Lasik eye surgery any one?

[jacquelyn]

My boyfriend is planning on getting lasik eye surgery soon. I was wondering if anybody here had gotten them already? Any experiences? Good and bad results? Price? All the goodies please so that I can inform him about it.

[st8toftheheart]

Originally posted by jacquelyn

My boyfriend is planning on getting lasik eye surgery soon. I was wondering if anybody here had gotten them already? Any experiences? Good and bad results? Price? All the goodies please so that I can inform him about it.

 

I never went through with it but I investigated it. It seems there is better success with people who are near sighted than far sighted.

 

There is also a risk of degredation and although you may get 20/20 vision it may actually degrade. Sometimes not as bad as orginal sometimes worse.

 

Eyes to me are the most precious of senses, so to risk it for the sake of wearing glasses wasn't worth it.

[goodnbad]

I was under the impression that laser correction is for basic near- or far-sightedness but it will not correct astigmatism with any great success. And as you age (at a point when your eyesight degrades slightly and you might require reading glasses), you will STILL require reading glasses regardless.

 

I had considered it at one point (I wear contacts), but I don't like the idea of having to put up with seeing weird auras around light sources at night. They say a lot of people end up giving up night driving because of glare and aura problems. At one point, there were people who even discussed if lasik-treated people SHOULD drive at night or they should be banned. I wonder what they would do if someone with lasik surgery had an accident, would they be able to blame it?

 

Anyhow, I'm like st8oftheheart, eyes are something you don't fool with lightly. Myself, I'm giving it a few more years before I decide, then at least I will know if there are any inherent problems with it. And I certainly would NOT have both eyes done at once, what if something went wrong? Better to have one good eye than none.

 

And is it just me, or does anyone else get a kinda creepy feeling from places that advertise 'discount' laser surgery? I don't think that with this surgery, doctors should scrimp on anything. I would pay for a job well done.

[st8toftheheart]

Originally posted by goodnbad

And is it just me, or does anyone else get a kinda creepy feeling from places that advertise 'discount' laser surgery? I don't think that with this surgery, doctors should scrimp on anything. I would pay for a job well done.

 

No man. I get the same heeby Jeebies when I here the words Discount Day Old Seafood.

[soccorsilly]

And it was the best move of my life. I was a lazy contact wearer--leaving them in for weeks at a time, and hated glasses. On the way to the procedure I heard a commercial for $899 per eye (and I was paying like $2200 per eye) and asked what the difference was--the doc told me training and equipment. She was usuing the current laser made by the people who invented it. She also said that the 899 people do not require the level of contiunuing trainging she ddi--she apparently does 80 hours per year to keep up her certification.

 

Now for the procedure, it was painless and quick. Life was foggy that night but by morning I literally had eagle eyes. There were halos (night only and when looking at street lights stop lights, etc) but they were not significant and they only lasted 6 months or so.

 

Tey ovedrcorrect you initially and your vision settles to 20-20 in like three months. The procedure was literally 15 seconds per eye and i was in and out of the office in just over an hour. Make sure your doc does all the eye tests to be sure the "prescription" is correct. I was tested well before--with my contacts and without, I was tested jsut before (after I had been wearign glasses) and again immediately before going under the ray.

 

For the first 6 weeks after you need to be careful about rubbing your eyes and this actually cured me of it for the long run.

 

I was told that they can do a correction for both up close and for distance (negating the need for reading glasses for a long time--but otherwise that previous pos statement was true). My doc told me that for some reason the dual correction (one eye for distance and the other for up close) works best on women and men hate it and get headaches--the women apparently can make that work in their brains--go figure.

 

As for the corrections available, they are changing all the time and when it first came out, there was a lot of limits...now there are very few. Bes sure your doc does this all the time and talk to a former patient.

 

They will guarantee results, and will re-do if it does not take, but you only get two shots at that as the scar tissue prevents a third try. Of course theere is always the chance of the horro story, but you need to hear it, I guess.

 

I know I did not read all the disclosures. I know there is risk invlved but I did not want to know because I would puss out, so I signed the release and went for it.

 

It was done in 2001 and I was 39 and I am now 43 and my eyes are still 20-20 and sharp as ever. I highly recommend it. By the way, I went on a diving vacation in the caribbean 1 week after the procedure.

[brashgal]

I had it done too - I agree with soccor - best thing I ever did and wish I had done it years ago. Mine will be two years ago in a couple months. I opted for monovision, one eye sees close up and one eye sees far away and somehow my brain figures it all out. I was already halfway through my 40s and starting to have problems seeing up close which is why I decided to get the monovision - no more, no reading glasses for me!!

 

I do have a little trouble making the transition from work (looking at a computer screen most of the day) to driving and having to read street signs, it takes awhile for me to focus.

 

I am super-super happy, have known dozens of people who've had it done and only one person I know had problems - all in all most of us are pretty happy with our sight.

[XNemesisX]

Wow this is great to hear! I have also been looking into getting laser eye surgery done. I am so sick of being so blind and always having to wear glasses or contacts! What a miracle it would be to be able to wake up in the morning and see!

 

I asked my eye doctor about it and he told me I would need to wait until I am close to 26 years old because my eyes are still getting worse each year. Has anyone else heard anything like that? I know Jessica Simpson got the procedure done and she is 24 I think (?)

 

 

I think what scares me the worst is the possibility of blindness. Does anyone know the statistic on this? And how do you know what is a good place to go to get this done? I would definitely want someone who is the best of the best and really knows what their doing. But how would you know really?

[soccorsilly]

I have never heard about waiting till your eyes got the worst---thats ridiculous. I was told that you need to be 18 because that is when your eyes are fully grown--as in an adult and no longer a child.

 

As for picking the right doctor, I would look into a city magazine. They usually publish a Top Docs issue at some point. I know Baltimore Magazine, Washingtonian, and Philadelphia all do. See what that article is all about and then ask for client referrals. If you know a friend who did it, ask who did it. IN that magazine, also check out (but don't rely) on the ads.

 

My doc does a ton of these a year. She schedules a full 8 hours every week to do these so she is doing close to 600 a year. If you are in the mid-atlantic area, I can reccommend.

 

JOhn

[brashgal]

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/LASIK/when.htm

 

This is the Food and Drug Administration website for LASIK (mods - this is not commercial so I am assuming it is allowed). It does say that if your prescription has changed in the past year you are not yet a good candidate.

Gives risks, etc, etc.

[goodnbad]

Nemesis, I'm not sure why the doc would wait 'cause your eyes are getting worse? Many people have their eyesight change from year to year even into their senior years (I only know this because I come from a family of opticians and have worked in the optical lab----there is no age where your eyesight always will remain the same).

 

I wonder why you would not be considered a good subject if your eyes have changed in the last year? Very odd. But I will look into it, it has made me curious about it!

[goodnbad]

OK, here's the official answer from the optician's point of view: if your eyes are going through drastic changes over the course of a year or less, it means your eyesight is not stable, and therefore when you go to get your laser surgery done, there is a chance that your eyesight exam might be off slightly, thereby causing your surgery results to be less than ideal and perhaps perfect eyesight would be unattainable in any case.

 

Also, severe changes in eyesight might be indicative of other disorders which should be ruled out, such as pressure changes due to eye disease, diabetes, etc. Those things should be under control beforehand.

[XNemesisX]

Hmmm...very interesting.

 

Well I do know that last year my contact Rx was -2.75 in my left eye and -3.50 in my right eye and this year it is -3.50 in EACH eye. So I'm guessing that is a pretty big change. I don't know my glasses Rx right off. Oh, and the eye doctor who told me to wait until I'm about 26 doesn't perform lasic. He's just a regular optometrist.

 

Originally posted by Soccorsilly

My doc does a ton of these a year. She schedules a full 8 hours every week to do these so she is doing close to 600 a year. If you are in the mid-atlantic area, I can reccommend.

 

I'm about 6 hours from Atlanta I think. I would be willing to make the drive for someone who is very good and that I won't have to worry will mess me up. A recommendation would be great!

[soccorsilly]

I am in the Mid Atlantic states--Maryland. And the doc I used is here in Annapolis

[XNemesisX]

Originally posted by soccorsilly

I am in the Mid Atlantic states--Maryland. And the doc I used is here in Annapolis

 

 

Ok...I'm a moron. I was thinking you said Mid-Atlanta....but now I see you wrote AtlantIC. Hmm..I wonder how far away Maryland is...from Ky....I will have to look that up.

[jacquelyn]

Originally posted by XNemesisX

Wow this is great to hear! I have also been looking into getting laser eye surgery done. I am so sick of being so blind and always having to wear glasses or contacts! What a miracle it would be to be able to wake up in the morning and see!

 

I asked my eye doctor about it and he told me I would need to wait until I am close to 26 years old because my eyes are still getting worse each year. Has anyone else heard anything like that? I know Jessica Simpson got the procedure done and she is 24 I think (?)

 

 

I think what scares me the worst is the possibility of blindness. Does anyone know the statistic on this? And how do you know what is a good place to go to get this done? I would definitely want someone who is the best of the best and really knows what their doing. But how would you know really?

 

I thought you can get it done at any age? Well, not any but at least 20? That's what I'm also scared of. What if the procedure went wrong and he goes blind? It's not like he can sue the doctor for it after he signs the release forms and even if he can, it still wont give him his eye sight back. How do you know whether it's a good place or not? My bf said that he's gonna go to this place that only charges 500 bucks an eye! 500 or 200. I'm not sure. But that's sooo less compare to soccorsilly.

[soccorsilly]

The actual procedure is controlled by a computer so there is no chance of the doc "sneezing" and going "oops". They do offer some libility, and I don't believe there have been any cases of someone going blind. I could be wrong, but I believe the worst documented thing was a botched job (in the early stages of this technology) and the "cure" was the more traditional surgery.

 

One more thought, make sure your doctor is an MD as well as an OD. Just more training.

 

As for thr $500 and $200 per eye....WTF These are your eyes. I pay $200 for a tire on my Expedition.

[goodnbad]

I'm with soccorsilly on the price thing. Discounts and bargain-basement prices are great when you're talking a car or furniture or some such thing, but your EYES? No way, you get what you pay for.

 

I believe someone else mentioned that the price will often indicated the amount of extra training the doctor has received? Well obviously, he will want to get some reimbursement for that, and if someone is gonna mess with MY eyes, I want the best.

 

Would you not kick yourself for the rest of your life if you decided to scrimp and something went wrong? If you were blinded, those extra couple of hunded bucks would seem like very little. But then, it would be too late. You would gladly pay THOUSANDS to get your eyesight back.

 

BTW Nemesis, a -2.75 jumping to a -3.50 is a pretty big leap. For the majority of people whose lenses I did in the lab, jumps of a mere .25 are more common (prescrips usually go up or down by quarters). Most peoples' eyesight changes much more slowly. Your doctor is probably just trying to be safe by having you wait, to make sure your eyes reach a levelling off point.

 

On the plus side, since your prescrip is for near-sightedness, as you age your prescrip might actually improve by a quarter or more, as the lens ages. But don't expect to go without a correction, a -2.75 is still a pretty strong prescrip. I am certainly no doctor, but I think that by age 30, your most drastic changes will have occurred, barring any other pre-existing conditions.

 

Good luck with your surgery when you decide to go for it!

[HoldOn]

I had it done too, best thing I ever did. Wonderful. I can see in the shower!, it's great.

 

You have to make sure you are a good candidate by going through all the tests first. Also, I would never go for the discount doctor!

 

Naive, the reason you have to wait is that your eyes have to be STABLE for a year before you get the surgery. Don't take any risks.

[XNemesisX]

Originally posted by goodnbad

BTW Nemesis, a -2.75 jumping to a -3.50 is a pretty big leap. For the majority of people whose lenses I did in the lab, jumps of a mere .25 are more common (prescrips usually go up or down by quarters). Most peoples' eyesight changes much more slowly. Your doctor is probably just trying to be safe by having you wait, to make sure your eyes reach a levelling off point.

 

On the plus side, since your prescrip is for near-sightedness, as you age your prescrip might actually improve by a quarter or more, as the lens ages. But don't expect to go without a correction, a -2.75 is still a pretty strong prescrip. I am certainly no doctor, but I think that by age 30, your most drastic changes will have occurred, barring any other pre-existing conditions.

 

Good luck with your surgery when you decide to go for it!

 

Ok...I went and checked my contact lense boxes to make sure I remembered the right numbers and it isn't -3.50 its -3.00 I'm an idiot. So I guess the left eye did just get worse a quarter! But the right eye stayed the same. My right eye has always been worse than the left, so I guess my left eye has just caught up now? This is the first time I have been able to use the same Rx for each eye. Is this a good sign or doesn't mean anything? do you think maybe this means that maybe my eye sight is close to levelling off enough to get lasic??? I hope so!!!!!

 

It is SUCH a bummer being blind....how great it would be to finally be able to see!!!

 

Well I guess if I do have to wait a few more years like my eye doctor told me, that would at least give me a reason to look forward to getting older, right?

 

Guess I can look on the bright side, while I suffer with this awful glasses/contact hassle until I can get my eyes permanently fixed!

[jacquelyn]

Originally posted by soccorsilly

The actual procedure is controlled by a computer so there is no chance of the doc "sneezing" and going "oops". They do offer some libility, and I don't believe there have been any cases of someone going blind. I could be wrong, but I believe the worst documented thing was a botched job (in the early stages of this technology) and the "cure" was the more traditional surgery.

 

One more thought, make sure your doctor is an MD as well as an OD. Just more training.

 

As for thr $500 and $200 per eye....WTF These are your eyes. I pay $200 for a tire on my Expedition.

 

I checked with him and he said it's $500 per eye from the Lasik Surgery Center. Basically, they're the ones that first started this? I'm not so sure.

[goodnbad]

Originally posted by XNemesisX

Ok...I went and checked my contact lense boxes to make sure I remembered the right numbers and it isn't -3.50 its -3.00 I'm an idiot. So I guess the left eye did just get worse a quarter! But the right eye stayed the same. My right eye has always been worse than the left, so I guess my left eye has just caught up now? This is the first time I have been able to use the same Rx for each eye. Is this a good sign or doesn't mean anything? do you think maybe this means that maybe my eye sight is close to levelling off enough to get lasic???

 

Just because your presrip is the same in both eyes doesn't necessarily mean that they are levelling off. Most people have slight differences in their eyes. You are less likely to see it in a contact lens prescrip because many contacts do not account for things like astigmatism (although some, such as gas permeables, do). Technically, the lenses in your glasses will give you a more precise reading if your prescrip is more complicated. So although your contacts are the same for each eye, you may still have slight differences in either eye that cannot be corrected by your contacts.

 

Anyhow, I don't think that a quarter difference is a big jump, then, and am not sure if this is what is giving the doctor concern. Perhaps he would rather wait for you to get a little older?

 

I totally understand about hating the contacts/glasses. I've worn them since I was 16 (I'm 40 now), and with a prescrip of -3.75 and -4.25 am definitely a candidate for laser correction. However, my logic tells me to wait it out....plus maybe there's a little bit of chicken in me!

[Chris777]

I had it done 5 years ago at a herding facility not nessesarily a discount place, but not nessesarily a specialist either.

 

I traded my glasses for sunglasses,

 

lost my night vision with glasses

 

and it took like 3 and a half to 4 years to heal

(if you put pressure on your eyes vision blurrs)

 

plus it made my eyes dry out alot.

 

I had been told i had dry eyes before the surgery, (by the same opthamolagist who reccomended the lasik doc )

but the surgery made it much worse

 

 

I am not blind, i havent seen any more halos than i saw before, but if i had it do do over again i would have waited either for the technology to improve, or just keeping my spectacles

 

My aunt went literally under the knife just a few years earlier with the old school radial kerotonamy, so none of this surgery is really "common" yet

 

but think about it like one of my friends told me

 

ITS YOUR EYES

 

really think on it and read some horror stories

 

another friends sister had her eyes screwed by it

 

and it is really hard to be still while someone is messing with your eyeball

 

my 2 cents

[jacquelyn]

to make sure i'm understanding you correctly, basically you had the lasik surgery done 5 years ago and wears nonprescriptive sunglasses which resulted in losing your night vision? hmm. that's really interesting because my bf got this really bad dry eye problem. he's always cleaning his contacts, at least 3 times a day. so does having dry eyes makes your eyes worse by getting the surgery?

[ConfusedInOC]

I've been looking into this and custom lasik seems to be on average around $2400.00 per eye. I want to avoid halos, is there any place near OC or LA that isn't so expensive? I realize that the most expensive places are that way not because they have the best doctors but because they spend a lot of money in advertising.

 

Any good suggestions?!

[jacquelyn]

there is actually a pretty cheap place. $500. lasik surgery center. that's what it's called i think. lemme get the correct address for you.