by drwtsn32 47 Replies latest watchtower medical
Wow... too bad I don't live in Canada. My sister went there two years ago to have it done. I'm just not keen on the idea of being an 8 hour drive away from help in case of trouble!
My pre-op is in two days. If the doctor says I can only have LASIK done once, I am really tempted to go for Wavefront.
I'll keep everyone posted on this topic that only interests me.
Next I'll start a thread about the wonderful patterns I mow in my yard.
wow, congrats to everyone who's had the surgery successfully. LASIK technology is certainly amazing. Corrective surgery has certainly come a long way. The clinic i work at now doesn't perform any type of corrective surgery, but my previous clinic did. Most of the employees there had the procedure done--it was very inexpensive for us. I would recommend that anyone considering it visit a reputable surgeon who will answer all of your questions honestly. Understanding exactly what is going to happen, what to expect, and possible outcomes is very important. Often times, people had unrealistic expectations for their surgery. Not everyone will see 20/20. I don't know of any doctor who will guarantee you that either. If you read the fine print or the "fine print" of commercials, it states that the goal of the procedure is to REDUCE your dependence on glasses and contact lenses.
My doctor and i were discussing LASIK the other day, there was a recent article in an ophthalmology journal stating that although the quantity of your vision may increase, often times the quality of your vision doesn't match that improvement. It's kind of scary to think about--it's irreversable.
Although we haven't run into any of these cases at our clinic, this is fairly common. Patients who have previously had corrective surgery (RK, PRK, LASIK) and are now coming in for cataract surgery are running into problems. The types of measurements done to calculate the lens implant used in cataract surgery aren't accurate once your cornea has been altered. PLEASE ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THIS BEFORE SURGERY.
anyway, just thought i'd throw in my 2 cents. i'm not claiming to know everything, just throwing out a little food for thought.
eyegirl:
Thank you for the information! I will ask my doctor tomorrow about the cataracts thing.
although the quantity of your vision may increase, often times the quality of your vision doesn't match that improvementCan you elaborate? How can the quality not increase with the quantity? Do contact lenses increase both quality and quantity?
what i got out of the conversation with my doc is that even though overall your vision may be better, often times the quality of your vision isn't as good. how i understood that is, as an example, i notice a difference in the quality of my vision between my contacts and glasses. often times the quality is much better with my glasses--much more clear and crisp. also along with that, take into consideration halos and glare. my best friend just had her LASIK about 2 months ago. she can no longer wear dark sunglasses because she complains that the glare is so bad she can't drive with them on.
what can be hard to grasp is that there are so many perceptions of "20/20 vision". you can have 5 different patients who can all see to read the 20/20 line on an eye chart, but it doesn't mean they all see it the same way. for some it's an easy task, for others, they eek it out. does that make sense?
we had a busy clinic day, so i didn't get to discuss the study with her all that much and now we're both on vacation til next week.
she can no longer wear dark sunglasses because she complains that the glare is so bad she can't drive with them on.
Isn't that because not a large enough area of her cornea was treated because of her pupil size? Did they not detect that she had larger than normal pupils? Also, I have heard that some have glare problems that go away after a few months.
I notice a difference in quality between my glasses and my contacts... with contacts I can see so much better! Glasses distort the image near the edges of the lens. It seems contacts more closely imitate what natural good vision is like. I would think LASIK is the same as contacts in that regard.
I guess I'll find out!!
Well...I had the procedure done yesterday. It only took about 10 minutes for both eyes. The most disconcerting part is when they put the microkeratome on your eye and cut the corneal flap. This device puts pressure on your eye and everything goes black for about 10 seconds.
Once they do that he pulls the flap back and then the laser goes to work. You don't feel anything when the laser is vaporizing your cornea... all you hear is a loud clicking sound with each pulse. It took about 30 seconds of laser action to finish. Then he put the cornea flap back and started on the other eye.
The coolest part is you can see them doing everything. You don't really have a choice as your eyelid is clamped open.
Immediately after the procedure I could see better than before without contacts, but it looked like I was walking through thick fog. I went home and slept. After about four hours my vision was very good. This morning I went in for a post-op and, even though my eyes are still a little foggy, I tested 20/20 in one eye. The other eye was about 20/25. After a week I'll be tested again to see where my I'm at, but I'm sure it'll test even better since the fog should have cleared by then.
Yay Fizz Doc! Can you see my post any better? I can't...
*Puts on glasses and drinks a diet pop*
That's better!
~Aztec
(((((((((((((((((((((( DOC )))))))))))))))))))))
Doc How is it now?
Aztec:
Yay Fizz Doc! Can you see my post any better? I can't...
Yeah, I can see your posts better... I had no idea you were so opinionated!!!
*Puts on glasses and drinks a diet pop*
LOL.... I have to put diet pop drops in my eyes to keep them moist for the next week.
