Lasik Surgery

[bcuinohio]

Hello. I am considering Lasik surgery and am looking for feedback from people who have had it.

 

[Feralpeg]

It was one of the best things I ever did. It was quick and painless...unless you count what I paid. In a matter of five minutes, I went from needing glasses to 20/15 vision. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Both my sister and daughter also had it done. They feel the same way.

 

[bcuinohio]

It was one of the best things I ever did. It was quick and painless...unless you count what I paid. In a matter of five minutes, I went from needing glasses to 20/15 vision. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Both my sister and daughter also had it done. They feel the same way.

Did you do monovision? I have bifocals and I am wondering if I am going to not like the having to have reading glasses all of the time.

 

[A4Disney]

Hello. I am considering Lasik surgery and am looking for feedback from people who have had it.

My dh had it done last May.He's had excellent results.He also had a very easy recovery.

 

[dislaney]

I had Lasik and now wonder why I waited this long. Worth every penny.

 

[Feralpeg]

Did you do monovision? I have bifocals and I am wondering if I am going to not like the having to have reading glasses all of the time.

I had one eye done for distance. The other is for close up. I don't wear glasses at all now.

 

[bumbershoot]

My story is old, but I feel still relevant.

Had it done after reading all the info and thinking about the what-ifs. Alas, turns out I really only thought about the extremes: perfection and blindness.

I ended up in between. 20/20 vision with a HUGE blood vessel coming out from where the blade started (whether it's made of metal or laser, with lasik there's a blade that cuts a flap before they use the correction laser) that irritates the inside of my eyelid, halos at night, dryness so bad I *still* have to use the Genteal drops every few days (most only need the drops for a week or two), and huge problems going from light to dark or dark to light.

When we've eaten at Blue Bayou at Disneyland, I had to only look in the direction towards the POTC boats, b/c each time I looked towards the door I was blinded. If I am on a dark ride and someone uses a flash camera it takes about a minute for my eyes to "reset"...really ruins a ride for me! When I had a roommate and she would lounge in her darkened room (to watch movies) on a day off and I wanted to talk with her, I just had to stand at her doorway and look in her general direction, since I couldn't see her while I was in the light hallway and she was in the dark room.

It's...not fun.

I had it done so I didn't have to wear glasses.

And I ended up wearing sunglasses ALL the time. I sometimes had to wear sunglasses *inside* my apartment, if it was sunny enough.

This isn't something that will affect many, but it's worth mentioning...I also realized that my glasses were sort of like a curtain I could pull. If I didn't want to deal with someone, I'd take them off and they were out of sight out of mind. With perfect vision, ya can't do that.

Also turns out I look cuter with frames around my eyes! Weird, but many people said it was true.

I had it done in either '01 or '02, i can't remember which one.


A few months ago, I finally felt like I was going blind again. Went to the eye doc, and was embarrassed to find that I was only 20/30. Amazing how sensitive I was! But the astigmatism was doing a number on me...nowadays the machines can fix that, but back then, they weren't fixing it yet.

I don't think I'm going to have it done again (especially not with only 20/30 now matter how wonky the astigmatism makes my vision!). So I went back to glasses (which I hardly need, but I ordered them before they told me it was 20/30) and...I like it. I'm sure my sis in law is going to think I've lost my mind...she had it the year before I did it, has had two touchups and has nothing but good results...but I didn't have the awesome results she did!

 

[love2disney]

I did it last year. had bifocals too. Its really worth it. Every surgery has it risks as PP pointed out but it was the best decision I made.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

subscribing because i'm intersted too. i have HORRIBLE eyesight and i'd love to just see the alarm clock when i wake up in the morning, or so i can shave in the shower without have to be pratically double jointed so i can see what i'm doing.

i'm just afraid of moving while they're doing the surgery or something lol

 

[Jaykeff]

I definitely recommend it! I had LASIK done in September 1999 and went from 20/850 to 20/25 in less than 10 minutes, amazing!

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

Similar to most, I had Lasik a few years ago. Went from horrible eyesight paired with astigmatism, to 20/25 vision. I had no complications whatsoever, in fact my optometrist said that I was hte perfect candidate, and the perfect example of a perfect recovery.

Best. Thing. Ever.

 

[Miz Diz]

I had it done in 2003 with an enhancement in 2004. I am starting to notice that things are not as clear as they used to be, but I have not been to an eye doctor to get it checked out. I can still see fine without glasses, I'm just noticing the tv is not as clear as it was.

I would definitely do it again, though. My advice is to get it done somewhere close to you. It took me an hour to get to my doctor and I was regretting it when I was not 20/20 after my first surgery. I kept having to come back once a month until I got a consistent reading for my enhancement. It was almost a year. When I got mine done, there were some people there from out of state because the doctor was well known. I guess it could have been worse. Hope they didn't have to keep coming back like I did.

Here is something kind of funny. For a couple of years after my surgery, every time we rode Peter Pan, my dh could see the circles around my eyes where they cut.

 

[themilesfamily]

Quick question for those who've had it done. How old were you when you got it?

I've been considering it, but I read somewhere that the risks of a bad result increase as you get older. Something about the eyeball not being as "tight" as it was -- something in the eye loosens with age.

Has anyone heard that same thing?

 

[kellydizfan]

I had it done in 2006 and I was just under 40 years old. I haven't had any problems and would do it again in a heartbeat. I can read small print where everyone else I know has a problem with it So reading glasses are not needed at this time. They did tell me that I would still need reading glasses at some point once I turned 40 but as of now that is not true. Highly recommend it. My DH watched my surgery on the screen outside the room where it was done.

 

[Sleepy]

I have similar problems as Bumber. I had my Lasik in 2004. My vision was 20/10 by the time everything was done and it stayed that way for a few years. I noticed soon on that flashes from a camera blinded me and the spots stayed for a long while. Stepping from light to dark caused a green tint in my vision that took a while to normalize. I also can't be in a dark room and have the curtains open without experiencing what I call green blindness. I too, wear sunglasses all the time when I am outside. Many times, I seem to be the only one wearing sunglasses. I am very sensitive to light. In fact, if I have my laptop on the brightest setting, it feels like my retinas are burning. My family thinks I am crazy. I leave it to the darkest setting and that seems more than bright enough.

My vision is no longer 20/10. I would say probably 20/30 or so, but enough that it bugs me when driving (street signs) or watching tv. I don't experience dry eyes or any of the other problems that I have heard. I am thankful that my only problem is light sensitivity. I am actually afraid to get a tweeking. Afraid that I will end up with a more serious condition. All I can say is I went to a reputable opthalmologist who had taken care of my eyes for several years. I also paid a lot of money, so it was not like my results were due to a fly by night business where I got a buy one eye get one eye free sort of deal.

 

[crjack]

Had my surgery done last August and I was 44. Wish I had done it years ago.

Mine was a bladeless procedure though.....done with a laser which I was told is much more accurate and has less potential for issues with halos, etc. Seems to be the common practice now vs years ago.

Right now I still don't need reading glasses but at some point I will. Just the drugstore readers will do though.

I tried using contacts to simulate the mono-vision for a week but for me I didnt like it. I'm sure it's not quite the same thing though.

I asked my eye doctor for recommendations and felt very comfortable with him, his equipment, etc.

Very quick and I was told I could drive the next day! DH took me back but honestly I could have gone alone.

 

[GoodFairies]

I had it in December.

If any remembers from previous LASIK posts I had been wanting to get it for a few years but couldn't work up the nerve because it scared me so much (extremely squeamish about my eyes).

I wish I could say it was "quick and painless" for me but it was much worse than even I anticipated. I'm not trying to scare you but I wish someone had been brutally honest with me about how freaky it is. I also had lots of people tell me they were fine the next day and while I could see the next day I really needed a few days off and didn't drive for a week (day was ok, nights were a problem with halos - which went away enough to drive after that week and went away altogether after 2 weeks).

I will say I had great results and I am very happy with it - vision is 20/20. It just was not an easy thing for me to have done. It took about 3-4 weeks before I stopped regretting that I had it done. My eyes are light sensitive, but not any more than they were before LASIK. I have always worn sunglasses outside. I did have to wear them inside for that first week.

The Pred Forte drops leave the worst taste in your mouth and it never goes away until you are done the medicine (usually about a week). That first week you will constantly be using eyedrops of all different kinds (I had 4).

To the person who was concerned about moving...I was too, but the laser stops if it detects motion.

 

[bcuinohio]

I had it in December.

If any remembers from previous LASIK posts I had been wanting to get it for a few years but couldn't work up the nerve because it scared me so much (extremely squeamish about my eyes).

I wish I could say it was "quick and painless" for me but it was much worse than even I anticipated. I'm not trying to scare you but I wish someone had been brutally honest with me about how freaky it is. I also had lots of people tell me they were fine the next day and while I could see the next day I really needed a few days off and didn't drive for a week (day was ok, nights were a problem with halos - which went away enough to drive after that week and went away altogether after 2 weeks).

I will say I had great results and I am very happy with it - vision is 20/20. It just was not an easy thing for me to have done. It took about 3-4 weeks before I stopped regretting that I had it done. My eyes are light sensitive, but not any more than they were before LASIK. I have always worn sunglasses outside. I did have to wear them inside for that first week.

The Pred Forte drops leave the worst taste in your mouth and it never goes away until you are done the medicine (usually about a week). That first week you will constantly be using eyedrops of all different kinds (I had 4).

To the person who was concerned about moving...I was too, but the laser stops if it detects motion.

Did you do lasik or PRK? I know PRK is a slower recovery time.

 

[GoodFairies]

I had custom LASIK, for distance. My reading vision was fine, but it went wonky after surgery and then it got fine again.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I had my Lasik almost 9 years ago and still have 20/20 vision. It's one of the best decisions I ever made. It was virtually painless and very easy. I would recommend it to anyone who's considering it.