When the fire bell sounded, Dan Gibbs was left with three bad choices—throw on his glasses (which could interfere with his gear), try to insert his contacts while riding to the fire, or not see what he was doing once he got there. “There really wasn’t a good choice,” says Gibbs, “until I chose LASIK.”
“With my profession, I have to wake up at night and respond immediately. I wouldn’t have time for contacts and I couldn’t wear glasses in my mask. LASIK was the perfect answer.”
“LASIK not only helps me on the job, but it’s great for sports,” adds Dan. “It seemed like my glasses were always sliding down my nose when I was playing football or softball. And if I wore contacts, dust was always getting in my eyes and bothering them. All I could do was suffer with it until I got a chance to clean them.”
All of that is behind Dan now. “I’ve never regretted my choice to have the procedure,” says Dan, “and I haven’t hesitated a minute to recommend LASIK and the Campbell Cunningham Laser Center to my friends. There is cost, of course, but I wouldn’t let that keep me from having LASIK. When I consider all the benefits plus the ongoing expense of replacing contacts and glasses, I’d say LASIK is the best investment I ever made. The convenience is priceless!”
Local marketing representative, mom and former radio personality Gina Haas decided years of wearing glasses and contacts were enough. Gina had an extremely near-sighted vision condition and had worn glasses since kindergarten.She began researching LASIK® immediately after it became available. “When you live your life without being able to see clearly and then something gives you hope, you sure find out what it is,” she explains. After her procedure at the Campbell Cunningham Laser Center, she reports vision of 20/20 in both eyes:
“I didn’t know what that meant,” she admits. “I’d never experienced it. Even with glasses and contacts I didn’t see 20/20. I had never seen anything without glasses or contacts. The feeling of fear when you wake up and cannot see was gone for me.”
Michael Bravine
Michael Bravine carefully considered the pros and the cons before having his LASIK® procedure. As a firefighter as well as a professional musician and runner, Michael knew he stood to benefit from LASIK. Add to that the facts that his allergies made his contacts too uncomfortable to wear, and glasses often interfered with fire fighting, and you’d expect Michael to be first in line for LASIK. Not so. Michael thought it over carefully before making his decision.
“There was no pressure from my doctor or anyone else to have the procedure. In fact, we decided to wait a full year after my first consultation before going ahead. Bottom line: I’m thrilled with the results.”
Michael and his wife moved to Knoxville from Chicago where he was a professional drummer. “Sometimes when I played the drums my glasses would slip off my face—not cool,” says Michael. “And then there’s the hassle of carting around contact cases, solutions, spare glasses, and on and on. LASIK has changed all of that. Now if I wake up at 3 a.m. to answer a call, I can see without frantically fumbling for my glasses.”
Since LASIK, Michael has passed his annual firefighter’s eye exam with flying colors—wearing no corrective lenses. “After all the careful consideration, it was over in 10 minutes—and what a difference that 10 minutes has made in my life!”
Cindie Carden is the mother of two students at the University of Tennessee. As both of them near graduation, she wanted to get them a meaningful gift. “I decided I wanted to give them the gift of sight!” Both of her kids had worn glasses or contact lenses for years. And she was familiar with the Campbell Cunningham Laser Center and its outstanding reputation.
Soon, Ms. Carden would send both of her kids to have LASIK and now, she sees the world in a whole new way through the eyes of her kids, Chase and Courtney. “After his procedure, Chase was watching ESPN from across the room and they were running the scores at the bottom of the screen. He yells ‘I can see the scores!’ I was just so overjoyed.”
“The staff took such great care of us. They literally made us feel like we were the only family there the day of the procedure,” continues Ms. Carden. “You can give your child the gift of a car but cars have to be replaced in five years. The gift of vision never goes away. My only wish is that I had done it sooner. Why wait?”
Courtney Carden
For University of Tennessee student Courtney Carden, the choice of a seat in a large classroom was a big deal. “I used to worry about getting to class on time to get a seat up front so I could see.” Since her successful LASIK® procedure at the Campbell Cunningham Laser Center, seat choice is no longer an issue. “Now, I can see things. I can sit wherever I like.”
A public relations major, Carden’s college was compromised by her poor vision. Now, she sees the college world in a whole new way.
“I used to have to concentrate to make sure I got to the right buildings. When my friends were approaching me, I wouldn’t notice them until I got close to them. Now, it’s so much easier being on campus.”
Heading into her junior year in college, Carden has a whole new outlook after LASIK. “I got contacts when I was eight years old. Even every day tasks like taking a shower were difficult. I would wear glasses in the shower just to be able to see the right shampoo bottles. Now, seeing is no longer a worry.”
Chase Carden
University of Tennessee student Chase Carden says living an active life is much easier without glasses. “The biggest impact,” he says, “is when I wake up in the morning, I am able to see.” Chase is very pleased with the results of his recent LASIK® procedure from the Campbell Cunningham Laser Center.“As a Criminal Justice major, it’s cool that I don’t have to worry about wearing corrective lenses in my future job. When I used to study, I would get headaches while I was reading. That doesn’t happen any more.”
Chase enjoys playing sports, such as, golf and basketball. Both activities are now much more fun after LASIK. “I used to try to play golf with glasses. Now, when I play, I can actually see. And, when I played basketball at night, I would see halos in the lights. That no longer happens. For me, it’s a whole new world.”
For more than seventy years, Margaret Seagraves has made beautiful music on her piano. Margaret began playing at the age of five, but in recent years, her ability to read the music became increasingly difficult. She eventually needed special glasses for this task.
Margaret had worn glasses since childhood, and as an adult transitioned into bifocals to help correct her vision. “I had difficulty reading books, signs, and was losing my night vision,” she explains. When her vision progressively worsened, Margaret’s children suggested she visit Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor, and Haun.
“Everybody was friendly and knowledgeable,” Margaret recalls. To me, it was important that I saw my doctor, and at Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor, and Haun, they didn’t pass me off to someone I didn’t know. I always saw who I was scheduled to see. That’s important as you get older.” Margaret elected to have the Crystalens procedure, which she describes as “pesky, but not painful.” She explains, “I was well prepared by
the staff to know what to expect, and I haven’t had any problems. Now I can read signs, work puzzles, read my music, and drive at night with no problem.”
“I have a whole lot of things I like to do, and I want to be able to see to do them,” Margaret states. “I now have good vision and good hearing. A lot of other things may be worn out, but I can still hear and now I can still see.” It seems that this spunky senior with superb sight will continue to make beautiful music.
Mike Bridges knew he had cataracts. When his vision deteriorated to the point his wife had to read road signs to him on their motorcycle trips, he knew it was time to consult the eye care specialists at Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor & Haun.
Over the years they had been watching Michael’s cataracts closely, and when they said it was time to do something, Michael trusted them for his eye care.
After discussing his treatment options with Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor & Haun, Michael opted for Crystalens® to treat his cataracts. In this procedure, the eye surgeon removes the cataracts and implants a Crystalens accommodating lens. With a short recovery period, patients resume normal activities almost immediately. This was true for Michael.
He explains, “I could tell an improvement right away. I now have 20/20 vision.” With his sight restored, Michael and his wife are back on the road. “We love to travel, and we ride our motorcycle almost every day, unless it’s raining,” he says. Thanks to the care he received from Drs. Campbell, Cunningham,Taylor & Haun, he can now ride from coast to coast with confidence. “My experience with Crystalens has been excellent, and I’ve been extremely happy with the service and staff of Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor & Haun.”
Celia Ponsler thought she would have to choose between her horses and having her vision corrected.
For this lifelong rider, it was an impossible choice. “I had gone to one eye doctor who told me my vision was uncorrectable,” she recalls. When her farrier gave her a brochure for Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor, and Haun, she quickly scheduled an appointment.
“Because of my cataracts, my vision was not correctable by lenses. I was 54 years old with 80-year-old cataracts and needed surgery,” Celia explains. “I also needed glasses for distance and near vision.”
A resident of Dayton, Celia decided the drive to Knoxville was worth it when the staff patiently explained her surgical options, including the Crystalens® procedure. They also cooperated with scheduling needs.
Celia chose Crystalens, an accommodating lens, partly due to her age and lifestyle demands.
“I compete in Hunter/Jumper events which is very demanding for a rider,” explains Celia. “Sweating is part of it which makes it impossible to wear contacts. Glasses are not much better due to the dirt and mud. Now, I don’t need either. It’s remarkable how much more fun riding is today.”
“I was able to have both eyes done in a week,” she explains. Soon after, Celia returned to her passion of riding and training her horses. Now, she can see their beauty clearly.
“Crystalens made my life much, much better,” offers Celia. “I would recommend that any cataract patient explore all their options before deciding which one is best for you.”
On many mornings , Gerald Lambdin can be found greeting visitors to his backyard. An avid bird watcher, Gerald keeps a close eye on the trees surrounding his home to see who shows up. “About fifteen years ago I saw a bird I’d never seen before, and that caught my attention,” he explains. “I started venturing out to find migratory flyways. These days I do most of my bird watching in my backyard.”
When Gerald developed cataracts, his bird watching became difficult. “My sight was dim. It was like looking through something that wouldn’t let me see light,” he recalls. “Even colors were dim.” Gerald also had to wear glasses to help him read the newspaper and see while driving. After consultation with Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor & Haun, Gerald chose to have Crystalens implanted. He had one eye treated first, and then a year later he had the other eye treated as well.
“I chose Crystalens because I felt I needed to get as good of vision as I could. It worked very well,” he explains.
“After Crystalens, all of the colors came back. It was wonderful to see again!”
Now Gerald can clearly read road signs while driving, read the newspaper without glasses, and enjoy the beauty of the colorful feathered friends who visit his home. “It has made it a lot easier to identify birds with my improved vision,” he says. “Crystalens has made a world of difference.”
When Shirley Irwin returned to the office after a summer hiatus, she noticed that the image on her computer monitor was blurry. Shirley, a school psychologist, experienced difficulty reading and working on her computer due to poor vision. Her early morning commute was a challenge, too. “It seemed like I had a film on my eyes,”
she describes.With a family history of cataracts, Shirley was younger than most people who seek treatment. The staff of Drs. Campbell, Cunningham, Taylor & Haun was sensitive to this situation. “My fears were calmed by their caring and knowledgeable staff. They were thorough and informative,” she recalls. “They took the time to explain my options.”
Shirley chose Crystalens® and had her initial lens replacement procedure in 2008 in the first eye and the lens replacement in her second eye in 2012. “My choice of Crystalens proved to be a great decision. After the procedure, my vision was immediately crystal clear,” she says. “It was unbelievable.”
Before Crystalens, Shirley had difficulty cooking, reading, sewing, and even driving to work. Now, she no longer needs glasses. “I often tell my husband that it’s like I can see everything in high definition,” she explains.
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