LASIK eye surgery

[KristyDarling]

Hey guys!

My hubby is near-sighted (around 4.75 in each eye) and also has astigmatism, so he can''t wear contacts because they''re uncomfortable. He''s tired of wearing glasses and is considering LASIK, but is afraid of potential complications or poor results, i.e. vision damage. Has anyone here had it done? Or do you know of anyone who''s had it done? I''m interested in knowing how happy they were with results and if they''ve experienced any complications. I''m especially interested in hearing from people who''ve had the surgery and also have astigmatism.

Thanks!!!

 

[Mara]

I have been tempted to get it but unfortunately for me I read this TIME article a few years ago about the ''stories you never hear about laser eye surgery'' and that kind of turned me off it. Basically while I know about 10-15 people who have had it and loved the results and had no complications or problems...that article sufficiently freaked me out enough. You can have side effects like double vision, worse blurred vision etc. And sometimes they are NOT correctable (aka double vision)...and while the stats are like 1 in 10000 or something...I am SURE that 1 would be me. So I wear my contacts (3.25 in each eye)...and maybe someday I''ll be brave enough!!

But I do know a bunch of people who have had it and loved it. You have to go every 10 years or so depending on how your eyes take to it and get touch ups and all that. So it''s typically not a one time deal from what I have heard. And that also makes me not interested, because if I''m going to take the risk every 10 years, why bother?!?

 

[TravelingGal]

KD, I have many friends who have gotten it done. All love the results. Only one had astigmatism and he was the most recent to get it done (in December) He is very happy.

A couple of said they have halos during night driving, but that was awhile back. I probably don''t have to tell you that this is one area where you don''t want to shop for a deal! Interestingly, my brother was the first person I knew to ever get corrective eye surgery. This was back when he was in early college...so about 1992 or so, and lasik wasn''t an option then (or if it existed, it was too expensive). He went through radial keratonomy and man, was that ever nasty looking process! But even in his case, he has had no complications except that his eyesight has gotten a little worse (very minor). My cousin got lasik at least 10 years ago (I can''t even remember exactly) and she says it''s the best thing she''s ever done. In fact, she says it often on windy days.

Sorry I can''t help you more with personal experience. I always had perfect vision...until I started working with computers in ''97.

 

[Kaleigh]

Nan aka Sevens One had it done, she had great results. I''ll tell her about this thread tomorrow.

 

[poptart]

I had lasik done when I was 18 because my vision was 20/600 with astigmatism in each eye and I had been wearing hard contacts for 10 years at that point. Lasik was the best thing I ever did and there were no complications with it at all. My eye sight is now 20/20 with no astigmatism at all. They told me when I get older I will probably need reading glasses, but it was completely worth it.

The whole procedure only took about 20 minutes, and it was so amazing because the minute they were done I began seeing better. When I went in I couldn''t see the clock on the wall across the room (it was just a big blob), and when they sat me up in the chair I could tell what time it was! It doesn''t hurt at all because they numb your eye, and I believe now they have even refined the lasers so that it doesn''t have to cut your cornea... although mine was one where they did have to do that. The valium they gave me really calmed me down so I wasn''t fidgety and I walked out with better eyesight than I''d had in over 10 years! I had to miss school for like two days, but as soon as the patches were off my eyes I was fine. You have to put drops in your eyes every few hours, but it''s really nothing compared to perfect eyesight.

*M*

 

[eks6426]

I had it done in Jan 2005 and I am not one of the satisified customers. The procedure itself was super easy and not painful but my vision has not been what I hoped. I "test" fine but there is still a huge difference to me between now and when I had contacts. It''s very hard to explain. Everything is a bit double but not quite. It''s like there is a shadow to things. Lower light situations are just hell. If there is a really gloomy, cloudy day I spend the whole day feeling like I just can''t quite see. I am better off in total darkness or bright light. Since I "test" ok (i.e. I can read the 20/20 line) the eye doc doesn''t really know what to do. I have seen numerous specialists and I really think that they think I am a bit insane because there are not tests for the slightly double vision or the weird shadows that I see. The strange double vision/shadow issue started right away for me...I noticed it as soon as the bandages came off the first day.

I also had problems with being allergic to the rewetting drops that you have to use the first several months. Even the preservative free ones caused microcysts in my eyes. I would definitly make sure you can use those without any problems before you do the surgery.

My eyes are fairly dry now which was never a problem before. I was one of those people who wore contacts 18 hours a day without issue or even one eye drop. I use Restasis 2X per day and it does help a bit. Winter of course harder since it is drier where I live. The warm, moist days of summer are when I have my best vision.

I''ve mostly learned to live with how my eyes are now and I do admit that not having to wear contacts or glasses is great. I like not having to worry about my glasses falling off my nightstand. But it is definitely not as great as I thought it would be.

 

[Dee*Jay]

The happy hubby did it last January and he couldn''t be happier. He said that even on the day of the surgery he could see better without his contacts/glasses than he ever could with them. Having the surgery was especially important to him also because he runs a lot. He couldn''t wear his glasses while running and if he sweated and it got in his eye it was a big problem with his contacts, so ultimately he would run without his glasses or contacts and he took a couple of nasty tumbles from tripping over things that he couldn''t see.

 

[clammer]

I got it done about two years ago and love the results. I read all of the same articles that Mara was talking about and almost scared myself out of it. I had worn contacts for 16 years before I got it done, but the last couple of years I was wearing them I was diagnosed with astigmatism and I had a lot of problems wearing them for long periods of time. Without squinting I couldn''t even see my alarm clock next to my bed.

I researched everything about the procedure (types of lasers used, different types of procedures, etc...) and I compiled a huge list of questions (types of complications the doctor had dealt with, how many touch ups he had performed, how many procedures he had done, etc...) I narrowed down the list of doctors in my area and then I met with probably 6 or 7 and I asked them my questions. It took me a while to find a doctor that i trusted and answered all of my questions to my satisfaction. I had the surgery and love it.

I actually have better night vision than I use to which I totally didn''t expect since you hear a lot of people talk about halo''s around lights at night. Overall, I have slightly better than 20/20. The only issue that I had was for the first year I after the surgery I spend 6-7 hours a day on the computer and I had to put in re-wetting drops every few hours. I don''t seem to have that problem anymore, but I don''t spend as much time on the computer anymore.

I highly recommend it if you find a good doctor that you trust.

 

[diamondfan]

I was -5.75 in both eyes and did it years ago, I did not have an astigmatism. Overall I am happy, but I have some haloing at night (and it is not the blingy kind!) but overall it has been fine...

 

[ChargerGrrl]

I had it done in January of 03, and it''s the BEST thing I''ve ever done for myself! I had seriously bad vision prior to that. If someone was standing at the foot of my bed, it was very difficult for me to tell who they were. I''m now 20/20- sometimes better than that.

I will say that the pre-procedure prep was annoying. Since I had worn contacts from the age of 12, my eyes needed time to revert back to their original, pre-contact lens shape. I had to wear my glasses for 3 weeks, and it was a pain. Also, my eyes became EXTREMELY dry afterwards. Prior to lasik, I had never put drops in my eyes- no tears, no visine, nothing. I had to take a crash course in applying drops as I had to use the medicine drops afterwards, and then just regular moisture drops or tears. I was putting the tears in just about every hour- UGH. That lasted about 2 months and now I only apply drops about once a day, and more often when I travel (airplane cabin air dries them out)

Bottom line, I have no regrets. Just make sure you do your homework and go to a reputable Dr. Not one of those that offers the $499 per eye special!

 

[Sundial]

Kristy I was near sighted with astigmatism and I had LASIK in 2000. I have had no problems or complications. The only issue I''ve had is that I was in my forties when I had it done and I had to start wearing reading glasses for up close things after I had the procedure. It has been wonderful for my long distance vision though and I have no regrets.

 

[diamondfan]

I did forget to add dry eyes can be an issue...

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Okay my dad, sister, and SIL had LASIK. Both my sister and SIL (who actually now wears glasses) have complained their vision had gotten worse. I had PRK which is similar to LASIK which I couldn''t medically have about 7 years ago (the same time as the rest of my family. My dad had GREAT benifits in his last job) and I now have glasses which I rarely wear. I was tested as a soft 20/20 a year ago. Also we all noticed that out night vision is now pretty bad. Also mart stores (target, lowes, k-mart) lighting is hard for our eyes to focus. My DH''s cousin had LASIKs where Tiger Wood''s did recently and he sees halos which sounds horrible. Basically there are risks and side effects. My eyes were perfect 20/15 after I got it done but I am disappointed that my eyes got bad again so quickly. Obviously they were not as bad as before the surgery and my doc said I couldn''t even have another surgery yet since the difference was not bad yet. Not trying to scare you. I just wanted to share my experience.

 

[hilbake]

I had lasik done about 3 years ago. I have had 20/20 vision since, except that now my right eye is starting to get weaker than my left eye. Not nearly as weak as it was before the surgery, though. If I close my left eye, the right eye is slightly blurry, but when I have both eyes open my vision is fine. I still don''t need glasses, so I''m fine with it, although I think I''ll probably have to get it redone later on, at least in the right eye. Overall, I''m very satisfied with the results, as I couldn''t see much of anything before!

 

[poptart]

I forgot to mention that sunlight and flourescent lights kind of bother my eyes. I can''t go out in the sunlight without sunglasses, but this has been a problem ever since I was young, and just got slightly worse when I had LASIK. But it''s not at all troublesome, really.

*M*

 

[monarch64]

I scheduled a consultation for it with my eye doctor after my eye exam this year, but chickened out at the last minute and didn''t even go to the consultation. I''m 1.75 in one eye and 2.00 in the other, and I just don''t feel as though my vision is poor enough at this point to warrant a surgical procedure, especially because I am happy for the most part with wearing contacts daily. My insurance only covers 15% of the procedure, and at the rate I spend money on contacts (I order them online at greatly discounted prices) my out of pocket cost would not be outweighed by the money I will spend on contacts in the next ten years, assuming my prescription does not change drastically.

I have several friends who''ve had lasik...some are very happy, some are not...similar complaints as mentioned above.

 

[DIAMOND*QUEST]

My mom is almost 74 and had Lasik in December. She had been wearing glasses since the age of 12. She loves it. No problems at all.

 

[Beacon]

I know two people who did have problems. One had a protracted recovery and could hardly see much at all for about a week after. I don''t know why this happened to him. Ulitmately he was ok, but it was very scary for a while. He had to take time off work.

The other was a lady who had to go back in for a couple of revisions. She had bad haloing and she was quite unhappy with the results.

Majority of people I know have no trouble with it.

I have -2.5 each eye and mild astigmatism. I don''t need glasses to read, only to see far away. If I get laser I am guaranteed to need reading glasses at some point - so I have been told. I figure it''s just switching near vision for far vision in my case and not worth it.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Monarch, my eyes were not that bad either (2.5/2.75 in contacts). I probably wouldn''t have had it done but it was free so I couldn''t pass it up! Plus my eyes are sensitive and my contacts would burn my eyes EVERYTIME I put them in. I don''t regret it but I am not sure I would do it again. My procedure was much more painful and a longer recovery than LASIK. LASIK recovery time is like 2 days! PRK can take up to 2 weeks.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 3/22/2007 2:43:31 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Monarch, my eyes were not that bad either (2.5/2.75 in contacts). I probably wouldn''t have had it done but it was free so I couldn''t pass it up! Plus my eyes are sensitive and my contacts would burn my eyes EVERYTIME I put them in. I don''t regret it but I am not sure I would do it again. My procedure was much more painful and a longer recovery than LASIK. LASIK recovery time is like 2 days! PRK can take up to 2 weeks.

Yeah, if it had been free I think I would''ve gone ahead and done it...I''m sure I would''ve gotten over my fears. However, I''m having another cosmetic procedure that will be 2/3 out of pocket this spring and I couldn''t justify both expenses.

 

[FireGoddess]

I have been thinking about it. I am nearsighted and have astigmatism, but I wear toric contact lenses for that reason and have never had a problem. Haven''t made the big leap...still waiting to see the long term effects on those that have had the procedure done.

 

[KristyDarling]

Date: 3/22/2007 4:11:45 PM
Author: FireGoddess
I have been thinking about it. I am nearsighted and have astigmatism, but I wear toric contact lenses for that reason and have never had a problem. Haven''t made the big leap...still waiting to see the long term effects on those that have had the procedure done.

DH has the toric lenses too but they still bother him. I''m glad they work for you though!

 

[KristyDarling]

Thanks so much for weighing in, guys!!! This thread confirms my fears. LASIK isn't quite there yet in terms of effectiveness and safety. Most people I've talked to IRL are happy with the procedure, but there are juuuust enough other people out there who wish they had never done it to discourage DH from doing the procedure.

Sigh. Maybe it's just a matter of waiting a few more years as the doctors improve upon it.

 

[DiaDiva]

Kristy, thanks for starting this thread. I''d been thinking about lasik as well but was kinda worried about the results. While most of my friends have done it and are fine, there does seem to be enough people who aren''t completely satisfied. Guess I still need to mull over this some more.

Maria

 

[golden]

What is the approximate cost of lasik w/o insurance?

 

[Lynn B]

Had it done 5 years ago and am still 100% thrilled. I LOVE it! Have never regretted it, not once, not for a second. It was the best money I ever spent on *me* and I totally recommend it for anyone who has gotten a green light from a qualified, experienced surgeon.

 

[mrssalvo]

my mom had it done almost 10 years ago and still loves it. no problems at all. I''d love to do it but am still too chicken...

 

[cnspotts]

Four of us in our family have had LASIK and we''re all still loving the results 6 years later!

BEST $$$ I ever spent!!!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 3/23/2007 10:49:48 AM
Author: golden
What is the approximate cost of lasik w/o insurance?

At least $300 per eye...but that''s for the assembly-line places who whisk you in and out...I would not trust one of those with my vision at all. Other than that, it depends on your prescription. The worse your eyes are, the higher the amount they''re going to charge. I''ll take a non-expert stab and say that the average cost for both eyes is around $2k without insurance.