier world-class ophthalmologists. Whatever. I’m thinking about laser surgery maybe in 2 or 3 years. That’s how much time I’m giving them to get their act together, plus time to save up enough cash and just live my life for a couple more years with this vision (sfe+cyl=-7). For now, I'm just struggling through with contacts. I'm not some kid; I'd only go through with an operation if it actually had lasting results.

Someone brought up that liability waiver. I mean, what procedure are you going for besides getting an ingrown toenail where you *don't* sign a consent form? Of course they’re going to ask you to undergo the surgery at your own risk—that’s just common sense, right? It’s written all over their websites, though they mask it with clever marketing so people don't freak out. They claim a 95% success rate. Cool, but what if I end up in that unlucky 5%? Money isn't even the main issue here. The real issue is that I'm getting married, and we're planning to start a family in a few months. Just imagine getting married and having kids. You function totally fine with contacts; nothing is missing except maybe a little extra comfort from perfect vision. But then you go in for surgery, something goes wrong, and you lose your sight—or you end up seeing nothing but blurry shadows and silhouettes. And you never actually see your own children? That's pretty bad, isn't it?

Major props to the Russians...

Honestly, I feel like laser surgery should be my absolute last resort.
There are plenty of other options out there now, even if they aren't quite as permanent as going under the knife.
But just the thought of having surgery? It honestly makes me a little nauseous.
And don't get me started on traveling all the way to Russia thinking it’s some kind of magic fix. 😕I mean, I might trust Russians more than Dr. Štambuk sometimes, but not enough to fly halfway across the world for a procedure.

Anyway, I’ve been testing out these dream lenses, and man, what a trip. I can't stand wearing my old glasses anymore—the prescription is just too aggressive—but I still can't see clearly enough without them. But hey, if they actually work, they work! 🙂

Bradley Smith said:By the way, I've been trying out contact lenses lately and honestly, it's been quite the journey! I can't stand wearing my old glasses anymore because the prescription is just too strong, yet I still can't see clearly enough without help. But hey, if they work, they work! 🙂

What's the maximum prescription they cover?
Is it really capped at -4.00?

Honestly, I’m at a loss for words here. I went ahead and asked him about it, and his take is that it’s all pretty subjective. He says some patients will stick with them even if they can't get their vision back to a perfect zero, simply because seeing at -1 is a hell of a lot better than struggling at -6. For example, one of my eyes feels totally sharp, while the other one is still kind of lagging behind. Bottom line? You should just head over there and pick his brain. He’ll give you the full rundown once he actually looks at your eyes, and he won't even charge you for the consultation.

If you're down, I can swing by today so we can head over together 🙂

So, after wearing them for three nights, I have to say—it’s a trip when you finally take the lens out and realize you can actually see! Okay, maybe it’s not "perfect" yet, but there is definitely progress. To be fair, I didn't notice much of a difference after the first night. It’s such a weird sensation: you put the lenses in before bed and everything is crystal clear, then you wake up and things are still clear, but then you stand up, pop the lenses out, and suddenly everything feels different. I don't know, whatever it is, if this thing actually works the way it seems to, I'm all in!

Just a silly little question
Would this actually work
I wear these overnight lenses (honestly, what’s it even like sleeping with them in? I wear soft contacts myself, but I can never even drift off with them in—though I know some people can sleep through the whole night!) If I take them out when I wake up and swap my usual -7.00 prescription for something like a -2.00 instead

Exactly! Though, honestly, you’re probably better off just asking him directly.

I've cycled through pretty much every type of contact lens out there, and these are hands down the best. With the soft ones, they always dry out halfway through the night, leaving my eyes feeling raw. Then you've got those semi-hard lenses—using them feels like someone dumped a handful of sand right into your eyeballs. These, however, don't bother me at all. In fact, I can even survive getting clawed by my cat when he decides it's time to wake up. 😍 My cat basically uses his paws to punch me in the eye just to say good morning.

Thanks for the heads-up!

No biggie!
I'll drop a more detailed report in a few days once I've had some time to wrap my head around everything. 😁

Bradley Smith, could you tell me more about those vision-correcting lenses? I've heard a bit about them, but I haven't really looked into it myself. Is the effect permanent, or does it only work while you're wearing them?

Jessica said:Looks like you’ve already made up your mind about Russia. Do you speak Russian?
You're going to need it to communicate with them... plus, you'll have to be out there for at least two days if you're only getting one eye done. Nobody is going to operate on both eyes the same day—not before they do follow-up checks. Are you planning on traveling back there just for those checkups? For example, you'll definitely need a follow-up right after the first month.

In my experience, you don't actually need to know Russian because you'll have an interpreter with you—and honestly, don't plan for a two-day trip, plan for six. Besides, they can do both eyes on the same day.
And as for the follow-ups—the doctor comes to America once a month!!!

Jessica said:Actually, these kinds of surgeries tend to work even better if your prescription is higher.

I can't speak for Russia, but I can tell you that Dr. Stambuk is top-tier too. My sister had both eyes done by him about a year and a half ago, and it was a total success. She hasn't touched glasses or contacts since!

Everyone’s situation is different, though.

Anyway, good luck to you!

Totally agree. And Stambuk is great. My cousin had a -14 prescription and used to wear contacts—she actually drove all the way from San Diego to see him.

It’ll be a bummer to ditch the glasses if there's some other underlying issue.

Besides, it's not like Stambuk is the only option left. Pretty sure they offer this at basically every major clinic at Mayo Clinic now.

Charles Hayes said:So, I’ve finally decided to pull the trigger on laser eye surgery. I was originally thinking about going to Stambouk, but honestly, I've heard way too many horror stories from people who were totally unhappy with the results—not to mention some rumors about his laser equipment failing right in the middle of a procedure! That was a huge red flag for me. Instead, I've decided to go see this specialist from Russia who flies into the States once a month. If the initial exam goes smoothly, I'm planning to fly out to have the actual surgery done in Russia, specifically in Saint Petersburg. A buddy of mine just went there last week and he is absolutely thrilled—he went from a -7 prescription down to zero. The whole package deal is about $2,700, which covers both eyes plus the flight. Has anyone here actually been to Saint Petersburg for medical stuff? How was the experience for you?

Here is the link for the agency that handles the trips to Russia

Check out this awesome tip: LASIK 👍

So, I already had my initial consultation for vision correction over in Russia, and they gave me the green light; apparently, I’m a good candidate to have my prescription corrected.
In just over a week, though, I’m heading to an appointment in Chicago to see what the local experts there have to say about it.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I just stick with the options in America, or is going to Russia actually the better move?

So, what’s the deal with contact lenses? What’s the maximum prescription they can actually handle?

I’m sitting at a -7.5 prescription in both eyes, and I’ve been weighing my options regarding surgery. My vision has stayed pretty much stable for about a year now, but I have an appointment scheduled for October to get a full checkup and see if anything has shifted.