Lasik Surgery (page 2)

DevonMcBride

I had Lasik almost 4 years ago and I'm very pleased with the results. No, I did not have to take any time off from work. By the next day I was able to drive, read and work.

Devon

drwtsn32

The surgery for me was very quick and painless. It took at least a month for my eyes to stabilize, but now I have about 20/20 vision in both eyes.

I do have SOME glare at night especially when it's REALLY dark. Of course, I kinda already had glare with contacts...they were usually a bit dry by the end of the day.

Just make sure they measure the size of your fully-dilated pupils. Your vision needs to be corrected by a LASIK machine that can handle your max pupil size. If your pupils are really big and the LASIK machine doesn't correct enough of your cornea, you will have bad glare when it gets dark.

In my case the LASIK machine was rated at like 0.5mm greater than my pupil size. I'm not sure why I have some glare at night.

It cost me $999 per eye... and I don't regret having it done at all. If I were to do it again, I'd pay a bit more to get "wavefront" LASIK. It's the best form of LASIK available right now (as far as I know).

drwtsn32

I took only one day off of work. They said you don't HAVE to, but in my line of work (computers--staring at screens, etc) they said I really should. The eyes need to be kept well-hydrated after surgery to make sure the corneas heal properly. Don't plan on watching TV or using the computer for a couple days.

eyegirl

i haven't had it done, nor do i think i ever will. the past couple of months, i've thought about it more, but it honestly scares the bejesus outta me. perhaps i've heard too many bad things that have happened (which aren't normal, but being in the field, you hear them).

all i can say is, do your research. research your ophthalmologist, their procedures they provide, pre- and post- op care, their staff, facilities, etc. it's your eyes you're talkin about and you only get one pair--take good care of them!

marcosgarcia

Hi ! Following the thread here. I did not see this mentioned so far. If you are over 40 you may still need reading glasses afer surgurey. Simply becasue of the aging of your eyes. So don't think you will be w/o glasses. What I was not prepared for was that I could not see close up like before. Freaked me out at first. I used to take off my glasses to be able to see a splinter in my hand, read a map or look closely at my face, now I need cheaters (reading glasses) or a magnifying glass and it is not as clear as before. BUT had I not had the operation I would have had to start using bifocals which I did not want to do. The reading glasses are inexpensive so I bought several pairs and keep them handy. My eyes are also a bit more sensitive to the sun. As mentioned, the drops are needed so don't skip them.

Would I do it again YES ! I can see roadsigns off in the distance, read the alarm clock in the morning and I am not blind in the pool.

CeriseRose

I've had "No Touch" surgery (sounds similar to how Big Tex described PPK, but our Canadian version). No surgeon's touch, all done by laser. I've had basically the same results...dryer eyes and mine are more sensitive (used to be able to walk in the wind with no problem...now I tear up). I have problems with night vision but those are the the same as before the surgery.

They also told me at the time that due to natural aging I'd need the procedure re-done for reading...I had the surgery in Feb of 2002 and they had *just* brought this new surgery out. (See link below)

It was a lot of healing pain but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

http://lasereye.com/in_news.html

Sadly, the doctor who pioneered the technology and who performed my surgery was killed in a car crash 5 months after I got it done. Clinic still going though and apparently doing well.

Sassy

I want to have this done.. boy the surgery which is done by computer sounds good... I was hoping to budget it out for next year.. we'll see..

Carmel

$2400 ten years ago in Seattle! RK not lasik. I see it adverised now for $199 per eye! In and out in one hour after the full exam the day before. Pretty phenomenal! No side effects after the first year. It takes that long for RK to stabilize. Still need glasses for reading but threw away the specks I needed for 50 yrs.

carmel

drwtsn32

Carmel,

You sure you had RK? That's the "old school" method where the surgeon makes radial cuts in your cornea with a scalpel. PRK is where they use a laser to reshape the surface of your cornea. LASIK is where they cut a thin flap in your cornea, fold it back, use the laser to reshape the cornea, then put the flap back.

LASIK is better than PRK because it's not as painful and recovery is much quicker. However, PRK is still used instead of LASIK if the cornea is a bit too thin.

Big Tex

LASIK is better than PRK because it's not as painful and recovery is much quicker

Well I don't know about that Dr. W. I had no pain whatsoever with PRK, and my eyes were 20/20 within 36 (48?) hours. The entire process took 5 or 6 minutes. All I saw was a flashing red light and the deed was done. In fact, I saw well enough to drive home after the procedure, although my step-dad wouldn't let me.

I didn't want to do LASIK because of the cutting. Knives make me nervous and the less invasiveness on the body the better.

Lasik Surgery

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