Lasik eye surgery anyone?

[MacMadame]

I'm mystified by all the comments that Lasik hasn't been done for very long. It's been done since the late 80s and in the US since the early 90s. That's around two decades. How much longer does it have to be done before it's not considered experimental any more?

[Ozzisk8tr]

I'm mystified by all the comments that Lasik hasn't been done for very long. It's been done since the late 80s and in the US since the early 90s. That's around two decades. How much longer does it have to be done before it's not considered experimental any more?

Sort of like the "new" judging system. If we go by those standards at 46 I should be just about ready to hit puberty...

[4rkidz]

I decided to have it done, had all the pre-op appointments completed, showed up on the day of my surgery, paid, and then when it came time to actually "go under the knife", the surgeon had one last look at my eyes with the split lamp and noticed an abnormality that wasn't picked up in all the pre-op sessions. He was willing to do my right eye but not my left. I wasn't comfortable with that (what's the point?? I'd still have to wear glasses for my left eye), so I walked away.

I came back a few days later to see another specialist for a second opinion, and he referred my case to the "higher up" doctors... straight to the guy that started this particular chain of lasik centres. At this point I was starting to question their motives - they were obviously for-profit and it was in their best interests to tell me the surgery would be safe and fine, even with a very rare condition. I studied medical journals and found that the largest study done involved a sample size of 4 eyes... hardly conclusive, IMO. So I freaked out a little, and backed out of the whole thing.

I went back to my normal optometrist and got new glasses, and he referred me to (in his opinion) the top ophthalmologist in the country. I went to see him, he confirmed the diagnosis I was given at the lasik centre, and I asked his (neutral) opinion about whether or not lasik was possible with my condition. His opinion is that I can get it.

My schedule has been busy, the money I had saved up is long gone, so I have yet to consider going back... but someday...

this happened to my daughter - it was quite upsetting for her as was so hyped to get it done and again the one eye not appropriate for surgery.. was told right on the operating table and was prepped and everything - the way it was handled wasn't very good so we left that day and had our money returned. I think for those that have really bad eye sight like my daughter you really need to check out all the options as lasik isn't for everyone.

[Evilynn]

I looked into having it done about 2 years ago and was turned down at two different places. I am severly myoptic. My correction, like a poster a couple above me, is -10 and -11. Both laser centers after exam said, that there is not enough corneal thickness to operate on. It would be unsafe. I asked about having my vision even partially restored, down to a -6 or so. ( Hey to me -6 sounds wonderful!!!) Alas, no can do. Again too dangerous to mess with my cornea.
It was suggested that I look into lens implants. I did briefly as this is what is done for very high corrections. Well at that time it was about $5000.00 per eye! Ack!!! And a much longer recovery time etc.

The recovery time is shorter for ICL than for LASIK, so you might find that things have improved in regards to lens implants. It is more expensive, if not quite that expensive, at least not over here. I paid about $6k USD for both eyes (one of which was a toric lens, which costs more than a normal lens), and LASIK or LASEK would've cost me about $4.5 for both eyes.

I'm mystified by all the comments that Lasik hasn't been done for very long. It's been done since the late 80s and in the US since the early 90s. That's around two decades. How much longer does it have to be done before it's not considered experimental any more?

I think it's mostly because no one has grown old with the surgery yet, so it's difficult to say what'll happen in old age (in regards to retinal detachments and the like).

[Veronika]

I think it's mostly because no one has grown old with the surgery yet, so it's difficult to say what'll happen in old age (in regards to retinal detachments and the like).

Exactly...I'm 32, so I were to get the surgery, what would my eyes be like in 30-40 years? Nobody knows the long-term effects.

[Skate Talker]

yup - 20 years does not a eye's life cycle make. So basically I am just ruling out that there will ever be enough data in my lifetime and since the condition I have now can be corrected, and current surgery would not be able to remove my need for corrective lenses even in the short term - well that's just life and I am going with what I've got.

[MacMadame]

I think it's mostly because no one has grown old with the surgery yet, so it's difficult to say what'll happen in old age (in regards to retinal detachments and the like).

But, if it's been around for 20 years, there are people who were older when they got it so there probably is data on what happens to it when we age.

The thing is, surgery techniques change constantly. Lasik actually came from techniques that were used in the 50s and evolved into Lasik. But even the Lasik we have today isn't the Lasik of the 90s. So we have data from the 50s but it doesn't all apply.

I think, for medicine, two decades of data is pretty compelling and I don't think you can really get more than that because of changes in technique. No surgery at 30 years out is the same as it was to start with.

[Karina1974]

I think it's mostly because no one has grown old with the surgery yet, so it's difficult to say what'll happen in old age (in regards to retinal detachments and the like).

That precisely why my ex didn't want to have it done - in case he wound up with side effects. Plus, he's already had at least 5, possibly 6, surgeries on his eyes, going back to childhood, and didn't feel like going through another one.