Eye surgery to correct poor vision

[pogo791]

I haven't had any eye surgery, but five years ago DW was under the laser to correct her vision in both eyes. She is very happy she went, since her vision improved enormously. Just last week, she had a check-up, and there hasn't been any change whatsoever since then.

Much as I hate the idea of having anyone mess around with my eyes, the procedure certainly seems to work. BTW, when she had the operation, her doctor mentioned that her oldest patient that day was 90 years old ...

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Mine is planned not to improve my vision to to allow me to keep it. I am developing cataracts and my opthamologist has said I will need cataract surgery within the next three to five years. At the time this is done, since a new plastic lens will replace the clouding natural one, they will also do vision correction at the same time.

I would not get laser sugery just to not have to wear glasses.

And, BTW, when I have this done it will only correct my distance vision, I will still need reading glasses but will never have to change the prescription.

 

[C.Ann]

My vision is very important to me, so the only way I'd let someone play around with my eyes would be if I was going blind, had seen the BEST eye doctors, and had no other alternative.

If that were the case, I'd have surgery. Otherwise, no way.

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This is pretty much the way I feel.. I've been wearing glasses since 2nd grade and a few years ago had to move on to the dreaded bifocals.. Still - even the remotest possibility that something could go wrong scares me silly.. I don't have good luck to begin with, so I'm not going to push what little luck I do have.. LOL

 

[DisneyfeverTN]

I wear corrective lenses at night. They flatten out the eye so that in the daytime I can see 20/20 with both eyes. As I got older (I'm 44), they adjusted them so that one eye sees short distances better and the other eyes sees better with further distances. Between the two, I see 20/20. Since I put them on right before I go to bed and remove them as soon as I get up, it's not a big deal.

I am still interested in the surgery. However, I would have to stop wearing the corrective lenses for 6 months and I just don't want to do that since I see 20/20 during the daytime without anything in my eyes.

 

[chager]

I have been told I am a good candidate and it runs about $3900 for a good surgeon. I currently wear contacts. To be able to get up and not mess with contacts or glasses would be great! I have heard that people sometime get halo's. I already have that at night with my contacts and I can't drive at all at night with my glasses. I was told I would have to go a couple weeks without my contacts, but I just had to do that recently due to an unknown irritant in my eye. Hopefully I will have it done next year!

 

[Bird-Mom]

I used to want this so much. To wake up and see the alarm clock without fumbling for glasses would be a dream come true. I think most people have a good experience with the surgery because you don't hear horror stories very often. Then my ex had it done. He researched and researched, went to the best doc in the city (Seattle, so top noch medical care here), and now he is suffering so many bad side effects. He is a mystery to the docs because the side effects are so rare and they are usually one or two side effects-not all the possibilities.

His life is forever changed. He had the surgery about 2 years ago, and none of the effects have gone away. He has double vision, sees mirages and halos, has extremely dry eyes, migranes, severe dizzy spells; he cannot drive nor participate in any sports (and of course, sports were his life). He is so upset with himself for doing an elective surgery and messing up, of all things, his eyes.

No way, no how would I do it now.

 

[Evil Genius]

I had Lasik done 3 years ago. I was 44 at the time and the doctor told me that I was headed towards wearing bifocals. NO WAY!!! I've worn glasses since I was 9 and was tired of it. The Lasik surgeon told me that I would have the same eyesight I had with my glasses on. So now, I see perfectly well and need little reading glasses when the print is either really small or the lighting is not too bright.

Talk to the doctor and make sure you are completely satisfied with their expectation of how your vision is going to be after surgery. I think too many people think this is a miracle cure and that their eye sight is going to be perfect.

 

[arminnie]

I was totally against this FOREVER. My friends were having it done 15 years ago (probably RK back then). I really didn't want to give up my close up vision.

My vision was -7. I really couldn't see anything w/o glasses. Most people my age can't see up close - I would have to hold it about 4 inches from my face to read.

But last summer I had it done for my 60th birthday present to myself. What changed my mind? One word - Katrina.

I really worried about what could happen to me in a disaster like Katrina if I lost my glasses - I would have been blind literally.

I am SO SO HAPPY that I had it done. I do use reading glasses to read the paper just because it is easier, but I really don't have to. I never carry reading glasses with me.

The procedure was NOTHING. It took 37 seconds for one eye and 32 seconds for the other eye. No pain ever. I did have to have an enhancement done on one eye to make the vision better, but again it was nothing. The biggest issue was that I couldn't wear eye make up for 2 weeks.

After wearing contacts for about 40 years, I'd been too lazy to bother with them for the past 4-5 years. The same month I had lasik surgery, I had my hair cut very, very short and went to my natural color. After years of being blonde I now have very dark brown hair. No one recognizes me!

 

[olena]

So far, there isn't surgery for what I have, but when there is, I'd likely wait a bit and maybe get one eye done at first.