[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Eye Surgery (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/15/2010 8:05:06 PM EDT
|
have been wanting to rid my life of contacts and eye glasses for more than a decade. Two years ago i was going to get lasik, but two days before the appt i lost my job.
I am now looking to get lasik again most likely in jan 2011. about 15 years ago i also looked at getting the implantable lenses (intacts), but didn't due to an active lifestyle and the posibility that the intact could break and cause complications if i was struck in the eye durring sports. This possible complication seems to have been remedied for the intra ocular lenses (IOL) that are now used. I did not want lasik years ago due to the posibility of scar tissue negating my night driving privaliges, but now it is all laser and no knives. enough backround. what are your thoughts and experiences with these "products" thanks. |
|
This is a timely thread
I do under the laser in 14 hours. I am a tad nervous, but i am told i have a very high probability of 20/20 or better correction. Time will tell. I do not know too much about the implants, but it is my understanding that they are more expensive than lasik, and are intended for people who are not lasik candidates. |
|
biggest mistake of my life I got every side effect possible star bursts , halos , lose of contrast, dry eyes , can't see for shit close up because they way over corrected me and only got 20/40 vision so still need glasses to drive I'd give every dime and asset I have to be able to reverse it plus as always mentioned there was a member here notsubby that committed suicide after botched lasik to get a LE job |
| I've had lasik twice. My eyes were so bad that you couldn't measure it on a 20/20 scale. I forget what my prescription was but it was terrible. The first time I had it my vision was great for a few days but when I healed I was about 20/60, which was still a big improvement, however I paid for the package with unlimited updates. So i went back and did it again and i am still 20/15 2 years later. Granted if i am on the computer a lot or reading I have to get away from it for a day or two but it goes back to normal. Best money I've ever spent. |
|
Quoted:
biggest mistake of my life I got every side effect possible star bursts , halos , lose of contrast, dry eyes , can't see for shit close up because they way over corrected me and only got 20/40 vision so still need glasses to drive I'd give every dime and asset I have to be able to reverse it plus as always mentioned there was a member here notsubby that committed suicide after botched lasik to get a LE job Sorry to hear that. 
My sister had it done in the late '90's she had to get a touch up a few years later. Today she needs glasses again to drive (I think she's around 20/40). I had it done in 2006 and it's the best thing I've done. 20/20 vision, absolutely no side effects. My eyes were pretty bad too - don't rember the numbers, but stuff started getting blurry about 6 inches from my face; when I played baseball, I couldn't see the ball at homeplate from second base. I paid a lot, and it was worth every dime. ETA: I had wavefront. |
|
Here's the place I went for Lasik and a writeup on intacts http://www.maloneyvision.com/maloney/visian-icl.htm |
| my wife had lasik several years ago, the glasses are gone. she was up in the air, tit job or lasik, I said lasik. for her benefit of course. I love my wife, tits dont mean shit to me. Even though she kinda wish she got the tits, she puts on her makeup withoutout glasses. She drives without glasses. She lives without glasses. Soon I might need glasses. Fact is no glasses = freedom. She wont realize it untill she matures a bit. Good night all. |
|
I wasn't going to go to the discount shop. these are my eyes you see (sorry).
the last time i hade the eval (i haven't had the new eval yet) they sold me out of the wavefront because i didn't need it. I told them that i wanted the best results and that the $$ difference didn't bother me. I have a job now where i cannot wear contacts (due to chemicals) and HATE glasses. Towards the end of a 12 hr shift i get such bad headaches. I change to the disposabe contacts jsut for the drive home remove and go to bed. I willhave to wear safety glasses, but can remove them when i am not working with the chem. thanks for the replies. PS how do you subscribe to threads around here?? |
|
Quoted:
I wasn't going to go to the discount shop. these are my eyes you see (sorry). the last time i hade the eval (i haven't had the new eval yet) they sold me out of the wavefront because i didn't need it. I told them that i wanted the best results and that the $$ difference didn't bother me. I have a job now where i cannot wear contacts (due to chemicals) and HATE glasses. Towards the end of a 12 hr shift i get such bad headaches. I change to the disposabe contacts jsut for the drive home remove and go to bed. I willhave to wear safety glasses, but can remove them when i am not working with the chem. thanks for the replies. PS how do you subscribe to threads around here?? Step 1: Pay $24.00 Step 2: ???? Step 3: Profit! |
|
I got wave front and it was the best thing I've ever done in my life. I paid somewhere around 5k but I now have around 13/20 vision and being able to wake up every morning and not worry about glasses or contacts is worth so much.
Better yet I can finally swim and open my eyes under water, my doctor graduated from Johns Hopkins and was a young very intelligent Indian guy that made me feel really comfortable. Not to mention the zanex they gave me was pretty fun too 
|
|
Quoted: I did wavefront too Quoted: biggest mistake of my life I got every side effect possible star bursts , halos , lose of contrast, dry eyes , can't see for shit close up because they way over corrected me and only got 20/40 vision so still need glasses to drive I'd give every dime and asset I have to be able to reverse it plus as always mentioned there was a member here notsubby that committed suicide after botched lasik to get a LE job Sorry to hear that. ETA: I had wavefront. could always be worse I can drive and pretty much do whatever its just a annoyance I was extremely angry at one point as god/fate/whatever seems to like metaphorically throwing rocks in my backpack especailly in the last 5 years and honestly the thing is getting pretty fucking heavy and I saw a chance to get rid of one of my tiny burdens but ended up just adding another  |
|
I had custom wavefront done 4 years ago. Best money I have ever spent. My contact prescription was -4.75R and -5.25L, not sure what that translates to in the 20/20 scale. I had Lasik done and went to 20/10 and am still 20/10 today.
Had I known 10 years ago how great it was, I would have paid 10 times as much. I went to Lasik Plus in Orlando, Dr. Jeffrey Robbin. He does all the Lasik for Orlando Magic and other FL pro teams and the Secret Service in the SE region. If you can spend a weekend in Orlando, I would HIGHLY recommend him. After my surgery, my wife, best friend and his wife, brother and two other friends have all gone to him and had outstanding results! ETA: None of us have had any halos, starring, pain, dry eyes etc. |
|
I got lasik with a custom laser about 4 months ago. I have 20/15 now, but I can say it was very very uncomfortable to get to this point. And at night I do have halos around lights now that I never had before. My last check up I told the doctor I still had them and he told me they would go away a little after the 6 month mark because he said the inside of the cornea under the flap is still healing. I had very dry eyes the first 3 months but they have been getting slowly better, the first think I use to have to do when I woke up in the morning was to get some moisturizing eye drops in my eyes. And now the only happens to me about once a week. So far I'm happy with the results because I have better vision then I would have ever had with glass's, but I'm not not sure if all the pain and money was worth it yet. Only time will tell. |
|
Quoted:
biggest mistake of my life I got every side effect possible star bursts , halos , lose of contrast, dry eyes , can't see for shit close up because they way over corrected me and only got 20/40 vision so still need glasses to drive I'd give every dime and asset I have to be able to reverse it plus as always mentioned there was a member here notsubby that committed suicide after botched lasik to get a LE job Pretty much the same here, but now i have to have three pairs of glasses.One for reading, one for inside (basically 2' to 10' viewing), and another for driveing and still can't see all that good out any of them. |
|
HOW OLD ARE YOU?
I am assuming you are old enough to probably need readers with your contacts, or bifocals if in glasses? Just understand that your near-vision changes will continue depsite the LASIK procedure. Without knowing your glasses prescription or other things about your eyes, it can be hard to predict success or the risk of complications - but you should NOT expect the same results as anecdotal stories in these threads. You may be 20/20, you may be "close." Your expectations will be different from others (with different eyes) and this will color your experience, your expectations and your satisfaction with the procedure. Generally speaking: * you should EXPECT an increase in dry-eye feelings. It may be mild, it may not, but expect it. * you should EXPECT glare for months after the procedure - specifically in the winter when you're doing more night-driving. It is annoying, but you will probably get used to it and then not even notice it after a few months. Depending on other factors (healing, dryness, your initial correction, dumb luck, etc), some people continue to struggle with glare for years as some have stated in this thread). * you should EXPECT to continue to need glasses for reading and other detailed tasks within arms' length (over-the-counter readers will probably be fine). * I would invest in the wavefront procedures if possible to reduce some of the glare and blur * I would NOT consider the "monovision" version where the surgeon focuses one eye at distance and one eye up close based on your post and intentions. This does work for many people, but also reduces your overall comfort while driving at night, etc. As long as you have a good understanding of what to expect, and you trust the guy running the laser(s), I am sure you will be happy with the outcome. But remember that nothing in life is perfect or permanent. Your vision will continue to change subtly over the course of your life. Overall LASIK is a pretty safe procedure with a low rate of *significant* complications. But the risk is still there. This is the internet, your mileage may vary, consult a professional before attempting, etc etc. |
|
Quoted: A key piece of information is missing from the replies. Price. I had custom Lasik, with the newest laser out there that tracks your eye when you move during surgery and it also can lase any shape not just a circle like a regular laser. I now have 20/15. I paid 2277.00 with a military discount, with out the .mil discount it would have been 2750.00 |
|
Quoted: A key piece of information is missing from the replies. Price. I worked for the company so it was a perk that if I stayed with the company for X amount of time afterward If I would have quit the day after the procedure I would have owed the company $3K which was their insurance/corp/group rate normal retail price for my procedure would have been $4K afterwords I refused to sell the procedure or have anything to do with the lasik/PRK section and solely worked in the optic side of the business |
|
Quoted: biggest mistake of my life I got every side effect possible star bursts , halos , lose of contrast, dry eyes , can't see for shit close up because they way over corrected me and only got 20/40 vision so still need glasses to drive I'd give every dime and asset I have to be able to reverse it plus as always mentioned there was a member here notsubby that committed suicide after botched lasik to get a LE job Yeesh. Sorry to hear that. When did you have it done? |
|
Quoted:
biggest mistake of my life I got every side effect possible star bursts , halos , lose of contrast, dry eyes , can't see for shit close up because they way over corrected me and only got 20/40 vision so still need glasses to drive I'd give every dime and asset I have to be able to reverse it plus as always mentioned there was a member here notsubby that committed suicide after botched lasik to get a LE job me too. OP, look up keratoconus and keratoectasia. You don't want that, trust me. IF you procede with this, PLEASE go to a corneal specialist. WEST COAST, go to 'Beverly HIlls' doc on Roxbury. SOUTH, go to 'Chinese doc' in Nashvegas. I know, I've been there. Doctor TWIRE |
|
Quoted:
biggest mistake of my life I got every side effect possible star bursts , halos , lose of contrast, dry eyes , can't see for shit close up because they way over corrected me and only got 20/40 vision so still need glasses to drive I'd give every dime and asset I have to be able to reverse it plus as always mentioned there was a member here notsubby that committed suicide after botched lasik to get a LE job I know exactly how you feel. I'm in the SAME flooding boat. |
|
This thread is relevant to my intrest, so I have worn contacts or glasses all my life and I'm sick of to death of both. The catch is I'm blind in my right eye and the doc's want even have a damn conversation about corrective surgery on my good eye. I know the risk, mainly BLINDNESS, but at least they could tell me something more than no.
My question is have any of you know someone in a similar situation who has gotten LASIK or wavefront? |
|
Quoted:
This thread is relevant to my intrest, so I have worn contacts or glasses all my life and I'm sick of to death of both. The catch is I'm blind in my right eye and the doc's want even have a damn conversation about corrective surgery on my good eye. I know the risk, mainly BLINDNESS, but at least they could tell me something more than no. My question is have any of you know someone in a similar situation who has gotten LASIK or wavefront? Are you fucking nuts? Listen to your doctor... |
|
I had mine done in Jan. of 2009 with the wavefront LASIK. I was -5.00 in each eye (blind as a damn bat), and although
I had heard the horror stories (especially here on arfcom more than anywhere), I elected to proceed. I'm REALLY glad I did. I now have 20/15 in one eye and 20/20 in the other. It took about 6-8 months for the "dry eye" syndrome to go away... and halos went away after a couple weeks. I was really at the end of my rope though... I was starting to lose the ability to wear contacts b/c I had developed allergies and it was becoming a major issue with my eyes. I DETEST glasses, always have. I mean hate them with an unholy passion. I highly reccomend researching the HELL out of your local doctors, and DO NOT let price factor into your decision. Get the wavefront, and make sure you use a DR that uses the autotracking laser machines, and has an impeccible reputation. As others have said, you only have ONE pair of eyes.... don't go cheap when getting them touched up. -ZA |
|
This thread is pertinent to my interests also.........
So (hopefully the OP won't mind my tagging on).... I've been told that I'll need bifocals (sooner rather than later)...and even now, I have to take my glasses off (near sighted...I think my Rx is 5.25 and 5.75) to see close things or look over or under the glasses to see near things. I've had crappy vision since about 30 years ago. My eyes get dry from contacts (when I was working nights), so I stay with glasses. However.... Since I need my eyes for work (in the office and in surgery)....I don't want to take a great risk. Can the eyes be done different times (to allow for them to settle and ensure I have at least 1 good eye)? How many with bad near vision (for clinical/surgery stuff) after LASIK, etc.? In your opinion, was/is it worth the risk? AFARR |
|
I've heard very good things about the wavelength surgery.
I had PRK done to correct farsightedness and it worked out very well. I found out wavelength surgery isn't available for farsightedness yet. PRK is more painful than most surgeries but the chance of a corneal flap developing is almost nill because it isn't as invasive. So, you might think about PRK also. |
|
Quoted: This thread is pertinent to my interests also......... So (hopefully the OP won't mind my tagging on).... I've been told that I'll need bifocals (sooner rather than later)...and even now, I have to take my glasses off (near sighted...I think my Rx is 5.25 and 5.75) to see close things or look over or under the glasses to see near things. I've had crappy vision since about 30 years ago. My eyes get dry from contacts (when I was working nights), so I stay with glasses. However.... Since I need my eyes for work (in the office and in surgery)....I don't want to take a great risk. Can the eyes be done different times (to allow for them to settle and ensure I have at least 1 good eye)? How many with bad near vision (for clinical/surgery stuff) after LASIK, etc.? In your opinion, was/is it worth the risk? AFARR You can do the eyes separately but its not recommended, the most important thing about Lasik surgery is that you need to hold still during the surgery and not close your eye or it will botch it. My doc told me lasik surgery is done by the doctor and the patient, and the patient does 80% of the work. Also immediately after lasik surgery you have to not touch your eye at all for a month, and you have to sleep with goggles on. I was so so so very careful because I was so afraid to be blinded and my eyes turned out great. |
|
real men wears glasses, they doesnt worry about cosmetic reasons to get Lasik
I knew a person that always use to make fun of others that wore glasses like it was a sign of weakness now this person needs glasses themselves but refuses to wear them because of cosmetic reasons, they always ask me what time is it? because they cant see well enough to read the time on the wall clock so they never wear their glasses even though they need them I dont think it's worth the risk |
|
This is the only thing I have to say about the subject. I've looked into this a couple of times. Both times I've been told that I would ultimately be trading one pair of glasses for another. Instead of wearing glasses for my nearsightedness I would be wearing glasses to read in a few years after the lasik due to my age. I'll stick with what I've got. If I were 25 again instead of 55 I might think differently. YMMV |
|
Quoted:
I've heard very good things about the wavelength surgery. I had PRK done to correct farsightedness and it worked out very well. I found out wavelength surgery isn't available for farsightedness yet. PRK is more painful than most surgeries but the chance of a corneal flap developing is almost nill because it isn't as invasive. So, you might think about PRK also. I had the same procedure done for nearsightedness and love it. Its nice never having to wear glasses again. 
|
|
Quoted: real men wears glasses, they doesnt worry about cosmetic reasons to get Lasik I knew a person that always use to make fun of others that wore glasses like it was a sign of weakness now this person needs glasses themselves but refuses to wear them because of cosmetic reasons, they always ask me what time is it? because they cant see well enough to read the time on the wall clock so they never wear their glasses even though they need them I dont think it's worth the risk My job in the military requires me to wear ballistic goggles on mission that my prescription glasses didn't fit under. So I had to choose between wearing ballistic goggles that would stop shrapnel from blinding me or perscription glass's. I didn't like having to make that choice. That's why I got lasik, it had nothing to do with anything cosmetic. |
| My eyesight was 20/70 in one eye and 20/200 in the other. I had lasik done in Jan 2001 (I was 37) . Best $1800 I ever spent. I ended up with 20/15 after everything healed. I did it because glasses were giving me headaches and my eyes did not like contacts. Now after 10 years I still have 20/20 in my right eye (blind in my left eye but not because of the surgery). |
|
Someone please tell me what is wavefront? Also, is there any procedure that does not require them to cut that flap on your eye? I would love to have my eyes corrected, but that flap thing really weirds me out. If they all require it, then I will have alot to think about prior to making that kind of decision.
Also, I appreciate the caution that a few members express on eye correction. The docs are messing with something that is irreplaceable. My cousin's husband was one of the first to get it done many years ago when it came to Richmond. He was legally blind in one eye, and pretty bad in the other. He wound up with great vision in both eyes, eliminated the contacts, and has not had any trouble. Another friend had it done and has been generally happy with it. Alot of good stories out there, but again the few bad ones should give anyone pause. |