LASIK eye surgery?

[UnderTheMistletoe]

A girlfriend had it done and it raving about how well she can see. Now, I'm curious. I have had horrible vision for as long as I remember. I don't mind contacts and glasses and have worn them for years. It is not so much a cosmetic thing (I kinda like my glasses!), but a medical thing.

I have seen the tape of the surgery in my Optical Physics class and at that point, there was no way. It looked awful! Of course, now that she's gone through it the fact that you have no pain receptors in your eyes hits home. From her, I do know how itchy, etc., they can become.

Did you have it done? Do you regret it or are you happy you went through with it? Was it worth the money? Anything you would/wouldn't change?

Thanks!
xoxo

 

[Honu]

I did it 6 years ago at Stanford and it was the best money I ever spent. The process is weird, but it doesn't hurt and it's over REALLY quick. The recovery was nothing. No pain, no itching. You just have to put eye drops in for a while.

I got my eyes checked today and I'm still better than 20/20.

My advice would be to ask your doctor for a referral and don't go to discount operator.

 

[GoofyDad869]

I had it done a little over a year ago. I went to my (first) annual checkup a few weeks ago - no problems. The best money I ever spent, I'll second that. The process is over very quickly - it's not painful but parts of it can be disconcerting (it was for me). Recovery was amazingly quick. Some people experience dry and/or scratchy eyes - I never did.

My eyesight is somewhere between 20/10 & 20/15. Meaning I could read all the characters on the 20/15 chart, and some of the characters on the 20/10 chart... My eyesight before the surgery was in the 20/200 range. The difference still amazes me.

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

My advice would be to ask your doctor for a referral and don't go to discount operator.

No! No! No! Not with your vision!

The girlfriend that had it done had it done by the physician that did Tiger Woods, so I would definitely ask her for the name and contact information there.

She did have itchy, scratchy eyes while we were out. Then again, we'd planned on dinner but becuase of a fire and fire engines blocking our garage we went to go see a movie. Dinner from 5:30-8:00 became a full evening out and no one got home until 1:00am. She looked pretty funny watching the movie with her sunglasses on though! I think she needed the anti-inflammatory drops and didn't have them with her.

 

[canwegosoon]

DH had it done 6 years ago...he loves it. He was almost blind anyway, but in his case they had to do PK because of his cornea. He spent 3 years asking everyone at work(he works at a major trama hospital), some had gone to Canada to have it done, and a lot had it done at a local eye clinic specializing in Lasik. He was very happy...it was not cheap, but his doctor's offered a medical plan with no intrest for payment in full in one year. I think we did medical pretax account plus some of our own money(under the free credit plan). I would think it would be cheaper by now, just due to the fact that it is not so new anymore. Having said that, I would go to the best place possible for you to get to...no matter the cost. BTW my DH spent 3-4 days on the bed in massive pain...there was no way he could have gone to dinner and a movie.

 

[GoofyDad869]

No! No! No! Not with your vision!

The girlfriend that had it done had it done by the physician that did Tiger Woods, so I would definitely ask her for the name and contact information there.

She did have itchy, scratchy eyes while we were out. Then again, we'd planned on dinner but becuase of a fire and fire engines blocking our garage we went to go see a movie. Dinner from 5:30-8:00 became a full evening out and no one got home until 1:00am. She looked pretty funny watching the movie with her sunglasses on though! I think she needed the anti-inflammatory drops and didn't have them with her.

How long was this outing after her surgery?

I work on a computer for 8-10 hours (and play for another 1-2 hours ) per day, and rarely have eyestrain problems. I could see a reaction like that happening a week or two after LASIK, but not a common thing after that.

I'm not a doctor, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

How long was this outing after her surgery?

I work on a computer for 8-10 hours (and play for another 1-2 hours ) per day, and rarely have eyestrain problems. I could see a reaction like that happening a week or two after LASIK, but not a common thing after that.

I'm not a doctor, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

HAHAHA! (ETA: I can se that as a new tag now!)

She had it done on Thursday and this was Saturday evening. Was anything abnormal or unexpected with her?

ETA: We attributed some of it to the dust and and ash in the air from the fire. It was a real fire with flames and lots of trucks and firemen. Shut down Georgetown for hours.

 

[GoofyDad869]

HAHAHA! (ETA: I can se that as a new tag now!)

She had it done on Thursday and this was Saturday evening. Was anything abnormal or unexpected with her?

ETA: We attributed some of it to the dust and and ash in the air from the fire. It was a real fire with flames and lots of trucks and firemen. Shut down Georgetown for hours.

Sounds like both (dark movie 2 days after surgery & smoke irritation) may have been the problem. I don't go to movies that much - but I remember going to see Star Wars Ep. 3 about a month after that surgery last year. Toward the end of the movie I was having problems. Mustabeen those eye-poppin' special effects!

 

[Nancyg56]

I had it done 3 years ago. I had worn glasses since I was 9 years old, and was no longer able to wear contact lenses. I was always getting headaches with my bifocal lenses. Well, I was able to have a monovision procedure done, and have a for life touch up plan. I cannot tell you how happy I am with the results. Be prepared for some discomfort due to dry eyes. You may also see some halos at night for a while. I agree with the others who say to avoid discount procedures. My surgery was $5000, but I was happy to pay it, as the Dr I saw was highly recommended.

 

[mickeymousemom]

A girlfriend had it done and it raving about how well she can see. Now, I'm curious. I have had horrible vision for as long as I remember. I don't mind contacts and glasses and have worn them for years. It is not so much a cosmetic thing (I kinda like my glasses!), but a medical thing.

I have seen the tape of the surgery in my Optical Physics class and at that point, there was no way. It looked awful! Of course, now that she's gone through it the fact that you have no pain receptors in your eyes hits home. From her, I do know how itchy, etc., they can become.

Did you have it done? Do you regret it or are you happy you went through with it? Was it worth the money? Anything you would/wouldn't change?

Thanks!
xoxo

Just found this on another website:

"The eyes have been called the most sensitive organs in the human body. That's because they're honeycombed with pain receptors—extremely sensitive, finely tuned nerve endings that help protect these vital organs."

Not saying this to scare you. I just want you to know what to expect(and if i misunderstood your post, I apologize) Our eyes our like most other parts of your body. We feel pain when they are injured. With that said, LASIK is nothing to be afraid of. It carries its chance for risk as does any medical procedure, but I've never seen one of our patients come in with a problem after having it done.
I had it done several years ago by the ophthalmolgist I worked for. I loved it. Of course, being a tech I knew what to expect and wasn't nervous at all. For the LASIK, they put numbing drops in your eyes and this is plenty sufficient to numb the pain. As a matter of fact, MD's use ONLY numbing drops(Alcaine, etc.) for a variety of eye surgeries that go much deeper than LASIK. The procedure really is nothing and takes no amount of time at all. Your corneas(where the cutting/laser is done) are the fastest healing part of your body. It may not even be as invasive as it was when I had it done, as it's changed quite a bit since then, and I haven't worked since my 2.5 yo DD was 6months old.

I really think you'll be glad you did it. It's pretty uncommon for anyone to be in extreme pain after LASIK, but it can happen. I went home, slept for awhile(had no pain even right after the surgery), and went to work the next morning. I never experienced pain of any kind. I agree with the posters who said not to go to some discount place. I'd stay away from the places that treat you like you're a piece on an assembly line. Find a good ophthalmologist and don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[Sandy V.]

Just popping in to say that I had LASIK surgery five years ago and it was truly the best money I have ever spent on myself. I know this sounds overdramatic, but it was life-altering in a VERY positive way.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Another happy LASIK patient here! It's been nearly 5 years post-op and I have 20/20 vision. Prior to LASIK I could not even see the big "E" on eye charts without glasses or contacts. If I ever needed a "touch-up" I would not hesitate. It really does make a dramatic impact on your life.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

No! No! No! Not with your vision!

The girlfriend that had it done had it done by the physician that did Tiger Woods, so I would definitely ask her for the name and contact information there.

I plan to consult with that same practice, but I heard that that practice is now so busy that another dr usually does the procedure. I also have another practice that's comparable that I plan to talk with.

I have decided to do this later this year and have extra money taken from our flexspend earmarked for this.

How long is the recovery time? Do people tend to be light sensitive for awhile afterwards? For people who have a lot of dryness, how long does that usually last?

 

[GoofyDad869]

I plan to consult with that same practice, but I heard that that practice is now so busy that another dr usually does the procedure. I also have another practice that's comparable that I plan to talk with.

I have decided to do this later this year and have extra money taken from our flexspend earmarked for this.

How long is the recovery time? Do people tend to be light sensitive for awhile afterwards? For people who have a lot of dryness, how long does that usually last?

Recovery time - You can see "better than glasses" within hours. Literally. But it's like looking through thin gauze for the first couple of days. Not exactly fuzzy, but darker than normal vision. It takes 24-48 hours for the vision to sharpen further, and 2 to 3 weeks for it to get to its ultimate sharpness (for lack of a better term).

Light sensitivity - Yes. Night vision can be bad for a month or two due to 'halos' around lights. I was sun-sensitive for a day or two after surgery - but I was able to function without sunglasses.

Dry eyes - I never really had a problem with dry eyes before, and don't now. Guess that's based on individual experience.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Recovery time for me was a little longer than some since I was under the Laser a bit longer. It took me a good 24 to 48 hours before I could see clearly. DH woke up the next morning and his vision was fine. So I guess it depends. As for when did our eyes feel "normal", I can't really remember, I don't think it was any longer than a week though. You just have to be careful for the first year not to rub your eyes. The first week we wore eye protection to sleep.

I was never light sensitive. DH was, but he already somewhat light sensitive (he has blue eyes, I have brown). I never had a lot of dryness, but used drops a couple times a day every day for the first 6 months. I never use drops now. DH used drops nearly every day for a little over a year, and still uses them on occassion.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I can't figure out when this year to have this done (I obviously need to consult with the drs, make sure it's something that I can even have, etc). I figured that maybe bright summertime wouldn't be the best time and in early Nov is my son's Bar Mitzvah, so I need to work around that. I don't know if I should wait until after the Bar Mitzvah or have it done in early fall so I'll be well recovered by early November. And all this thinking makes me wonder if I'm trying to chicken out.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

T&A, as soon as you can..get evaluated, get it done and buy some sunglasses. VOILA, problem solved. Oh and you can't wear eye makeup for a week or two (can't remember how long exactly).

If I can get through it, anyone can get through it. No chickening out for you!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I'm not an eye makeup person, anyway, so that's no problem. I was just talking with a friend who had it done and need to get the name of her dr and the Tiger Woods dr and then call for consults. I've been mulling this over for awhile and need to just do it.

A mutual friend of the person who was talking to me about it also is interested in having it done, but she's going to wait for me to have it done first even though I told her we should go in together and ask for a group discount. Then we can go get the little tightening up operation so we won't pee when we sneeze (group discount on that, too). I have a laundry list of things I need done to me.

 

[imsorry]

I had mine done a year ago January by Dr. Dello Russo in NYC. The cost was $4800 for both eyes.

I was 20/225 and 20/250 before the sugery. After I was 20/20 and 20/25.
He didn't want to correct both eyes all the way because I was 48 at the time and would then need reading glasses. I work on a computer all day. I don't need any glasses at this point. I was a little disappointed because i wanted to be 20/20 or 20/15. If you are younger, they will probably give you at least 20/20.

There really was no pain involved with the procedure. I had pretty dry eyes for a few weeks after (again, partially due to my age). It took a few days for my vision to clear, and a few months for the night haloes to go away.

All that said, I would do it again in a heartbeat!! No more switching between clear glasses and prescription sunglasses at every ride at Disney! No more contact lens solutions. It's so cool to go to sunglass hut and just buy any pair I want without having to spend a fortune having prescription lenses put in!

Sorry this got so long

 

[Magickndm]

I had it done in 2000, it's the best thing I've done for myself.
The hardest part of the whole thing was having to wear glasses for about a month prior to the surgery. I guess I had worn contacts for so long that they actually reshaped my eye just a bit and the surgeon wanted to make sure my eyes were at their natural state before doing the procedure.