Lasik surgery?

[Yooper]

Anybody here have undergone lasix sugery? I thought we had a thread a few years ago about it, but I can't find it now. I'm going to make an appointment to find out about it for me.

I have a unique problem. I'm legally blind in one eye, and have been since birth due to a congenital atrophied optic nerve. As a toddler, I had a "lazy eye" and they gave me an eye patch to wear on the good eye but it never helped.

The interesting thing about that is that I recently had some tests, and it was proven that I use that eye for close up reading. My eye dr told me I have "built in bifocals" and should never need reading glasses.

I never wore glasses until suddenly, due to an infection, I lost some of the vision in my "good" eye. The distance vision never came back, so I wear glasses for distance and driving.

The hard part of this is that I can't read or even use my computer with my glasses on. So most of the time my glasses are off- unless I need to see something in the distance then I have to go find them.

I'm hoping that something like lasix can fix that- correct the distance vision, even if not perfect, but still allow me to read and use the computer without problems. I'm going to make an appointment and see what they say.

It's sort of scary to think about wrecking my "good" eye, so I wanted to hear from those of you who already underwent the surgery!

 

[Homercidal]

My eye doctor kind of steered me away from lasik years back. Now I am told I'm kind of old for it. My nearsightedness has changed a little over the past 10 years, but my near vision has gone worse. I know what you mean about having glasses on hand. I use my glasses for driving even though I don't legally need them. They help me read signs farther out and I enjoy the scenery much more with them on. When I use a computer I generally can't wear them, but if I am helping someone else, then I need them to read their screens over their shoulder.

I'm used to that, but the past couple of years my near vision has gotten to the point where I have a hard time reading anything very small. It's time for bifolcals, or at least reading glasses for when I'm doing close-up reading or small pieces hobbies.

Getting lasik to correct your far vision will mean that you will need glasses for close up stuff even more. If that's what you want, then I don't see a downside.

A friends had Lasik in Canada years ago and he loved it. As far as I know he hasn't needed glasses yet for either far or near vision. He's just a year or two younger than me I think. So he's probably almost at the age where his near vision will start to decline.

I recommend discussing with your eye care professional since they will best understand your own unique situation. Over all I think most people with Lasik surgery in the past 10-20 years has been satisfied with their result.

 

[bravefan44]

If you don't have much useful vision in your "bad" eye, I think you'd find most ophthalmologists would not recommend LASIK on your good eye. They don't want the liability (nor would I) if something were to happen, too much risk IMHO.

 

[Hello]

Lasik was by far the one of the best things I've spent money on. I had mine about 10 years ago, I don't know at what age they start to suggest that you're too old. At that time I sailed and having contacts was tough because of the spray and glasses was tougher. I also just hated contacts but hated glasses more. Bottom line is having lasik just gave me the freedom to stop worrying about glasses and contacts.

It was scary and I was not given anything that would relax me. Some offices do. I was given two tylenols and told to go lay down. It was over quite quickly, which I was happy about. The worst part was the suction of the eyeball to test the cornea strength, or whatever the purpose was. For that, I got a teddy bear to hold. I wanted to rip the f'ers head off. It was the worst part of the entire experience for me. Again, luckily it was a pretty quick process.

Vision is a big deal, clearly. One wrong move and you're up a creek. However, advancements in technology and the fact that there is a lot more experience under all of the doctor's belts, certainly helps. The cost is much lower as well. At least last time I checked it was. Mine was $5k.

Just don't shop around for good prices. Shop for the guy/girl who is known for success. I'm sure I don't need to mention that but some people do shop for the best price.

One thing you may experience are issues with night driving. There are two issues people complain about and they usually go away. Halos and/or stars around lights. I had stars mostly. It went away within a few months. It was not difficult to drive, it was more annoying. Some people never experience it and sometimes it doesn't go away. Ask about that for sure.

 

[Yooper]

My eye doctor kind of steered me away from lasik years back. Now I am told I'm kind of old for it. My nearsightedness has changed a little over the past 10 years, but my near vision has gone worse. I know what you mean about having glasses on hand. I use my glasses for driving even though I don't legally need them. They help me read signs farther out and I enjoy the scenery much more with them on. When I use a computer I generally can't wear them, but if I am helping someone else, then I need them to read their screens over their shoulder.

I'm used to that, but the past couple of years my near vision has gotten to the point where I have a hard time reading anything very small. It's time for bifolcals, or at least reading glasses for when I'm doing close-up reading or small pieces hobbies.

Getting lasik to correct your far vision will mean that you will need glasses for close up stuff even more. If that's what you want, then I don't see a downside.

A friends had Lasik in Canada years ago and he loved it. As far as I know he hasn't needed glasses yet for either far or near vision. He's just a year or two younger than me I think. So he's probably almost at the age where his near vision will start to decline.

I recommend discussing with your eye care professional since they will best understand your own unique situation. Over all I think most people with Lasik surgery in the past 10-20 years has been satisfied with their result.

Well, as you so often point out, I'm even older than you are.....................

We'll see what the opthlamologist says I guess. I didn't think about being too old...................

 

[Yooper]

One thing you may experience are issues with night driving. There are two issues people complain about and they usually go away. Halos and/or stars around lights. I had stars mostly. It went away within a few months. It was not difficult to drive, it was more annoying. Some people never experience it and sometimes it doesn't go away. Ask about that for sure.

Thanks for all the tips. I hate night driving as it is, and try to avoid it when possible. We live in an area with no four lane highways, just two lane rural roads, with lots of deer, and my night vision is ok but not great and I really don't go out much at night if I have to drive.

 

[hunter_le five]

I had my Lasik procedure done four years ago. Easily one of the best things I've ever done. I was pretty much helpless without my glasses or contacts (which always had a tendency to pop-out at the most inopportune moments), so it really has improved my life dramatically.

My mother also had hers done about 3 years ago, and being significantly older than me, the doctor cautioned her that she probably wouldn't have as good of results as I did. While she still needs glasses for reading or using a computer, her mid-to-long distance vision is 20/20, so she's happy with the decision.

 

[Falcon3]

My boss was nearsighted like mad and about 55 years old when she had her LASIK surgery. She loves it- no more messing around wearing contacts then putting on reading glasses. We worked in a dispatch office, so lots of looking from computer screen to books to radio consoles. The biggest problem she had was that in the morning when she first got up, her eye muscles took a while to get used to the new work they had to do with her new cornea prescription. I think it started getting better after 6 months or so though.

I'm almost 30, had contacts/glasses since I was 13, and I'd love to get it done, just saving money for that, plus school loans, plus saving for a mortgage means it's an easy thing to put off when my contacts work pretty well for the mean time.

 

[podz]

Anybody here have undergone lasix sugery? I thought we had a thread a few years ago about it, but I can't find it now. I'm going to make an appointment to find out about it for me.

I have a unique problem. I'm legally blind in one eye, and have been since birth due to a congenital atrophied optic nerve. As a toddler, I had a "lazy eye" and they gave me an eye patch to wear on the good eye but it never helped.

The interesting thing about that is that I recently had some tests, and it was proven that I use that eye for close up reading. My eye dr told me I have "built in bifocals" and should never need reading glasses.

I never wore glasses until suddenly, due to an infection, I lost some of the vision in my "good" eye. The distance vision never came back, so I wear glasses for distance and driving.

The hard part of this is that I can't read or even use my computer with my glasses on. So most of the time my glasses are off- unless I need to see something in the distance then I have to go find them.

I'm hoping that something like lasix can fix that- correct the distance vision, even if not perfect, but still allow me to read and use the computer without problems. I'm going to make an appointment and see what they say.

It's sort of scary to think about wrecking my "good" eye, so I wanted to hear from those of you who already underwent the surgery!

I had lasik performed in both eyes about 4.5 years ago because I couldn't afford femto. The trigger was that I was in the supermarket with my daughter and I took off my glasses after I had paid for my food to wipe the grease off the nosepiece (I'm OCD, in case you didn't know). I also hate plastic glasses, so I naturally had glass lenses. One of them popped out of the frame, hit the floor and shattered. I could not manage to drive us home even with one eye because the nature of my bad eyesight is that my eyes have a very symbiotic relationship with each other's vision - so keeping one eye closed and looking out my good eye and good lens did not work, I was still blind. So, I called my friend to get his wife to drive him to the store where we were and drive us home in my car. I was 43 years old and had been wearing glasses for 23 years and all of the sudden got it in my mind that I am never paying for another pair of glasses again, so the next morning I ordered the appointment for the laser surgery. For the next few days, I was wearing my previous pair of glasses, which were like 10 years old and I wasn't really seeing too well but not blind either.

Went to the surgery and they did the left eye first. Slight to moderate pain and discomfort, but didn't last long til it was over. Next, on to the right eye - when they did the vacuum, I really thought my eye was going to explode and the pain was bad. Didn't last long, either. Afterwards, the nurse walked me out to the dark room with big armchairs and a school clock on the wall about 5 meters away. I sat there for about 45 minutes, absolutely completely blind. Then the vision started to come back fuzzy in the left eye, right eye was nothing. Finally, they worked together well enough that I could read the time on the clock but vision was quite bad. So the nurse equipped me with a pair of goggle sunglasses and I took the bus home.

Kicked back on the sofa and slept most of the day. The next day, when 24 hours post surgery had passed, I could already see well enough to drive. After 48 hours, I had like bionic vision and stuff. I could count bricks on the side of buildings 100 meters away. But my previously good near vision had disappeared - I had to hold things at the end of my arm to read them. Even now, I keep my laptop at the end of my arms.

I had to put oftagel in my eyes several times a day for about a year. When the eyes dried out, the vision went bad again. After oftagel, vision came back. I was forbidden for 6 months to do anything that would put hard wind or water in my eyes unless I was wearing my goggles.

Today, my left eye vision is better far away and worse close up. The right eye is just the opposite, so they are still symbiotic - just that I don't need glasses anymore. My vision was tested at 20/10 one year post-op.

It was the best couple grand I ever spent in my entire life, no question about it.

 

[podz]

Getting lasik to correct your far vision will mean that you will need glasses for close up stuff even more. If that's what you want, then I don't see a downside.

Not until you're approximately 45 years old. This is the normal thing that would happen to your eyes anyway, even if they were naturally ok.

I'm 48 and even though my up close vision is not that good, I still don't use reading glasses. Maybe I should get some since I am starting to dig electronics as a hobby.

 

[chezhed]

I am inquiring about it Thursday....if age is a consideration, then I won't be a good candidate
I have been wearing contacts for 30+ years without issues. I wear extended wear but remove them nightly...99% of the time. I have to wear reading glasses though and I hate them because I either can't read something small or can't read the computer screen...tried variable lens reading glasses and thought I would lose my mind!
If I still have to wear reading glasses, then I will say forget it....till my fingers are no longer able to handle the contacts......or they tell me that at some point soon, I should quit wearing them.
I dread the day that I may have to wear bifocals or trifocals or just be blurry....getting old is a *****

 

[saxowam]

Lasik is amazing!!! Had glasses almost my entire life and then when I got lasik it was a life changing event. I couldn't see past the tip of my nose before lasik without corrective lenses. You will be afraid, and it will be a significant decision to address. Once you're in the room it's done in minutes and you can see within a minute of being done.

Everyone has already summarized the procedure discomforts pretty well. The only thing I have problems with is my eyes are more sensitive to dryness, but well worth it for being able to see the second I wake up in the morning.

Price should not be a concern, only success rates without readjustment.

The problem with age is that your muscles that control your eye pressure begins to weaken and there is nothing you can do about it, hence why so many people require reading glasses. My dad got lasik done because he couldn't see anything farther than 3 inches in front of him and then required reading glasses 3 years after lasik. He would gladly go back and redo it again as those 3 years were so great and now he only needs reading glasses for part of the day. I think that says the most.

Hope this all hopes.

Best,
Saxowam

 

[podz]

you can see within a minute of being done.

Not true. Maybe that was the case for you, but certainly not for me. See my previous, long-ass post.

 

[ChelisHubby]

I am a Printer Machine adjuster and needed to see clearly fine lines up close. I did the Lasic in one Eye and it worked very well as now I don't need the reading glasses to see small up close. I did this two years ago and I was 53 at the time. I have Stigmatism. Now I have a eye for up close and one eye for far away. It works very well and I am satisfied. You will need someone to drive you home and to be around the first 24 hrs after that you can take care of yourself easily. The one thing I would recommend is that you get it done by someone that has done it for years. The equipment that does this is improving greatly over time.

 

[kaconga]

I contemplated getting LASIK a few years back since I only use my glasses for driving/working and figured it would be nice to not need them. The Dr was great and asked me a lot of questions about what I did for fun and stuff like that. When he had the full picture he told me it probably wasn't worth it. I am barely in need of glasses as is, and since it would have to be such a fine adjustment, there was an equal chance that I would need glasses for everything but driving/working as for me not needing them for anything. I decided to stick with the status quo and save some cash.

 

[passedpawn]

My wife got lasik about 10 years ago. She had horrible eyesight - couldn't move around the house without glasses or contacts.

Lasik was like a miracle. She spend the good part of the day sleeping with goggles on right after she got the surgery, but the next day she could see fine. She ended up getting a "corrrection" in one eye. Turns out, if they "overcorrect", there's no going back, so they are careful not to do that. After two weeks, they will test your eyes and if they are not 20/20 they might recommend another touch-up.

Like Hello said, I wouldn't feel comfortable going to the cheapest bidder. We went with the biggest name in the area we could find. $5k (out of pocket, ouch, wtf insurance companies!).

 

[podz]

The entire process is done by a computerised machine and the program is customised for you by the doctor after your initial visit. The doctor doesn't even need to be in the same room when the procedure is done.

In other words, this is not a manual procedure. It's microsurgery performed by a machine which is driven by a computer program. My doctor claimed that he had done over 7000 of these operations. In truth, he punched in parameters to a computer over 7000 times and never once touched a patient's eyes with anything. It's not like brain surgery where the surgeon actually has a scalpel in his hand and a microscope loupe on his eye.

 

[passedpawn]

The entire process is done by a computerised machine and the program is customised for you by the doctor after your initial visit. The doctor doesn't even need to be in the same room when the procedure is done.

In other words, this is not a manual procedure. It's microsurgery performed by a machine which is driven by a computer program. My doctor claimed that he had done over 7000 of these operations. In truth, he punched in parameters to a computer over 7000 times and never once touched a patient's eyes with anything. It's not like brain surgery where the surgeon actually has a scalpel in his hand and a microscope loupe on his eye.

Cutting open the cornea was a manual procedure when my wife's doc did it. He used a small metal slicing apparatus that he invented himself. Oof.

 

[Yooper]

.............. Now I have a eye for up close and one eye for far away.....................

That's what I've had my whole life, and it works well for me. Initially, the Army forced me to wear glasses for vision correction and it screwed me up so badly that I got a special order to not wear glasses! My depth perception is probably far different than others', but it works for me. I can catch a ball, do needlework, etc, but if I wear glasses I can't do those things. Since I use my left eye for reading and close up work (vision of 20/300 though!) and my right eye for distance, I was hoping correcting the right eye would work.

I'm going to call and make an appointment and see what they say.

Thank you all for your input!

 

[passedpawn]

This guy did my wife.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Updegraff

3rd lasik surgery in the US and first in Asia. If true (wiki, hmmm) that's impressive. I had no idea at the time.

My sister-in-law flew down here from Pennsylvania to have him do her eyes as well.

 

[Caboose]

Everyone I have spoken to about it has always said they wished they had done it sooner. I've worn glasses for as long as I can remember, probably started around 10, I am 28 now. I hate that the first thing I do in the morning is put my glasses on and the last thing I do is take them off. Also, I have 7 month old twin boys, and they LOVE to grab them, so they are always smudged.

I have astigmatism in both eyes which makes contacts hard to wear because they love to spin around. If I am outside that is fine because I blink enough to keep them in place. But I work infront of a computer all day and find that I stop blinking, not all together, but just long enough for them to spin, so I just don't wear them.

I have decided to pursue Lasik, hopefully in the very near future (still paying off the medical bills from having twin boys! :beard: )

Good luck, I know you'll make the right choice for you.

 

[Yooper]

The place I'm considering is $2400 per eye.

The website explains many things I don't understand about the costs like this:
"The cost would, of course, be much less without the "3 Laser technique" (wavefront analysis laser, Femtosecond Flap laser, and Wavefront-guided Excimer corneal ablation laser) = the I-Lasik technique, but Dr. Garrett refuses to deliver anything other than the safest, most proven technique on the market to his patients."

I've heard good things about this doctor, although he doesn't work at the hospital I work at. He's about 50 miles from me.

 

[podz]

Femto (what you posted, Yooper) is definitely better than lasik if you can afford it because they don't actually do a corneal flap at all (As far as I understand it). What they do is reshape your cornea by hitting it in the right spots millions of times with multiple lasers at femtosecond intervals. Therefore, healing is theoretically pretty much instantaneous.

 

[bravefan44]

Actually, the femto laser creates the flap. This means the microkeratome (manual metal-blade thing) is not used. Otherwise, the process is identical. It is slightly less risky but both technologies have similar outcomes. Still, I think LASIK on a monocular patient (if you are indeed functionally monocular) is a risk most surgeons would not take.

The "3 laser" approach is an interesting take. The wavefront analysis is a corneal analysis, needed to determine correction pattern. The femto laser creates the flap, and the finally the corrective laser. In my area (even statewide?), all three are standard. Might be a few still hanging on with the microkeratome.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[mikescooling]

Back 10 years ago i had it, they said we have several package you can buy, how much are your eye's worth to you? Just be ready for that talk. Then it hurt a lil and I couldn't see for 3 days, and a boat load of eye drops later everything was good. Today I still pass the eye exam with 20/20.

 

[Cyclman]

I have been discussing this with my wife, I am going to go for a consultation.

Been wearing glasses for 30 years, it would be incredible to buy off the shelf sunglasses!

 

[iaefebs]

The doctor is key. Ask everyone you know if they've ever had the surgery. You might be surprised how many have. Some doctors take pride in their work, others punch a clock and only want to move on to the next patient.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Both of my parents and several people I know have had it done. Lasik is far more reliable than the Intralaze or whatever it is called that came around after it. They actually stopped doing it and went back because it worked so well. My mother had both eyes done and they guaranteed adjustments for life. My father went for the monovision (one eye) and they did not guarantee it at all unless you did both. Both love not having to mess with glasses or contacts except maybe for reading.

I went in this spring for a consult and found that my lens is too thin and do not qualify for lasik or PRK which essentially is the sandpaper treatment to reshape (yikes). They did try to sell me on the ICL (internal contact lenses) though they are not approved for astigmatism in the US yet. I have put my persuits on hold for now, but am going to make an appointment with an opthamologist soon to see what they think I should do. I am just sick of glasses/contacts.

 

[Yooper]

Both of my parents and several people I know have had it done. Lasik is far more reliable than the Intralaze or whatever it is called that came around after it. They actually stopped doing it and went back because it worked so well. My mother had both eyes done and they guaranteed adjustments for life. My father went for the monovision (one eye) and they did not guarantee it at all unless you did both. Both love not having to mess with glasses or contacts except maybe for reading.

I went in this spring for a consult and found that my lens is too thin and do not qualify for lasik or PRK which essentially is the sandpaper treatment to reshape (yikes). They did try to sell me on the ICL (internal contact lenses) though they are not approved for astigmatism in the US yet. I have put my persuits on hold for now, but am going to make an appointment with an opthamologist soon to see what they think I should do. I am just sick of glasses/contacts.

I talked to the office, and am going in for an eval in a couple of weeks. They have a sale for cash patients- $1000 off both eyes- but not one for one eye. It's $2995 for both eyes, and $2400 for one eye. I have to talk to the doctor, but they normally don't recommend monovision and would want to do both in most cases but I am an unusual case, since I already have monovision.

Tell me, how did your dad decide on monovision, and how did that work out?

 

[DrunkleJon]

I talked to the office, and am going in for an eval in a couple of weeks. They have a sale for cash patients- $1000 off both eyes- but not one for one eye. It's $2995 for both eyes, and $2400 for one eye. I have to talk to the doctor, but they normally don't recommend monovision and would want to do both in most cases but I am an unusual case, since I already have monovision.

Tell me, how did your dad decide on monovision, and how did that work out?

He is a weird one. He always previously used just one contact lens to see so that he wouldn't need reading glasses and it was something he was used to and had no problem seeing with. He is a bit of a hypocondirac so I had to go in and be his ride because my mother was not going to put up with him. Thankfully they gave him a valium or some other relaxant and he we good. He went with the same big name doctor that my mom used about a year prior.

It went quickly and well, and he has no complaints whatsoever. It seems that most people are slightly overcorrected and he is fine with that and as a result has one near eye and one far one. The decision was at his insistance, and I am sure he had to just tell the doctor what he wanted and they did as asked with, I'm sure, only as much futile sales talk about both eyes as is possible when dealing with him.

I still wish I were qualified to get lasik. The ICL approach, although replaceable, costs about twice as much and looks like it would be 8-10K for both eyes. Thats a car.

 

[BHebert]

My wife had it done about 15 years ago. She couldn't get out of bed without her glasses. Loves it. She is getting a little older and now needs reading glasses. She could see the clock on the wall before she got out of the chair and could read license plates on the way home. Late at night, she can see what looks like a halo around street lights. Kinda like after you have been in a swimming pool for a while.

 

[rlmiller10]

I had lasik 12 years ago and have loved it. But I will say that the last year or so my sight is getting fuzzy in the distance. My driver was when I was climbing a mountain in RMNP. I was up about 300 ft leading the climb and snow started filling my glasses so I could not see. I finally brushed off my glasses and finished the climb but soon after that had an appointment for lasik.

I would think it could help your "good" eye to allow you to see distance clearly again. Other things to consider though is some people get dry eyes after lasik. So if you already have dry eyes it could make it worse. The other is starburst at night. Newer equipment seems to have reduced that, especially over the old radial PRK surgery. I have a little starburst when driving but it is minimal and I soon got used to it and now have to think about it to even notice it.

 

[cernst151]

Getting lasik was the best decision I ever made, including marriage and taking up homebrewing. That sounds bad but my wife, who sadly is ineligible for lasik, says getting her eyes done would definitely outweigh marrying me as a positive. I highly recommend it if you're eligible.

That said, the sight issues you mention don't sound like things lasik can fix. Lasik is only really good with issues with your cornea or lens. Issues with the nerve or muscles are unlikely to be improved with lasik.

If you can do it, go for it. The place I went gave a pretty much perfect prediction of the recovery time. It took 1yr for full recovery but I was ready to drive the next morning. I had bad dry eye issues for a few months and periodic dry eye issues for the next year. My vision was generally 20/20 or better but I would occasionally get double vision, especially when driving at night so I'd get 4 headlights coming at me from an oncoming car. Luckily they were close enough together that I could still drive but I certainly limited my night driving for a while. I also had to wear sunglasses any time I sat in front of the computer for a few weeks.

The procedure is a very weird experience. The place I went offered Valium but I didn't take it because I wanted the experience. I had no pain at all during the procedure but I did smell my eyeball being burned away with lasers. Like I said, very weird experience.

 

[Yooper]

He is a weird one. He always previously used just one contact lens to see so that he wouldn't need reading glasses and it was something he was used to and had no problem seeing with. He is a bit of a hypocondirac so I had to go in and be his ride because my mother was not going to put up with him. Thankfully they gave him a valium or some other relaxant and he we good. He went with the same big name doctor that my mom used about a year prior.

It went quickly and well, and he has no complaints whatsoever. It seems that most people are slightly overcorrected and he is fine with that and as a result has one near eye and one far one. The decision was at his insistance, and I am sure he had to just tell the doctor what he wanted and they did as asked with, I'm sure, only as much futile sales talk about both eyes as is possible when dealing with him.

I still wish I were qualified to get lasik. The ICL approach, although replaceable, costs about twice as much and looks like it would be 8-10K for both eyes. Thats a car.

Ha- I'm not a hypochondriac, but I do sound like your dad! I had some tests done a few years ago by an eye doctor who did it for interest, not to make money off of me, (perhaps he was researching a paper). Anyway, I never did get expensive tests done but I always knew that glasses screwed up my vision instead of fixing. So about 5 years ago, I lost some vision in my "good" eye and at that time this eye doctor did some testing that proved I really was using monovision, and had been for a long time (since birth, likely). I had 0 issues with this, until I became a bit nearsighted in my good eye and needed vision correction for driving. Now, I'm taking the glasses off to see anything in my immediate range, but I need them for driving and distance. I really do have one eye for reading, and those tests showed that. Somehow, they used different color text and different colored googles and mapped which eye was seeing and processing what text and photos. Anything close up is 100% done by my left eye, and anything further than about 4 feet is processed by my right eye. Using the computer is interesting, because it's right in the middle and I do use both eyes (that is why I have to take my glasses off to use the computer).

That's what I'm worried about. If the right eye is corrected, would it be like wearing my glasses? Then, I would be unable to read the computer properly and unfortunately I spend WAY too much time on computers. I did try one contact lens on that eye, and it seems that the computer was not an issue at all, and I assume that is because it is directly on the eye and not away from it like glasses are, but I need to find that out for sure. That's really my biggest fear.

That said, the sight issues you mention don't sound like things lasik can fix. Lasik is only really good with issues with your cornea or lens. Issues with the nerve or muscles are unlikely to be improved with lasik.

That's why I only want one eye done- I "know" my left eye, and that I use it for reading. I read a LOT- about 4 books per week, and generally in the evening, in bed. It may be legally blind when measured, but I do get some peripheral vision out of it (not much) and when I played hockey, I just didn't like being a left defensemen as I couldn't see the boards on that side as well when right up against them. But otherwise, there have been no issues with that eye, and it's not getting worse. Maybe, with age it may worsen, and if that is the case I may have to deal with it in the future.

Thanks for everybody's input!

I was really expecting to hear a horror story or two, and and wondering if there are people who really are sorry they did it.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Ha- I'm not a hypochondriac, but I do sound like your dad! I had some tests done a few years ago by an eye doctor who did it for interest, not to make money off of me, (perhaps he was researching a paper). Anyway, I never did get expensive tests done but I always knew that glasses screwed up my vision instead of fixing. So about 5 years ago, I lost some vision in my "good" eye and at that time this eye doctor did some testing that proved I really was using monovision, and had been for a long time (since birth, likely). I had 0 issues with this, until I became a bit nearsighted in my good eye and needed vision correction for driving. Now, I'm taking the glasses off to see anything in my immediate range, but I need them for driving and distance. I really do have one eye for reading, and those tests showed that. Somehow, they used different color text and different colored googles and mapped which eye was seeing and processing what text and photos. Anything close up is 100% done by my left eye, and anything further than about 4 feet is processed by my right eye. Using the computer is interesting, because it's right in the middle and I do use both eyes (that is why I have to take my glasses off to use the computer).

That's what I'm worried about. If the right eye is corrected, would it be like wearing my glasses? Then, I would be unable to read the computer properly and unfortunately I spend WAY too much time on computers. I did try one contact lens on that eye, and it seems that the computer was not an issue at all, and I assume that is because it is directly on the eye and not away from it like glasses are, but I need to find that out for sure. That's really my biggest fear.



That's why I only want one eye done- I "know" my left eye, and that I use it for reading. I read a LOT- about 4 books per week, and generally in the evening, in bed. It may be legally blind when measured, but I do get some peripheral vision out of it (not much) and when I played hockey, I just didn't like being a left defensemen as I couldn't see the boards on that side as well when right up against them. But otherwise, there have been no issues with that eye, and it's not getting worse. Maybe, with age it may worsen, and if that is the case I may have to deal with it in the future.

Thanks for everybody's input!

I was really expecting to hear a horror story or two, and and wondering if there are people who really are sorry they did it.

For the most part what I have heard is that it behaves more like a contact lens only you see better. I am not a dr, let alone an eye dr, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I always noticed that I saw more cleanly? with contact lenses than glasses, it seemed like an upgrade, I can only imagine that it is more of the same having a properly shaped eye.

 

[Reindeer]

Getting lasik was the best decision I ever made, including marriage and taking up homebrewing. That sounds bad but my wife, who sadly is ineligible for lasik, says getting her eyes done would definitely outweigh marrying me as a positive. I highly recommend it if you're eligible.

I agree 100%. Except my wife has 20/20 vision, so she can't sympathize. I've worn glasses since I was 9, and couldn't come close to seeing the big "E" on top of the eye chart. Now I'm 20/15. Best money I've spent in my life (my Harley is a close second...) and I'd recommend it to anybody who is eligible.

The procedure is super weird, and amazingly fast. For a few hours after its done it burns like crazy, but the next morning I drove myself to the eye doctor for a re-exam without glasses or contacts, which would have been absolutely impossible before the surgery. The guy who did mine, Dr. Whiting, has done like 95,000 procedures to date.

 

[grathan]

You can't even put a price on good vision. I mean some people pay thousands to fix a dog, or their teeth. But vision is with you every waking moment of the day for the rest of your life.

 

[passedpawn]

You can't even put a price on good vision. I mean some people pay thousands to fix a dog, or their teeth. But vision is with you every waking moment of the day for the rest of your life.

Right. Again, amazing that insurance doesn't cover this (at least my experience).

 

[iaefebs]

Right. Again, amazing that insurance doesn't cover this (at least my experience).

If insurance covered this it would be half the price. I think we need some kind of national health care.

 

[podz]

I agree 100%. Except my wife has 20/20 vision, so she can't sympathize. I've worn glasses since I was 9, and couldn't come close to seeing the big "E" on top of the eye chart. Now I'm 20/15. Best money I've spent in my life (my Harley is a close second...) and I'd recommend it to anybody who is eligible.

I sympathise because I was exactly in the same boat. It is the best money I've ever spent in my life. You simply can not put a price on your vision and being free from glasses is one of the biggest improvements in quality of life that anyone who needs glasses can hope for. People who don't require vision correction simply can't understand just how big of a deal this is.

The guy who did mine, Dr. Whiting, has done like 95,000 procedures to date.

I hear these type of claims frequently and I always call bullshiot. If he did 30 per day, which would mean working like 12 hour days, working 300 days a year (no doctor is going to work 12 hours a day, 300 days a year), that's 9 thousand operations per year. Working 10.5 years back to back with this same schedule to reach 95000 is insane - no business is capable of that sort of sustained back-to-back long term booking. And unless you just had yours done today, that would mean that he had gotten started like 13 years ago or something - a time when laser eye surgery was incredibly rare and most folks were waiting to see how it turned out for other people (catch 22).

Haha, if you consider creative accounting (a doctor who would count each eye as a seperate procedure), then they double their numbers...