Posted on 05/31/2011 4:04:02 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
Positives:
- Vision corrected to 20/15, 20/20 in bright light. Hasn't gotten much weaker, if at all.
- No more glasses, after 35 years!
- Greater respect from others. Unfortunately, glasses create an "image" so loud that many people can't even hear what you are saying.
Negatives:
- Night driving negatively impacted - big starbursts.
- My low light vision - never good - got even worse.
- A lot of pain after the anesthetic wore off. Had to sit in a dark room for hours until going to sleep, but was fine the next morning.
- Corneal flap didn't seem to heal right away - still had occasional flashes of minor pain for several months afterward.
- Onset of presbyopia seemed to accelerate...but that might just be normal aging.
On whole, I am a fan of the procedure - but there are tradeoffs to be aware of.
My eyes have settled a little but nowhere near the point of needing correction again. I haven't had any night vision or reading type problems at all. The only thing noticeable is that some small print at long distances that could be read a few years ago is getting a little blurry (across a baseball stadium distances)
The surgery itself went perfect but I will always remember the pain for about 5 hours after. Laid down in a dark bedroom and wouldn't let anyone in until I could open my eyes again. After that, no problems and we even went out to dinner that evening.
I work with 3 others that have all had the surgery at least 5 years ago and nobody complains of any problems.
Hope that helps.
So you had LASIK done for your distance vision? I guess nothing is a quick fix for needing reading glasses. Thanks.
I had Lasik performed in 1999 by the Emory Vision Correction Center in Atlanta, a client. In April 1999 waked in with something worse than 20/950 vision in my BEST eye. I was legally blind.
I left with 20/15 vision in each eye. I suffered no dry eyes. I had night halos for two weeks.
Twelve years and one month later, I have 20/15 vision and 20/20 vision, although with aging, I use reading glasses by the end of a long day.
I've represented Lasik clients and read data to the extent an attorney could understand it. I've never regretted it.
That is my personal testimony. The choice is up to you.
Two years ago, I went to a new opthamologist, who examined me and asked "you had Lasik on only your right eye?"
I replied, "no, both".
He looked, and looked, and increased the magnification. Then went and got another instrument. He said "I can't see a scar."
He brought in a partner who finally asked: "Are you CERTAIN you had Lasik on your your left eye?"
When I assured them I did, he said that the flap had settled and healed so well that they could not see the work and quipped that I could pass a military flight exam in that eye (well, except for being a couple of decades too old), because there was no evidence of Lasik.
By the way, the algorithms for the Lasik computers are updated constantly. When I represented prominent Lasik centers - like those connected with academic medical centers - the FDA was years behind in approving software.
Physicians reviews and studied software and used new European software under the acceptable “practice of medicine” doctrine.
If I had waited these twelve years for my Lasik, instead of 20/15, I could probably read the fine print on dog tag collars as the dogs run by about a half-mile away.
It cost me a fortune but it was well worth it......
http://www.rezoomiol.com/?gclid=CLy2j9WQnJICFSQiIgodhFeV7g
A good thread.
1. Why “LASIK” , why not laser?? Is it an owned & pattented method ?
2. Cost?? - (due to patent?) will it cheap out later when patent runs out?
3. Is it a permanent fix?
“I, unfortunately, cannot have the procedure. My cornea is too thin.”
I can’t have Lasik, or cataract surgery (which I need), because of the shape of my eyes. They’re stretched too tightly, and/or are a dangerous shape, so the danger of retina damage/detachment is huge. Have always had wretched eyesight and have dreamed of IOL implant, but it’ll most likely never happen.
I keep hoping for new advances! You never know.
Thank you for all of the thoughtful replies. It appears to be pretty evenly split on the pros and cons, enough for my wife to think that perhaps it is better to just let nature take its course.
no comparison.
The analogy you use really is lame. Risk is inherent to life. However, to take a risk that one does not have to take for reasons of vanity and convenience is different than to take risks doing things one really has no choice - e.g., going to the store to buy food and things needed to basically live vs. having one’s eye’s lasered knowing one only has two eyes to begin with - and knowing that glasses already easily solve the problem without the associated risk.
5 months since your post. Any problems? Did you have halos/blurriness/night vision problems post op?
Haven’t heard from Jemian yet but my procedures from ‘99 are holding up well.
Before LASIK I was -8.5 and -6; my opthamologist/surgeon decided to undercorrect the left eye so I would retain near vision: It worked! Although I need a slight bit of correction to focus closer than about 6 inches in that eye, the near vision is still pretty good.
The right eye is still good for distance and needs only -0.75 correction. This is a very good result after 12 years and having started from severe myopia.
The only drawback has been that low light/low contrast vision is worse and really nothing can be done about that but to turn on the lights.
I have bifocals but don’t really need them most of the time.
More important than the risk is the cost of failure. Walking across a plank one foot off the ground has the same risk of falling off as walking across a plank 100 feet in the air, but the costs of failure are very different. Eye surgery has a low risk but a very high cost of failure.
Not true. Both my parents had lasik last year while having their cataracts removed. They have 20/20 vision now. Quite the miracle.
No, I’m good. I love it. Since I am 56 I still need reading glasses, but my distance vision is 20/15. If you’re within driving distance of B’ham, AL, I highly recommend Dr. Sarah Hay.
What your money hungry parent's doctor did borders on criminal.
16K per eye. Parents are thrilled with the criminality, though.
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