Who has had LASIK?

sizzle74

I went for my consultation yesterday and am scheduled for Nov 21st as long as my right cornea improves on exam on Nov 20th. Contact wear has affected that cornea but they feel it will likely heal within a month. I think I will be opting for mono vision at 100% in one eye and 80% in the other so I can see up close as well. He said that should allow me 15+ years of being able to see up close without reading glasses.

I would love to hear your stories. :drinker:

runningvegan

I had ASA (advanced surface ablation) a couple of years ago about a year after my husband had it done. Similar to LASIK but without the freaky flap thing. It takes longer to heal, about 2 weeks if I remember correctly, but my Dr prefers it for its safety aspect - you don't need to worry about the flap getting dislodged at some point down the road.

Totally worth the expense! I have 20/20 vision now, and my spouse has 20/15.

xombiebite

i havent i have nightmares about it and the funny thing is if they fix the far sight then ill need glasses for reading which i dont need now.

good luck though!

xombiebite

I had ASA (advanced surface ablation) a couple of years ago about a year after my husband had it done. Similar to LASIK but without the freaky flap thing. It takes longer to heal, about 2 weeks if I remember correctly, but my Dr prefers it for its safety aspect - you don't need to worry about the flap getting dislodged at some point done the road.

Totally worth the expense! I have 20/20 vision now, and my spouse has 20/15.

flap what flap? omg when they like laser the surface of your eyeball lens?

Softly_Sedated

I had LASIK In October 2007. My prescription was so high I was told that even with LASIK, I may still require glasses. I have been glasses and contact free since then. My eyesight is fading now and I am looking into having LASIK again. The only drawback I found is dry eyes, which I never had a problem with before LASIK. My night vision was poor for the first few weeks after the surgery and I saw starbursts around lights as well. Both improved after a few weeks.

skylark94

I did it about 8 years ago. My vision is now 20/10 in both eyes. It was by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. There was a couple of hours of stinging after the procedure, but I was able to drive the same day.

Softly_Sedated

They cut a thin layer and flip it up. You don't feel it at all. I was nervous about it, but it was nothing. Things become blurry - that is it.

eatandexercise1

I used to have --6.0 prescription in both eyes...SUPER nearsighted. My optometrist told me that LASIK wouldn't give me very good results, because I was so nearsighted.

But in September 2012 I got LASIK, and now i have about 20/20 vision in both eyes. It was a such a miracle and I thank God every day for it.

Everyone is different, but if you're a good candidate, make sure you have an amazing doc, like I did. Good luck!

jess7386

I had LASEK, which is yet another version. Long story short, my corneas were too thin for traditional LASIK (where they peel back the eye, laser, and then smooth the flap back over), so they basically dissolved the top layer of my eye then lasered.

The "surgery" itself wasn't bad at all. You're conscious the whole time and can see what's going on, but it takes about 20 minutes.

If I'm being 100% honest, I was in a ton of pain/my vision went in and out in the week after the surgery. This is not typical, and I was pretty surprised since I usually have a REALLY high pain tolerance for things like this and have had surgeries before. For the first week I honestly couldn't do much but eat and sleep.

However, I would do it again 100000%. I went from horrendous vision (my contacts were somewhere around 4.5 in both eyes), to being able to see 20/15. There really is nothing like being able to see when you've worn glasses & contacts so long - makes the little things in life (losing your glasses after you took out your contacts, swimming, snorkeling, etc.) much easier.

I should also add that I DO still see halos around lights sometimes, and it kind of bugs me at night. For me, it's worth it because my vision was so bad before. I think it's a pretty common occurrence (that & dry eye) so you just need to weigh the risks going in.

This sounds overly-negative and I wasn't meaning it to, but I would definitely go for it all over again as it has definitely improved life tremendously! Good luck!

elleloch

In January it will be two years since I've had LASIK. Best money I ever spent, seriously.

Trust: I was FREAKED out when I went in there. The doctor told me it would take ten minutes, which is really nothing. Um... it was more like five minutes. Seriously it is painless and over before you know it. I wish I hadn't waited so long!

The funny part is by the time I got home, the numbing drops were starting to wear off and I was starting to get a little uncomfortable because hey, I had laser beams shot into my eyeballs. I took the drugs and got into bed and thought to myself, "Ugh, how am I supposed to sleep when my eyes feel like this?" BAM. I was asleep and when I woke up, I could see.

She_Hulk

I had the Mono Vision done last August and love it! One eye for far away , one eye for up close. No problems at all. You can PM me with any questions if you want to. Good luck!

sizzle74

Thank you all! I am a bit concerned about the cornea being too thin. I really hope they can do it successfully after a month of no contacts.

SofaKingRad_II

I had it done in November 2007. Very simple procedure and I was seeing better that same night. I'm happy I did it. The drier eyes is the drawback though. But it hasn't been a big deal.

MuscleAndMascara

I had Lasik done, worked awesome until 8 years and one kid later. It does not last. At least not for me.

sizzle74

I had Lasik done, worked awesome until 8 years and one kid later. It does not last. At least not for me.

I was always told by my eye doctor not to do it until I was done having kids and until my vision was stable for atleast a year. I think yours didn't last as long because you did it very young while your vision was still changing and had another child.

CeleryStalker

I had lasik done after my second child was born, so that was about 9 years ago. My vision is 20/20 in the right, 20/10 (which is better than 'perfect') in the left. At the time, there were two options, different lasers they used I think. One option used more precise cuts to the eye, allowing for 'tune ups' later on down the road if I needed any fine tuning. The other option would have removed more surface of my eye initially, leaving less eyeball to slice and dice later if needed. I opted for the 'more precise' option, but here I am 9 years later and still have 20/20, 20/10.

One thing to keep in mind. Lasik will not prevent 'old people eyes' from occurring. Once you hit a certain age, the muscles in your eyes weaken, which is why so many older folks need reading glasses. While Lasik doesn't prevent that from occurring, it certainly has improved my life and lifestyle. Seeing in the shower is amazing, and so is seeing when you first wake up in the morning Swimming without glasses is another plus, as is cycling without having to put sunglasses over top of my prescription glasses.


edit to add: i was awake during the procedure. they give you valium to take before going, and one more when you get there. they numb your eyes and use something that resembled an eyelash curler to hold your eye open while they worked on it. No pain during or after the procedure. Dry eyes for a while, but that hasn't been an issue for many years. Was seeing MUCH better on the way out of the office, and things got super better within a couple of weeks. Before the procedure, my vision was 20/800. That wasn't a typo. I literally couldn't see words on the screen on the desk in front of me, much less anything far away.

just_Jennie1

I did quite a few years ago and it was the best thing I've ever done.

I only had to get one eye done. I highly suggest you take the Valium if they offer it to you. You will need it to relax and when you get home it will help you sleep. The procedure itself was really, really fast. The prep time is what took the longest.

I had some pain later in the day. I woke up around noon and it felt like someone was stabbing my eye but when I woke up again later that afternoon there was zero pain. Not only that but I was able to see clearer immediately which was pretty fricken awesome. I did the eye drops for 6 months or whatever and have not had a problem with dry eyes.

One thing you need to remember is that after the procedure and you do all your follow-ups you have to keep up with your yearly eye appointments. With the place I went through they have a lifetime guarantee on the procedure as long as you keep up with your eye exams Once you stop going the guarantee is null and void.

Ideabaker

I had Lasik done, worked awesome until 8 years and one kid later. It does not last. At least not for me.

I was always told by my eye doctor not to do it until I was done having kids and until my vision was stable for atleast a year. I think yours didn't last as long because you did it very young while your vision was still changing and had another child.

Does anyone know if it can be done twice? For instance, if you got the LASIK for near-sightedness, can you get it again later in life for far-sightedness, or again for near-sightedness if the effects "wore off"?

skinnyjeanzbound

I had LASIK in 2005 after a lifetime of horrible astigmatism (I wore glasses from the age of 4). The procedure itself was easy and super quick (less than 5 minutes/eye), and I had ZERO pain afterwards. I've heard that LASEK is a different story b/c they laser the surface of the lens which takes longer to heal. The flap thing sounds freaky, but when they put it back, it covers the lasered surface like a natural band-aid so no irritation or discomfort.

I could immediately see much more clearly. However, I did get halos around lights at night for quite a long time. Pretty bad for the first few months, then they diminished over the next year until they completely disappeared.

I don't have perfect vision from the procedure, but I was warned that due to my initial poor vision I might need an enhancement which would be an additional fee. My insurance changed and my doc was no longer covered meaning it would have been quite a large expense for minimal difference in my vision. Plus, I would eventually need reading glasses due to age anyways, so I opted to not do the enhancement. I have a pair of reading glasses which I NEVER wear, so obviously not a big issue.

I would do it again for sure!!

ETA: I second the recommendation to take the Valium!

jennpaulson

I had LASIK done almost 12 years ago. It was the best money I've ever spent!! I don't know what my prescription was but I know I couldn't see squat.
I have to say the anticipation in the weeks or months before hand, then the nervousness that day and then the quickness of the procedure reminds me of a roller coaster ride. You're so excited leading up to it and then you get really nervous (I mean it's your eyes, what if something goes wrong?) and then it's over before you know it and you're like "Is that it?"

Almost 12 years and I still see perfectly fine : )

faceoff4

The best money I have ever spent actually! Would do it again if I needed it. Almost 15 years into it and I still have perfect vision

sizzle74

Thank you guys! I am getting excited yet still nervous! Been wearing my glasses religiously so my cornea will hopefully be ready!

ThePlight

I had ASA (advanced surface ablation) a couple of years ago about a year after my husband had it done. Similar to LASIK but without the freaky flap thing. It takes longer to heal, about 2 weeks if I remember correctly, but my Dr prefers it for its safety aspect - you don't need to worry about the flap getting dislodged at some point down the road.

Totally worth the expense! I have 20/20 vision now, and my spouse has 20/15.

Hmmmmm, I'm liking the sound of this compared to lasik. I also go for the safer procedures myself. Thanks for posting this, I didn't even know there was another option besides glasses/lasik.. Contacts aggravate my eyes.. So I can't do that, either.

janer4jc

My husband got glasses at 5 years old and bi-focals at 10. He had terrible vision. We went to Canada for Lasik surgery 13 years ago and he's had 20/20 vision ever since. His night vision has declined in the last couple of years but at 53 that's not surprising. He followed the doctor's orders to the letter and had a wonderful recovery. It's the best money we ever spent.

sazman321

If you had LASIK surgery and are now experiencing problems http://www.lasikfailures.com

ItsMeGee3

I wish I would have waited for LASIK. I had RK 18 years ago. Having problems with that now.

pawnstarNate

in for info....been thinking about it too because I recently had to switch to bifocal contacts

some people adjust to them.....some don't