Home And Family
“Home and Family Show”
March 12, 1997
Host:Hey! Welcome back. We are here with a very happy young woman on our show. Mayita. Dr Andrew caster has written a book called Eye Laser Miracle the complete guide for better vision. Treatment for nearsigtedness and astigmatism called Laser surgery. Welcome to the show.
Host #2: Yes Dr. Welcome. Now how does this laser surgery work?
Caster: Well, Millions of Americans have to wear glasses or contact lenses because they can’t see well far away. This procedure corrects their eye so that their eye has the proper focus, so that you don’t need glasses or contacts anymore.
Host #2: What is the procedure? What do you do to the eye that corrects this?
Caster: We apply a laser light to the surface of the eye and it changes the shape ever so slightly.
Host #2: The shape of what? The eye ball, the pupil, the cornea?
Caster: The shape of the cornea, this shows what we’re doing. This is the laser light on the cornea. Removing a small amount of the cornea, a microscopic amount actually.
Host #2: now, the cornea is the colored part of the eye?
Caster: No, it is the clear part in the very front of the eye.
Host #2: Oh, the clear part.
Caster: It’s perfectly clear, you can see it most easily if you look from the side.
Host #2: Oh, I see.
Mayita: You turn the flap back down and then you’re done.
Host #2: Can you get rid of wrinkles at the same time?
Guest in Green: So you have to pull the flap back first?
Caster: We have a little devise that makes a simple little flap and turns it back, it takes about a second or two.
Mayita: That’s exactly how I felt. According to Dr Caster I was the most nervous patient he had ever met. Is that right?
Caster: Well, You were up there.
Mayita: Cus later on I told him later, I checked him out. I read.
Host #2: Oh we sat here we said, We gotta call the MA. We gotta read. We did the whole thing last week.
And she said.
Guest in Dress: I kept saying, “Go with the miracle” I’ve had friends who have done it. It will change your life forever.
“Home and Family Show”
Host #2: By the way, You checked out what? Super great, super great. Everything was super great.
Mayita: I recommend him, and I read his book, which made a big difference, because I felt like I was an educated consumer. Like I knew everything I would ever possibly need to know about this. And it also prepared me to ask questions when I went to meet you as well. So the book is really, really important in this whole step. A very, important step in this whole process, because I wasn’t sure that I wanted it. A lot of your patients who go to you are so sure that they want it.
Host: Are they counseled at all when your patients come in?
Caster: Oh extensivly, You know the most important thing is that the patients really understand what this procedure is about. And that’s why I wrote the book.
Host: What are the risks?
Caster: Well the main problem is that you may not get a perfect correction. Now Mayita is 20/20 today. No everybody ends up 20/20 afterwards.
Mayita: Not 20/40, not 20/50, but 20/20.
Guest in Green: But is it a permanent correction?
Caster: The correction is permanent, it’s going to last her the rest of her life.
Host#2: She also said though that you gave her. She said she asked you a lot of questions and you gave her the time. And that is so important because if your physician yea, just brushes you off that’s a sign. She said you were great.
Guest in Dress: Can you do this to people who have stigmas?
Caster: Astigmatism Yes.
Host: Let’s take a look at the surgery itself. Mayitas surgery.
Caster: Mayita can you read the large letter in the mirror there please?
Mayita: I can’t see any letter in the mirror there Doctor.
Caster: Well that’s the largest letter in the eye chart.
Mayita: What can I say? And you guarantee that I will be seeing something after this.
Caster: Well we can never guarantee anything. But I think you will be seeing that letter pretty shortly.
Mayita: Ok.
Caster: So this is yesterday, This is Mayita.
Host: How cute.
Caster: Going into the laser room.
Host #2: Does she have anything in her eyes at this point?
“Home and Family Show”
Mayita: No. I had no contacts and I wasn’t that nervous because I had taken a Valium.
Caster: So you don’t need to change your clothes. You can wear your street clothes. That’s a nice scarf by the way. Now we’re putting some drops into the eyes. There are no shots, no IV’s.
Host: Are the drops the anesthetic?
Caster: Yes, and this is looking through the computer screen. This is the view that I actually have. Now we’re putting a mark on the eye. And now we’re making the flap. It takes only a second or two. Now we’re going to start the laser treatment. Mayita’s treatment lasted for 49 seconds. And that blue bar on the left side shows that the treatment is almost over now.
Host #2: How do you keep the eyes or their head from moving during all this?
Mayita: It’s easy. I just kept thinking.
Caster: Scared stiff.
Host #2: Oh now their wiping it.
Mayita: I’m glad it’s over.
Caster: Was it easier than you thought?
Mayita: Oh yea.
Caster: a lot easier huh?
Mayita: Yea, it’s funny cus I think I can see you out of this eye, but not out of this side.
Caster: The eye that we did you can see out of.
Mayita: yes
Caster: Mayita it’s all over. Why don’t you? Congratulations. It was easy wasn’t it? Why don’t you cover the eye we didn’t work on? Can you see the clock over there?
Mayita: I certainly can, It says 4:29.
Caster: Congratulations
Host #2: How long have you been doing this procedure?
Caster: This version of the procedure started about 2 years ago. Using all the different techniques I’ve done about 3000 cases.
“Home and Family Show”
Guest in Green: Now do you get to wear one of those cool black eye patches?
Mayita: No. You don’t need to.
Host: Bob you can wear one if you want to.
Guest in Green: Ok thank you.
Host: We’ll take a break and come back to see if your vision has improved since 4:00 yesterday.
Host #2: We’re back, we’re back with Dr. Andrew Caster and a very lovely Mayita. And they’re talking to us about a new treatment for nearsigtedness and astigmatism. It’s called laser surgery, so Mayita is very happy. And we’re going to see how your visions improved over the last, less than 24 hours.
Host: Can I address this because we had a lot of calls on the commercial break people wondering “Is this for real?” Is it really this easy? Is there really virtually no pain?
Mayita: I’ll tell you the worst part of it is you have to have your eye propped open. That’s it.
Host #2: Any down side?
Mayita: And you don’t feel making the flap. The only thing I saw was you know while the machine going over my eye and I stopped being able to see. And then as soon as it finished I could see clear. You now after the laser.
Host #2: 49 seconds, now that’s amazing.
Mayita: And they count down, Ok Ok, its almost over, Its over!
Host #2: Does it always work or are there some side effects or problems?
Caster: yea different people respond different ways but over all 95% of the people see well enough to pass their drivers test after the procedure without needing glasses or contacts.
Host: Do you need glasses yourself?
Caster: I used to.
Host: And did you have this done recently?
Caster: I had this procedure about 6 months ago.
Host #2: he did it to himself.
Host: How much. What would this run?
Caster: Usually about $4000. $4500