Travers Lasik Vision Care

I can only describe my experience with one word «Amazing!», from the staff to the AC yak surgery and everything in between

I’m 2 years out from surgery and have gone from ²⁰⁄₂₅ to my eyesight being worse than 20/​40, which makes it illegal for me to drive without glasses. I’ve now tried 2 times to get Traver’s Lasik to touch up my vision and they still refuse saying my eyes are not bad enough. I’m not quite sure what a lifetime enhancement guarantee is in their minds, but now needing glasses all the time seems to be reason enough to touch up one’s eyes. Apparently Lori has no conscience about letting patients put themselves and others at risk. I guess she has renounce her pledge for the Hippocratic oath.

I wish I could give this place a good review as the experience was amazing until we talked about money. The doctors and the staff were great. The price tag was not as advertised at 999 an eye, as I was told that only fits a small margin of people about 15%, it is instead 1899 per eye. The deception in marketing is fairly classic and totally understandable but, not acceptable.

I now have 20: 15. Dr. TRAVERS, is a no nonsense, professional, efficient, and effective, LASIK Surgery procedure Operations. I Highly recommend.

After two consultations/​evaluations at Travers (not by Lori, but by other doctors there), I was excited to go through with the procedure. I have high myopia and astigmatism, but they felt I was a very good candidate. I scheduled time off work, as I would be having PRK which can have some vision fluctuation in the first week, and felt extremely positive about the procedure.
However, the day of, I had a very similar situation to the other 1 star review here. It was as though I was inconveniencing Dr. Lori because I wasn’t behaving placidly like she wanted. Her bedside manner is terrible. She had no care that I was experiencing an unusually high level of anxiety (which was probably due to the fact that the valium they gave me was not strong enough for my psychological profile — I felt completely lucid). When I told her my heart was beating kind of fast and what she was doing (pressing something down on my eye — she didn’t explain to me what it was) hurt a lot, she asked me if I would like to sit up for a second. I said yes. I wanted to just speak to her and have her walk me through what to expect, which would’ve calmed me down — even without additional valium (which I overheard one of the nurses say I needed).
But instead, I was ushered out to another room and yes, told that nowI wasn’t a good candidate and that no, I could not speak to the doctor. That I could not reschedule or take a higher dose of valium.
This makes me think this place, while I’m certain producing great results for a lot of people, is more like a machine. And if you need a bit more care and handholding than you would get from, say, a robot — this place is not for you.
I will say that her staff is wonderful. But if you need a caring communicative doctor, do not let them mislead you, because that is not what you will get from Lori Travers.

Let me start off by saying that I suffer from actual, diagnosed, acute social anxiety. And I don’t take meds for it.
So, the following review puts a curve on the experience: perception vs. reality, accounting for my natural reaction of «Dear God, get me out of this waiting room, now! If I spend one more second in this waiting room, I’m going to burst through their window, and have to reimburse them for the insurance costs.» AND my brain’s autonomic reaction of «Who are all these new people, and how should I react to them? I know… I’ll just spaz the hell out and hope they can cope without reacting to the fact that I’m twitching about like someone who is on meth.»
You probably know Lori Travers from all the commercials on the radio, television, and any other media that can be utilized to persuade you to go to her office.
And you’ve probably wondered «With all that advertising, is it any good? Does it really do the trick? Will they cut off my eyeballs and leave me blind?»
Bottom line: Yes. Yes. And no to the blindness. If you read no further, pay the money, ignore your crazy anxiety about having your vision irreparably screwed and have the surgery.
The following is what you should expect, start to finish.
The initial consultation:
You’ll schedule an appointment. You’ll show up and receive an eye exam, which will involve some rather complex machinery that doesn’t make an appearance in your normal optometrist’s office.
This will be taken care of by a nice office staff who are constantly moving. More on that in a minute.
You’ll wait some more time, and be seen by another ophthalmologist who isn’t Dr. Travers. Get used to it. If you want face time with Dr. Travers, schedule surgery. Otherwise, the rest of the people you will meet are more than capable of handling your questions and concerns.
Once they’ve determined the surgery (s) you are eligible for, based on the workup, you’ll go to a consult. They’ll ask if you have any questions. And in a low-​pressure sort of way, they’ll ask if you’d like to book a spot.
Personally, I knew I would get this surgery from the start, so I was sold before I even came in. There would be no deviation. Do I have to jump in front of a car first? If so, how much does it hurt?
Pricing:
They let you know how much it is from the moment you come in the door. The $ 999 per eye deal is for PRK, which is a very effective, but much older laser surgery, that has a much longer recovery time. One full month, to be exact. And that’s a nope, nope, nope for me.
The Z-​Lasik, which was my surgery is ~1800 per eye, at current time of surgery. They do offer 0% APR financing through a third party, for as long as 36 mos., so it is do-​able. And I recommend doing it, as it will cost you the same as a yearly eye exam, and a new set of lenses… or less… over the next 10 years or so.
The Day of Surgery:
I scheduled my surgery for the very next day. Originally, I was a week out, but I moved it up, because I was scared that I might back out if I didn’t do it ASAP.
I arrived at about 2:30 in the afternoon. They nicely called, and let me know they were running about 30 minutes behind schedule. Which gave me a bit more time to relax at home.
Upon arrival, one of the doctors took me to the back room, to make sure my vision readings were the same as the prior day. I was within the range of tolerance, so I went back the waiting room.
I waited there for nearly 1.5 hours. After that time, I was escorted to a smaller waiting room with a television, snacks and water. I sat there for 30 mins, immanently more comfortable than in the general waiting room.
They told me there were two people ahead of me. About five minutes before the surgery, a technician came in to tell me to take the Valium tab they prescribed.
The surgery:
Finally, I met Dr. Travers. And yes, she is nothing like the commercials. For that, I am thankful. Because I don’t want anything but a serious, focused person working on my eyes.
She was cordial, but she ain’t Seinfeld. And I don’t want a surgeon doing high stakes surgery on my eyes who is. The stakes are three grand in cash, plus my sight. Last Comic Standing is $ 128 for great seats. You want warm fuzzies, go there.
She went through my questionnaire quickly, along with my medical history, and we went straight to the table.
I was escorted from the room to the OR, where they put numbing drops on my eyes, and stuck me under the laser.
Fifteen minutes later, I was done. I now have ²⁰⁄₁₅ vision.
No regrets.
Synopsis/​Pros/​Cons:
+ Fast, efficient service
+ Fair Pricing
+ Flexible financing
— If you’re expecting a «personalized, white glove service» from end-​to-​end: Fuggedaboudit — This is a high volume, reasonably priced service, with great results.
To keep things that way, it means that you might not see the same person each time. And if you’re uncomfortable with that, barrel through it and suck it up.
You won’t regret it.

After waiting a reasonable time for my appointment, I was escorted to a more intimate waiting room where I was donned with a plastic cap and given a sedative.
I waited in this small room with 2 chairs for two more hours before being brought into the operating room.
The first notable things I recall about my conversation with Lori was that she referenced the wrong eye that we would be doing surgery on and that she seemed stressed and not the same pleasant person I had seen on the video.
My overall impressions in the operating room were that the staff was behind schedule and that there was a lot of tension amongst the 4 –6 people present.
As I was seated a man came to put numbing drops in my eye but did it with such haste that most of what came out of the bottle, just ran down the side of my nose.
I felt very uneasy that if that was what was going to numb my eye, I wasn’t confident that I would be getting any of that effect given the delivery! They assured me it was fine.
When I laid down on the operating table nothing other than «look at the green dot» was said and I was immediately unnerved that the surgeon would not say something to the effect of «I’m going to start by doing this… or «you will feel me doing this…» but rather began putting something into my eye that I later described felt like a plastic spoon.
Everything up to this point felt wrong to me and when I did not see a green light to look at which was my only instruction, I began to feel panic set in. I felt like a plastic spoon was being pushed down under my lower eyelid and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be feeling it — and if I was, was she really not going to mention it to me beforehand? Between this and the nonexistence of the green light, I took a very deep breath and crossed my arms across my chest in an effort to calm myself. I will not say they were rude, but very stern that I was not to reach my hands up near the equipment that had been lowered over my body and was asked to put my hands under my butt if I thought I was unable to control myself.
The little voice inside me that had been saying «this doesn’t feel right» was now shouting «girl, you need to get the hell on outta’ here!!» which is what I did.
My impression of how they felt about me getting up and not going through with the procedure was that I had disrupted their schedule and waisted peoples time.
In my opinion, an average dentist has more compassion and bedside manner filling a cavity than this team of doctors messing in someones eye who has never done this before.
I was taken to a separate room where I was told (not by Lori — I never saw her again) that they didn’t feel that this type of surgery was appropriate for what I was looking to accomplish. Really? Because three hours ago you ran my credit card for $ 1,800 and told me it was going to be the greatest thing ever!

I wanted to give it a few months before I wrote a review for Travers Lasik. It’s been almost 7 months since I had the procedure done and I couldn’t be happier. I am now ²⁰⁄₂₀ both eyes, ²⁰⁄₁₅ in my left eye. I always contemplated getting it done, but didn’t jump on it until a friend of mine went to Travers and recommended it. Care Credit was offering 12 months 0% interest when he got it done, and 6 months when I got it done. I just paid it off last month and while I’m not sure how much money this will actually save me compared to contact lenses (lenses, solution, etc.), it is definitely much more convenient. I wore the night & day contacts so it would be even more convenient for those who take their contacts out every night and put them in every morning.
The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because during my initial consultation, they told me that insurance would not be cheaper than what they already offer. After speaking with my vision insurance, I found out that I would save around $ 400 with them. I then called Travers back and they stated that since I didn’t book the initial consultation through my insurance, they would probably charge me and not honor the discounted price. This was not true. After much back and forth with Travers and my vision insurance, Travers finally accepted my insurance quote.
For the day of the surgery, they have you take a Xanax prior to the surgery. I was a little disappointed in that I didn’t feel it made a huge difference. Then again, I wasn’t freaking out like another patient who chain smoked the entire time. The actual surgery with Dr. Travers went really well. It felt like it took maybe 5 minutes, if that. Yes, they tape your eyes open and yes, this suction thing sucks on your eyeball but hey… it’s 5 minutes of «discomfort». Wasn’t painful at all. After surgery, they tape eye shields on your eyes and send you back into the waiting room where your ride drives you home. My eyes didn’t hurt, but every time I opened them in the car, I experienced much watering. I think they were just super sensitive to the light. When I got home, I took the other Xanax as recommended by them and slept for hours. Recovery is easy and short. While you do have to frequently put the prescribed and OTC drops in, I was back to work on Monday (surgery was on Friday).

I have been wanting to have my eyes fixed for YEARS and I finally made my initial consultation with Travers Lasik after discussing with several of my coworkers that had their surgery with her. The office is very nice. The staff is welcoming. I had several tests performed on my eyes including dilation (so be prepared to not be able to see anything up close for a couple of hours after the exam). After the tests I was asked to sit in the waiting room and watch an educational video while the doctor reviewed the results of my tests and determined if I was a lasik candidate. Most of it was informative, but there were a lot of testimonials in the video. I was irritated that they were continuing to advertise to me about their office and service. I mean, I’m already in the office, the advertising worked, stop already! After the video I was told that I was a good candidate for lasik and am expected to have a great outcome. I asked a TON of questions including asking about other procedures and decided that lasik is the right choice for me. I scheduled my appointment, discussed financing and went on my merry way.
I was able to plan ahead for this with my open enrollment and signed up for the maximum allowance on my flex account so $ 2500 of the procedure will be covered by my flex (which means an easy biweekly payment, PRETAX) and the rest will be easy to cover myself.
Note: no contacts or makeup for 4 days before and after the procedure. The day of the procedure is supposed to be really quick and someone will need to drive me home. Follow up appointment the next day that they say I should be able to drive myself to with no problems.
I will update my review after the procedure.

Lori Travers performed my LASIK procedure in early January and I was very impressed by the office, the staff and the overall quality of care I received as her patient.
When you arrive for your free consultation, you’ll receive a folder stocked with TONS of information about the surgery itself, Dr. Travers and her practice, post-​op care and financing options.
The consultation is extremely thorough. The nurses (I’m sure that’s not the correct term… optometrists? doctor’s assistants?) run you through a half dozen machines that test all aspects of your vision. They are patient when you inevitably blink and have to redo a test, and always happy to answer questions and put you at ease.
I went in for free consultations at 3 practices in the Triangle area, and ultimately decided to schedule my surgery with Dr. Travers for the following three reasons:
1) Professionalism — Every staff member I met was kind and enthusiastic. The office was organized and clean. Dr. Travers was out of the office the day I went in for my consultation, but took time to call me later that week and ask if I had any further questions. She was very friendly and I felt zero pressure to commit to surgery. Additionally, Dr. Travers has performed tens of thousands of LASIK surgeries and knows exactly what she was doing.
2) Price — Offered the lowest price for the procedure (Custom Wavefront Z-​LASIK, or something like that) compared to the other 2 places. Basically, Travers offers a special promotion price that can NOT be combined with insurance discounts like Blue Cross or VSP (that way they don’t have to hassle with filing claims). Even after multiple insurance discounts at the other 2 practices, Travers’ promotional price was still $ 200 cheaper. The cost includes all follow-​up appointments (I think this is standard for most LASIK places).
3) Convenience — The office is no more than 5 – 10 minutes away from my house, close to both 40 and 440. I left the office with the medication prescriptions needed for post-​op. They also dilated my eyes during the consultation so there was no need to return until the day of surgery.
As for the surgery itself, YES to nearly all of your questions. Yes, it’s weird. Yes, it’s expensive. YES — it is TOTALLY worth it!

It has been a year and a half since my surgery and I am still so amazed at how awesome my vision is every day I wake up! I couldn’t even see that big «E» on the eye chart before my surgery, and now I can see better than ²⁰⁄₂₀! My vision has been perfect since the day I woke up from having the surgery. The surgery itself was a breeze with no pain and it took less than 10 minutes. Dr. Travers took the time to answer all of my questions and made me feel so comfortable about the whole process. If you are looking for an experienced, caring surgeon to take care of your precious eyes – look no further. You will be thoroughly impressed!