Considering Lasik

rockymtnlove
rockymtnlove Posts: 215
in Chit-Chat
Lasik:
anyone out there had it?
How long did you take to heal?
Was your outcome satisfactory?
What was the cost? (if you're comfortable sharing)

Replies

  • sharitapita
    sharitapita Posts: 80 Member
    I used to work for 2 ophthalmologists who performed LASIK but neither would get it. Just food for thought, lol. I do work with 2 girls who have had it done. They both had to have touch ups shortly after and still require a mild glasses prescription.
  • mikejholmes
    mikejholmes Posts: 291 Member
    I had it done, and love it.
    But you do have to do it for the right reasons. Your vision will likely always be better with just glasses.

    But to see well enough, without having the hassle of glasses! They were constantly a pain with my motorcycle helmet, I hadn't yet figured out a system for scuba diving, in winter I'd walk inside and be blind for 10 mins. It's so liberating to not need them now.
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    I wore -9.00 contact lenses. I now see 20/20. It was ABSOLUTELY worth it for me.

    Small haloes around certain types of lights/lighting condition is the only negative.

    My vision was too bad to wear glasses when my contacts were out, so it's been nice not having to deal with that.
  • jtgilfoy
    jtgilfoy Posts: 25 Member
    do it do it do it do it do it. I was blind without my glasses. Knowing what I know now, I would have paid twice what it cost me.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    I've been thinking about getting it, but my eyes are so bad I'm not sure I'd be a good candidate. I'll have to ask next time I go to get my eyes checked.

    It's interesting, however, what the above poster said about neither of the doctors she worked for wanting to get it. Hmmm....
  • Dayquasar
    Dayquasar Posts: 182 Member
    Bump
  • skeeweemc
    skeeweemc Posts: 6 Member
    Best decision I EVER made. My vision correction with contacts was -3.25, so not HORRIBLE, but not mild by any means. I realized something had to shake after I had my children. Waking up in the middle of the night to a crying baby, having to stumble through the dark because falling asleep and not remember where I put my glasses because of sleep deprivation was horrible. Being able to swim and not feel like I'm playing a constant game of Marco Polo, plus I have severe allergies that always caused my eyes to water and be itchy, so I could wear contacts for most of the months of May and June, then again in September-November. So I was stuck with glasses during those months, and even with the thinnest lenses and most "trendy" plastic frames, my lenses still protruded through the rim, so I had a serious Urkel complex. It was WELL worth the $3200. Cost, though, is usually based on your prescription.
  • silver_arrow3
    silver_arrow3 Posts: 1,373 Member
    I got mine done about five years ago. It didn't have a long healing time, honestly. Eyes heal pretty quickly. I was required to wear goggles to sleep to keep you from rubbing them while asleep and use drops to keep them well lubricated.
    My contacts were -8.25 and -8.75, so my vision was reasonably miserable, though not as bad as some. I have had some issues with mine. For starters, I'm positive that I don't have 20/20 vision, but I think it has something to do with dry eyes. Because if I'm upset and tears form, I see perfectly. It's an odd sensation. However, I have fairly poor night vision. I have a pretty awful sensitivity to light and when cars are oncoming I have a really hard time seeing the road. Plus the inevitable headache that follows being blinded repeatedly just makes it worse. My sister has the same problems.
    I think I would still recommend it. I mean, my vision is MUCH better than it was. They prescribed low-powered reading glasses for all computer work and reading, though I have failed to use them for more than a month or so. I wasn't going to revert back to using glasses again when I paid so that I wouldn't have to wear them!
  • quietHiker
    quietHiker Posts: 1,442 Member
    I went for a Lasik consultation and was told I needed to have PRK surgery done instead because my corneas were too thin. Before you go for a consultation, research PRK too, just in case...

    I'm 3.5 months post surgery and still loving it! My vision is even better now than it was prior to my surgery with my glasses. It's so nice being able to go out hiking or swimming and not worry about a contact tearing or losing one while I'm out.

    night vision is good now...has some halos when I first was able to drive.

    I blogged about my experience and you can read that here: http://prkjourney.blogspot.com/
  • belle_of_the_bar
    belle_of_the_bar Posts: 474 Member
    Best thing I ever did. I had it done in late 2004 and went from legally blind to 20/20 within a couple days. I'm sure the technology has come a long way since then, but I've been nothing but happy with my results.
  • SteelersFan7
    SteelersFan7 Posts: 217 Member
    My A&P teacher said that he had it done and it was the best $5k he ever spent. A word of warning, go to a LASIK doctor who has a great reputation. It's easy to get caught up in the "LASIK mills" as my bff's uncle (ophthalmologist) calls them just because they're cheaper, but typically those are the patients that need to have corrections after the initial surgery. I think recovery time is like a day, but you have to wear goggles for a while, especially while you sleep.
  • yuliyax
    yuliyax Posts: 288
    Bump.
    To people who had it, has your vision worsened since having the op, or stayed the same?
  • kmartinixx
    kmartinixx Posts: 197
    I am definitely getting it eventually (if I am a candidate), because I can't stand having to wear glasses all the time. But my sister has got it about 6 or 7 years ago and she always says it's the best thing she's ever done! She had to go in for a touch up at the 5 year mark, but she said it was nothing, and the experience she had was great!

    I can't wait to get mine! I just graduated college, so I'm saving up for it now lol.
  • Blueberry09
    Blueberry09 Posts: 821 Member
    I had mine done in 2000 and only recently have I noticed I don't see as well as I used to. Part of that is age, and you will likely need readers as you get older, but it certainly was worth it for me. I was -4.75 and -5.25 and now I'm about a -1.25 so I could go for an enhancement if I wanted to. I got some glasses to sharpen the night vision, but I still hate wearing them now as much as I did back then.

    My husband had the PRK back in 1996. It's a much more invasive type of surgery and he didn't heal well when he got an enhancement after 10 years.

    It was not painful at all - mild discomfort at the most. The biggest pain was putting in drops for weeks afterwards.
  • rockymtnlove
    rockymtnlove Posts: 215
    awesome, thanks for all the feedback everyone!
    sounds like its overall a positive experience. I made an appointment at a place in denver with good prices and good reviews for july 26, hope it works out for me!

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