Thoughts on LASIK

[NathanSII]

My friend is debating whether or not to have LASIK on his eyes, but he's heard stories from both ends of the spectrum - the really good, and the really scary ones so I wanted to know if anybody here had any experience with LASIK and could shed some light on it.

[Elenny]

Tell him to do one eye first and see how it goes before doing the second one

Actually, I have been considering lasik for some time myself, although I am not all that blind yet. So I would also be interested in reading experiences and recommendations from other folks.

[Mayo]

IMHO this is the last thing you should do, someone mentioned in this forum eye training. There are few books on that subject. I personally wear glasses. Yes they are pain in the .. eyes, but at least it is not grafted on my flesh. And all this lasik is pretty "experimental" for time being. Applying laser to remove wrinkles is one thing, applying it to most sensitive and essential peace of equipment is totally different thing. It is like future brain implants, if the stuff can be augmented outside of my body i'm for it, if it is really necessary to be grafted on my flesh then it is really different story, for example if i'm a military pilot, professional athlete(even then it's arguable), cop, soldier....

[Matthew4682]

IMHO this is the last thing you should do

Agreed. You don't know what the long term side effects may be and I think in 20 years, we'll find out.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by NathanSII

My friend is debating whether or not to have LASIK on his eyes, but he's heard stories from both ends of the spectrum - the really good, and the really scary ones so I wanted to know if anybody here had any experience with LASIK and could shed some light on it.

I've considered LASIK but have decided that I will not have the procedure now. In the future it may be an option for me. I have astigmatism which can not be effectively corrected so would need glasses after the operation.

If I will need glasses I am not interested in the surgery.

[Ellesse]

Some friends have reported good success with it. Perhaps getting a renowned doctor with a low or zero failure rate in this field will help to reassure him. It's better to pay more to sleep better at night

[Amadeus]

I agree with what you all are saying, but having Lasik sooner than later will give you more value for your money. The sooner you do it the more years of enjoyment from it you'll get. Lasik only corrects near and far sightedness, but does not correct the vision problems you get from aging. So you'll still need to get glasses in your 40s and 50s probably do to aging.

[Whitehealer]

The theory of natural vision correction is that tension in the ocular muscles create distortion of the eye. This results in poor vision. This tension is the result of learned habits in your eyes. Getting a LASIK procedure to try to improve your vision doesn't remove the tension or change your habits, it just compensates for those tensions and habits and assures that you will never be able to break free of them. If you want to correct your vision naturally read:

Amazon.com: Relearning to See: Improve Your Eyesight -- Naturally!: Books: Thomas R. Quackenbush

Beware the hidden costs of quick fixes, you may be selling parts of yourself you don't want to lose.

[ken nubo]

I'm getting lasik, it sounds good

From the people I talked too, all of them got good results ... haven't heard of someone gone blind yet

[victorchang]

My friend had it a couple of years ago and hasn't had any problems since. He's very very happy to see when he wakes up in the morning. I'm thinking of getting it too.

[Steve Pavlina]

Before getting LASIK surgery, be sure to check out VSRN home -- this site shows some of the permanent problems that can occur.

My brother had LASIK done a few years ago though and seems to be doing fine. I think he even ended up with 20-10 vision in one eye.

[Tempest]

I am legally blind in both eyes - 20/650 in one eye, 20/700 in the other. In other words, what I see at 20 feet is what other people see at 700 feet! They have to special order my contacts in! Personally, it cannot get any worse for me. I know several people who have had the procedure done with no problems. But then again, I'm not too attatched to my sight, being so hindered all these years from it.

[Reyv]

"Secrets of Regaining Your Vision Naturally"
http://www.mercola.com/products/natu...n_cd/index.htm

I'd suggest trying Dr. Mercola's method first. It's a heck of a lot cheaper and safer. Plus, you've got nothing to lose (unless you consider 150$ to be worth more than your vision).

I should add that I have never had any vision problems whatsoever, so this is all just theoretical for me. Still, this would be my first choice if I ever did.

[Lychee]

A friend of mine had laser eye surgery a few years ago and he never had any problems with it.

However, I would also join some of the others to say that Lasik should be a last resort. It is a new procedure, and the long term effects of it have not been documented yet. The negative stories that I have read regarding the doctors and the outcome of the procedure were horrifying. The procedure itself is foreign and disruptive to the body (as any surgery is) so I urge you to move slowly and with caution.

Many doctors are jumping on the band wagon of offering Lasik surgery and because of this, I would say to tread even more carefully. If you see doctors running numerous ads on the radio, in flyers, in newspapers, on the TV...be warned. Many of these doctors are salesmen. Be sure your doctor is certified. Check around on the internet if a particular doctor has had any lawsuits set against them. I hope if your friend does decide to go along with the surgery it goes well.

[Greed]

You should ask your friend if they have a "bad" eye. If they do, then I would recommend they get that one fixed first and evaluate the results.

[Tempest]

I have asked my fantastic doctor, the one who has been my doc for 15 years (since I was a wee lass o'nine ^_^) to find me a LASIK doctor. He's already recommended me to a fantastic dentist (who had to take cavities out of nearly every tooth and put in 6 crowns - bad me) and my great OBGYN I've been seeing for a decade. I know he can find me the best.

[kmr321]

Hay people. I just had a lasik operation today

First of all my vision is now perfect but apparently it can regress a bit after.

The surgery is a bit weird but there is no pain.

I found the most uncomfortable part having eye drops put into my eye, oh yeah and going blind for like 10 seconds!

All you do is basically lie down still and be sure to focus on a red light, the brightest part for the whole surgery. I didnt really trust myself before the surgery and thought i might sway my eyes but its really not difficult at all. and you cant blink even if you wanted to cause your eyes are taped back. Funnily enough not being able to blink for 20 minutes is not a big deal at all.

By the way i went blind for about 10- seconds but its all part of the surgery. You constantly lose focus of the laser because eye drops and your eye is being toyed with but you can always see it. The device which cuts your eye isn't painful but it gives a bit of a suction feeling its important that you don't freak out when it sucks your eye.

The surgery was quick, painless and professional. There would have been about 5 people in the room for a 20 minute operation of which most was spent prepping up the equipment.

Post op: Eyes felt like a contact had been lost in the eye but this disappeared when i got home and had a sleep for 4 hours. My eyes are watering a bit but alot less compared to straight after the surgery. Im not experiencing any pain but a little uncomfortable at the moment. Mainly because i cant wipe the tears away from my eyes and im wearing these shields over my eyes. I hear some people complain about sleeping with these shields over their eyes, but i slept like a baby and it was 11am in the morning.

I can just say the surgery on your eye only lasts for like 5- 10 minutes. But your in the room for a fair bit longer.

So overall i think the most important things are
-1. make sure your surgeon talks you through whats meant to be happening in the surgery and telling you your doing well and your going to go blind for a bit etc.
- 2.Relax - its hard when having people toy with your eyes but you should try.
- 3.Dont flinch and panic

[MarkA]

I had LASIK surgery done 5 years ago. No problems at all. Pre-surgery my vision was 20/250 left eye, 20/300 right eye. Post-surgery: 20/15 left eye, 20/20 right eye.

Note: I do need to wear reading glasses now but this is common for people over 40.

[jcase4]

One of the complaints I have heard post-Lasik is diminished night vision. Has anyone who has had it done experienced this?

[sameer]

i'm getting lasik done in a week's time...i'll report back then.

[kmr321]

i actually have both eyes 20/15 vision now which is better than 20/20 which is average.

Although, i just had lasik like 1 day ago so it might regress some.

My night vision is much better..

[Ed from PA]

I had LASIK done several years ago and it was literally the best money I ever spent. Total for both eyes was less than $1400 and I have saved more than that by now with not having to buy glasses/contacts, etc.

When I had it done, the doctor was a complete jerk, but he really knew what he was doing. He had done over 100,000 procedures. It was literally a factory type set-up with his staff doing all the pre-op and post-op stuff. I only met the doctor a few minutes before the surgery.

When I sat up from the surgery, I could literally see perfectly. My vision has slipped a little, it is now 20/25. I did have some rings around lights at night, but it only lasted 1-2 months. It didn't really affect me much, but I did notice it.

Anyhow, I would do it all again if I needed to.

Godspeed all,
Ed

[Chiromom]

I have debated LASIK myself since my vision is 20/800. However, I'm a little nervous about someone slicing my cornea. Anyhow, my dad (who is now 63) had LASIK done over five years ago and he has had fantastic results. I know of at least 10 others that have had it done with no complications. Good luck and I'm with you!

[dmauder]

I had LASIK done just this past Friday. Prior to the surgery, I was absolutely FREAKING out because I spent 3-4 hours the night before reading horror stories on the Internet. I guess if you go looking for negative info - you will find it. Besides, there are always people who have bad experiences no matter what it is. You also don't know who their doctor was, what equipment was used on them, and if they followed post-op instructions properly.

Anyway, I decided to go through with it and I have no complaints. The surgery was quick, painless and successful. Of course, the 2 Valium helped me get through it!

The weirdest part was the suction when they created the corneal flap. I had the Intralase flap method (bladeless), so it was a little less suction than with the normal method. Still, it was strange.

When I sat up off the table, I could see the clock across the room - AMAZING! They checked my vision and I was seeing 20/20. Prior to surgery, I was about 20/200 in both eyes.

The next morning, I went back for another checkup and I was seeing 20/20, but also able to pick up a couple letters on the 20/15 line.

Right now, 3 days post-op, I have a little dryness and halos around lights at night. This is expected, and should go away in 1-3 months. It's not that bad, and certainly doesn't interfere with driving or anything else. I've talked to many people who had halos and dryness for up to 3 months after their LASIK.

Despite all my worrying, and the horror stories I read online, I'm VERY glad I went through with it. The thought of not having to wear glasses anymore is very liberating. It's also quite amazing to think they can pop your eye a few times with a laser and fix your vision!

Dave

[Phil Parkinson]

I had it done on my eyes...

It was the most painful thing i have ever done... I was in agony for 3 days... complete and utter agony...

BUT...

I have perfect vision now.

Phil x

[legend]

I know they have another procedure that is supposed to work as well
It is these hard contacts that you wear while you sleep and they reshape your cornea.... You take them off in the day and your vision is perfect...
but it does revert back so you have to wear them every night or two...
They say it also works on astigmatisim. This is a less invasive alternative

I forgot what its called but I'm sure someone on here knows