Report: Keep Eyes Open When Looking For LASIK

[wdlove]

It is a very serious surgery. If you have bad eyesight, LASIX surgery is not for you. It may not fully correct or can have problems with night vision. I happen to be among the category of those that it's no reccomended.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/2572598/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_health&ts=T&tmi=bos_health_1_12150110222003

 

[Chad4Mac]

I had the procedure done about three years ago, and I have to say that it was perfect for me.

I am a avid surfer and active person; those contacts were killing me.

One time, I was surfing on a heavy winter day and took off on a solid one. I fell real hard towards the end of the wave and started the washing machine effect underwater. Then, after getting pummulled, I shot straight up towards the surface where my board was and hit it with the right hand side of my face -- hard. There went the contacts and my decent eyesight. I couldn't see that well and almost got really worked (couldn't judge waves, getting in to shore was tough, lots of rocks). It sucked -- but the surf was fun.

Now I don't have to worried about that happening again, also the surgery paid for itself in the past several years -- no more contacts through insurance.

My night vision is ok, equal too or better than with my contacts. But my daytime vision is as clear as can be.

The only down side is that I have a couple floaters (pieces of dead cells floating in my eyes) that were caused by the surgery. Aparently lots of people have then naturally, and the eye flushes them out through time. I only see them when I don't get a lot of sleep and when I'm looking straight into bright light. It's really not as bad as it sounds.

Wouldn't change it anything.

If it's right for you, get it.

Oh, and I was like a -4.75 and -5.25, now I'm 20/15 and 20/10...


Chad4LASIK

 

[Gymnut]

Fortunately I'm a candidate for Lasik but I'm waiting a year or two for the price to drop and my vision to stabilize.

 

[Chad4Mac]

yeah, sure seems like the price is dropping. I keep hearing about "all laser lasik" which might be different than what I got. maybe they don't even have to use the razor anymore???

I'm sure the longer you wait the more safer the surgery will be...


Chad4Mac

 

[strider42]

Re: Report: Keep Eyes Open When Looking For LASIK

Originally posted by wdlove
It is a very serious surgery. If you have bad eyesight, LASIX surgery is not for you. It may not fully correct or can have problems with night vision. I happen to be among the category of those that it's no reccomended.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/2572598/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_health&ts=T&tmi=bos_health_1_12150110222003

They are very upfront about the possible issues. The problems with night vision are most apparent when its first done. I had all sorts of halos at first. Now that the eyes have healed, its not a problem at all. They've been able to fix my vision (which was quite bad) so that I don't need glasses at all anymore (it could be slightly better, but its nearly perfect).

In fact the bigger problem which they don't talk about as much is just how dry your eyes can get. My left eye was fine, but my right eye for some reason has stayed very, very dry. Guess the nerves haven't regenrated as well there. I've been on medicated eye drops a couple of times for it, and have to keep using eyes drops for the time being. its better, but I'm very aware of it. It should go away in time.

If I could give any advise to any one getting lasik its to go to someone who is good. I wouldn't trust my eyes to someone who's whole advertising for it is how much cheaper they are than the others. Find someone with good credentials, someone with newer equipment (makes a big difference, older machiens wouldn't have been able to do my eyes because I have large pupils). GO through your trusted optometrist, and not just some place that advertises on the radio or something. My surgery was expensive, but it also covered two years of aftercare, any adjustments that need to be done (I've had 1 adjustment done on one eye) and as many visits within those two years as is needed. After the two years I get a discount if I need any additional corrections. It was worth paying the extra money for something as important as my sight.

I would certainly recommend it it to any one who is considering it. a reputable place won't perform the surgery if they don't think youa re a good candidate, and there are a number of other types of laser eye surgery which may be more suitble for some people.

 

[pivo6]

This is certainly a procedure where you want to ask for referrals first, before plowing in head first. I haven't gone through it yet, but I and my wife are both considering it.

I also find it ironic that at the bottom of the page there are ads for Lasik surgery. (At least there were when I first read all of the previous posts)

 

[strider42]

Originally posted by pivo6

I also find it ironic that at the bottom of the page there are ads for Lasik surgery. (At least there were when I first read all of the previous posts)

its contextual advertising. It just searches for key words and serves up ads. It doesn't know if the article is favorable or not. You could have an article about how much a product sucks and gets ads for it because of that reason. its pretty common.

 

[pivo6]

Originally posted by strider42
its contextual advertising. It just searches for key words and serves up ads. It doesn't know if the article is favorable or not. You could have an article about how much a product sucks and gets ads for it because of that reason. its pretty common.

Thanks for the info. It's just the first time that I saw it. Maybe I don't need that surgery after all.

 

[Stelliform]

I wear glasses, and I like amateur astronomy, so I will pass on LASIK. Also people tend to think people with glasses are smarter. So I also wear them for my workplace persona. Now, if my will was strong enough make me lose 30 lbs. Then my workplace persona would be complete.

 

[Durandal7]

I am a LASIK candidate but there is no way in hell that I'm getting it done. I wear glasses because I can't stand anything near my eyeballs, including contacts. I am %100 sure that I would flip out in the middle of the procedure and end up with a razor in my retina.

Besides, stelliform is right, glasses do make you look smarter.

 

[wdlove]

Originally posted by Chad4Mac
I had the procedure done about three years ago, and I have to say that it was perfect for me.

The only down side is that I have a couple floaters (pieces of dead cells floating in my eyes) that were caused by the surgery. Aparently lots of people have then naturally, and the eye flushes them out through time. I only see them when I don't get a lot of sleep and when I'm looking straight into bright light. It's really not as bad as it sounds.

Wouldn't change it anything.

Oh, and I was like a -4.75 and -5.25, now I'm 20/15 and 20/10...


Chad4LASIK

My worst eye is -9.25 & -7.50 which is currently >20/400's. My doctor said that if my vision wasn't correctable, I'd be legally blind.

I have floaters also, which is normal. It is caused by sloughing off of dead tissue in the eyeball. LASIX surgery can also aggreviate the situation.

http://www.complicatedeyes.org/floaters.htm

 

[Giaguara]

There are 3 techniques widely used: PRK, Lasik, and in-the-eye correcting lense. There were also some tries for corrective vision surgery in the former Soviet Union, basically close to PRK but the results didn't seem impressive. It was basically just scratching the eye surface to correct the vision, and the scars often weren't predictable.

i had an eye surgery done in 1999/2000. (separate time for both eyes, so one in december, one in january.).

before i had it done, i asked a lot. my pupils are HUGE, in dark they get to 9,5 - 10 mm wide. the surgery could help up to 6 mm .. up to 7 mm, depending on technique and doctor. so he explained me i could have a night vision .. different than normal. i do: in dark i see e.g. the traffic signs clearly, but it appears to be a light 10 times as big as the sign behind it. taht is the part of my eye that still forms the old vision. it is not disturbing though - the old vision was so impaired that i could not see my fingers, and now the old vision does not make anything (apart from the "light") blurry as it was so significantly worse and so unclear compared to the new, correct vision.

i asked for it, and i'm glad i did rethink it. i am allergic to a lot of things so in spring it was always plain impossible to wear contacts for over 2 minutes. i got really tired of wearing eye glasses too, i got my first ones when i was under 10. i'm also happy i could do the surgeries apart: if for some reason the eyes did not heal as they should, even if the chance was 1 of 100 000 000 i still have only 2 eyes and would n ot like to lose both of them.

it was expensive, but worth it. if i could have waited for 2 years i might hav egot it cheaper via public healthcare but i don't trust thte public health care doctors (in italy, especially for eye surgeries.).

i would do the surgery again if i could choose again to do it or not do it.

my vision is not 100 % perfect, but i can see well and its well enough to be allowed to drive without glasses. for whatever minor defects it'd have from the perfect vision, i don't want to have eye glasses to correct it.


PS. Panther day... AND this was my 500th post I think, time for the avatar ...

 

[Chad4Mac]

Oh, nelly. That's some poor eyesight.

Do you mean correctable by glasses? Can Lasik fix that, or is that perscription to low to fix?

My friend had really bad eye sight at a really young age, and he had this new surgery done on him (i forget the op). He never had to wear glass after that. That was back in like the 80's.

Chad4Mac

 

[alset]

I want to get it in the next few years (contacts are such a pain). My sister-in-law got it and now has 30/20 vision in one eye and 25/20 in the other.

Dan