LASIK Eye Surgery

[M. Malone]

I wanted to know how many people on these boards have done LASIK and what their opinion was on the procedure?

I'm thinking of doing this in the next few months, I would love to finally get rid of my contacts and glasses.

I did a search on the forum and found 3 threads, they were informative but they're about 9 months old, and technology changes so fast, so I wanted to make a new thread.

Thanks

 

[Xander562]

I haven't personally had the procedure done, but i've heard several accounts. From what i hear, you can smell burning eyeball, not to freak you out or anything. It doesn't hurt.

 

[Foxglove9]

A good friend of mine had hers done about 5 years ago. She had very poor vision and needed glasses, but after the laser her eyes are now 20/20. Healing was very fast and almost no side effects. Extremely satisfied and no regrets. Just make sure you go to the best and not the cheapest.

It's something I want to get done in the near future.

 

[Foxglove9]

you can smell burning eyeball

Alright, I don't think I can ever have it done now without thinking about that. thanks a lot

 

[zwida]

I had it done in February this year. Apart from some weird moments during the procedure (after they cut the cornea, they pull the flap back, and the rooms goes all sideways for a second) and some discomfort for the first three or four days after the procedure (mostly eye dryness, but they'll give you drop to use) it was pretty painless.

I can't say enough good about it now that it's done. I love having near perfect vision again.

I didn't smell any burning anything if it makes you feel better...

 

[Epprecht]

Hallo, my dad and I had the procedure done this past July before my classes began. It has been wonderful not having to deal with contact lenses, solutions, and all that. I do recall the burning smell (it's not your eye they say!) there was some discomfort when the cut the cornea was made but not too horrible. As Foxglove9 mentioned don't go for the cheapest, I get free lifetime adjustments and thats assuring. My dad's vision is 20/20 he's 45 and my vision is now 20/15 and I'm 20,

 

[Xander562]

Alright, I don't think I can ever have it done now without thinking about that. thanks a lot

i wouldnt worry about it too much, just breath out of your mouth.

 

[Foxglove9]

i wouldnt worry about it too much, just breath out of your mouth.

Thanks

This might be strange but I've had surgery done on the underneath of my eyelids. 3 times in fact. It involved numbing the eyeball and adjacent area and using clamps to keep the eyelids open and pulled back while they operated on lids. After a few seconds my eyes dried up and everything went blurry. One time the clamps weren't applied right and I was blinded for a few seconds until they released the clamps. Another time I almost passed out from anxiety and they had to stop and start all over again. Fun times. But I guess if I can do that I can handle Lasik?

I already have chronic dry eyes, that's one of my concerns about getting it done. I've heard that your eyes get dryer than usually after the surgery.

 

[stonyc]

I had LASIK done last... March, I think it was.

I didn't really smell "burning eyeball"... there was a somewhat ozone-like smell, as close as I can desribe it.

Vision improvements are immediate. As in, as-they-were-cutting-immediate. As they were cutting, I could see improvements in my peripheral vision instantly... almost like a fog was lifting, but faster. I had to wear a shield on my eyes the first couple days, and had to largely restrict my first day indoors in the dark as much as I could (if I had to go out, they gave me huge sunglasses to wear)... but within a day, my eyes were feeling much better and I could see perfectly. I'm 20/10 in my left and 20/15 in my right.

Dry eye is a common problem for some people afterwards, so do the drops, etc. religiously.

 

[stonyc]

Another time I almost passed out from anxiety and they had to stop and start all over again. Fun times. But I guess if I can do that I can handle Lasik?

I was given valium to calm my nerves... worked like a charm.

I already have chronic dry eyes, that's one of my concerns about getting it done. I've heard that your eyes get dryer than usually after the surgery.

That is a concern, but that shouldn't preclude you from having LASIK itself done... the primary concern would be whether you have adequate thickness in your cornea to allow the shaping to be done. Too thin, and the risk is too high... no surgery for you.

Speaking from personal experience, my eyes were very dry initially after the surgery and I had to use artificial tears for almost a year before they returned to a comfortable state. For the first few months, I religiously used the artificial tears every 2-3 hours and right before sleeping. As the months passed I only had to use them only a couple times per day and right before bed. Now, I'm to the point where any discomfort is easily alleviated by a bit of blinking... and I can say that it seems like I only have to do that once or twice a week.

 

[Chaszmyr]

I had LASIK done about 4 months ago, and I would recommend the procedure to anyone who can afford it or has healthcare coverage that would pay for it.

My vision was not particularly bad before the procedure, as far as patients usually go (20/60 and 20/70), but my vision is now 20/17. Dryness is a big problem for me. Four months after the procedure, I still have to use drops 2-3 times a day, but I would much rather deal with drops than glasses. I had the relatively new Visx CustomVue procedure done, and I have absolutely no visual artifacts or ghosting, and halos at night aren't significantly different than they were before the procedure.

The procedure itself was more unpleasant than I expected it to be, but it lasts for less than a minute, so I don't think that should deter anyone. The first week or two after surgery were also a bit more unpleasant than I might have thought, with dryness, not being able to rub your eyes, having to wear eye guards at night, etc. But still, a couple weeks of inconvenience is nothing when you think that what you get from it is years of good vision.

I already have chronic dry eyes, that's one of my concerns about getting it done. I've heard that your eyes get dryer than usually after the surgery.

While LASIK is known to cause dryness, and have potential dryness-related complications, dryness is less of a problem with LASIK than it is with contacts. In fact, LASIK is safer than contacts in several different ways.

 

[stonyc]

The procedure itself was more unpleasant than I expected it to be, but it lasts for less than a minute, so I don't think that should deter anyone.

I agree.. if my doc had told me "We're going to place a plastic guard in your eye to keep it open and apply a vacuum appartus that will feel like an elephant wearing high-heels is stepping on your eyeball..." I would have been more than a little nervous but ultimately decided the good (years of good vision, no more glasses/contacts, being able to wear sunglasses without contacts or those funny clip-on shades, being able to run/jog/walk/do with more freedom) far out-weighed the bad.

Sorry, if anyone was scared by that description, but it's true.. better that you know all the facts right? They have to keep you from blinking somehow, and the vacuum is so that the shaping by the laser can be done to the cornea. Just FYI, I had custom/waveform intralase LASIK (custom/waveform = personalized map of my eyes was scanned to better calculate the shaping to be done, and intralase = both the flap cut in my cornea and the shaping was done by laser).

 

[Phat Elvis]

Just be sure that your eyes will actually have improvement. A friend of mine wanted Lasik but her eyes were 20/40. You cannot really expect a lot of noticable improvement for that eyesight.

The other thing to think about is your age. If you are going to need bifocals in the next 10 years then you may want to wait to see what future technology brings.

One last thing - if your work depends on vision (surgeon, artist...) I wouldn't mess around with it. Most surgeons I know still wear glasses - including optho.

 

[Chaszmyr]

The other thing to think about is your age. If you are going to need bifocals in the next 10 years then you may want to wait to see what future technology brings.

LASIK is a repeatable procedure. If you have it done now, and 10 years down the road your vision is suffering, you can have your eyes operated on again.

 

[darkwing]

I had LASIK done at the Turner Eye Institute in 1998 in their San Leandro, CA facility. I was the youngest patient they had ever had at 19, and as such was asked to go to their San Jose, CA facility the next day to have about 9 doctors peep at my peepers to study the healing process on young eyes. All these years later and my left eye is still perfect. My right eye regressed a little bit but is still pretty good. Last time I tested, I was 20/20 in my left eye and 20/25 in my right. I was 20/15 in my left and 20/20 in my right a couple weeks after the surgery. I would not do it again as I am happy enough with my vision.

It was very scary for me as eye torture would always make me talk in any scenario.

At one point I did kinda panic a little bit and look away from the red dot I was supposed to stare at, and the machine immediately shut down. The doctor guy yelled at me, but that's ok. they also had an old lady there with a nametag that said "grandma" or something like that to hold your hand during it.

It's much cheaper and safer now, so I'd go for it if I were you.

 

[EGT]

I'd considered it a while back but after reading the horror stories, people complaining of halos around things, changes in night vision etc. I thought, no not for me.

Now I use Ciba Night & Day continuous wear contact lenses which are just fantastic. You stick them in at the start of the month and can go for a week or two without touching them. No taking out at night, washing them, putting them into the container and doing the reverse in the morning. They're not completely trouble-free as they do require the occasional drop in each eye after sleeping to keep them fresh, especially if it's been dry, but all in all I'm very happy with them.

You should check out continuous wear lenses before going near eye surgery. *shudder*

 

[jalagl]

I had LASIK done in Oct. 2001. It's been almost 5 years now, and I have pretty much 20/20 vision. I had -4.75 myopia, and couldn't really see anything without my glasses.
The actual procedure is a bit uncomfortable, specially the part when they kinda suck your eyeball... I was also given valium before going in, and that might have helped a bit. My curious side took over when I had to look at the red dot, so that wasn't that bad.
Right after the surgery I could stand the light for a couple of days. I spent both days locked up in my house with the courtains closed. I smile now that I think about it.
For a few months after the surgery I had some disconfort in the eye, that included the eye being dry (I carried artificial teardrops everywhere), and some very uncomfortable "itching" inside the eye. Both things were gone after some months - I don't remember how long it took, may 4-6 months. It wasn't that bad, actually.
I also invested in some pretty good "computer" glasses. They have an anti-reflective coating or something that make it easier to stare at a computer monitor all day (I am a software developer). I also bought some high-end sunglasses.
I would definitely recommend this procedure to anybody. It really changes your life. It may seem trivial, but after the surgery it was the first time I can remember that I could look at my room when I opened my eyes in the morning, without having to reach for my glasses.

 

[mcflirty99]

I had LASIK done in Oct. 2001. It's been almost 5 years now, and I have pretty much 20/20 vision. I had -4.75 myopia, and couldn't really see anything without my glasses.
The actual procedure is a bit uncomfortable, specially the part when they kinda suck your eyeball... I was also given valium before going in, and that might have helped a bit. My curious side took over when I had to look at the red dot, so that wasn't that bad.
Right after the surgery I could stand the light for a couple of days. I spent both days locked up in my house with the courtains closed. I smile now that I think about it.
For a few months after the surgery I had some disconfort in the eye, that included the eye being dry (I carried artificial teardrops everywhere), and some very uncomfortable "itching" inside the eye. Both things were gone after some months - I don't remember how long it took, may 4-6 months. It wasn't that bad, actually.
I also invested in some pretty good "computer" glasses. They have an anti-reflective coating or something that make it easier to stare at a computer monitor all day (I am a software developer). I also bought some high-end sunglasses.
I would definitely recommend this procedure to anybody. It really changes your life. It may seem trivial, but after the surgery it was the first time I can remember that I could look at my room when I opened my eyes in the morning, without having to reach for my glasses.

BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT IF YOU HAVE LASIK AND THEY REMOVE PART OF YOUR CORNEA AND YOUR EYE STARTS TO GO WORSE AGAIN, THEY CANNOT DO LASIK SURGERY ON YOU AGAIN UNTIL LIKE 40 YEARS LATER -.-

IS THIS TRUE?

AND WHAT IS VALIUM?

 

[Schtumple]

BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT IF YOU HAVE LASIK AND THEY REMOVE PART OF YOUR CORNEA AND YOUR EYE STARTS TO GO WORSE AGAIN, THEY CANNOT DO LASIK SURGERY ON YOU AGAIN UNTIL LIKE 40 YEARS LATER -.-

IS THIS TRUE?

AND WHAT IS VALIUM?

caps lock stuck huh? seems to be a common problem with the 10-17 year old demographic on here

To the OP: Although I can't speak for lasik, a family member once got laser eye surgery in 2003ish, she said she noticed the difference very quickly, I can't remember how much it cost, but I don't think it bothered her to be honest...

 

[Sun Baked]

caps lock stuck huh? seems to be a common problem with the 10-17 year old demographic on here

Actually somebody that excited and shouting all the time needs an introduction to valium (aka, diazepam) to calm their nerves.

 

[Schtumple]

Actually somebody that excited and shouting all the time needs an introduction to valium (aka, diazepam) to calm their nerves.

or chloroform

 

[andreab35]

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My eyesight is extremely bad.. bad enough to be worse than my grandmother's!
I constantly rely on glasses. I did ask the eye doctor if I was eligible for LASIK, but since I have a stigmatism, I am not eligible. But technology will eventually change.

I think I would be too chicken to do the procedure as simple as it seems. I would need to have a panic attack first.

 

[r.j.s]

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My eyesight is extremely bad.. bad enough to be worse than my grandmother's!
I constantly rely on glasses. I did ask the eye doctor if I was eligible for LASIK, but since I have a stigmatism, I am not eligible. But technology will eventually change.

I think I would be too chicken to do the procedure as simple as it seems. I would need to have a panic attack first.

You should ask about PRK - similar idea to lasik, but longer recovery and slightly more painful. It has been used to correct astigmatism.

 

[andreab35]

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My eyesight is extremely bad.. bad enough to be worse than my grandmother's!
I constantly rely on glasses. I did ask the eye doctor if I was eligible for LASIK, but since I have a stigmatism, I am not eligible. But technology will eventually change.

I think I would be too chicken to do the procedure as simple as it seems. I would need to have a panic attack first.

You should ask about PRK - similar idea to lasik, but longer recovery and slightly more painful. It has been used to correct astigmatism.

Oh wow I never knew about that!
Thank you!
I will look into it.

 

[r.j.s]

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Oh wow I never knew about that!
Thank you!
I will look into it.

I've had PRK, so I can tell you just about anything you want to know about it ... should you choose (it IS more painful than LASIK, and you are pretty much blind for almost a week) Well worth it though.