Lasik?

PDiddy0913

I'm getting LASIK tomorrow. I'm not THAT nervous, but my Dr. asked if I wanted to go with the laser instead of the blade (microkeratome) procedure for $900 more! I am going to get the standard microkeratome procedure for financial reasons. Anyone haver any issue with the blade procedure? From the research I've done, it's just as effective and safe as the "laser-cut" procedure.

squigglypuff

i'm getting lasik on july 20th and i'm as excited as i am terrified! i've been wearing glasses for almost 20 years now (since kindergarten) and i feel like they're part of my identity, but like the original poster said, when i put them down, i lose them! at approximately $500 for my lenses (not to mention whatever they feel like charging for the frames), i don't keep a backup set because i can't afford it. in my 23 years on earth, i have never really learned how to swim properly because i can't go in the water without my glasses -- i have a pool in my yard and i live on a freakin' island, but i can't swim!! i'm excited to finally be able to see without relying on these overpriced pieces of plastic and i am happy to see that you all have had good results!

JustJennie1

I got it done last year. I only needed one eye and it was the best decision I have ever made. I freed up five pounds in my luggage just by getting a $2,500 procedure done LOL!

You will need to go for an evaluation to make sure you're actually a candidate because not everyone is. If your prescription is constantly changing you might not be a candidate.

However. . . if you ARE a candidate then I highly recommend getting it done. Like I said, it was the best decision I have ever made.

I don't know where you're from but if you have a TLC Lasik Center around you go there. That's where I got mine done and as long as I keep up with my yearly eye exams (which why wouldn't I?!) if anything happens and I need a 'touch up' the price will be significantly less because it's a life time guarantee.

If you don't have TLC Center make sure you do your research and don't go to someone based on price because you WILL get what you pay for. There's a place where I live that advertises on the radio all the time (TLC has NO ads. My eye dr. recommended them) and all the radio personalities have gotten their eyes done there, they video taped it etc. and I worked with people who went there to get it done and had to go back for follow up touch ups.

Any way, the short answer is if you're a candidate DO IT.

dlwyatt82

I had Lasik back in 2008, and it's been awesome. I haven't even needed an eye exam in the last 4 years, let alone any more corrections (I get free Lasik for life if I become nearsighted again).

I was pretty nervous during the actual procedure, but it wasn't too bad. After the surgery is done, you're wearing extremely dark sunglasses, your vision is very blurry (you'll need a ride home), and are told to go home and take a nap for several hours right away. Much of the healing takes place in those first few hours of sleep; when you wake up, the blurriness is basically gone, and you just have to deal with dry eyes and glare from bright lights for a while.

They'll give you antibiotic eye drops to take on a schedule, and rewetting drops to use as needed (and you will need them a LOT for the first week or so). You need to wear protective goggles when you sleep for a little while, so you don't rub your eyes by mistake until flap is completely healed shut. Much like when you wear contacts, you may be sensitive to bright sunlight or headlights when night driving afterward; always have sunglasses handy during the day. That passed for me within a few months, but I believe they said that some people maintain the sensitivity to light for much longer.

ninerbuff

I have extremely bad eyesight (I can't find my glasses if they get moved while they're off because I wont see them)... I've been switching between glasses and contacts for years and have been considering lasik.

Has anyone here done it? What was your experience?

DO IT! I got it done and now only need glasses for reading signs when I drive. Wish I would have done it years ago.

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cobaltis

I had PRK, my eyesight was too bad for Lasik, I love it, went from 20/-750 to 20/15. Slightly painful but well worth it. No side effects after recovering.

SP2Bfit

I had it done round 10-12 years ago and my vision is still 20-20 (or darn near close to it)...BEST THING I EVER DID!!!

I was like you, couldn't see 6 inches in front of my face without my glasses or contacts in. I was generally successful with contacts but they were a pain-- I recommend you do it ASAP!!....also I have 4 siblings who also got it done....only one had a complication with the flap healing incorrectly and needing to have a follow up surgery to correct...she is fine now.

It is a freaky thing--you need to focus your gaze on a spot. You see the machine come over your eye and then it does the slice--you lose your vision in that eye for a little bit (at least that is what happened to me...cant remember if I could see while the zapping was goign on or not...may have been just when the slice was made). Smell like burning hair while they do it. The worse your vision is the longer it take/more zaps to correct...but we are talking seconds....I did feel pressure/an uncomfortable sensation when they did my first eye but nothing when they did my second. Some doctors prescribe valium before the procedure...mine would give it as an option---I did not take one. Could be that the process has changed a bit but I would think it is still somewhat as I described above...Good luck!!


as mentioned above, I am a little light sensitive still, and still have some "halos" around lights at night...they warned me I may experience this because apparently I have large pupils and that makes you more likely to experience this (so they told me)...a reputable place will run you through a lot of tests and let you know what the best options are for your vision

TheFitHooker

Bump

I've seriously been considering this as well. I hate wearing glasses, I feel like they hide the true beauty in my eyes which is why I refuse to take photo's with them on. I am thinking about getting contacts just so I don't have to wear these frames, but I hate putting them in my eyes lol.

Nutrition1st

I had Lasik (PRK to be more exact) in 2003. I wore glasses and contacts my entire life and they never seemed to be great. I had bad migraines and my eyes would be irritated b/c of allergies. When I signed up to have the surgery, they also told me about Punctal Plugs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctal_plug). I was nervous at first b/c there were so many people coming back for a 2nd surgery. What they told me was basically the $199 special you see in the news paper is a baseline surgery with a cheap laser (for lack of a more technical description). There were better options available as well as a lifetime warranty. I opted to spend more now, instead of coming back later. But the good news is if I ever have any problems with site for the rest of my life, I can go back in and get it corrected for free. The surgery lasted 3 minutes. I also got permanent punctal plugs installed too. Today I can see crystal clear (far better than when I wore contacts) and b/c of the plugs, I still have allergies, but my eyes never get irritated!

jennadelane

Hands down the best thing I have ever done for myself. I didn't realize what a burden having poor eyesight really was until after my procedure. I have 20/15 vision now, and aside from a little dryness, my eyes are perfect! I will gladly swap poor eyesight for dryness anyday! Don't even think twice about the money, you can't put a price on sight!

sche1amy

I have had Lasik done and I have no regrets. It was well worth the money that I spent on it.

Briski1411

DO IT you will not regret it I promise. You will love it. I use to have extremely bad eye sight until I had lasik surgery and like others have said it is the best money I ever spent. No regrets none at all. No more fussin with glasses or contacts don't have to worry about going swimming or taking a shower or getting splashed in the face. When you wake up at 2:30 or 4:30 in the morning you can see the clock across the room. Find the money beg for it borrow it Work extra for it do whatever it takes. I promise you will not be sorry.

beccas27

I had it done several years ago, But I am now back in glasses.. the surgery itself was no problem, But I had bad dry eyes when I woke up at night & could not see well at night when driving.

I could always have the surgery done again since I have a lifetime warranty on my eyes, but I chose not to do it again, So now I wear glasses for night driving..

Everyone has a different outcome with this.

carrie3479

I haven't had mine done, I went to a consultation and was told that although they could improve my sight in my completely useless eye, I still wouldn't be able to "see" as it is too lazy and wanders off, and then he waffled on about it being because my brain doesn't pick it up as an eye.

I do however know numerous people who have been lucky enough to have it done and they cant praise it high enough. It seems to be money very well spent

anna0478

My eyes werent suitable for Lasik, corneas were too thin. My husband and I both had PRK about 8-9 years ago. Other than the initial discomfort, there was no issue. My husband still has perfect vision. I, however, have had to go back to wearing glasses. My prescription is only a fraction of what it used to be before the surgery, though.

valerie521

Had Lasik in 2002 - best money ever spent ! Would have paid a million dollars. No regrets and
still see 20/15

guardian419

I just got PRK (similar to lasik, easier to qualify for) on June 18th. My vision is better than it was with glasses on, the ONLY downside I've found is you can't swim or do contact sports for a month, and you have to be careful rubbing your eyes. If you have chronic dry eyes it will make it worse. My eyes were fine before, and for about 2 weeks were a tiny bit dry (eye drops every 4 hours or so), other than that, no problems at all and I never have to worry about glasses again

stacgiggles

Had PRK little over a year ago. SOOOOOOOO wish i did it years ago. I absolutly love it, I"m 20/15 now. No complications at all. I would def check into and DO IT if you can. You won't regret!
GOOD LUCK!

Mcctin65

Yes! I had only one eye done. I now have mono vision. My reading vision was perfect and I didn't want to have to still wear cheaters for reading so my dominant left eye is for distance and right is for reading. Perfect! No contacts, no cheaters.

skylark94

I had it done about 5 years ago. I only wish I'd done it sooner! I see better now than I ever did with glasses or contacts. It really was life changing for me.

FitLink

I have extremely bad eyesight (I can't find my glasses if they get moved while they're off because I wont see them)... I've been switching between glasses and contacts for years and have been considering lasik.

Has anyone here done it? What was your experience?

Lasik isn't an option for me, but there other corrective procedures for the type of vision problems I have. I have been extremely far-sighed since birth and have worn glasses since this was discovered when I was 17 months old. (I am 53 and have been wearing glasses for 52 years and contacts on and off for 41 years. I had corrective surgery (that failed to improve my vision--at all) at age 6 and age 18. I also could not find my glasses if they were moved, which is why I have several pairs. I can't afford to be without them if something happens to them.

In recent years, I've gotten fond of extended wear contact lenses. My current lenses are worn two weeks (continuously--day and night) then thrown out. I wear contacts about half the time. (I prefer how I look in glasses, but thick glasses are very uncomfortable and I see better with contacts). I can't imagine wanting to go through the discomfort and inconvenience of surgery when extended wear contacts have done so much for me!

samblanken

I did it and would do it all over again. My only problem was that I had dry eyes for many months afterward, but that slowly went away.

robinogue

One of the best decisions I made.. I'm going on 7 years :bigsmile:

squigglypuff

update: i had my procedure on 7/20. it took less than a minute per eye. they told me ahead of time that i would never see 20/20 (not with surgery, contacts, glasses, EVER) but they were able to get me to 20/25 in my "good" eye. my other eye is about 20/35 and may require an additional surgery to fine tune it. before the surgery, the prescription for my "bad" eye was -9, i don't remember what my "good" eye was but it wasn't much better.

after the surgery, it felt like i had shampoo in my eyes and it stung a little but it definitely didn't hurt. i had the procedure around 9:30 and after napping most of the day, i was able to watch TV later that evening. using my computer and phone was sort of problematic for the first two weeks -- i had to dim the screens and make the font HUGE in order to see anything. my distance vision has improved so drastically (as well as my depth perception and peripheral vision) and i am now seeing details that i'd been missing for over 20 years. i actually saw the craters on the moon for the first time last week with my own eyes! i sort of feel like i'm hallucinating some of the time because the images in front of me are vastly different than what i'm used to seeing!

my eyes were really dry for the first two weeks and i had to use eye drops every hour or so like clockwork, but now i'm only using them once a day or so. if you're still considering the surgery and haven't done it yet, i truly recommend it. my procedure cost over five grand, but that pales in comparison to the money that i've spent on glasses over the years.

_the_feniks_

I had it done over 4 years ago. Best decision, besides having kids, I've ever made. No pain, woke the next morning and went to the follow-up visit with 20/20, improved to 20/15. I will warn you, the smell of burning cornea is not pleasant though.

tmj2191

Had it done 6 years ago, best thing I could of done. I was nearly blind and now I see 20/15.

squigglypuff

I had it done over 4 years ago. Best decision, besides having kids, I've ever made. No pain, woke the next morning and went to the follow-up visit with 20/20, improved to 20/15. I will warn you, the smell of burning cornea is not pleasant though.

i was really freaked out because i had heard from others that you can smell the burning, but i didn't smell anything. either that or i'm so used to burning my hair with hot tools that i didn't notice it!

rachelbethany

I didn't have it done, but my older sister did. I went with her and watched them do the procedure. It looked crazy. She said it felt very uncomfortable and weird, but it was all over in 5 minutes and SO worth it. She was "legally blind" (couldn't see the "E" on the eye chart), and contacts really irritated her eyes, so she was always having trouble. She hasn't had one BIT of trouble since the lasik, and now she can see way better than I can with my contacts in! (and I never had anywhere near as bad of vision as she did before the lasik!)

However, I will say one thing: she went to a particular doctor that her brother-in-law had had his lasik done by just months before. Since her eyes were different/worse than his, the doctor suggested she go with a bit costlier procedure. (Most lasik surgeons offer about 3 different kinds of procedures). While my sister's eyesight is great, her brother-in-law's is now starting to fail and he may have to have the procedure redone! So DO consider going with the costlier treatment!

Laurayinz

I want lasik so bad, but my vision gets worse every year. So, I'm assuming if I had the surgery would I still need glasses again in a year? Any one have a similar situation? :sad:

You wouldn't be a candidate unless your prescription has been stable for a few years.

I had mine done in 2005, no regrets at all!