Lasik eye surgery anyone?

[Ozzisk8tr]

Just wondering if anyone has had, or knows anyone who has had Lasik eye surgery. I'm considering getting it done early next year. I've done a fair amount of research and like all things there are pros and cons. There are some great stories out there on the web of success and some scary horror stories too. I figured there are enough people on here with great opinions and advice I'd put it out there and see what peoples experiences have been.

[oleada]

I haven't had it done personally, but my two best friends say it's the best thing they've ever done.

[my little pony]

i know someone whose lasik surgery went wrong and it had to be corrected and redone. all together there were i think 4 procedures. and she still recommends it to others.

[orbitz]

I had Lasik about 10+ years ago. I'm sure the procedure has been much improved since then.

I can still see pretty well but I notice that my vision has diminished since then (your eye balls will still change their shapes as you age). I don't like driving at night, especially in bad weather, because the starburst effect when looking at car and street lights can be annoying. It's difficult for me to see really clearly when sitting in a movie theatre. I also suffer from dry eyes, but I can't determine if it's from the lasik or not.

I still would recommend it though. The alternative for me was to wear thick coke-bottom glasses or contacts, which my eyes could not tolerate at all.

[alexikeguchi]

My husband and I both had Lasik over 10 years ago and are success stories. As highly active people who enjoy travel and adventure sports, we found glasses/contacts and associated paraphernalia to be extremely cumbersome and are 100% satisfied with the long term results. The only slight down side, which I was informed of at the time but have only begun to notice within the last year, is that the normal far-sightedness that comes with age hits you a few years sooner. I accepted this risk because I would much rather wear glasses when I am sitting still and reading than deal with a prescription scuba mask and ski goggles.

As with any medical procedure, make sure you do plenty of research beforehand and find an experienced practitioner. I think many of the horror stories are from people who went for the least expensive alternative and ended up with someone who had taken a weekend course and was not a proper specialist. I don't know if you have that same problem in Australia, but just make sure to ask if the provider has the appropriate certification.

[Ozzisk8tr]

Thanks for the replies so far. Pretty amazing that someone who had problems still talks highly of the operation. My concern is the starbursts and halo's around lights. Apparently it goes after a couple of months but there seem to be a lot of people out there that it never goes away for. Still, I hate wearing glasses and would feel much better without them. They often go flying across the rink when I demonstrate things (not jumps anymore, too wise). Well I can go without them but I often end up having conversations with a)the wrong people, b) my reflection or c) wall art.

[nubka]

I had definately decided to get the surgery done early in 2011, but that was before I forked out over $3,000 for car repairs this past Fall - ugh!!

[Cheylana]

I did the lasik surgery last January. Best present I ever gave to myself. I especially love waking up in the am and not having to fumble for glasses! I really think the overall risk is pretty low, particularly if you go with a well respected doctor. Get recommendations and ask the doc lots of questions, do your research. And max out your FSA plan so you can do as much of it on a before tax basis as possible.

[Erica Lee]

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...

[Really]

Has anyone had it done once their eyes have already started the presbyopia thing? I can't get contacts to work for me no matter what, and I'm starting to think lasik might be the way to go.

[Lizziebeth]

Has anyone had it done once their eyes have already started the presbyopia thing? I can't get contacts to work for me no matter what, and I'm starting to think lasik might be the way to go.

If you have both eyes corrected to 20/20 you will still need reading glasses for presbyopia

I had lasik about 10 years ago. I actually have one eye corrected for 20/20 and one eye corrected to something less than that (monovision). It works quite well for gardening, swimming, sitting on the couch watching TV, etc. Over the years, I have started to use reading glasses for tiny print, or in the evening when I am tired or the light is not so good. Found out that this problem is due to me starting to get a cataract in my reading eye.

Lasik is not perfect, but it beats being totally nearsighted. You could talk to the doctor about monovision. My sister also had monovision and really likes it and only wears glasses to drive at night. Good luck.

[FunnyBut]

I had it done about 8 years ago, and I agree it was the best thing I ever did. (I was considered a good candidate, and plus my insurance with my employer at the time covered 60% of the procedure, which was highly unusual even at that time).

I could see the minute after the surgery, though my vision was a bit blurry. The next day I opened my eyes, and I had never seen so clearly and detailed in my life before! Suddenly I was seeing individual leaves in the trees, individual blades of grass, I wanted to clean my house because I was noticing all the dust in detail that I was totally oblivious to before. The doctor measured my vision at 20-15, and it's been that ever since I have not ever had a single issue. It's so good not to have glasses that constantly slip, (my skin is also allergic to the metal frames, and my eyes too dry to wear contacts well), and wake up every morning with perfect vision.

I would say the morning of the surgery I had a scare. The lasik machine was not operating properly, my surgery was delayed 2 hours, and I was the second person to go under the laser after it had just been delcared repaired. But the surgery itself was quick and painless. It was a bit disarming to be fully awake while your eyes are being operated on, plus to smell the burning skin of your retina as the laser works on it (I say this not to scare you, just to perpare you, it really is a great thing to have done).

[pilgrimsoul]

Are people with an astigmatism good candidates for LASIK? Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[reckless]

Are people with an astigmatism good candidates for LASIK? Thanks for sharing your experiences.

I had lasik in 1998 and echo the comments from people who say it's the best thing they've ever done. I had very bad astigmatism and terrible eyesight (20/200), and was 20/20 the day after the surgery.

I'm now having some blurriness, but that may be due to side-effects from some medication i take. However, my vision is still far superior to what it was.

[Skate Talker]

I find these responses interesting. My ophthalmologist still tells me there is not enough long term data and that if a family member were to ask him he would not recommend it in general. I have slight astigmatism and am severely myopic, (natural focus about 1 inch from my eyeball), and have always been told I am a very poor candidate for the procedure and would likely always need corrective lenses regardless. so I figure, what is the point of fooling around with irreversible surgery with unknown long-term results? I have very dry eyes and have not been successful at wearing contacts for much of anything but outdoor, non-driving activities.

[reckless]

I find these responses interesting. My ophthalmologist still tells me there is not enough long term data and that if a family member were to ask him he would not recommend it in general. I have slight astigmatism and am severely myopic, (natural focus about 1 inch from my eyeball), and have always been told I am a very poor candidate for the procedure and would likely always need corrective lenses regardless. so I figure, what is the point of fooling around with irreversible surgery with unknown long-term results? I have very dry eyes and have not been successful at wearing contacts for much of anything but outdoor, non-driving activities.

I couldn't wear contacts either. Where do you live? If you can, you might want to make inquiries of doctors who have done large numbers of LASIK procedures and other treatments for the severely myopic. I thought LASIK was so widely accepted that I am surprised that an ophthalmologist would question it. But I do agree that it may be odd to have the procedure done if you still need glasses.

I had my surgery done at a clinic whose doctors were among the pioneers of LASIK and tested a number of other experimental treatments. The doctor who did my surgery was also running tests on an implantable contact lens for people whose eyesight would not be corrected through LASIK. (The implants were later approved by the FDA.) You might want to do research, see if you can locate some of those doctors, and see what they tell you about your possibilities.

[PDilemma]

I find these responses interesting. My ophthalmologist still tells me there is not enough long term data and that if a family member were to ask him he would not recommend it in general. I have slight astigmatism and am severely myopic, (natural focus about 1 inch from my eyeball), and have always been told I am a very poor candidate for the procedure and would likely always need corrective lenses regardless. so I figure, what is the point of fooling around with irreversible surgery with unknown long-term results? I have very dry eyes and have not been successful at wearing contacts for much of anything but outdoor, non-driving activities.

I am not a candidate either due to a retinal condition. And my retinal specialist (one of the top ones in the country) says the same things about Lasik. A lot of long term questions about it have simply not been answered.

I can wear contacts. I may, at some point in the ever nearing future, need to wear reading glasses over them. It doesn't bother me. The Lasik industry (and it is a multi-million dollar elective surgery industry) has done a great job of convincing people that their glasses and/or contacts are the most inconvenient thing in the history of the universe. The reality is that if you keep your glasses in the same place every night when you go to bed, it is not that difficult to pick them up in the morning. And if you have worn contacts for 25 years like I have and you have the right lenses for fit and correction (a lot of people seem not to), that's not a giant inconvenience either. It takes me about ten seconds to put them in in the morning. Twenty seconds to take them out in the evening (putting the solution in the case takes longer than dumping it out).

[PDilemma]

I had lasik in 1998 and echo the comments from people who say it's the best thing they've ever done. I had very bad astigmatism and terrible eyesight (20/200), and was 20/20 the day after the surgery.

I'm now having some blurriness, but that may be due to side-effects from some medication i take. However, my vision is still far superior to what it was.

20/200 is approximately a prescription of -2.5 to -3.0 diopters. That is far from severe myopia which begins at a glasses (not contacts) prescription of around -6.5 to -7.0 diopters. That is roughly 20/600 to 20/800.

My prescriptions (right and left eyes) are in the -11 to -12 range. My mother's is -22 in her GOOD EYE.

You did not have terrible eyesight.

[IceAlisa]

My understanding is that mostly the outcomes are good. I do know some people who had to have a redo but are mostly happy with it. I am personally terrified of having someone mess with my eyes while I am awake, plus for some reason I am convinced that I will be the one seeing halos around eyes and getting chronically dry eyes. I talked my husband out of doing it too.

[Karina1974]

My ex-bf was born with congenital cataracts, as was one of his 2 younger brothers, and when Lasik first "came out" the eye doctors he was seeing were pushing him to get it, and he refused. He would say that he was used to his vision the way it was, and didn't want to deal with any possible negative side effects from the surgery. I think it's also because he remembers what eye surgery is like pre-Lasik (as in some 35 years ago) and having someone messing with his eyes squicks him out.