Laser vision correction, Lasik

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kanling

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Jul 17, 2005
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I had it done in January. My vision is now 20/15 and on a clear day I love it. The thing that surprised me the most was the halos around lights were worse than I expected and take a long time to decrease. It took months for them to reduce, I still have them a little bit, but no longer annoying.

I would recommend going to a place with the best equipment. Definitely go for the CustomVue mapping procedure. I also had the Intralase for the flap cutting. I figured if somebody was going to shoot a laser beam in my eyes, I wanted the best equipment for the safest outcome and best results. It's going to cost a lot even for the cheapest place, what's a little more?

Spend the time to check out the options at all your local providers. If most of us obsess about oil filters and used motor oil on a car we might keep 15 years, we should obsess even harder about something we will have to live with for our entire lives.
 
My family opthomoligist is the guy I'm lookin at for getting the procedure. There actually aren't many options around me area. This guy was an army surgeon and has had the same practice here since 1981. I can't remember why I wasn't a candidate last time, but he said by now I'd likely be one. When he said that last time, I went to get a free consultation by the other "renowned" (and highly advertised I might add) Lasik provider and he said oh yeah, your a great candidate (this guy also offers a 20/20 garuntee which I don't trust). I think I'll trust the guy that wasn't willing to sell it to me
wink.gif
My guy charges $1500/eye which includes everything; even post operative enhancements for life if they will help.

What's the deal with the flap opening technique? I've read that the bladeless deal could be worse than the other method. My opthamologists uses the non-bladeless method for that reason. He's very experienced with laser vision correction but I don't think he's done as many as the other guy. My guy will straight tell ya if he thinks it's not going to work well.
 
I don't trust the doctors that advertise too much. It makes me suspect they are just running an assembly line operation, which I think they all are to some extent. I personally believe that the machine, more than the doctor, makes the difference in the outcome. The machine does all the work aside from cutting the flap (if they use the blade.) But, the doctor should be experienced at using the machine, calibrating the machine, and handling the ongoing check-ups.

I never saw anything against the Intralase (laser, non-blade) flap cutting method that was significant. Maybe there is something new or I missed something. (And don't tell me now) What I read showed that the flap thickness was more uniform and that maybe there was a very slight improvement in the vision outcome from using Intralase, on average.

Where I live, there are a lot of laser centers around, yet only a handful have the Intralase machine. Surely the ones that don't have it will tell you that the blade method is just as good, just as the ones that do have it will say the blade is worse. I tried to get independent information. It seemed that the improvement from using the Intralase over the blade was minimal compared to going with CustomVue over standard.

Mine cost $4800, both eyes. I saved quite a bit using the Flexible Spending Account at work.
 
Had it 3 years ago on June 1st. Went from 20/200 to 20/10 in right, 20/15 in left. I still have to use eyedrops ocassionally for dry eyes, but not nearly as much as I did when I wore contacts. I also have some halos at night, but not as bad as with contacts. My problem: the lasers at the time only went to 7mm (B&L). My pupil is 7.2mm. I have .2mm of my pupil which is not treated, causing the halo.

Would I do it again? HECK YEAH!!! My cost was about $2900 for both eyes. Insurance payed $500/eye, so I payed $1900 out of pocket!!
 
I think your eyes are different than mine, since you were previously told you weren't a good candidate. I was good with the older and newer technologies. So, back up everything suggested by any BITOGers with your own research and considering your own situation. And if in doubt, don't do it now... it can always be done later.
 
Kanling, that's why I trust my family opthomologist. He had doubt and he told me! He said at that time that he himself would not perform the operation based on what he saw but that I could always get a 2nd opinion or get the procedure done somewhere else. That's what I call honesty; something I felt I didn't get from the other doctor.
 
I had mine done in January 1999. I had inquired with my Optamatrist in December 1997 about the procedure and he said I shouldd wait another year. So, in December 1998 he gave me a complete exam and said I was an ideal candidate. I asked him point blank who he would trust if he was having it done himself. He would only name 2 doctors in the whole state of PA. I chose the one he recommended who was Fellowship trained on Corneal surgery. My results have been great and would definately do it again if necessary. My right ey is still 20-15 and my left is 20-20. What ever you do, don't choose a doctor based on price!
 
Drew, my wife had it done several months ago and it changed her life.The only time she needs glasses now is when driving at night. Before the procedure she was almost blind.Highly recomend it.
 
Do your research. You will get what you pay for. I got a far older type of eye enhancement surgery in 1990 called (RK) Radial Keratotomy. This is where the surgeon takes a diamond blade scalpel and makes several radial incisions on each eye in a starburst pattern. It hurt like you would not believe! Worst pain in my life. I do not regret the operation since I went from 20/700 in each eye to near perfect. Only down side is that even 15 years later I still could not reenlist in the Army,but that is old news and life goes on.

Your eyesight is a precious thing not to be taken for granted. Please check your doctor out completly.
 
What about just plain old lens replacement? This is just about as effective as lasik and lasik AFAIK won't stop you from developing cateracts later on ..which will mean a lens replacement.
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My mother had her lenses replaced ..and didn't need corrective lenses afterward.
 
Who's had it? I wasn't a candidate 2 years ago but my opthomologist said I may be now. I've got an appointment set up to see. I HATE GLASSES!!

Was it like a miracle cure for those who've had it?
 
Drew, what changed in 2 years to make you a candidate?

I looked into it and got some advice that seemed good.

Find a doctor with lots of experiance and a high success rate.

Don't let price be a factor in your shopping for a doctor. The best doctor may not be the most expensive, but he definitely won't be the cheapest.

Find one that does a thourough job of evaluating your present vision before surgury. Some do one quick examination and go from there. Your eyes vary a bit from day to day and under different conditions.

Be sure the doctor has some 24 hour support available in case you have problems after the laser surgury.

$4,000 vs $1,000 is not significant when it's your vision.

Also find out if the price includes post operation care. If not you might want to consider insurance for it.

I ended up not getting it because there was a good chance I was still going to need glasses because of one vision problem it wouldn't correct so I didn't get it done.

[ July 27, 2005, 01:00 PM: Message edited by: XS650 ]
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ken4:
With lens replacement, you can only focus at one distance. You still need glasses for reading.
Click to expand...
Does lens replacment prevent the eyeball from changing shape to focus?
 
Well, my mother went from bifocals to plain glass for the first eye. I really don't recall if she had reading glasses or not.

Isn't it typically the rigidity of the lens that eliminates our ability to focus at close range?
dunno.gif


Still, you may end up getting your lenses replaced anyway if you live long enough to get cateracts.
 
quote:
Does lens replacment prevent the eyeball from changing shape to focus?
Click to expand...
Myopia (shortsightedness) is caused by the eyeball being too long. The lens in the eye can't accomodate enought to fouc the image at farther distances. Reshaping the cornea (in front of iris and lens) can compensate for the "long" eyeball.

Hyperopia (farsightedness) is caused by the eyeball being too short.

Presbyopia (farsightedness due to aging) is caused by the lens becoming increasingly rigid. While visual the effect of presbyopia and hyperopia are similar, they are not the same.

The lens in the eye (behind the iris)is often replaced due to glaucoma and cateracts. An implanted lens can't change shape or focus, hence corrective glasses are still needed. It's actually not the eyeball that change shape when accomodating (focusing), it's the lens that's being stretched and pulled via suspensory ligaments by the ciliary muscle.
 
I wouldn't want a doctor screwing around with my eyes unless it was an emergency. I have a real good friend that is a hotshot eye doctor and I have been able to watch him do retina surgery. Again ,I wouldn't want a doctor screwing around with my eyes.
 
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