Lasik eye surgery

[vibes]

Anyone else here had Lasik eye surgery? I had it on Thursday afternoon, and I'm pretty amazed at the results. I'd been wearing glasses or contacts for ~20 years, so it's great to not have to use them any more. The morning after my surgery, I was surprised that I could see the time on the clock unassisted. I had a follow-up eye doctor appointment a few hours later, and the doctor confirmed that I had 20/20 vision in one eye and 20/25 in the other, with both eyes expected to improve in the coming weeks.

Downsides? Having to put eye drops in my eyes at least every hour. I hate eye drops. I have three different kinds--one regular, two prescription. The regular ones are required every hour; the prescription ones are required four times a day.

The whole procedure didn't even take 10 minutes. Modern technology is amazing.

[7/4]

I never bothered for fear of things not working out.

.

[rostasi]

Vibes,

How long do you have to use the drops? Years?

Also, I have heard that Lasik doesn't compensate for

general eye deterioration due to age, so that, let's say,

10 to 20 years from now (which is shorter than you think)

your aging eyes become worse than if you had never done the Lasik surgery.

I've wondered if this info is a myth.

Did you have a consultation with the doc beforehand about your "future eyes"?

[vibes]

The prescription drops I only have to use until they run out. I expect they'll be gone within a week.

The regular drops should be needed for "a few months." According to the doctors I consulted, eye drops may be needed much longer in "rare cases." I don't remember the exact number, but it was less than 1%.

The doctors with whom I spoke did talk about the long term effectiveness of Lasik, and did tell me that glasses or contacts might be needed again as I got into my 40s. This is natural and is caused by the hardening of the corneas, which tends to cause some nearsightedness. As for my eyes being worse later on than if I had never had Lasik at all, I did not hear this from any of the doctors and have not seen it in any of the literature I read online or in the doctors' offices. I expect that if that were true, it would have been in the informed consent forms I signed prior to the surgery.

I would say that each of the doctors (three of them) I talked to did a very good job of giving me a balanced view of the benefits and risks of Lasik, including statistics on the numbers of people that have post-operative complications, including permanent dry eyes and halos (both of these problems are common right after the surgery, but go away for the vast majority of patients--I currently have both problems). I was sure to also read up on Lasik online before having the surgery. Based on what I heard, read and have been told by friends who had had it done, I decided to go forward with it.

If memory serves, the original Lasik procedure was developed in the late 90s. As such, we may not really understand the long-term effects of Lasik yet. That's always going to be a risk with new medications and surgical procedures, I guess.

[rachel]

Congratulations vibes! Enjoy your new vision! LASIK is great for reducing/eliminating the need for glasses for distance. It will not stop the onset of presbyopia (the need for reading glasses after age 40'ish), nor will it stop the onset of cataracts which everyone develops sooner or later. But you have quite a few years before you need to worry about either of those, vibes.

One thing I would strongly advise, though, is that you obtain a copy of your eye exam just prior to LASIK as well as the LASIK treatment plan/op report and post op exam. Those measurements will be key years down the road when you eventually do need to have cataract surgery. LASIK dramatically changes the curvature of your cornea and makes calculating the power of implant needed to replace the cataract much, much more difficult. We're finding that as baby boomers are aging and now needing cataract surgery, those who had LASIK in the mid to late 90's don't have access to their old medical records as they are usually destroyed after 7 years. If you can save those in a personal file, your cataract surgeon down the road will be extremely happy.

Edited March 23, 2008 by rachel

[vibes]

Good advice--thanks! Are you an opthalmologist or optometrist or...?

[rostasi]

Thanks to both of you!

Very enlightening - yes, I'm coming from the age

that's closer to the cataract side of life,

so this confirms some things that I've heard.

Thanks again you two!

R~~

[Free For All]

the cataract side of life

Isn't that a Wet Willie tune?

[Chuck Nessa]

Good advice--thanks! Are you an opthalmologist or optometrist or...?

I think she stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[vibes]

Good one, Chuck.

[rachel]

Good advice--thanks! Are you an opthalmologist or optometrist or...?

I think she stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Edited March 24, 2008 by rachel

[JohnS]

I never bothered for fear of things not working out.

That's pretty much how I feel. Glad it's worked well for you.

.

[Teasing the Korean]

Hope it works out, but I've known people that have had it, and their vision reverts back to where it was in a couple of years.

Me, I'll stay happy with disposable contacts and stylish eyeglass frames.

[Ted O'Reilly]

Me, I'll stay happy with disposable contacts and stylish eyeglass frames.

Me, contacts and the cheapest eyeglass frames I can find. My lenses are in 16 hours a day, and the glasses are for the walk from bathroom to bedroom, then lights out!

[trane_fanatic]

I never bothered for fear of things not working out.

Your fears are valid. My mom had her optic nerve destroyed and lost her vision in one eye last year due to a cataract surgeon's error. The pain she had to endure and the two subsequent procedures she had to go through along with the various shots in the eye left her suicidal. These types of things are always supposed to be pretty routine, but there is always that risk and, in our case, the worst happened.

Edited March 24, 2008 by trane_fanatic

[7/4]

Interesting comments.

A friend told me her eyesight in the dark wasn't 100%. That alone scared me off.

[ejp626]

My brother had it and has been very happy so far (I think a year now). Who knows how it will hold up in the future. He's pretty young (35) so I'll have some insight into the long-term results. My eyes are considerably better than his (generally only use glasses at concerts and theatre) so am not tempted.

[Dan Gould]

My vision is pathetic - 20/500 or so without glasses - but I've never even thought about Lasik. I'm perfectly happy with glasses and just bought some very good looking new frames.

[Bright Moments]

My vision is pathetic - 20/500 or so without glasses - but I've never even thought about Lasik. I'm perfectly happy with glasses and just bought some very good looking new frames.

umm dan, about your vision, the picture in your avatar is not your kids!

[Dan Gould]

My vision is pathetic - 20/500 or so without glasses - but I've never even thought about Lasik. I'm perfectly happy with glasses and just bought some very good looking new frames.

umm dan, about your vision, the picture in your avatar is not your kids!

Of course they are my kids.

[Free For All]

My vision is pathetic - 20/500 or so without glasses - but I've never even thought about Lasik. I'm perfectly happy with glasses and just bought some very good looking new frames.

umm dan, about your vision, the picture in your avatar is not your kids!

Of course they are my kids.

Damn straight they are!

[PHILLYQ]

Lasik- I can't get around wearing contacts! The thought of sticking my finger in my eye twice a day is too much for me. I started wearing glasses when I was 8(51 now), prior to the contact lens revolution and I never got off the glasses. Even now, at the very rare times I don't have them on, I still push them up my nose!

[Chuck Nessa]

Vibes, if God wants you to go blind, go blind.

[Larry Kart]

To quote Mel Brooks' psychiatrist, Dr. Haldanish: "Stay away from my eyes! Don't come near my eyes!"

[Bright Moments]

My vision is pathetic - 20/500 or so without glasses - but I've never even thought about Lasik. I'm perfectly happy with glasses and just bought some very good looking new frames.

umm dan, about your vision, the picture in your avatar is not your kids!

Of course they are my kids.

oooops! my bad!