| Author | Message | ||
| jbybj
Junior Username: jbybj Post Number: 43 Registered: 6-2006 |
It is everything they say it is and more. If you are a good candidate for the procedure, you will find it a life altering, psychadelic experience. One day after the surgery, I have 20/15 vision, and I'm without glasses for the first time in 40 years. | ||
| davr35
Member Username: davr35 Post Number: 51 Registered: 12-2004 |
I'm having it done on the 25th this month I'll let you know how it turns out | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 1356 Registered: 4-2004 |
i had it done about 1yr ago i too am 20/15 best money spent next to another alembic cept i need to wear cheaters for reading | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1220 Registered: 6-2002 |
From what I heard from a colleague, she backed out from the procedure when she heard about risks that you run after you have the laser treatment done to your eyes. They don't usually tell you this, but there are known risks when you get into something like a car crash - I'll leave the details to the dark recesses of your imagination. The information came straight from the specialist at the hospital, who would have made money if she had gone forward with the procedure, and I can vouch for my colleague's honesty. | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 610 Registered: 6-2002 |
I considered the procedure a couple of years ago. I just couldn't justify the thought of paying someone $4000 for 15 mins work! As well, I have a deep mistrust of doctors and their motives. Gambling with something as precious as my vision scares me too much. Any mistake is irreversible and permanent. It's a very tempting idea, but I'm not confident enough to do it. I'll keep my glasses and contact lenses a while longer. | ||
| studiorecluse
Junior Username: studiorecluse Post Number: 50 Registered: 11-2005 |
My wife had hers done around 9 years ago with NO long term bad side effects thus far. She went from legally blind at 20-650 to 20-15. You read that right, from 20-650 to 20-15. This was the single most wonderful life improving thing that has ever happened to her, other than meeting me of course (LOL). Dangers? Sure there are... including the drive to the clinic to get it done. If she had to do it again, she says she would in a moment, and encourages anyone for whom it is appropriate to do so. Her only advice is to go with experience- the doctor whose has performed tons of them successfully. David, fasten your seat belt... you're in for a wonderful ride. Cary | ||
| paulman
Intermediate Member Username: paulman Post Number: 170 Registered: 2-2005 |
I'm sure I'll get hit if I say "I 'see' your point". | ||
| fmm
Intermediate Member Username: fmm Post Number: 181 Registered: 6-2002 |
My wife had this done 2 years ago, loves it. I'd rather spend the money on another bass. | ||
| tbrannon
Advanced Member Username: tbrannon Post Number: 294 Registered: 11-2004 |
My wife had Lasik performed about 5 years ago- got tremendous results for about 2-3 months and then noticed a rapid decline. Turns out she has Keratoconous, which is a condition of the cornea in which the cornea is steepened to the point of being cone-shaped. The doctors explained that it is often excacerbated by the Lasik surgery- as a result, she has lost all the gains from the surgery and is actually a bit worse than when she started. Additionally, she is no longer able to wear soft contacts, but needs to wear the hard contacts to get any correction. It's been a huge battle for her- as a result of the cone shape, she's had trouble finding hard contacts that fit her eyes properly and she is continually battling irritation from the lenses. EDIT: forgot to mention that glasses won't correct her vision either. It's hard contacts- all the time. Not trying to be a scare monger here- from what I understand, the condition is virtually impossible for doctors to diagnose before surgery- it's as the eye heals that the new cells begin to triangulate and cause problems. At least this was the case for her, she was examined by 3 different doctors before surgery and none of them made any notes about the condition. That being said, my father and 3 sisters had the surgery and rave about it. (Message edited by tbrannon on January 15, 2007) | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 2022 Registered: 7-2004 |
I can certainly understand doing this surgery for valid medical reasons. The people who do it for vanity - "my eyesight isn't that bad, but I hate the way I look in glasses" - I just don't understand. As my father always said: "The definition of minor surgery is surgery performed on someone else". Also, I've heard it can have a negative impact on night vision. Bill, tgo | ||
| dnburgess
Senior Member Username: dnburgess Post Number: 501 Registered: 1-2003 |
I had it done about 12 months ago. I had one eye undercorrected - so most of the time I dont need glasses to read. Would I do it again in the same circumstances? Yes. | ||
| valvil
Moderator Username: valvil Post Number: 973 Registered: 7-2002 |
I've been tempted in the past but then I came down with diabetes and with the vision changes that go with it I am not sure if it'd be worth it. Anyone with diabetes who has had Lasik? I'd be interested in hearing how that went. Valentino | ||
| byoung
Senior Member Username: byoung Post Number: 486 Registered: 12-2004 |
The night vision thing is the killer for me. I could not go through life seeing halos around lights. I'm pretty light sensitive (which leads people to think that I'm nocturnal), but I like to work in the dim or dark (on my computer, other things are different), and that would be untenable. YMMV, each his own and all that. But don't go in thinking that there are no risks-- I've read some real horror stories, including losing sight. Bradley | ||
| jbybj
Junior Username: jbybj Post Number: 44 Registered: 6-2006 |
I had all sorts of fears before hand, just the eek factor of peeling back the eye tissue. I asked my eye doctor, (not the surgeon) about the horror stories and things gone bad. He told me that he rejects about one in three of his patients who request lasik, saying there are very specific criteria that make one a good or bad candidate. He assured me that good screening is the key to success. Extended dry eye, weeks instead of days, was the worst outcome he has had for any of his thousands of patients. Of course you always have to weigh the risks and benefits of something like this. My driving motivation was poor eyesight, not vanity, though I must admit, now that I can finally see them clearly in the mirror, I have beautiful blue eyes:-) I also felt good about the fact that my surgeon, Kerry Assil, is a world reknown leader and innovator in eye surgery. It is definitely one of those things that you cannot possibly imagine the impact it will have on you until you experience it. | ||
| studiorecluse
Member Username: studiorecluse Post Number: 51 Registered: 11-2005 |
Byoung, Karen had the halos, but they went away in less than a year- don't remember exactly how long. Her only long term problem is a slight sensitivity to bright light, which is treated with sunglasses as needed. BUT, she no longer has glasses fogging, cleaning rain drops, indentations on her nose. We lived in rural Alaska for 4 years, moving there was the main motivation- loose her glasses in the woods or a cabin fire and never be found. Jbybj's closing sentence is spot-on. Oh yeah, without the glasses you can really see her beautiful browns. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 1456 Registered: 3-2004 |
I think about it from time to time as well. I generally wear glasses for severe astigmatism, but use contacts when I play baseball. It's only for sports that I really wish I could get my eyes fixed. One is much worse than the other, so I would consider getting just the one eye done. That would sort of split the difference in terms of the risk. If things were stable a year or two later, than the other could be done. I don't know. There's always a risk, no matter how small, that bad things could result. | ||
| davr35
Member Username: davr35 Post Number: 53 Registered: 12-2004 |
Val, I have borderline diabetes.. diet controlled..And I don't have any problems healing so my doctors are not worried.Jbybj was right about a good screening. My Lasix work up was 3 1/2 hours long. An insane amount of tests. | ||
| bob
Senior Member Username: bob Post Number: 811 Registered: 11-2002 |
(Bob/bsee) A guy I used to work with had one eye done. Supposedly the best of both worlds, risk one, fix the bad one, and your brain will eventually adjust and use whichever is appropriate. The problem he had was that, when driving at night with raindrops on the windshield, he ended up focusing on the raindrops. I haven't been in touch with him for a few years, so perhaps he's gotten over this (I think I would have heard if he hadn't). But it seems it was quite difficult, and disturbing. | ||
| keurosix
Intermediate Member Username: keurosix Post Number: 149 Registered: 10-2005 |
I am a scuba diver and am scared stiff thinking about what might happen to my eyes under pressure. I was told by my optometrist that he could not guarantee what the greater pressures would do to the altered tissues of my eyes post -Lasik when diving. Since I dive recreationally, I try to stay within the safe diving limits of 130 feet. But the problem isn't in the depth (although every atmosphere or ~ 33 ft, the pressure doubles), it's in the shallows after the dive where the greatest change of pressure occurs. I've felt a sinus squeeze, and seen divers surface with nose bleeds. Bleeding eyes blinding me in the ocean is about the scarist thing I could imagine. Nope not for me. Kris (Message edited by Keurosix on January 23, 2007) | ||
| olieoliver
Senior Member Username: olieoliver Post Number: 1062 Registered: 2-2006 |
I had lasik surgery about 2 years ago, and am also a diver. I have suffered no ill effects from the surgery at all. No "halo vision " at night and no problems diving at all. My wife in the other hand has "halo vision" at night with on coming traffic and street lights. My reason for having the surgery was convenience not vanity. I needed glasses frist thing in the morning (severely near sighted and astigmatism), needed RX sun glasses for outside, RX goggles for riding my MC at night and contacts or RX mask for diving. Then as I approached my mid 40's started to need reading glasses. So I opted for lasik and a $10 paid of reading glasses which I only need for small-text books, mainly my bible. I do understand your caution Kris and understand your reason for not having lasik. Lasik was great for me but it's not for everyone. (Message edited by olieoliver on January 23, 2007) | ||
| davr35
Member Username: davr35 Post Number: 56 Registered: 12-2004 |
Two day out from the surgery 20/15 vision but it feels very strange without my glasses | ||
| jbybj
Junior Username: jbybj Post Number: 47 Registered: 6-2006 |
Congratulations David. I am two weeks out and I am still grabbing glasses that don't exist anymore. Good luck with your healing. Peace, James |
