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Eye Consultants made my LASIK experience as smooth as possible. Every member of the staff was pleasant, kind and understanding of my concerns. The procedure and the benefits were thoroughly presented and when I went in for the initial consultation I had anxiety and left at ease and more excited for the process. I am beyond thrilled for the final outcome – I cried tears of joy immediately after the procedure. It has truly been life changing for me. I will be moving any of my future eye care to Eye Consultants because I was so pleased with the Drs and all staff. I have recommended Eye Consultants to my family and friends and will continue to do so!
From the first phone call through the procedure and follow-up for my Lasik, Eye Consultants has been amazing! I appreciated the diligence in screening candidates before conducting Lasik and the surgery was quick and painless. Slept a few hours afterwards and woke up feeling good. Took a bit for the haze to clear up and now I see better than 20/20 (after 20 years of glasses). Shaun was thorough in coordinating all of the details and the entire rest of the team put patients at ease and gave high quality care. I would highly recommend them. I chose them after reading the reviews and they lived up to every good review!
OMG i have always wanted Lasik and I’m so glad I did it. Making an appointment was easy and I was seen for a free consultation. My consultation consisted of the most thorough eye exam I have had in 20 years. All of the staff was nice and personal. My favorite is Shaun the lasik specialist. Day of surgery was great, the doctor told me everything that was going to happen. I was very nervous and they all made me feel better. I had perfect vision instantly. My favorite is that they have a cell phone number I can text with concerns.
Best decision I ever made with the best doctor possible.
After researching and contacting various LASIK clinics, I’m glad I found Eye Consultants. From the get-go, their communication is top-notch, providing peace of mind for me to make the decision. The two pre-ops were thorough, with Dr. Edmonds taking the time to explain everything well. Dr. Fillmore was very efficient and professional the day of. Shaun was super helpful in making sure all my questions were answered. The rest of the team was just as great. Recovery was exactly like they prepped me for. Very impressed!
I finally decided to correct my vision after years of wearing contacts, almost 30 years to be exact. I called several lasik specialists between CDA and Spokane.
What was great was the initial meeting with the Dr. Performing the lasik via Zoom. He answered my questions and within the day the coordinator called me to arrange the in person appointments, share cost information and options, and schedule a surgery date. Within one month of my initial appointment, my vision was corrected and I’d already had 2 follow up appointments. The staff really is great, they are friendly and helpful and able to put you at ease. The process is truly simple once you are determined a candidate. It did help that a friend of mine recently corrected his vision with the same Dr. I highly recommend!
What an incredible business with exceptional people. From the first zoom consult with Dr Fillmore, to the post op appointment, I was treated with respect, courtesy and I felt extremely cared for. My eyes are very precious and I felt very comfortable with each process leading up to and after Lasik. I had incredible results (and it’s only 4 days post). I trust Dr Fillmore and his staff. Being a business owner myself, I understand the importance of gaining client’s trust and keeping it. I would highly suggest you not go anywhere else for your eye care needs. You will be taken care of here.
*Reviews as of 12/1/21
More than 11 million people have thrown out their contacts and glasses for good thanks to LASIK!
LASIK is a surgical procedure that reshapes the cornea to improve your vision. It’s very quick (about 7-10 minutes) and has an extremely high success rate, making it one of the most popular vision correction methods today.
Want to know more? Contact us to schedule your FREE LASIK consultation. We welcome patients from Spokane, the Inland Northwest and beyond! We’ll answer all your questions and take time to help you make a decision you feel confident about.
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LASIK is generally considered to be a painless procedure. Your eye is numbed with topical numbing drops, and you are relaxed, comfortable, and aware during the procedure. After the surgery, patients may experience what they describe as a slight discomfort similar to grittiness or the feeling that there is something in the eye.
Drops are used to numb the eye and then, during the procedure, you will be asked to look at an amber-colored fixating light. LASIK does not require any stitches or shots.
Many people are unnecessarily worried about blinking or not being able to focus on the light. An eyelid speculum is used to hold the eye open during the procedure. There is nothing else to see but the fixating light and no one has had a problem finding it. In addition, our VISX Star S4-IR laser’s eye tracker follows your eye at all times. Our surgical team will be talking you through each step of the procedure.
In the rare case in which this might be necessary, yes, most people can wear contact lenses again. This is one of the advantages of LASIK. However, due to the change in corneal curvature after LASIK surgery, special order lenses may be required.
It is realistic to expect to achieve correction similar to what you are able to achieve with glasses and contacts. After CustomVue LASIK, 100% of patients can see well enough to pass a driver’s license exam without any correction. We cannot, however, guarantee that you will never have to wear glasses again. While almost everyone has significant improvement in their best-uncorrected vision (what you can see without any glasses or contacts), rarely some people may still need to wear a much milder prescription for reading or driving after the surgery. It is also possible to have some prescription changes years after a LASIK procedure due to changes that occur naturally in the eyes over time.
As with any surgical procedure, there are some risks and/or potential complications. Early and temporary complications for refractive surgery include:
Discomfort – Very few people experience significant discomfort. The sensation is normally described as a slightly gritty feeling or the feeling that there is something in the eye. Extra lubricating drops help, and you may take an over-the-counter pain reliever if necessary.
Light Sensitivity – We provide you with a pair of polarized sunglasses to wear upon leaving the surgery center to ease any light sensitivity that may affect you for the first few days after the procedure.
Under/Over-Correction – Unless severe, under/over-correction does not usually affect the overall vision results. Significant amounts of under/over-correction (rare) can be treated with an enhancement procedure. Minimal amounts may be corrected by wearing thin glasses for activities such as driving. Over-corrected eyes are extremely rare and most corneas tend to achieve the desired shape as the eye heals.
Infection – This risk is greatest in the first 48 hours following the procedure and is usually treated with antibiotic drops. Nationally the risk rate for infections is around 0.2%, but so far our rate has been less than 0.001%. The risk is controlled by post-operative medication. It is important that you carefully follow all of your post-operative instructions and see the doctor for all of your post-operative visits.
Halos/Glare – If you experience problems with night driving or have halos and glare prior to the procedure, having a traditional LASIK procedure (also known as Conventional LASIK) may or may not affect those problems. However, the CustomVue LASIK was designed to eliminate night vision problems that can naturally occur. Halos and glare are rare following LASIK and our experience has been better than the national average.
Loss of Vision – The risk of a serious vision-threatening complication is almost nil. We are not aware of anyone having lost their vision or gone blind from LASIK.
Yes. With LASIK, it is usual to do both eyes on the same surgery day.
A comprehensive eye exam is required prior to the procedure. Your doctor and the laser vision coordinator will explain all the pre- and post-operative instructions to you. After the procedure, you will need to have someone drive you home, and you will need to see your doctor at one day and one week following the procedure. You will also be required to visit your doctor post-operatively at one month, three months, six months, and one year.
If you wear contacts you will need to remove them prior to your pre-operative exam to allow your eyes to regain their natural curvature. Soft lens wearers must discontinue wear for two weeks prior to the pre-op exam. Hard lens wearers (RGPs) must be removed for at least one month prior to the procedure.
Most people can return to work within two days. However, it is important to note, people who work in a dusty, dirty environment (construction workers, miners, nail technicians, postal mail sorters, etc.) or those individuals who could come into a physical altercation in their job (police officers, firefighters, paramedics, etc.) will need to take one full week off to allow for safe healing.
To date, excimer laser procedures have not been found to affect or cause any late-onset or long-term eye problems.
Refractive surgery as a whole is generally considered to be an elective procedure, and therefore is not usually covered under most commercial insurance programs. There are a few progressive companies that may provide coverage. If your insurance does cover any or all of the procedure you will be given an itemized statement so that you may submit the expense for reimbursement. Some patients choose to use a financing program, available with approved credit, which helps make LASIK more convenient and allows them to pay over time.
Eye Consultants has been providing the highest quality and most personalized LASIK care for the Inland Northwest since 2001.
Our LASIK team is led by Dr. Gary Fillmore, a decorated U.S. Army veteran who earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he received multiple military honors. He served his final year there as the Chief Resident.
Dr. Fillmore is a board-certified ophthalmologist who specializes in cataract surgery and refractive surgeries such as iLASIK and CustomVue PRK. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Fillmore resides in Spokane with his wife, Jennifer, and his four amazing daughters.
