Anybody have Lasik eye surgery ?

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Before lasers they did it with a knife slice. Mainly for pilots.

My distance is fine. But I need reading glasses. At $6.50 for a 3 pack of reading glasses at Walmart I think I will keep with the reading glasses.


Commercial pilots. And you're grounded for 90 days following. Only recently has the USN allowed pilots to fly with corrective surgery for eyes, and not all procedures are authorized (think 400 KIAS ejection wind blast...cornea scars aren't stress tested for it...).

Regardless of how well it works for you when you're young, as presbyopia sets in, you will need reading glasses.
For me? I still see 20/12, 20/15 in my weak eye.

Bring on the Walmart cheaters !

 

[Cristobal]

I had it 12 years ago when it was much cheaper than today. I am more than pleased with the results, especially because I no longer needed thick glasses (about $400.00 per pair) for distance vision. Now as I am older I am farsighted, but for reading there are $1.00 glasses from the 99 Cent Store & my distance vision is great.

 

[JohnnyZ52]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I took my friend to get his Lasik about 12 years ago.

I got to watch it on the big screen. A little disturbing if you are sensitive about your eyes.

On the ride home, he was slumped back in his seat, all valiumed out. Occasionally he would sit up and say, "I CAN READ THAT SIGN!....."I CAN SEE THE LEAVES ON THE TREES."

He got to take his driver's license test and remove the "A" corrective lenses restriction.

It lasted about 10 years. He is back to wearing glasses again.


Vision changes at a fairly rapid pace for many people until 19 (so they say, I say early 20s personally)...it doesn't tend to change much for 'most' people until 40+ and then it's a pretty minor change (most of the time). So knowing where your vision is at is important. My eyes have stayed the same for some time (30 now) and am considering getting the procedure done. My sister got it many years ago and has some night halos but says she'd do it again (we were just discussing this today actually). I have GPC buildup on my eyelids which has been an issue for a couple of years now (contact lens irritation, basically) and spend the money over a ten year period to easily pay off what the procedure will cost up front. I am also interested in hearing from people about how much it costs, how difficult the procedure was for you, and which type of procedure is recommended. It's not like it used to be...there are a lot of different ways to go about this now.

 

[JHZR2]

Ive been super lucky, my parents and all grandparents wore glasses, and most had them by 20 or so. I still dont have glasses.

Not sure why, but Ill take it.

Im pretty squeamish when it comes to medical stuff for myself. I watched my wife's Caesarian, but faint from a blood test. I cant imagine being awake and getting my eyes cut.

My father had a detached retina fixed... yikes!

 

[JohnnyZ52]

Originally Posted By: harbor
Everyone I know that has had it done, including my sister, have gone back to wearing glasses or contacts a few years later. My concern is cutting into healthy tissue for aesthetic reasons.


What was the general age group of the people you mention? I'm curious...

I agree with what you're saying about cutting into healthy tissue, but everyone has a different take on it. My eyes are pretty bad and I can't see a tv at night when I lay in bed. There are a lot of ways that going without contacts/glasses would change my life. For those with minor vision issues, I can see where the risk may not be worth it..even if the risk is fairly small (statistically).

 

[termigator]

Another satisfied Lasik customer here. I had it done when I was 29. My vision was around 20/250 for both eyes. Afterward, it was 20/15 on my left eye and 20/25 on my right. I had the choice of redoing my eyes if I wasn't satisfied with it within the year. I had them redo my right eye because I wanted better vision. It's now 20/20.

When I had the surgery done, I was told that when I got older, I was still going to need reading glasses and nothing could be done about that. I'm 43 now and my vision is still perfect, but I do notice that I can't focus as closely as before.

The most uncomfortable part I remember is when they taped my eyelids open. It didn't hurt. It just didn't feel very comfortable. I barely remember the burning smell. When they were done, my eyes felt like there was dust stuck in it, but only when I had my eyes open. They felt alright when I had them closed. When I woke up the next morning my eyes felt normal. The only thing that was different was I didn't have to mess with contacts anymore because everything was focused right from the getgo. That was a sensation I hadn't felt in about 20 years and felt quite good!

 

[Fleetmon]

I was 45 when mine were done.....absolutely no complaints 13 years later and as said, would do it again.

 

[harbor]

Originally Posted By: Cujobob [/quote

What was the general age group of the people you mention? I'm curious...


Generally they changed back by their early to mid-50's including one co-worker who was one of the early adopters of the scalpel incission procedure (RK?)

BTW, I'm not critiquing the procedure, just not my cup of tea. I'm all for medical advances, and I'm guessing they'll be putting microchips or screens in our eyes in the not-to-distant future.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Not any chance I will ever let anyone near my eyes with a laser! I'll deal with glasses.

 

[RiceCake]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: RiceCake
Don't ever lookup how its done online, you'll likely never get it done after.


Why would that scare anyone away unless they're rather spineless to begin with? It's just a surgical procedure done with a laser, and by today's standards it's a rather simple procedure.


Yes, I'm spineless then, because watching a doctor use the equivalent of a small steel wood planar to shave the front off a human eyeball haunts me.

 

[kschachn]

Exactly my thoughts. I'm not anti-surgery, if I need something done I have it done. I even had my nose straightened since it was interfering with my breathing. If I had some kind of eye condition (other than simple myopia) that could be corrected by surgery I would go for that too. But my vision is 20/20 with contacts and/or glasses.

IDK, in my book of Words That Should Never be in the Same Sentence, "eyes" (especially my eyes) and "laser" are right in the front of the book

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Not any chance I will ever let anyone near my eyes with a laser! I'll deal with glasses.

 

[Win]

Younger relative had it done a few years back and is now blind in one eye from some kind of complication.

 

[Merkava_4]

I used to have perfect vision until I turned 45. Now I'm near sighted and have to wear distance glasses to drive. I could use some reading glasses, but the VA only gives out one pair of glasses per year. I had to choose which is more important: reading, or driving a car.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Bifocals?

 

[GreeCguy]

Have considered it myself but was afraid. My vision is very bad. I can read fine without glasses, (not wearing them now) but cannot see the clock if I look up from the computer. I kept hearing all the fantastic reports, so last year, finally talked to the eye doc about it. She told me with my vision, it would work for distance, but I would then need reading glasses. In my line of work, that means I would be wearing glasses all the time anyway as I read constantly, (one reason my eyes are in their present condition). I have a cousin who had it done about five years ago and he loves it. I know a fellow at my Church who had it about ten years ago, now he's back to wearing glasses. I enjoy woodworking and the plus to wearing glasses while working with wood is no sawdust in my eyes.

 

[DBMaster]

I was about to have it done in 2001, literally one day from it. My inter ocular pressure read a little high so the doctor advised me to wait. In the interim I found a web site for people who had complications - life altering complications - from the surgery. I know that it is a small minority who are not happy, but I realized that, as picky as I am, I didn't want to take a chance of being one of the unhappy ones.

There are occasions when the cornea heals irregularly. The result in astigmatism that can only be corrected with large hard contacts. Since corneal nerves are severed in the procedure the extent to which they "grow back" will determine if your eye's signaling mechanism for tear production will still function properly. A friend had dry eyes for two years and then it improved. A very few will end up with permanent dry eye which they tell me is a lot more painful and bothersome than you think.

About half of those I know directly who had LASIK either needed reading glasses right away or ended up back in glasses, at least part of the time, in less than ten years.

I would not try to talk anyone out of it, but do your research on the pros and the cons.

 

[RiceCake]

I decided I was happy with glasses.

Free eye protection, and its probably saved me a few times from stuff.

Annoying? Sure, but I've since got used to them.

 

[DBMaster]

After aborting LASIK I decided to buy a much more expensive pair of glasses since I had money going into an FSA to pay for LASIK. I am still wearing them twelve years later. I have had other pairs in the interim, but I keep going back to these because they are the most comfortable I have ever owned.

So, if you wear glasses, or even contacts for that matter, don't go cheap and perhaps you will be less bothered by them. Just a thought.

 

[D189379]

I had it done in 2008. 20/20 still in both eyes. Best money I ever spent.

 

[DBMaster]

^That is what most do say. I guess since millions have had it done even a very small percentage still represents a lot of people.

It will be interesting to see how things are looking 20, 30, or 40 years after the fact.