LASIK / Corrective Vision Surgery - Please share your experience!

[Anocer]

Hey there folks!

I am considering getting LASIK eye surgery done to help correct my rather near-sighted self in preparation for my upcoming travels.

A few years back I went to a free consultation where they explained my eyes were good candidates for the wavefront corneal topography mapping technique and whatnot...

So, I would like to hear about your experiences with LASIK!

Have you had it done or know someone who has?
How long ago was it done, which procedure and how were the results?
Have there been any complications?
Experienced and halos in vision?
Experienced any tension headaches as a result?

Thanks in advance!

 

[moonshine44]

I'm having it done tomorrow. Several people here at work have done it, and are ecstatic over the results. I'm going to the same doctor they went to. One of the guys says that he does have some haloing at night, but the other one that I asked about it says he's never had any issues at all...

I am also near-sighted, and I was told that after the procedure I would more than likely need reading glasses...

I'm having custom-view wavefront Lasik done. With this type of procedure, they can custom tailor the surgery to your exact prescription. It's more expensive than standard Lasik, but I figured that if I'm going to do it, I might as well get the best possible results...

 

[Anocer]

I'm having it done tomorrow. Several people here at work have done it, and are ecstatic over the results. I'm going to the same doctor they went to. One of the guys says that he does have some haloing at night, but the other one that I asked about it says he's never had any issues at all...

I am also near-sighted, and I was told that after the procedure I would more than likely need reading glasses...

I'm having custom-view wavefront Lasik done. With this type of procedure, they can custom tailor the surgery to your exact prescription. It's more expensive than standard Lasik, but I figured that if I'm going to do it, I might as well get the best possible results...

Chuck, thanks for sharing your experience.

And you are 100% right about the cost... I will be sparing no expense and want to find the best possible procedure for my eyes regardless of cost.

 

[Anocer]

To be perfectly honest... I'm -really- nervous about needing to keep my eye steady for the procedure.

Such that I almost want to wait until I can just take a stem cell pill

 

[Stonecoldcrb]

Anocer:


This is certainly the last place I thought to see a post like this, but one I am certainly able to commment on. I was born with a lazy eye and had a number of procedures to attempt corrections. Additionally I had some vision problems with some near/far sight. involved.
I wore glasses growing up and doing so involved more than the share of "geekiness" alerts. I switched to contacts and lost the goggles completely save for throwing them on before the contacts in the a.m.
I had asked each time I had my eye exams if I was eligible for Laser Eye Correction. Each time I was told that my cornea(s) were too thin for me to have the procedure done. One day I saw a full page ad for a vision center dealing with Laser Surgery Correction as a specialty.
I made my appointment and had the most comprehensive exam I have ever experienced. I was given an overview of the potential choices IF after seeing my exam results the Dr. found me a candidate.
I received a follow-up call and was told I was found eligible for the LasEk surgery and not the common LasIk procedure most have. Think of it as PPK under a blanket.
I met with the doctor and was examined again by him and was scheduled for the procedure. One eye to be done followed 4 weeks later by the other eye.
I had the procedure done in July 07 followed in Aug 07 4 weeks apart completing both eyes, at the time I was 41 years old.
The procedure lasted under 2 mins. with the most time taken up by prep work with the staff. For both eyes my biggest complaint with the surgery was that the heal times were longer. Blurred vision was prominent, as was the "sand in the eye" feeling which had me at wits end for a period. Gradually my vision cleared up as time went by over the first few months. I was coached to be patient as a close friend of mine had the PPK procedure done and kept me in line telling me that it would gradually get better. IT DID.
The result for me has been wonderful!!! I experience no headaches, at least none that I can contribute to tension as a result of the surgery. I also cannot contribute any halo effects to the procedure now, but certainly did notice mildly while healing as is expected. Dry eye is a common side effect and can occur for a year or so perhaps more following the procedure. I did notice this but it has subsided to be all but gone now almost 2 years later. I have not experienced any other negative effects from the surgery.
My vision is perfect and I can only say for someone who had been repeatedly told that I was NOT a candidate I would encourage anyone to consider having it done. For me it was one of the best medical decisions I have ever made. At the time the total cost for me was $3400.00 and worth every hard earned penny I spent to have it done. Now compare this with those who have the easier LasIk surgery. Those walk out of the office seeing clearly the day the procedure is completed. To me its a no-brainer. But that's me......do your homework and make the best choice you can.

Here is a link for the fine Doctor who performed my LasEk....

http://www.eyehealthvision.com/profiles/kenyon_k.asp

Here is a video if you care to watch of the actual procedure that I had done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0lOOG5S2t4


Feel free to PM me with any questions or the like.

Good luck with whatever decision you should make!!!

Cheers

 

[blackfoot]

To be perfectly honest... I'm -really- nervous about needing to keep my eye steady for the procedure.

Such that I almost want to wait until I can just take a stem cell pill

I was worried about this too. But it is fast and pretty easy. You have a point to look at for fifteen seconds and it's over.

 

[Corey]

I had really awful vision growing up. I don't know the numbers, but what it boiled down to was, when looking at the standard eye chart, even the big E at the top was a blurry mess without corrective lenses. I was incredibly near sighted and couldn't do anything without glasses or contact lenses.

I got the surgery in 2001. I went from being practically blind to not needing any corrective lenses. For the first year (actually less, but let's call it a year) my vision was slightly worse than 20/20. Immediately after the surgery, my eyesight was tested at 20/40. If it stayed like that, I would have been completely thrilled, but as the year progressed and my eyes healed and adjusted, my vision became increasingly better. I'm easily at 20/20, if not slightly better now.

One thing to keep in mind: if you choose to do this procedure and you wear contact lenses, stop wearing them now and give your eyes plenty of time to heal. The contacts trap some acids against the eyes and cause pitting that you'd never notice, but will delay your surgery until the eye heals. I know this from experience. They had to reschedule my surgery for 3 weeks after the initial time because my eyes were still healing.

There have been a few very minor side effects. Every now and then my eyes dry out a bit. It was much more noticeable in the first few months after the procedure was done, but as things healed up, it became far less prominent. Every now and then I get a little dryness, but it's rare. A little more noticeable and somewhat of a pain in the *** is that my night vision has gotten worse. I can't see as far at night and my perception of depth and spacial relations at farther distances isn't as good as it was before the surgery. Also, certain color lights produce a bit of a halo effect at distances. At first it was something of a concern, especially when riding a motorcycle at night, but it's gotten a little bit better and I've learned to adjust my riding/driving style to compensate. It's not detrimental to my safety, just requires me to give a tiny bit more consideration to pulling into traffic or switching lanes. From what I understand, some of the newer techniques and equipment that they are using now drastically reduce these side effects, but there is still a chance it could happen.

So, I'm two years shy of a decade of not having touched a pair of glasses or contact lenses. It's been worth every penny, and with the exception of the two minor side effects I mentioned, it's been one of the best things I've ever done and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had to make the decision all over again.

 

[CookieMan]

If you are considering LASIK, some things you should know.

-This procedure is NOT, in any way, guaranteed.
-However, if you go through LASIK Plus Vision Centers, the doctors will not touch your eyes unless they are certain that the procedure will work for you.
-Their success rate is in excess of 99%.
-The difference between 'traditional' LASIK and 'Custom Wavefront" LASIK is negligible. Is there a difference? Yes. Is it massive? No. It's sort of like the difference between off brand and name brand.
-Ask your prospective doctor which lasers they use. Then Google them.
-If your eyes are extremely bad(+/- 12), most doctors won't touch your eyes.
-Contacts-If you are wearing soft contacts, most places require 7 days without lenses(some let you get by with 3). If they are hard lenses, most places require 14(others 30). If they are Toric(soft or hard), most doctors require 30 days because the Toric lenses greatly change the shape of your corneal epithelium/cornea itself.
-Ask about procedure times/if you have to move during procedure/if they use a laser to open the flap in your eye or a microkeratome. If they use a laser to open the flap in the eye, you usually have to move to the actual LASIK laser. This provides extra time for germs and such to get into your eyes and the speculums that hold your eyes open are there longer. That can cause more bruising to the eyelids and the eye itself(sometimes it can look like a burst blood vessel). If they use the microkeratome, they'll open the flap and perform the procedure in the same spot-no moving involved.
-If they have a lifetime plan(some call it acuity, others will have another name)...get it. All it requires for most is that you see an eye doctor-ANY eye doctor-once a year.
-Be prepared to not go swimming for a couple months.
-Keep up the faith! It's not bad, I know a ton of people who have had it done and they love it. My dear mother had it done about 5 years ago while I was working for the company and is now in her 50's and rarely has to even put on her reading glasses. If you're young, you probably won't have to worry about glasses until you are in your mid-to-late 40's due to eye degeneration basically. The ligaments(I completely forget what they're called) eventually wear out and stop stretching. this means the lens in your eye actually stops stretching/moving which is why you'll see older people with readers on top of their regular glasses. The eyes can no longer rapidly change between up close and distance.

 

[New2DEShaving_Montreal]

Back when I was in high school, I was told by a recruiter that I could not become a jet pilot unless I had perfect eye sight. Back then, they also did not accept anyone who had any corrective surgery done. I don't know how far this technology has come along but I am VERY curious about this. I too am nearsighted and wear glasses, which after 12 hours causes a slight pain behind my ears but that is about all. There is an upside to glasses, they do protect my eyes from any thing harmful flying around, and once or twice from hot oil and sparks. I have been very curious to learn about this surgery and would like to know if my glasses would still be required to see up close. Anyone has this experience?

 

[Billy Ockham]

I have been very curious to learn about this surgery and would like to know if my glasses would still be required to see up close. Anyone has this experience?

As a general rule, most folks with a perfect lasik result will begin to need reading specs somewhere in their early forties. So if you are a bit younger than that, you can reasonably expect to be "correction free" until you hit that age.

Of course, YMMV, and your eye doc is your best source for advice regarding what YOU can expect.

 

[RichGem]

Hey there folks!

I am considering getting LASIK eye surgery done to help correct my rather near-sighted self in preparation for my upcoming travels.

A few years back I went to a free consultation where they explained my eyes were good candidates for the wavefront corneal topography mapping technique and whatnot...

So, I would like to hear about your experiences with LASIK!

Have you had it done or know someone who has?
How long ago was it done, which procedure and how were the results?
Have there been any complications?
Experienced and halos in vision?
Experienced any tension headaches as a result?

Thanks in advance!

I had it done back in '03 and it was the best decision ever. No complications or halos. Only side effect which endures is dry eyes (taken care of with eye drops) and occassional red eyes (dryness and allergies). I went from something like 20-over-blind-as-a-bat to 20/30 in an hour. Best decision ever.

 

[RichGem]

As a general rule, most folks with a perfect lasik result will begin to need reading specs somewhere in their early forties. So if you are a bit younger than that, you can reasonably expect to be "correction free" until you hit that age.

Of course, YMMV, and your eye doc is your best source for advice regarding what YOU can expect.

edit: Of note, I got my Lasik from a (trained) eye doc in private practice. I would never trust my eyes (and advise you don't do so either) to one of these discount assembly line lasik eye centers. I walked into only one and was very negtively impressed with the cleanliness (very poor) and attention given to patients (also poor). They're your eyes; you only get one pair. Low cost is not worth the risk if you're just a number on an assembly line.

 

[Mainecanefan]

My opinion of Lasik? Best 10 minutes and $3000 dollars I've ever spent.

Why did it cost $3000? Because my eye doctor only recommended one doctor here in Portland to do my eyes- the one that fixes everyone elses screw-ups.

I went from 20/blind to 20/20. I would have been happy with 20/40 but I got an even better result. I would totally recommend it to anyone considering it.

 

[moonshine44]

Update: I had my Lasik surgery last Thursday. I went back in on Friday for a "post-op check" and I had gone from very near-sighted to 20/20 verging on 20/15. Since I am almost 52, they couldn't fix everything, so I do need readers, but I went from a 1.75 magnification reader on Friday and early Saturday to a 1.5 magnification reader beginning Saturday afternoon...

So far, I love it! HD TV!

 

[nikkuchan]

I haven’t had the surgery, but I can tell you the following:
-Both my brothers had it done successfully.
-My optometrist told me that experimental and improperly tested equipment is often used without the knowledge of the patient. Also, he told me that because of certain financial benefits they recieve from performing the surgery, many optometrists recommend it and assure it's safety even when the patient is a poor candidate with a high probability for complications.
-It is not the kind of surgery with which you want complications.
-Before using lasers, stone blades were used for eye surgery.
-Eyeglasses are not so bad.

 

[kwk285]

I had it done over 9 years ago and am very happy with the results. Afew things:

1) Don't choose your doctor over who is cheapest. These are your eyes.
2) They should offer a no obligation screening to see if you are a candidate.
3) Listen to what the doctor says in #2
4) Become one with your eye drops at the beginning
5) Have realistic expectations. I don't know your age but this surgery may give you great vision but unmask the need for reading glasses.

 

[Anocer]

Definitely not going the cheap route - as you said, these are my eyes.

I'm 27 & I can't read fine print that is more than half an arms reach away and it just gets worse from there... otherwise my vision is great!

 

[Leche]

My eye doc recommended a facility that does a lot of Lasik and other vision correction procedures. I decided not to go through with it for the following reasons...

1. The doctor never sees you until just before the procedure. I was not comfortable with this and found out many of the bigger conveyor belt centers do this commonly.
2. The cost was too expensive for me. I didn't want to dive into debt.
3. My career is dependent on my vision. Glasses and contacts work. Although rare complications often leave an uncorrectable change in vision.

Don't rush with this. Ask the tough questions and see the success rates of the doctor. And if you don't feel comfortable, find someone else.