I am scared to death to get it done, anyone get it and how were the results ?
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Lasik???
- Thread starter Cybergypsy
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Both my parents had it, and say it was one of the best things they've ever done in their life. It has truly changed their lives. Supposedly, the numbers are only like 1 in 100 that the surgery actually worsens their eyesight.
Either way, I know 4 total people that have had it done, and would do it another 100 times if they had to. It's really a remarkable thing.
Either way, I know 4 total people that have had it done, and would do it another 100 times if they had to. It's really a remarkable thing.
My eyes are still developing, IE: My prescription changes every so often when I go for a check up. When is the most ideal time to get lasik?
The doctors will usually only encourage Lasik when they feel you are old enough that your eyes/prescription are at a stable stage, not continually changing.
Night/low-light vision. This can be impaired in some people who have had laser eye-surgery. It's a well-documented phenomenon.
I had Lasik done on 2002, and it is one of the best investments I've ever done.
I was scared before the surgery, but everything went well and I still have almost perfect eyesight. I would do it again if my eyesight deteriorated.
The only thing is that after the surgery, and for about 3 months, my eyes "itched" quite a bit. The itching went away completely after that period, though.
Because of my experience, 6 friends/coworkers went through lasik surgery. All of them had great experiences - the worst one was a friend that had to go back and have lasik a second time, since one of her eyes still had farsightedness After that small "correction" she can now see perfectly.
I was scared before the surgery, but everything went well and I still have almost perfect eyesight. I would do it again if my eyesight deteriorated.
The only thing is that after the surgery, and for about 3 months, my eyes "itched" quite a bit. The itching went away completely after that period, though.
Because of my experience, 6 friends/coworkers went through lasik surgery. All of them had great experiences - the worst one was a friend that had to go back and have lasik a second time, since one of her eyes still had farsightedness After that small "correction" she can now see perfectly.
Depends on who you go to. Quality Lasik surgery here in MN is around $2,000 per eye.
It used to be a bit cheaper, but better techniques have the average cost at around $1,900 per eye nationwide.
I had Lasik in 2004. It was by far the best $4000 I ever spent. I was between 25-30 years old when I got it. I was warned of a few things. At night lights would look like stars or have halos around them. This happened and after about 6 months it was gone. I don't know why or how, but it was gone. Only when I am very tired do I find my eyesight regressing, but again if you are tired your eyes will be tired so you cannot attribute that to Lasik. The star effect was not so bad that it impaired my driving either.
I would say quality Lasik should be about $4k. Not because it is what I paid, but because it is what I read over and over. I went to one place and had a consult. Saw their machines were dated and they were generally pushy. I ended up going to The Saddleback Eye Center with Dr. Charles Manger. Heard about him from a radio dj who had it done and went for a consult. I had 4 consults before I picked my place. Had I not gone to Saddleback I would have gone with the renowned TLC (The Laser Eye Center). Slightly higher priced but offered some random warranty. I did not go with them in the end because I was more comfortable with Manger. Odd, but it was true. TLC offered vallum though, I had tylenol.
I will say this. Everyone talks about how easy it is and how painless it is. They lie or they block out one little step that is performed prior to the actual surgery. I'm going to tell you about it not to scare you, but because I was shocked. They lay you down and tell you that you will experience something that feels like a headache in one eye at a time. They are taking a suction tool to your eye and basically removing it from the socket to make sure your eye is healthy. This is necessary and important. I cannot say if everyone does this, but they said they did not want to risk damage. It hurt for a second, scared the **** out of me, and in the end I was wound up more than I was before I walked in and so they delayed my surgery for about 45 minutes until I stopped worrying. But I will say this again, best $4k I ever spent and I would do it again when I need to.
As you grow older your eyes regress a bit and you may need to have it done again. If you are older I have found that the older crowd sometimes has to use readers still. If you are 100% eyeglasses dependent then using readers now and then would not suck so much imho.
I say do it, but do not bargain shop. Get as many consults as time permits. There is no reason to rush it as you know.
I would say quality Lasik should be about $4k. Not because it is what I paid, but because it is what I read over and over. I went to one place and had a consult. Saw their machines were dated and they were generally pushy. I ended up going to The Saddleback Eye Center with Dr. Charles Manger. Heard about him from a radio dj who had it done and went for a consult. I had 4 consults before I picked my place. Had I not gone to Saddleback I would have gone with the renowned TLC (The Laser Eye Center). Slightly higher priced but offered some random warranty. I did not go with them in the end because I was more comfortable with Manger. Odd, but it was true. TLC offered vallum though, I had tylenol.
I will say this. Everyone talks about how easy it is and how painless it is. They lie or they block out one little step that is performed prior to the actual surgery. I'm going to tell you about it not to scare you, but because I was shocked. They lay you down and tell you that you will experience something that feels like a headache in one eye at a time. They are taking a suction tool to your eye and basically removing it from the socket to make sure your eye is healthy. This is necessary and important. I cannot say if everyone does this, but they said they did not want to risk damage. It hurt for a second, scared the **** out of me, and in the end I was wound up more than I was before I walked in and so they delayed my surgery for about 45 minutes until I stopped worrying. But I will say this again, best $4k I ever spent and I would do it again when I need to.
As you grow older your eyes regress a bit and you may need to have it done again. If you are older I have found that the older crowd sometimes has to use readers still. If you are 100% eyeglasses dependent then using readers now and then would not suck so much imho.
I say do it, but do not bargain shop. Get as many consults as time permits. There is no reason to rush it as you know.
Ex bf had it done in SF around 2000 or 2001 when we were living together -- best investment if his life and he still has near perfect vision. No complications whatsoever, though he said it was scary during the procedure.
Hey I love resurrecting old threads!
Had my eyes fixed at 11am today, and what do you know less than 9 hours later I'm back on MacRumors! Can nearly see 20/20 already, certainly better than driving standard and my eyesight is improving by the hour. My hope by tomorrow is I'm 20/16.
Eyes were a bit annoying earlier like I wanted to rub them but couldn't. Eventually took a paracetamol and went to sleep for an hour, and no complaints since I woke up.
I went to optical express, their headline figure is from £400 per eye depending on prescription, so of course mine ended up being £2000 total (4000 USD).
No complaints so far. I think some of the posts above exaggerate the pain a bit, but maybe this depends on personal experience. I was a bit uncomfortable when they held my eye still while cutting the flap, but the laser part itself was a walk in the park.
Sorry for any spelling mistakes, near vision still a bit blurry!
Had my eyes fixed at 11am today, and what do you know less than 9 hours later I'm back on MacRumors! Can nearly see 20/20 already, certainly better than driving standard and my eyesight is improving by the hour. My hope by tomorrow is I'm 20/16.
Eyes were a bit annoying earlier like I wanted to rub them but couldn't. Eventually took a paracetamol and went to sleep for an hour, and no complaints since I woke up.
I went to optical express, their headline figure is from £400 per eye depending on prescription, so of course mine ended up being £2000 total (4000 USD).
No complaints so far. I think some of the posts above exaggerate the pain a bit, but maybe this depends on personal experience. I was a bit uncomfortable when they held my eye still while cutting the flap, but the laser part itself was a walk in the park.
Sorry for any spelling mistakes, near vision still a bit blurry!
Well not quite true. if your vision is really bad then there is no point in having laser eye surgery.
Most doctors here will not recommend laser eye surgery if your prescription is over -9.00.
Mine is -11.50 in one eye and -10.25 in the other, they said to me sure we can do it but you are never going to have 20/20 vision, there just isnt enough eye there to sculpt and oh no repeats possible.
So I am going with the implantable contact lens option.
costs about the same. ~$5,000 with all the associated fees.
what do you define as bad. I am at -3 and -3.25 in my eyes. I can see about 1' clearly before I need glasses. Heck I wear glasses when I read a book because when I read I hover just out side of the 1' foot range and can not read.
Now if my glasses fall on the floor I have to find them by feel because I can really only see a small area and from more than 1-'2' in front of my face I can not see them.
For me I want to get lasik so I can wake up in the morning and be able to see because as it stands I have trouble just walking to the bathroom with out my glasses because I can not see anything.
Also I might like to point out that my eyes are not the worse out there but they are not good either.
My prescription isn't too bad...I'm happy to wear contact lenses. They are the best thing since sliced bread well, I've found for me anyway
well, I've found for me anywayI think my prescription was around the 3 diopter range when I had it done. The key thing is that your range has been stable for a while, if it's still changing or has changed drastically recently they won't (or wouldn't 6 years ago) do it.
Without doubt one of the best decisions I ever made - no more faffing about with contacts and glasses anymore and it's the simple things like being able to read the alarm clock in the middle of the night
Without doubt one of the best decisions I ever made - no more faffing about with contacts and glasses anymore and it's the simple things like being able to read the alarm clock in the middle of the night
I was going to get this done but because I've got a slight astigmatism in my eyes it will cost a lot more. Probably cost me £2k-3k
This is who I used (in Bristol), Optimax
Says they don't charge extra for astigmatism. A friend of mine who had astigmatism had his done there after me, his eyes are fine also (he was playing football the day after)
They've got a lot more treatments available now - think I had Lasik done, and it was only about £1100 for both eyes.... inflation for you
Well, I dont know all the details about lasik, but I suggest anyone who is thinking about it do some research. Here in the states, there were some headlines a week or so ago talking about how the FDA (food and drug admin) is taking a second look at Lasik.
As for my brother, Ill try and get details from him about what went wrong, but Lasik really screwed him up. Almost blind for two years, and most recently had to go through a cornea transplant due to Lasik.
I tend to agree with this. I actually just heard a story on NPR the other day about how there are more problems with this procedure than people are aware of. I wouldn't have it done unless my quality-of-life was so poor due to bad vision, that this procedure was necessary to make a significant difference. Otherwise in my opinion, having to wear glasses or contacts isn't a big deal. Most people, myself included, forget they're even wearing them. Getting Lasik done for the sake of vanity (not having to wear the glasses anymore) just isn't worth risking my eyesight. I mean...it's your *sight*. One false move and you could be f***ed for life.
This is who I used (in Bristol), Optimax
Says they don't charge extra for astigmatism. A friend of mine who had astigmatism had his done there after me, his eyes are fine also (he was playing football the day after)
They've got a lot more treatments available now - think I had Lasik done, and it was only about £1100 for both eyes.... inflation for you
Thanks for that! There's a clinic right here in Manchester too, hmm!
I was trying to avoid chiming in on this topic, but...
I can have LASIK done for free at the site of my choice. However, I haven't yet even though my corneas are pretty much perfect candidates because:
1) half of the post op results I see are not pl 20/20 OU or better (ie. the right results)
2) More results than you'd think are unstable after 5 years
3) I'm going to need a reading Rx in 5 years no matter what. It's not that some people over the age of 40 may need reading glasses. Everyone without exception will. I know you have an uncle who swears he never needed them, but he either has enough myopia to compensate, or doesn't need to see well to get through life. Think about how much time you spend working at near, ie, reading, computer, reading a map/gps, looking at your watch, finding your keyboard; it's not just reading in bed anymore. So now you spent $5000 on LASIK and you still have to wear progressives. I have lots of patients who get to this stage. They are "happy" with their results.
Having said that, I think that if your lifestyle would be improved in the face of those risks, you may not be a bad candidate.
My real gripe is that LASIK failures are the worst patients in the world. Their surgery team gets them all hyped about the results, and then they have a crappy result and it's my responsibility all of the sudden to fix the problem that they gave themselves. Imagine how fun life would be if you just spent $5000 on an elective procedure and now you can't see, can't drive, and have to wear rigid contacts because nothing else will correct the post-surgical cornea satisfactorily. That doesn't happen very often, but when it does it is less than fun.
Most people who've had it are doing fine, but if you have problems, they're not small problems usually.
No worries. My mum and sister both had their eyes done at the Manchester branch (was how I found the one in Bristol).
As I said, for me personally it was one of the best decisions I've made - and it did make a big difference in my life, it's ideal if you do a lot of sport.
Heard back from the brother who had LASIK. he didnt want to go into details, but wrote this:
SPECIFICS ARE TOO LONG TO WRITE ABOUT.
BASICALLY DRS THAT DO LASIK ARE NOT HONEST WITH THIER PATIENTS
10%OF LASIK PATINETS HAVE SOME COMPLICATIONS. MANY SERIOUS
WOULD YOU GET ON A PLANE IF IT CRASHED 10% OF THE TIME?
ALMOST 100% WILL HAVE DRY EYES FOR LIFE BECAUSE THE NERVES DO NOT HEAL.
THE LASIK FLAP NEVER HEALS, IT REACHES A MAXIMUM OF 28% OF ORIGINAL STRENGTH
ALONG THE EDGE. THERE IS NO HEALING IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE FLAP AND
DRS CAN LIFT THE FLAP
EASILY EVEN 10 YEARS LATER.
THE CORNEA OVERALL STRENGTH IS REDUCED BY 33-50%
THERE ARE A LOT OF WEBSITES NOW THAT YOU CAN FIND THAT DETAIL PROBLEMS.
the caps are his..since he cant really see very well thanks to LASIK he has to use caps.
people doing this should really do their homework
SPECIFICS ARE TOO LONG TO WRITE ABOUT.
BASICALLY DRS THAT DO LASIK ARE NOT HONEST WITH THIER PATIENTS
10%OF LASIK PATINETS HAVE SOME COMPLICATIONS. MANY SERIOUS
WOULD YOU GET ON A PLANE IF IT CRASHED 10% OF THE TIME?
ALMOST 100% WILL HAVE DRY EYES FOR LIFE BECAUSE THE NERVES DO NOT HEAL.
THE LASIK FLAP NEVER HEALS, IT REACHES A MAXIMUM OF 28% OF ORIGINAL STRENGTH
ALONG THE EDGE. THERE IS NO HEALING IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE FLAP AND
DRS CAN LIFT THE FLAP
EASILY EVEN 10 YEARS LATER.
THE CORNEA OVERALL STRENGTH IS REDUCED BY 33-50%
THERE ARE A LOT OF WEBSITES NOW THAT YOU CAN FIND THAT DETAIL PROBLEMS.
the caps are his..since he cant really see very well thanks to LASIK he has to use caps.
people doing this should really do their homework
I've worn glasses all my life. I would love to have Lasik or some other type of corrective surgery. I don't know if I would be a candidate for Lasik, though. I don't know my exact prescription, but when I joined the Army, they had to use a finger counting test to test my eyes. I was about 20/400 vision. My glasses are coke-bottle thick and heavy enough that I get headaches from the weight on my nose. I already see halos around lights at night, so that side-effect of Lasik wouldn't bother me. I'll have to look into the implantable contact lenses. My prescription hasn't changed much in the last six years or so.