OT: Anyone here had LASIK eye surgery?
- Thread starter birdawg
- Start date
All I can say is to not go the cheap route....research your doctors and the methods they use.....cheap route meaning these places that advertise $999 an eye bla bla bla......
It was painless and fast, and within 3 hours I would tell you I could see a flea on a boars *** at a half mile away....
Best decision I ever made
It was painless and fast, and within 3 hours I would tell you I could see a flea on a boars *** at a half mile away....
Best decision I ever made
and it's the best 3800$ I've ever spent. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
At my yearly eye exam about two months ago, one of my eyes finally slipped just below 20/20... but it's not bad enough to warrant glasses or contacts. I was 25 when I had the procedure done and just turned 29 this month.
Pros: I hated wearing glasses (couldn't wear contact for more than a few hours a day because of allergies). So if getting rid of glasses is a priority, do it. I can fall asleep watching TV and the TV is actually in focus when I fall asleep. I can play pick up basketball and not worry about getting rebounds and getting bumped. I can wear sunglasses every mother 17'ing day of my life, which is awesome... especially on vacation where I can stare at hot chicks with huge titties without getting caught. I can wear shades golfing too, which is a plus...especially if the course has a pool and there are hot *** bitches there. I never have to worry about my glasses fogging up while hunting/fishing (and polarized sunglasses are beneficial while bass fishing).
Cons: It costs money. You'll have about one month aftewards in which your night vision, specifically while looking at lights... you'll see halos.
I went in on a Thursday afternoon... had the procedure done (took about 15 minutes). Went home and slept for about 4 hours (my wife set off the fire alarm while baking me a cake - thanks wife). I went back to sleep and woke up the next morning and my vision was fine. You'll wear goggles while you sleep for a while and your eyes will most definitely be sensitive to bright sunlight. I was back at work on Monday morning.
The procedure is painless... absolutely no pain whatsover... but it is uncomfortable, due to the equipment that's used to hold your eyes open. They put some eye drops in my eyes that made everything go white, so you can't really see anything while the procedure is going on, but it's definitely an odd feeling.
I'll say this again.... if my eyes get to where I need glasses again, I'll pay the $4000 again to re-correct my vision. I'm a big supported of it.
At my yearly eye exam about two months ago, one of my eyes finally slipped just below 20/20... but it's not bad enough to warrant glasses or contacts. I was 25 when I had the procedure done and just turned 29 this month.
Pros: I hated wearing glasses (couldn't wear contact for more than a few hours a day because of allergies). So if getting rid of glasses is a priority, do it. I can fall asleep watching TV and the TV is actually in focus when I fall asleep. I can play pick up basketball and not worry about getting rebounds and getting bumped. I can wear sunglasses every mother 17'ing day of my life, which is awesome... especially on vacation where I can stare at hot chicks with huge titties without getting caught. I can wear shades golfing too, which is a plus...especially if the course has a pool and there are hot *** bitches there. I never have to worry about my glasses fogging up while hunting/fishing (and polarized sunglasses are beneficial while bass fishing).
Cons: It costs money. You'll have about one month aftewards in which your night vision, specifically while looking at lights... you'll see halos.
I went in on a Thursday afternoon... had the procedure done (took about 15 minutes). Went home and slept for about 4 hours (my wife set off the fire alarm while baking me a cake - thanks wife). I went back to sleep and woke up the next morning and my vision was fine. You'll wear goggles while you sleep for a while and your eyes will most definitely be sensitive to bright sunlight. I was back at work on Monday morning.
The procedure is painless... absolutely no pain whatsover... but it is uncomfortable, due to the equipment that's used to hold your eyes open. They put some eye drops in my eyes that made everything go white, so you can't really see anything while the procedure is going on, but it's definitely an odd feeling.
I'll say this again.... if my eyes get to where I need glasses again, I'll pay the $4000 again to re-correct my vision. I'm a big supported of it.
The side effect differences were enough to scare her out of LASIK, mainly since she has had mild dry eye in the past and this can be a big problem with LASIK. Essentially, LASEK (and PRK as well) do not cut deeply into the cornea. It does have a bit more recovery time and pain associated with it, but has fewer complications.<div>
</div><div>Look for a doctor who does a lot of these surgeries. The biggest complaint most people end up having is that the surgery doesn't help nearly as much as they expected, e.g. they had 20/30 vision instead of 20/15 like they were hoping form.</div>
</div><div>Look for a doctor who does a lot of these surgeries. The biggest complaint most people end up having is that the surgery doesn't help nearly as much as they expected, e.g. they had 20/30 vision instead of 20/15 like they were hoping form.</div>
...as you've said, you hate glasses. I've beengetting closer and closer to the point where I'm going towear bifocals-- if not in 2012, then maybe 2013.missouridawg said:
that hurts like a ***** afterwards. I got PRK a few years ago to keep my options open in regards to flight school since it is the only procedure accepted service-wide. I was fine during and immediately after the procedure but about 8 hours later and for about three days after I experienced some of the worst pain ever. I had an extreme sensitivity to light. It was to the point where I black out all my bedroom windows and put a towel under the door and there was STILL too much light in the room. Also, the sand-in-the-eyes feeling was pretty intense. I've heard your mileage may vary in regards to the pain afterwards but I would imagine mine was on the higher end of the scale. That being said, I would do it again if I had to. It was absolutely worth it. Luckily I had the procedure done the week of The Masters so I just put it on the tube, covered the screen with a blanket and listened until I fell asleep.
She absolutely loved it and had no complications or side effects other than scratchy eyes and had to use sleep goggles for a while. She did have a friend who had quite a bit of pain and went through a tough recovery so it there are risks.
The one thing I would advise is if available get the lifetime treatment option. It cost slightly more but she gets free "tune-ups" as needed. She has taken advantage of this a couple of times over the years.
The one thing I would advise is if available get the lifetime treatment option. It cost slightly more but she gets free "tune-ups" as needed. She has taken advantage of this a couple of times over the years.
..best thing I ever did. I was a -4.5 and -5. Went to 20/15 in under a minute. I'm probably not quite so sharp now, but you'll hear no complaints out of me.
My brother had it done at the same time and has since gone back to wearing glasses at times.
My brother had it done at the same time and has since gone back to wearing glasses at times.
I was -6.5 in one eye and -6.75 in the other (contacts) and they were growing increasingly uncomfortable over the course of the day, even when I took them out nightly (although they were extended wear). Spent around $3000-3500 and had it done in Meridian. As soon as they flipped the "flap" (part of my cornea which they cut open and flipped up) back down I could see an eye chart on the ceiling of the room which I could not see before AT ALL. Healed up pretty well and my only complaint, and this is a small one, is that I sometimes get dry eyes now, but hey, that's what ClearEyes is for.... Wooooow.
just be sure you pick the guy that does this a lot. You don't want some doctor running around your eyeball trying this out for the first time. Usually the good guys do all of their lasik work on a certain day (or two). You want that. You want him in robot mode just doing the work.
PRK and LASIKboth have theirpros and cons. In some cases one may be more favorable than the other.Whether you're good with pain or not has little to do with which one you should have done. It's a numbersgame. Anyone can find a surgeon who will do it regardless of your risk factors. My bestrecommendation would be to go to a surgeonwho has a lot of experience and has the best equipment. [Translation: Buy the 7 Series BMW,not the Taurus] Make sure and ask them if you have any less than ideal results from your workup(most do free consults for LASIK/PRK). Ideally, everyone would be getting "bladeless" LASIK, however most surgeons are still using blades. I can makerecommendations if you're near the coast.MaverickAG said:
She'd rather offload the pain on the front end than risk some of the lasik complications. She hasn't had her official consultation and I haven't heard all the details from her last eye appointment, but the doc seemed to be pointing her in the direction of lasek over lasik. Maybe she has a thin cornea.<div>
</div><div>Also, for those looking at the procedures, lasik creates a permanent flap in the cornea that can come loose later (though this may be alleviated to some degree with the laser cutting the flap). This is still a rare occurance, but it can happen. The main reason lasik patients recover faster is that the epithelium is not removed during lasik, essentially keeping the outer part of the eye intact. All the healing happens below the surface. PRK and lasek patients have to regrow the epithelium, with the PRK patients having to regrow the entire epithelium over the region where the surgery occurs and lasek patients only part of it.</div>
</div><div>Also, for those looking at the procedures, lasik creates a permanent flap in the cornea that can come loose later (though this may be alleviated to some degree with the laser cutting the flap). This is still a rare occurance, but it can happen. The main reason lasik patients recover faster is that the epithelium is not removed during lasik, essentially keeping the outer part of the eye intact. All the healing happens below the surface. PRK and lasek patients have to regrow the epithelium, with the PRK patients having to regrow the entire epithelium over the region where the surgery occurs and lasek patients only part of it.</div>
I'll say this also... There is no stranger feeling than when you are on that table and watching as your epithelium is dissolved and then scraped away.
I've got a relative who is in his mid-50s. Avid golfer. Wants surgical correction. His ophthalmologist told him he was not a candidate.
He's severely myopic with astigmatism. Don't know the nomenclature, but the numbers on his prescription were -9.5 and -10.5.
Why is he not a candidate?
He's severely myopic with astigmatism. Don't know the nomenclature, but the numbers on his prescription were -9.5 and -10.5.
Why is he not a candidate?
I had it done back in 04 and also think its been the best $2000 bucks ever spent..
Cons: They used the blade on me and it hurt like a mother17er, didnt give me enough drugs I suppose
Pros: NO CONTACTS, 17 those things...andI can see 20 20 now</p>
Cons: They used the blade on me and it hurt like a mother17er, didnt give me enough drugs I suppose
Pros: NO CONTACTS, 17 those things...andI can see 20 20 now</p>
...got tired of clipping on polarized lenses to my glasses. I've had my prescription sunglasses for about six years-- replaced the lenses last year.</p>
I had it around 7 years ago - used to get pink eye regularly from wearing contacts and having dry eyes. I haven't had pink eye since and haven't put a drop in my eye in years. My quality of life is much better. If you have a reimbursement plan at work - get approved for the surgery in the fall, during your annual enrollment take out enought to cover the surgery and then have the surgery in January. You'll pay it back tax free over the next year. Piece of cake.
for LASIK and PRK/LASEK/epi-LASIK/Advanced Surface Ablation/Treatment(all variations of the same thing), it's always a game of how higha patient's prescription isand howmuch treatment their corneas can handle(thickness, curvature, etc).it's also a matter of various systemic risk factors, age,occupation and hobbies as well as the presence of potential ocular pathology that may negate the benefit of the surgery down the line...risk vs benefit,basically.Shmuley said:
Schmuley, it's hard to know. that's a treatable prescriptionbut their are a lot of pieces tothe puzzle of eachcase and it only takes one significant risk factor to make a patient aborderline or noncandidate. that said,LASIK isn't the last option. Clear lens extractions (CLE) are done by many surgeons for those who are not good LASIK/PRK candidates but want refractive surgery.it's basically early cataract surgery(and will likely cost a good bit more).
was that they simply just weren't very cool. I got glasses in 4th grade and didn't really get rid of them until I was 25.... and throughout that time, I never got to wear sunglasses. With LASIK surgery though... you're going to need a good pair of shades because you're sensitivity to sunlight is vastly increased.
Funny story on how it came known that I needed glasses... Was duck hunting with my dad and older brother. I was in fourth grade so I was probably 10 years old. We had a blind on a small river in Missouri and we hear a wood duck whistle... and this goes on for about 15 minutes. Turns out, a lone male wood duck was swimming upstream and once he got in around this bend, we could see him.
The stupid duck swam all the way into our decoys. Being a 10 year old, this is the perfect opportunity for me to kill a duck so dad gives me the first shot it. Needless to say, I shot at a twig in the water, cause I couldn't distinguish the duck from hardly anything else. What's even more amazing about this... is that the wood duck didn't fly off and I killed him about 30 seconds later after my dad/brother quit laughing at me long enough to help me find the duck.
Funny story on how it came known that I needed glasses... Was duck hunting with my dad and older brother. I was in fourth grade so I was probably 10 years old. We had a blind on a small river in Missouri and we hear a wood duck whistle... and this goes on for about 15 minutes. Turns out, a lone male wood duck was swimming upstream and once he got in around this bend, we could see him.
The stupid duck swam all the way into our decoys. Being a 10 year old, this is the perfect opportunity for me to kill a duck so dad gives me the first shot it. Needless to say, I shot at a twig in the water, cause I couldn't distinguish the duck from hardly anything else. What's even more amazing about this... is that the wood duck didn't fly off and I killed him about 30 seconds later after my dad/brother quit laughing at me long enough to help me find the duck.
which allows me to put a portion of my paycheck away for a certain year for medical expenses.... I had the surgery on January 7th... was given a 3800$ check by my flex-spending people and hadn't even put a penny into the account yet. The money was taken out over the course of the year, so it was really like I took miniscule pay cut for the entire year.
My story: I didn't know I needed glasses until I failed the eye exam for the drivers license test. I could see 20/20in oneeye but my depthperception was a bit out of whack because my other eye was 20/200. I could see clearly without glasses because one eye was doing all the work.My father wondered why I was making all those sharp left turns when he was teaching me how to drive...missouridawg said:
If you are deemed a good candidate, you will do well. Agree to stay away from the cheap centers. You get what you pay for, and your eyes are too precious to gamble and go el cheapo on. Blade-free LASIK is the safest way to go. Doesn't mean you will see better than someone who had a LASIK flap made with a modern microkeratome, but it cuts flap complications down from roughly one in 200 to one in 500. The Wavelight Allegretto IQ laser is the most predictable ( fewer enhancements) followed by the VISX Star S4.
LASIK is very good and very predictable up to around -9.00. Anything over -10.00 or +4.00 is a crapshoot. Someone in their mid to late 50's who is close to -10.00 would be better served by clear lens extraction with a presbyopia correcting lens implant.
The procedure just rocks. Beware the surgeon who never says "no" to any candidate. He or she has their best interest, not yours, at heart. Also, I darned sure want the surgeon who does my surgery to be the guy/gal who does most of my postoperative care.
LASIK is very good and very predictable up to around -9.00. Anything over -10.00 or +4.00 is a crapshoot. Someone in their mid to late 50's who is close to -10.00 would be better served by clear lens extraction with a presbyopia correcting lens implant.
The procedure just rocks. Beware the surgeon who never says "no" to any candidate. He or she has their best interest, not yours, at heart. Also, I darned sure want the surgeon who does my surgery to be the guy/gal who does most of my postoperative care.
just like the above recommendations concerning the importance in selecting a competent LASIK/PRK surgeon, whoever does your pre/postoperative care needs to be competent and comfortable with taking care of you,whether they are the surgeon or your current eye care provider that referred you for LASIK. i would be leery of any provider/person that would suggest otherwise. it is a prime example of them leading you in a direction they want you togo. the aboveis propaganda, and if you pay attention, hypocritical.Joe Schmedlap said:
edited after ample time for explanation.
refers me to a surgeon for consultation and I end up having a gall bladder removed, who will do my postoperative care? I imagine it will be the surgeon. That is why I would choose an eye surgeon who wants to examine my eyes at some point in the postoperative period. Not saying my internist is a dubmass. It sure as heck isnt propaganda though to want my surgeon involved for more than the 10 minute surgical procedure. Sure, in some cases the eye surgeon may live too far away from the patient to make this feasible. However, what if I ask my contact lens provider about LASIK, and that person recommends I travel to see Dr X two hours away from me rather than Dr Y or Z who both practice in my community? And, what if my contact lens guy refers me to someone out of town based not on training, education, experience, and outcomes but rather on a financial kickback to ostensibly cover postop care? Just be informed. I am not saying such referral patterns are typical, but neither are they extremely uncommon, and a healthy dose of skepticism is in order sometimes. I will now get off the propaganda wagon and say that LASIK is safe and effective and good outcomes are the norm. I myself have had it in one eye and love the result.