Vision-Correction Surgery Pays Off

It was a moment that truly brought the benefits of vision-correction surgery into focus: 45-year-old John McCullom was in his deer stand with his binoculars to his eyes when suddenly, he realized he could see better without them.

“I was looking about 80 yards out, and I raised and lowered the binoculars several times before I realized I didn’t really need them,” McCollum said.

His passion for hunting is what made McCollum decide it was time for vision-correction surgery. “I was seeing split crosshairs and would get double vision when looking through the scope of my gun,” he said. “It was super frustrating.”

Dr. Shachar Tauber, Mercy ophthalmologist, introduced him to photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK. It’s a vision-correction surgery that offers superb results to a wide variety of patients who use glasses or contact lenses. “We’ve stopped doing LASIK, because PRK results in better outcomes for our patients,” Dr. Tauber explained. “LASIK requires us to create a flap on the surface of the cornea. With PRK, we laser the top surface of the cornea to correct it, so there is no flap that can shift later.”

Now, six months after surgery, John is seeing 20-15 and is glad he chose PRK. “I wasn’t sure at first, because my buddy had LASIK and didn’t have as much discomfort as I did. But boy, am I glad I listened to Dr. Tauber and trusted him, because now I see better than ever. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.”