Lasik Surgery

[momto3pirates]

I had Lasik done at age 34 in 2008. It failed almost immediately. They redid the surgery 6 months later and I have had near perfect vision since. I will say I was much more nervous the second time, mainly because I knew what to expect. I also have significant dry eye. The doctor put me on prescription eye drops and placed plugs in my tear ducts. My vision is worse at night due to dryness. All that said, I would do it again in a heart beat. I love being free from glasses.

 

[bcuinohio]

I had Lasik done at age 34 in 2008. It failed almost immediately.

What do you mean it failed?

 

[rainy~daze]

I had LASIK 7 years ago last month. Best.Decison.Ever! So many people cringe at the thought of someone doing that to their eyes, but if you go to a reputable place and the doctor has a lot of experience, it eases your mind.
My best advice, follow all the directions they give you to a T.

When I had it done, I had a 4 month old and 1 1/2 yr old. It was so hard to get up at night and not be able to see to change their diaper or get a bottle. It was torture flailing around for my glasses and then being I was having so much trouble with my contacts I couldn't even wear them during the day.

Seeing without glasses/contacts has been the greatest gift in the world. I am so thankful that it worked. Still 20/15 vision. I was 25 when I had it done.

 

[NCRedding]

I had Lasik in 2000 when I was 38 years old. My ophthalmologist didn't classify my eyes as 20/anything, because my vision was so bad. Each eye was over -9 . For the first week following my surgery I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life as it took some time for my eyes to reach 20/20. Had the surgery on Thursday. By Friday, I was 20/50, but to someone who had good vision with contacts, 20/50 was disappointing. The weekend after was tough: I couldn't see the tv well, nor could I read. It did finally improve. For many years I had no issues and it was wonderful! Now, I do need reading glasses. I believe that my left eye is no longer 20/20. I have an eye appointment in a few weeks to see. I do suffer from "sparks" when I look at sharply contrasting things (ie, headlights at night; the clock in a dark room).

I still feel that it was the best money I ever spent.

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Question to previous poster: I also am extremely nearsighted, a -9.5 diopter, and my eye doctor has told me that no one would do LASIK on me (or shouldn't), and that anything more than a -6 or -7 is not a good candidate for LASIK. Did your eye doctor have any of these concerns? I also have some pretty bad dry eye problems now (can only wear my contacts for 5-6 hours a day), which I worry would be exacerbated by the surgery.

Any other very nearsighted people had this done? Apparently there is a new procedure that has just recently gotten FDA approval, an implantable lens, similar to cateract surgery, that has had great success with extremely nearsighted people.

 

[bcuinohio]

Question to previous poster: I also am extremely nearsighted, a -9.5 diopter, and my eye doctor has told me that no one would do LASIK on me (or shouldn't), and that anything more than a -6 or -7 is not a good candidate for LASIK. Did your eye doctor have any of these concerns? I also have some pretty bad dry eye problems now (can only wear my contacts for 5-6 hours a day), which I worry would be exacerbated by the surgery.

Any other very nearsighted people had this done? Apparently there is a new procedure that has just recently gotten FDA approval, an implantable lens, similar to cateract surgery, that has had great success with extremely nearsighted people.

One of the places I have been looking at for Lasik offers the implantable lens in Cleveland. Their website has a video of an interview of a former olympic athlete that had this done.

http://www.clearchoicelaser.com/cleveland/eddie-the-eagle.htm

 

[bcuinohio]

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

Went Wonky? What does that mean?

 

[ontariomonkey]

DH had it done about 3 or 4 years ago, he was practically blind and now has nearly perfect vision.

Apparently during the procedure he had trouble keeping his eyes still so it was a bit more difficult for them.

Also, the sleeping pills they gave him for afterwards didn't work so he was in excruciating pain. (You are supposed to sleep through the worst of the pain) I had to go back to the doctor's to get more numbing eye drops.

Then he had dry eyes for months. He used to carry around industrial sized eye drop bottles (he looked like a complete stoner). So he had a procedure to block his tear ducks which sounds crazy but I guess it works. He was better within the year.

Then about a year later he had touch up surgery because his vision was blurry.

Now his vision is no longer perfect but not bad enough for reading glasses and the eye Dr advised against having a touch-up since each time they shave away a bit more of the lense or cornea or whatever until there is nothing left

He also has scarring on his eyes from chronic dry-eye so he has to take fish oil and use a hot, wet cloth on his eyes for a few minutes every night to help them heal.

And we went to a VERY good Dr who is held in very high esteem and apparently was one of the pioneers of the procedure or something. It cost alot! DH opted for the laser cut not the blade even though his eye Dr told him it wasn't worth the $900 to upgrade.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[GoodFairies]

Went Wonky? What does that mean?

My nearsighted vision, which needed no correction, had some issues after LASIK. I was told it could happen, as the eye heals and adjusts. There would be periods of time where it was fine and periods of time where the vision fluctuated, everything would blur and I couldn't focus. At 4 months out, it's no longer an issue for me. But I was told it could take months for your vision to finally become normal again.

The most important thing to remember is everyone's experience is different.

Make sure you follow directions exactly as given, it's really important. You will never be more aware of your eyeballs than you are following eye surgery.

 

[disneymama116]

I had lasik surgery also. I had it done in 2007. I worked for an opthamologist office and after a year of working there we were able to have lasik done for free. Several of my coworkers had it done and all raved about it. I decided to go for it. I had no problems, no pain and 20/20 vision after the surgery. I was 23 when I had it done. My advice make sure you have a good doctor. Make sure you research your doctor and talk to other patients. Some of the commercials I see for lasik scare me. If the prices seem to good to be true they usually are. I had it done by an opthmalogist he also did other eye surgeries (cataracts, corneal transplants ect) I know the prices the office charged for it were expensive but if you have it you will save money on glassses/contacts. I hope this helps you. Good Luck!!!

 

[NCRedding]

Question to previous poster: I also am extremely nearsighted, a -9.5 diopter, and my eye doctor has told me that no one would do LASIK on me (or shouldn't), and that anything more than a -6 or -7 is not a good candidate for LASIK. Did your eye doctor have any of these concerns? I also have some pretty bad dry eye problems now (can only wear my contacts for 5-6 hours a day), which I worry would be exacerbated by the surgery.

Any other very nearsighted people had this done? Apparently there is a new procedure that has just recently gotten FDA approval, an implantable lens, similar to cateract surgery, that has had great success with extremely nearsighted people.

just saw your questions. I too had dry eye issues, and that was one of the main reasons I wanted the surgery because I was having to limit contact wearing time, and did not see well in glasses. I had asked about the surgery for years, and finally he agreed that advances had been made to make it doable. He discussed the options with me and indicated that he did recommend it to me after he performed tests to determine thickness of the cornea, etc. I know several people whose eyes were as bad as mine who have had Lasik, successfully.

 

[BelleRocks]

Had Lasik in 1997, with good results. I had -6 to -7 vision and ended up with about 20/25 after surgery.

When I was pregnant in 1999 my vision changed pretty dramatically. By about 2005 I was back at 20/40. Too nervous to get another Lasik, worried about increased risks. So now, back in glasses for driving!

I also know 2 other moms whose vision deteriorated during/after pregnancy.

That said, it was still money well spent. I can at least SEE without my glasses, couldn't before.

 

[bcuinohio]

Had Lasik in 1997, with good results. I had -6 to -7 vision and ended up with about 20/25 after surgery.

When I was pregnant in 1999 my vision changed pretty dramatically. By about 2005 I was back at 20/40. Too nervous to get another Lasik, worried about increased risks. So now, back in glasses for driving!

I also know 2 other moms whose vision deteriorated during/after pregnancy.

That said, it was still money well spent. I can at least SEE without my glasses, couldn't before.

I am about a -7 also. Pregnancy is not a worry for me.

I just hope that I am a candidate for Lasik. The recovery time for PRK is longer and I can't be out of work too long. I am scheduled for an examination Saturday to determine if I am a candidate for Lasik. Hopefully I won't have to reschedule. With kids in sports, it is hard to schedule more than a couple of days out.