Author Topic: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?  (Read 5608 times)

Offline ZG

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Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« on: July 21, 2011, 05:19:17 PM »
Hey gang,
My wifes birthday is late next week, been trying to think of what to get her. She's been wanting to get that Lasik eye surgery for awhile now so I'm thinking about flipping the bill for that for her, it's not real cheap.  :-\
 
Any pro/con's, do/dont's, or input on this from anyone that's had it done? Is it as great as they say or hype? What's the recovery time? Any other info I should know?? I don't wear glasses myself so I'm clueless on this topic...
 
Thanks in advance!

Offline Jeremy Mitchell

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2011, 05:59:26 PM »
I took a friend of mine to get his eye done (PRK) and besides feeling like having sand in his eyes for a couple days there are no down sides that I have been told about.  His vision went from 20/40 to 20/20 within two weeks.  If I didn't have 20/15 uncorrected vision I would would have it done. 
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Offline Leo

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2011, 06:44:51 PM »
If you look at the bigger stats., about 80% have little or no trouble.  About 1/2 of the remaining people have problems that can be fixed with another surgery (or two).  Over 1/2 of the remining 10 % cannot be fixed to see as good as they did before the Lasik (that's me).  3 or 4% are seriously impaired even to the point of being BLIND!.   I came out legally blind.   I went to a top rated Doctor that was almost the most expensive, but claimed to have the newest and best equiptment and a good record.   I couldn't even drive or work for months.  Several proceedures later, with the Best man in the state ( and $50,000  out of my retirement savings) plus two years time, I can now see about 20-40 With thick bi-focal glasses.  Before Lasik I was a Nationally competitive Highpower rifle shooter in the master class, one match away from High Master with a simple pair of glasses.   Now I settle to be able to drive, to work in a less optically demanding field, and I shoot at a far lesser performance with a lot of gadgets to make up for marginal eyesight.  After much research, I feel lucky that I can function in society, because some have the quality of their life gone forever.  My Pastors wife had Lasik, and it seemed to work, but within 6 months, her eyes are worse than ever and there is no more that can be done.

The question you need to ask yourself, if you are willing to risk being one of the 4% to try to be part of the 80%.  There is a lot of testimonial information on the Internet, maybe read some of that.
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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2011, 07:23:54 PM »
 I had Lasik 12 years ago. I wore glasses pretty much all my life. I hated it. Contacts made it better, then extended wear, then disposable. But it was still a PITA! I had the surgery two days apart. One eye the first day, the second eye, two days later. My doctor believed in being cautious. My eyes pretty much were healed in 24 hrs. But you had to treat them cautiously for a short while. I went from bad vision to seeing 20/10 in one eye and 20/15 in the other. I just had a physical and am still seeing 20/20 or better 12 years later. Of course now I need reading glasses. Although the doctor expected me that I would need them years ago. So I beat the odds on that too! Do I recommend it? He!! yes. But you also have to be willing to accept the reality that with any surgery, things can go wrong. So I recommend doing one eye at a time if your going to do it. If there is a problem, why chance both eyes at the same time, when it's not nessasary!

Offline Snibbor

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2011, 08:08:47 PM »
Mother in law had it done a bit over 3 years ago.  She went up to Canada to have it done (much cheaper).  She still has 20/15 in both eyes.

But me, dang glad I have 20/15 naturally.  I don't think I could do it.  Too afraid of winding up in that 5% bad things happen bracket.   :o

Also, I really don't think this is an area where bargain shopping is really in your best interest - speaking of my mother in law there.

Offline B.D.F.

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2011, 08:53:00 PM »
This is really amusing because I just came from a consultation about my wife having surgery to correct her nearsightedness. Unfortunately, at least in her case, if they correct her longer range vision she would than have to wear reading glasses for any close work. She does NOT have to wear them now and decided against the procedure as she spends most of her time using near- field sight so the surgery would actually cause her to wear glasses more than she does at the moment.

A couple of points I picked up on:

There is some question about potential risk at extremely high altitudes after the surgery. The surgery weakens the eye and as outside pressure drops it becomes more likely that the eye will distend from internal pressure. This situation is not well documented however and <seems> to apply on to extreme altitudes most of us are unlikely to ever experience (15,000 + feet above sea level).

There is some risk of deteriorated night vision. The surgical scars will be smaller in diameter than the pupil will be in low- light conditions. This can lead to ghosts, reflections or 'stars' in the patient's vision. It seems to be fairly minimal but was important as my wife has poor night vision to begin with.

The overall risk seems low but it of course is not zero. The statistics are readily available though.

Best of luck whatever way you and your wife decide to go.

Brian



Hey gang,
My wifes birthday is late next week, been trying to think of what to get her. She's been wanting to get that Lasik eye surgery for awhile now so I'm thinking about flipping the bill for that for her, it's not real cheap.  :-\
 
Any pro/con's, do/dont's, or input on this from anyone that's had it done? Is it as great as they say or hype? What's the recovery time? Any other info I should know?? I don't wear glasses myself so I'm clueless on this topic...
 
Thanks in advance!
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Offline koval68

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2011, 09:31:06 PM »
Some patients with very thin cornea are more suitable for PRK procedure, FYI.
Read this:
http://www.lasereyefacts.com/prk-vs-lasik.html
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Offline ZG

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2011, 09:40:54 PM »
Interesting responses so far, please keep them coming...  :popcorn:
 
Here's a little back ground on her, she's always had to wear either glasses or contacts since she was a kid, she can't see jack without one of the two... So I think her goal would be to go through day to day life with out either.
 
I've always been a skeptic about it myself, so that's why I'm asking, having her go blind would obviously be a bad birthday present...
 
It is her 40th birthday though, so I'm trying to think of something that she really has wanted for awhile, which this is one of them, but reading Leo's post is exactly what I'm afraid of...  :o
 

Offline Outback_Jon

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2011, 11:15:47 PM »
I had Lasik last year.  Worked well for me.  I now have 20/15 vision in both eyes and my astigmatism is gone.  (Got a lifetime warranty, too)  Don't recall my vision numbers before, but I could tell there was a chart on the wall.  I didn't need reading glasses before, and still don't.

My favorite things about it are being able to wake up in the morning and see my alarm clock.  Being able to wear real, normal sunglasses.  And not worrying about being able to see if I go out in the rain.

The actual procedure was wonderfully quick and painless.  I'm REALLY squeamish about injuries and such, especially having to do with eyes.  So much so that I almost passed out watching the video about what they do.  And the video doesn't show anything graphic.  I actually had to go and lie down, because I felt myself heading into shock.  One doc said I wasn't going to be a candidate, the other said lets try and get him through the initial tests, and we'll worry about the rest later.  My eyes were healthy and I was a good candidate, except for the whole passing out thing.  So the doc and I agreed to give it a try.

The day of the surgery (next week) the nurse remembered me and said, "Let's just start with a larger dose of Valium."  (The Valium is a normal thing to relax the patient - they usually just give patients one pill - they decided to go for two for me.)  I've taken Valium before (motorcycle accident) and had an idea of how it affected me, which helped, because I was able to tell them when it had kicked in, and that I was ready for the surgery.

The procedure was surprisingly quick.  I think I was in the room for about 10 minutes.  The doc will explain it all beforehand, so I won't go into all that.  After the procedure, your vision seems 'smoky' but that won't last long.  Follow their instructions and go home and take a nap.  A few hours later, when you wake up, and you can see.  You'll have to wear sunglasses for several days to prevent you from rubbing your eyes.  (A good idea is to get a pair of clear safety glasses so you can function inside your house during those days.)  You'll be wearing the glasses when you sleep, too.  After a few days, you're all set to go.

My doc said no motorcycle riding for a couple of weeks, unless I was wearing a helmet with a face shield.  As long as I had a face shield, he said I could ride a week after the surgery.  (Check with your own doc for recommendations.)

So, a year+ later, and I LOVE not having glasses or contacts.   
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Offline curmudgeon

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2011, 11:46:47 PM »
I'm 65 and had Lasik surgery on my both of my eyes 11 years ago.  Previously the vision in my best eye was 20/800 and the other was totally off the chart and I had astigmatism as well.  I literally was the guy with the coke bottle glasses.  The astigmatism is gone and both of my eyes have held steady at what they were after the surgery, one being 20/20 and the other 20/25.  Before I didn't need glasses to read I do now (not complaining, just stating a fact).  On the down side I did end up with flaring in both eyes, which I understand happens to roughly 3-5% of those getting the surgery, and a distinct decrease in my night vision.  Flaring is where all lights at night each have a halo around them, and the halo I see is quite large.  I haven't checked for several years but when I had my surgery no one could definitively say why someone would end up with it and another person wouldn't.  There also was no fix for it.  I have learned to deal with it over the years so it is not as bothesome as before but I do try to limit my driving at night.  I have a neighbor who had her first eye done by a reputable surgeon and it ended up so badly she is nearly blind in that eye.  She switched doctors for the other one and it is 20/20 with no issues.  I have a friend in his early 80's who was legally blind before the surgery, is now 20/20 in both eyes and has had no problems at all.

There is ALWAYS a potential downside to any surgery and one should research both the pros and cons, consider your own personal situation and then make your own honest evaluation and decision after considering everything.  Like Leo said, is it worth being part of the 4%  to end up part of the 80%.  I researched it as much as I could and talked to everyone I could as well and went ahead and had mine done.  Even with how mine came out I would do it again.

Fred

Offline snarf

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2011, 04:26:01 AM »
Damn LEO....My eye sight is crap.  I have worn glasses and contacts for as long as I can remember. Thank God for disposable extended wear contacts.  There isnt anything more fun than waking up and putting a rigid gas permeable piece of plastic into/onto your eye  :loco:.  I have thought about having lasik, I'm just not ready to gamble on my eyes.
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Offline Boomer343

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #11 on: July 22, 2011, 09:45:30 AM »
Didn't realize how often I suffered headaches from eye strain until I had Lasik. Everything from just a dull throb to all out seeing star bursts and being incapacitated for hours. Now I can't remember the last time I had that kind of headache.....

I still get a kick out of putting on my non perscription sunglasses.

In 1996 I was deemed to be experimental but by 2004 I was able to have the Lasik. I opted to get the thinest slice of the flap but couldn't get the latest laser technique at the time, a dimpling effect, because again I would be in the experimental range.

I would do the Lasik again in a heart beat. www.lasikmd.com

They do lots of US customers here in Calagry.

Offline Timalan

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #12 on: July 22, 2011, 09:47:47 AM »
i have been really wanting to have my eyes fixed but with Leo and one other person I know now blurry for ever... I really hesitate. My socks on the floor will just have to continue to scare me... for now.

Offline Necron99

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2011, 09:54:45 AM »
PRK here.  I lived with contact lenses for over 30 years.  I'm very happy to have had it done.  I think PRK is a significantly superior surgery to lasik.
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Offline Conrad

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #14 on: July 22, 2011, 10:00:08 AM »
My wife had it done a few years ago. She's never had to wear glasses and as she aged her eyesight was getting worse. She had no problems with the surgery except for one. Her night vision sucks and she refuses to drive at night now. She says that she'd do it again even so. 

I've worn glasses and/or contacts since I was 5 but I would NEVER consider having this surgery done myself. I've had a phobia about having surgery on mine eyes since I was a kid. I had to have a chalazion removed from my left eye years ago and I thought that I was gonna die!
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #15 on: July 22, 2011, 10:07:42 AM »
My son just had it done with amazing results. I was surprised that they did both eyes at the same time. When I had cataract surgery they did one eye waited a few months to be certain it was perfect then did the other eye.

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #16 on: July 22, 2011, 10:17:37 AM »
I had mine done in '98, I lead a pretty active outdoor life, and here in the Pacific Northwet glasses just suck.  The procedure went quite well, resulting in better then 20/20 vision, just the last 2 years I have started needing reading glasses.  I'd do it again in a rapid heartbeat.  I had both done at the same time, when I got done we went to dinner and wham!  I could read the menu without any optical aide.  I was driving the next day.  A note, the process involves burnt flesh, something I wasnt aware of, well, at least I didnt expect to smell burnt flesh.  I coulda taken some relaxers for the procedure, but I really hate doing them (drugs).  The procedure was pain free and other then the smell, exceeded my expectations.  I would suggest checking out Canada, my procedure cost me a whopping $990 US $$ total.

Offline Mister Tee

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #17 on: July 22, 2011, 04:16:41 PM »
Mine were done in 1999, by some Canadian firm that went bankrupt on my second followup visit (I showed up for my appointment and the building was empty, no signs or nothing.)  Some people were unlucky and lost their money over the deal.

Anyway, the results were perfect - I was 20-15 in a week and to this day it's 20-20 or better, and I had 20-400 with bad astigmatism.

The only downside was the "halo" effect that made night vision difficult - the refraction around the cut area of the flap causes lights to have a blurry ring around them.  It was only bad for a couple weeks and it disappeared within six months.

Best money I've spent on eyes.  I wore glasses and contacts before that - I'll never go back.  I can't recommend it highly enough.

Offline booger

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #18 on: July 22, 2011, 07:13:43 PM »
She should have it done.

But for a birthday present?

Let her have the Lasik AND throw in a pair of diamond earrings.

Offline ZG

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Re: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
« Reply #19 on: July 22, 2011, 07:44:28 PM »
She should have it done.

But for a birthday present?

Let her have the Lasik AND throw in a pair of diamond earrings.


Haha, the surgery alone is a big enough $ ticket for me, plus I need to still have $ for future farkles...  ;)


(Hmmm... MCcruise vs diamonds, easy decision for me there...  ;D )


Actually she really has wanted to get this done for quite awhile, so I think she would really appreciate it.




Thanks for all the inputs so far guy, wealth of knowledge on here for sure, much appreciated!  :hail: :thumbs: :grouphug: