Lasik Surgery - Anyone Had it?

[Cleopatra]

Has anyone had Lasik surgery? I''m nervous - I have a consultation with a surgeon next week to talk about lasik surgery for myself. I really want it as I''ve been wearing contacts since I was 12 years old and am completely blind without my glasses/contacts.

Just wondering if anyone had any good/bad experiences with Lasik! I''m scared and don''t know why! I hear it''s perfectly painless!

 

[chrono]

My dad had lasik done years ago. I believe if you search old threads on this, you'll be able to read others' experiences. My dad does not recommend it for me until the technology gets better but when's that, I ask.

The most important thing is to NOT rub your eyes after the surgery, use the eye drops religiously and follow all the after care instructions. Make sure that you are not allergic to the eye drops prior the surgery.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/lasik-eye-surgery.59666/

 

[hgau999]

I had my lasik surgery done about 4 years ago, on the positive it’s been very convenient and nice not to wear glasses and to wake up in the morning and be able to see the time on the clock. However, I wouldn’t recommend the procedure to everyone. Especially if your prescription isn’t stable, I had to get new glasses almost every year. And if you are younger and able to wear contacts without a problem then I would put it off as long as I could because the technology only gets better. For me regular contacts was not an option I had to wear custom gas permeable contacts that costs $200 an eye. After losing a couple of these it just wasn’t worth it. The negative experience that I’ve had/having (I think I maybe a small percentage) is my night vision isn’t as good as before, also I get haloing from lights, and a slight doubling of distant objects and eventually I will need to go back to glasses, but I’m trying to hold this off as long as possible. Still I know people who’ve had the procedure done and claim it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Even with my troubles now I think I would still have it done but probably waited until much later in life when I had to wear those aquarium glasses.

 

[diamondfan]

I had it done years ago. I was very bad nearsighted and wore glasses since I was 8 and contacts since I was ten. I was minus 475 and minus 450 and now am about 20/20 give or take. I have some dryness and some haloing at night when my eyes are tired, but overall I am very pleased. By the next morning I was seeing 20/20, but the first night my eyes felt gritty and were painful and teary.

 

[Cleopatra]

Thanks girls - I know, I''m nervous because right now - I can see with my contacts. I''m scared that it will be a quack doctor and will ruin me for life! haha....I know, those kind of nightmares are probably few and far between, but I can''t help think of bad scenarios.

My eyes are minus 675 and minus 650. Pretty much - I hate waking up every morning and not seeing a thing. It really bothers me and I think i''m ready and willing to do whatever necessary. LASIK is scary, but I''ve heard many good things and I think it may work out for me. My consultation is next Friday - hopefully I''m a candidate!

 

[hgau999]

em....i''m a guy..

 

[Cleopatra]

Date: 9/26/2007 10:21:38 AM
Author: hgau999
em....i''m a guy..

Whoops! Sorry hgau!

Thanks for your input!!!

 

[hgau999]

no problem...

 

[ImpatientOne]

I had it done several years ago and am thrilled with the results

My dh just had it done lst month and he went from a -850 to 20/20 vision!!! He has worn THICK glasses since he was a little boy. My dh's vision was so poor that when he was in Iraq last time he slept with his glasses on in case anything happened. And he continued to sleep with them on until the day he had Lasik. Needless to say, he is ecstatic with the results!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I had PRK done (similar to lasiks) and my eyes WERE awesome after but are since a soft 20/20. My SIL had lasik and she now wears glasses full time again. My sister and dad also had it. I don''t know if their eyes are bad enough for glasses but my sister often complains about her night vision. DH''s cousin has halos from it. I think there are a lot fo positives about getting it but make sure you will be able to deal with the negatives as well.

 

[diamondfan]

I meant to type badly nearsighted!

Anyway, I am now 41 and so I do occasionally need readers, but it is not that big of a deal, that would have happened anyway lasik or not. There are risks to all things, so I would say go to a very reputable guy who has done loads, and ask a million questions...

 

[snlee]

My husband had lasik done about 4 years ago and is very happy with it! He says it''s the best thing he''s ever done for himself! He used to be about where you are now Cleopatra. He had to wear glasses all the time and couldn''t see without them. Contacts would irritate his eyes so he didn''t wear them much. Now he has 20/20 vision! Hope you are a candidate! Good luck!

 

[qtiekiki]

DH also had it done about 4 years ago. For him, it was the best money that he ever spent. He was over minus 500 before and is now 20/20. He loves the convenience of not having to put on contact or wearing glasses, but he gets glares from light at night.

 

[poptart]

I LOVED Lasik!!! I had it done about a week after I turned 18. My eye history is this: 2nd grade, needed fairly thick glasses because I couldn't see very well. I had a very strong astigmatism. 3rd grade, had to get hard (gas permeable) contacts because if I didn't my astigmatism would have gone off the scale and my nearsightedness would have gone with it! Wore hard contacts for 10 years and at 18 I had to have Lasik because if I didn't my eyes would have pretty much been useless. I had 20/600 vision. I couldn't count my own fingers if they were more than 6-8 inches from my face, and I couldn't at all read without glasses or contacts.

SO... I popped two valium and went and got the Lasik done. I now have 20/20 vision and it's wonderful!! It only took like 15 minutes, didn't hurt, and it was the best thing I ever decided to do. Just be sure to take the valium!

*M*

ETA: At some point, no matter what, you will need reading glasses. I was told before my procedure that my nearsightedness *may* have been fixed forever, but some day I will be farsighted and require help.

 

[Lynn B]

Had it, love it!

I was so terribly nearsighted... a couple of hundred years ago (before eyeglasses), I would have been disabled by my poor eyesight! And if I had been a cave-person, I''d have starved to death -- FORGET hunting and gathering!!!

The surgery itself was a breeze (but I''m with Poptart, TAKE THE VALIUM!) and my one eye went immediately to 20/20. The other eye (the worst of the two) only went to 20/60 or so... so I had to have it redone ("enhancement")... no biggie... just like the original procedure, and then it went to 20/20, too.

That was 6 years ago and it''s "still holding"! I do need reading glasses when the print is small (over 40, you know!

) but that''s no big deal AT ALL to me. A SMALL PRICE to pay to be able to *live* without corrective lenses.

If you go to a reputable surgeon who says you are a good candidate, then I would totally 100% recommend it. Definitely THE BEST money I ever spent on me.

 

[DiaDiva]

I had mine done 4 plus months ago, using wavefront technology to minimise the halo effects and better correct my astigmatism and I love it! It's the best present DH has ever given me (close fight with my bling) but all joking aside, it's so much easier without the glasses (since I was 9) and contacts (since I was 16).

Ditto what Lynn said. If you're a good candidate, it's definitely worth considering.

Due to my age....(I'm on the cusp of needing reading glasses in a few years....) my surgeon recommended that I undercorrect one of my eyes (the right one since the left was my master eye) to hold off the need for reading glasses which I'd need earlier if I totally corrected both eyes. Due to the undercorrection, I prefer to wear glasses when I drive at night to augment my right eye but I could actually drive comfortably without them.

I've been very fortunate, I had a quick recovery with no complications, no halo effect and very minimal dry eye problems (it was way worse when I was wearing contacts) which only occur at the end of a day of computer work.

The procedure was not too bad, I had quite a few friends who had done it and had described the procedure to me, the only thing I didn't really believe and which turned out to be true, was that there was no pain plus it was over so quickly that the apprehension was minimised. Apparently, there is some soreness after the procedure but I didn't feel it because I took the medication that the doctor prescribed and went to sleep when I got home. Didn't wake up till the next day and there was no soreness then either.

BTW, I'm in Singapore and we have one of the highest rates of myopia in the world so our surgeons have had ample practice....

Edited: Typos

 

[somethingshiny]

Hi. I''ve worked as an optometric assistant for six years. There are alternatives to surgery if you''re uneasy about it. Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT) is a non-surgical procedure that uses rigid contact lenses to reshape the cornea. There are definite restrictions on what level of nearsightedness can be corrected in this manner. You may want to ask your optometrist or opthalmologist about this option.

I''ve tried it myself. My vision (which is really bad) was not able to be corrected to 20/20, so I just went back to my soft contacts. Basically, the doctor performs a series of topographical maps to design a rigid contact lens that will flatten the high areas of your cornea. You sleep in the contacts every night for 1-2 weeks. Usually your vision will have gained half after one or two nights. At the end of the first week, you should be seeing at your best achievable. Then a wear schedule will be re-evaluated for your best vision. One of the doctors I worked for has been doing it for three years. He started with around a -4.00 RX. After the first couple weeks, he started wearing the lenses every other night. Now he''s down to wearing them once every week or so. During his trial period of backing down on wear-time, he would pop them in for a couple hours in the afternoon for a touch-up if he felt he needed it. It''s not a permanent procedure, but the cornea will hold this reshape for a limited time period. We''ve had many patients who''ve had great luck with the procedure.

The best part is, it can''t hurt you as long as you don''t abuse the contacts. Like I said, I tried it myself, but as I was out of range RX, I was unhappy with the results. I quit wearing them and within 4 days, my RX went exactly back to where I started. The contacts are uncomfortable, as anyone who has ever worn rigid lenses knows. The doctor can give you numbing drops until your eye gets used to the feeling.

I''ve had many patients who''ve had great results with corrective surgery. Another of the doctors had a form of corrective surgery nearly 15 years ago. He''s still pleased with the results. I''ve also had several who weren''t as happy as they thought they''d be. Some patients aren''t corrected to 20/20 vision. If you''re used to being able to pop in your contacts and see 20/20, then you have surgery and are only seeing 20/40 (which is the legal limit for driving) then you''d be disappointed. Please talk to your doctor about what is an appropriate expectation for your vision now, 5 yrs, and 15 yrs from now. Also keep in mind, the normal aging process is most likely going to require readers at some point. Even if you''re corrected to 20/20, you will probably have glasses in your future.



Good Luck with whatever you decide!

 

[chiefneil]

I had lasik about 7 years ago and went from -5 to 20/20, but the lasik did give a very slight astigmatism (the lowest measurable, so it''s not really noticeable). I do get pretty dry eyes if I wake up in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning, or when I''m very tired. Also my night vision isn''t that great, and I do have some of the halo effect.

A couple comments - don''t pop the valium without first talking to your doctor. My doctor gave me a cocktail of painkillers, sedatives, steroids just before the operation. You don''t want to take drugs on your own if your doctor will be providing them.

Also, do a lot of research and talk to a lot of people. Find the best doctor in town regardless of cost. Your doctor may offer different types of lasers. Use the one they recommend, which will be the more expensive one. Lasers have improved a lot since I had mine done and I think the issues I have are much reduced now. But you only have one set of eyes, so spend the money for the best or don''t do it at all.

One last thing, I''d wait until your prescription has been stable for a few years. Usually people''s vision will settle down in their late 20''s, early 30''s.

 

[Shay37]

For those of you who have trouble with your night vision, you might try an amber tinted pair of plain glasses. It''s the equivalent of a shooter''s glasses. An ambulance driver recommended them to my mom many years ago for her night blindness. It helped immensely. It also helps the halo effect.

shay

 

[rensallar]

The tinted glasses at night was a good recommendation. I had Lasik 3-4 years ago, and I think it''s the best money I''ve ever spent.

However, for the first 2 months, I had some halo and strong glare at night, especially when I was driving. I used a pair of clear / slightly tinted glasses for driving. After those first couple months, everything turned out perfectly.. 20/15 and no halos or dryness.. no problems!

It''s not like on the old TV commercials, where right after the surgery, you can see the clock across the room super clear. It probably won''t fully set in until 8 hours later or the next morning. There was a little stinging, like a piece of sand or eyelash in my eye, but it goes away.

Just remember to use the eyedrops specifically as directed.

Good luck!

 

[monarch64]

I''ve researched the heck out of it, almost did it and decided not to. Personal opinion: I''ve read too many stories (including Kathy Griffin''s) where people have had serious issues afterwards. I do have several friends who are in their late 20s who swear it''s the best thing they''ve ever done, but I just can''t bring myself to do something to my eyes that is not foolproof. I''m not saying it''s a faulty procedure, but I think for me at 30 and as someone who''s eyesight is not terrible and is perfectly fine with wearing contacts it''s unnecessary.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

I''ve thought about it many times, but as I make my living with my eyes I''m hesitant to mess with them.

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 9/29/2007 11:17:23 AM
Author: Richard Sherwood
I've thought about it many times, but as I make my living with my eyes I'm hesitant to mess with them.

Yeah, that's certainly understandable. My only input would be that since the nature of your work is seriously "close-up" work (rather than distance) -- and since you are over 40 (right?

) -- you'd likely need glasses to do your work anyway!

However -- it does allow you to "live" (drive, watch a movie or TV, swim, water ski, snow ski, surf, bungee jump, sky dive...

) without corrective lenses... which is what I LOOOOVE so much!

Have you ever had a consultation to see what an expert would say? He might say you are not a good candidate (for whatever reason) -- and in that case, you could just quit even thinking about it!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Also my eyes were VERY sensitive to light for months after. Even now when I go to Walmart/Target/Lowes etc... their lights can bother my eyes. Out of the people I mentioned having it, we went to three different doctors. The one I went to has a VERY good rep in one of the best hospitals in the country. I agree finding the best doc is important but it is not a 100% science yet. Luckly I don''t have any halos (that would drive me CRAZY). But I can''t say 7 years later I am 100% happy. More like 80%.