“Once upon a time, not long ago if you asked me if I
could see well, the answer was NO…In fact, my odds of ever seeing well, were less than my
odds of winning the jack pot in a casino. Oh but then I met Dr. Joel Confino… here’s my story.
I am 56 years old and for 50 + of those years I have had
very bad vision. I have struggled with glasses at a young age and contacts for
the past 20 years. I have continuously had problems with each and have almost
never had success getting satisfactory vision. I used to be an amateur boxer
and everyone marveled at how well I slipped punches, what they didn’t know was
that I did so, so well, because I didn’t see the punches until the very last
second and was able to dodge them. Everyone thought it was a skill but I knew
it was good reflexes at the very last second. In my latter years, my vision got
worse and was horrible to the extent that I couldn’t drive at night whenever it
rained because the glare from the car lights and the wet streets literally
blinded me. I often would miss exits and streets because I couldn’t see the
signs until I was right up on them.. On 2 occasions, I literally came a few
feet from crashing over a guard rail because I didn’t see that the road curved
until I was right up on it. At work I oversee several departments and am always
in meetings and presentations.. so many times I was lost because I couldn’t see
the projections from only a few feet away or had blood shot puffy eyes from
straining to see the computer or having particles in my contacts. So in a nut
shell, my vision throughout my life was never good.
Over the years I have gone to so many eye doctors and had
so many of the “latest” eye exams only to be told I was practically legally
blind and the eye glass or contact lens prescription I had was the best I could
get. Even though I was paying almost $650.00 a year for the contact lens I was
wearing, I was told they were the strongest I could get. Glasses also cost me
over $600.00 because of the prescription and what it took to keep the lens as
thin as possible, which was still very thick. One doctor even joked, I can
right you a prescription for a seeing eye dog. Needless to say I was frustrated
and basically figured this is what I have to deal with for the rest of my life.
Then I started hearing and seeing the radio and television advertisements for
Lasik surgery and other eye correction procedures. All promising to be the best
in this field with an extremely high success rate. So I went to see some of
them only to again be discouraged because I was told time and time again that I
was not a candidate for these procedures and my vision was too bad to be
corrected, etc., etc.,.. I truly gave up and was truly convinced that this was
a done deal and my vision was my vision to keep.
One day I’m sitting in a physician’s office and I’m
thumbing through a magazine. I saw an article about a Dr. Joel Confino who had
done great work with individuals who historically were not candidates for eye
corrections using Lasik or Refractive surgery. It went on to say that some of
the worst vision has seen improvement. Once again my eyebrow raised because I
have heard this before. However, after reading the entire article and being the
fighter that I am, I decided to give the Eye Care and Surgery Center a call. I
was greeted by a receptionist who gave me an appointment for a consultation
visit. Little did I know, and I really didn’t have high hopes because of past
experiences, that this would be the beginning of a life changing event. I
arrived and was given a battery of eye tests and asked many questions, all the
time waiting to hear that this was not going to be of help to me but thank you
for coming in… I finally met the man.. Dr. Joel Confino. He sat with me and was
reading my results and looked very complexed.. He advised me that I had very
bad vision (heard it before) and that I wasn’t a candidate for Lasik surgery
(heard it before) BUT… “I can help you” (never heard that before). He went on
to tell me that although I had a special case he was confident that he could
get my vision twice as better than it was and better than any contacts or
glasses I was wearing or could wear. I started bubbling but inside I was still
waiting for the letdown… IT NEVER CAME.. Dr. Confino advised me he would come
up with a plan and procedure and that, although it would be complicated, he was
confident he could make it work. He then introduced me to Jerette Lerner his
Surgical Director and she is to customer care what he is to eye surgery and
they are now 2 of my most favorite people in life.
I can see so much better, so much clearer and almost a
year into the results, I still can’t believe it. I smile and thank God (and Dr.
Confino and his team) every day. I still wake up some days with my first
thought being ”uugh I fell asleep with my contacts in” because I’m seeing
clearly, only to remember I don’t wear them anymore. This procedure has changed
my life in every aspect. From being able to lay in my bed and see the TV, to
reading license plates on cars in front of me, to swimming without worrying
about my contacts, to being able to sit anywhere in a conference room at work
and see the projection.. I see everything and from a distance. I can’t
say enough about this procedure except if you can get it done.. get it done.
Easily the BEST decision I have ever made in my life. Thank you Dr. Confino,
thank you Jerette.”- Dennis
If you or someone you know is tired of the hassle of
glasses or contact lenses for seeing at distance and would like to find out if
LASIK might be a good vision correction option, please
call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an
appointment.
The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592
Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren,
New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830,
and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern
New Jersey.
