Words of Wisdom on Lasik

Hey y’all…

I’m thinking about getting LASIK for my 30th - erm, 29th - birthday. I’ve always had bad eyes, and am currently around -3.25/-2 with very minor astigmatism. I haven’t gone to get a consultation yet.

I wear glasses about 85% of the time, as contacts drive me crazy. And yes, I know that getting rid of the glasses will decrease my naughty librarian allure. It is something I’ll have to weigh in my decisionmaking process.

For those of you who have had LASIK/PRK or whatever, what was your experience?

Any regrets?

How did you pick your Dr.?

Any other words of wisdom?

Thanks!

I’ve thought about this, too, so I’m gonna pay close attention to this thread. Just so you know.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let a doctor slice my eye open, though. That shit’s crazy.

I haven’t personally had any surgery yet (strongly considering LASIK though), but for what it’s worth here is my opinion based on some quick Googling.

LASIK as a technology seems to be further developed at the moment compared to PRK (at least around here in Finland).

LASIK has half the recovery time and pain compared to PRK, both eyes can be done simultaneously or at least on a short interval.

PRK seems to hold higher risk of hindered night vision.

Check this out (Wavefront/Custom LASIK):

[quote]rrjc5488 wrote:
I’ve thought about this, too, so I’m gonna pay close attention to this thread. Just so you know.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let a doctor slice my eye open, though. That shit’s crazy.[/quote]

Don’t worry, ain’t no filthy doc gonna prod your eye man. :stuck_out_tongue:

For example, with PRK they use cold ultraviolet beam to remove bits of tissue from your cornea, so no actual cuntting is involved. There is also a bladeless LASIK.

I had lasik two years ago and it was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My eyes were terrible… -4.50/-4.75 and my vision is now 20/10.

Recovery was short… you can literally see better immediately after the surgery, though things are a little foggy and your eyes are extremely sensitive to light. But after the light sensitivity is gone you’re fine. Eye drops for a few weeks and that’s it.

The hardest part for me was wearing glasses for a month beforehand. I wore contacts 100% of the time for over ten years before that so making the switch to glasses was quite a challenge. Since you wear glasses most of the time anyway the whole thing should be a breeze.

I just had my regular eye doctor do the surgery, so no idea on how to choose one other than that.

I had LASIK done about 4 years ago to correct nearsightness and astigmatism so the procedure may have changed a bit. It’s almost worth going just for the eye exam because it was the most thorough exam I ever had.

[quote]pushmepullme wrote:

For those of you who have had LASIK/PRK or whatever, what was your experience?[/quote]

The eye exam is pretty weird because during one part they basically numb your eye and start poking it to check cornea thickness. The LASIK procedure itself was…well…different. There’s no pain, but the most uncomfortable part was having my eyelids spread out with a clamp. The burning hair smell didn’t help either.

I was the first one who went through the wringer that morning so of course everyone was asking me how much better I can see. TBH, right away it wasn’t any different and I wanted to go to sleep, which is their recommendation anyway.

Once I got home and took a nap, my vision was waaaay better. The next few weeks my eyes would feel a little scratchy, but the eye drops they give help a lot. Make sure to take sunglasses to work because all the artificial lighting can make your eyes feel weird. After about a month, it was all good and I’m still maintaining 20/20 vision. Getting that vision restriction taken off my license was awesome!

That I didn’t get it done sooner.

Went on the LASIK site and picked one near me. The guy’s first name was Sonny so of course I had to call him Dr. Crockett.

Do it.

Anything for you. :slight_smile:

I watched my friends lasik surgery on dvd. Let me just say that if you’re going to have it done, do not watch it first.

while Mercola can go to extremes sometime, you might want to check out his website about LASIK.

I’ve never known anyone that has had it, but figured it would be good to get both sides of the story. Again, he does go overboard at times though, so take it with a grain of salt.

I am on the fence about the procedure, because more and more people are claiming that they are getting halos and seeing stars at night. I am not sure of this is an issue with the procedure itself, or the doctor who is doing it. I would do mega homework on this if I were you, and I am sure you will. You seem like the type who would do that rather than do something impulsive. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

Best 4K I ever spent. Seriously.

[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
Hey y’all…

I’m thinking about getting LASIK for my 30th - erm, 29th - birthday. I’ve always had bad eyes, and am currently around -3.25/-2 with very minor astigmatism. I haven’t gone to get a consultation yet.

I wear glasses about 85% of the time, as contacts drive me crazy. And yes, I know that getting rid of the glasses will decrease my naughty librarian allure. It is something I’ll have to weigh in my decisionmaking process.

For those of you who have had LASIK/PRK or whatever, what was your experience?

Any regrets?

How did you pick your Dr.?

Any other words of wisdom?

Thanks![/quote]

Best money I ever spent.

I researched every Lasik doctor in the area. Make sure they have done lots of them, have been established in the area for some time. Look for testimonials from the doctor’s family or relatives.

Also makes sure and pay extra for:

For diagnostics and the best possible assessment and measurements:
Orbscan II technology
VISX Custom View (WaveScan)
VIXS WavePrint

The Surgery:
IntraLasik with IntraLase laser (for creating the flap)
VISX Star S4 ActiveTrak Excimer laser (for the actual surgery)

Do not go with anything but the ALL LASER procedure. These are your only eyes and paying a few thousand more for the best technology is worth every penny.

[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I am on the fence about the procedure, because more and more people are claiming that they are getting halos and seeing stars at night. I am not sure of this is an issue with the procedure itself, or the doctor who is doing it. I would do mega homework on this if I were you, and I am sure you will. You seem like the type who would do that rather than do something impulsive. Good Luck with whatever you decide. [/quote]

I had the all laser procedure about 4 years ago, they have even better technology now. But I did have a halo for several weeks but it went away as they healed.

Just be sure to take your eye drops (one of the drops is a steroid that promotes healing) also eat well and don’t strain yourself scuba diving or doing max lifts or crushing metabolic workouts and you will be healed up in no time.

I have 20/15 vision now and no side affects whatsoever.

And as an add-on to my previous advice on how to choose a doctor. make sure they provide a lifetime warranty with a money back guarantee. Mine did.

One of the best investments I ever made I can honestly say it changed my life.

Wait, I get STEEROIDZ with this? Sign me up!

mmllcc, how long did you have to put heavy lifting on hold? I have meets in May, July, and maybe August, and would probably get the surgery in May.

[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
Wait, I get STEEROIDZ with this? Sign me up!

mmllcc, how long did you have to put heavy lifting on hold? I have meets in May, July, and maybe August, and would probably get the surgery in May.[/quote]

I didn’t do anything for a week after and just did moderate workouts for the three weeks after that. After that you would probably be o.k. but I wouldn’t mess with it. If I were you I would postpone it till after all your meets…or just cancel the meets. Of course your doctor might have some better input on it.

To add to this - Would you say the average cost would be around $4K USD for both eyes?

Man I KNEW the wife & I should have done this instead of pay down our CC debt with our wedding gift money… (Goes to readjust itchy contact lens in dusty room)

Oh well, when the money comes up…

Good luck PMPM & let us know if you will take the plunge.

(btw, if that is your opthamalogist in the pic I will need the name of that clinic :p)

[quote]jaybvee wrote:
To add to this - Would you say the average cost would be around $4K USD for both eyes?

Man I KNEW the wife & I should have done this instead of pay down our CC debt with our wedding gift money… (Goes to readjust itchy contact lens in dusty room)

Oh well, when the money comes up…

Good luck PMPM & let us know if you will take the plunge.

(btw, if that is your opthamalogist in the pic I will need the name of that clinic :p)[/quote]

I paid close to $2500 for each eye.

So the $490 per eye often advertised is the barest of bare minimums then eh?

Shit, @ $490 an eye we must be talking about the backroom “rusty Gillette Mach 3 blade/laser taken from a broken UPS barcode scanner” procedure LOL

I know I’ll be paying minimum $3K per eye (damn you astigmatism in the left eye - squints angrily into the mirror at reflection)

I just wonder how crappy the $490/eye procedure is or how much the price increases depending on your prescription.

http://www.lasikmd.com/cottawa/price/canadian-patients/cost-canadian-ottawa.en.html