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Topic: Anyone had Lasik eye surgery?
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| Author | Message |
| designergirl | Posted – 10/17/2003 11:57:04 AM | show profile I would love to hear about your experience and compare it to mine. Thanks! |
| congaman | Posted – 10/17/2003 1:06:48 PM | show profile I Had Lasik I had Lasik 4 years ago and my vision is doing great. I was very near sighted (minus 10) in both eyes and now I have 20/20 vision with no side effects. Lasik has definitely changed my life for the better! |
| roxygirl | Posted – 10/17/2003 1:41:03 PM | show profile Would most people who've had Lasik surgery recommend it? I've had glasses since I was seven and contact lenses since I was 12, to stabilize my vision. I don't know what my vision is, but I know that I can't see about a foot in front of me without either. Lasik is something I've been considering, but I've heard about some side effects. Please share. |
| lastdaysofdisco | Posted – 10/17/2003 1:52:35 PM | show profile if anyone has had this done in new york city, would you recommend your doctor? and not one that advertises on the subway, please. |
| pauLau2 | Posted – 10/18/2003 4:25:01 PM | show profile I haven't had Lasik (I'm not sure I'd benefit from it, given my eyes) but my opthalmologist was one of the first to offer it (Eric Mandel--he's in the East 60s in NYC) and he's very good. I'm personally terrified of any eye surgery (one slip of the hand and...), but that's probably my own weirdness. Let us know what you find out. |
| CrazyDaisy | Posted – 10/18/2003 8:32:49 PM | show profile I wear glasses and considered getting Lasik surgery last year, but the research I did turned me off. True, every single person I know who's had it done loves it, but I read about serious, permanent eye dryness that can result from the surgery. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but apparently it got so bad for some they were in pain unless using eyedrops constantly. |
| designergirl | Posted – 10/20/2003 10:08:12 AM | show profile For me... I only had it done about a month ago, and you're supposed to wait at least 2 months to know what your final number will be. My left eye is pretty good, but my right eye probably has some residual astigmatism. I don't need a doctor to tell me this, I notice that vision in one eye is definitely sharper than in the other. And yes, I still have side effects such as eye dryness (I need to put drops in throughout the day) and halos around lights at night. I still haven't decided if I'm happy I did it, because I could see perfectly well with my contacts and they never bothered me. Now I have a "floater" in my right eye (sometimes happens with surgery) and it's a little difficult to see at night. This particular side effect is getting better, so I'm hoping that in 2 months the problems will go away. I think most people have them after lasik, but I also read that some problems persist. That said, I don't need glasses anymore and I can drive, work and live like a person with "normal" vision. If I'm still bothered with the astigmatism in one eye, I can always have the procedure done again to correct it. So, I would say, do your research and find a doctor that you can trust. I didn't do enough research and now I'm having many doubts. Hopefully all this feelings will go away and I will say I'm happy I did it. My boyfriend did it too and he loves it. But he's not as picky or paranoid as me. Personality has a lot to do with it. |
| designergirl | Posted – 10/20/2003 10:09:40 AM | show profile typo I meant all "these" feelings... |
| snapple | Posted – 10/20/2003 11:55:18 PM | show profile | email poster I had epi-lasik, also called Lasek surgery, this past January. I had worn soft contacts for about 8 years, and my eyes had grown immune to them or something. I don't know. I just know that I had double vision for a year or 2, and consistently blurry vision even while wearing contacts for a year or 2. My only options were wearing hard contacts (no thanks), wearing glasses (I photograph, so I don't really like wearing glasses), or get surgery. I opted for surgery, and am extremely pleased with the outcome. I'm not quite 20/20, but it hasn't been a full year since getting the surgery done. It's certainly not the most pleasant experience in the world, but my God is it lovely to be able to go to sleep without fooling with saline solution or fumbling for glasses in the morning! |
| snapple | Posted – 10/21/2003 12:05:23 AM | show profile | email poster I didn't read all the replies before I posted. I did a massive amount of research before having the procedure done, b/c being a photographer, if anything went wrong, I would be more or less screwed. Eye dryness is a common side effect of having the surgery done. However, the doctor should test your tear production before approving you for the surgery. As in, if your eyes are dry before, you can bet they'll be dryer afterwards. Also, it depends on what climate you live in. I live in southern Georgia, where it's humid all the time, so dryness is never a factor. My doctor worked out in Colorado prior to moving to Georgia, and she said that many people had dryness problems out there due to the climate. Yes, the halos and occasional blurriness are frustrating. But they do go away. I wasn't sure I was happy about having the surgery done until about 6 months after. The only side effect now is having to take Vitamin C on a daily basis (it reduces the risk of having hazing in the eyes later on), and having to wear sunglasses which I never bothered to wear before. But definitely do your research and find a competent doctor who does all the tests you think he should do, and some that seem a little odd. My doctor sniffed me and told me that even the slightest fragrance could throw off the machine. I had taken precautions and washed my hair in fragrance-free baby shampoo and soap, but since I smelled slightly of fabric softener, he had me change into scrubs. Though the short-term side effects may be a bit scary or annoying, the long-term benefits greatly outweigh them. :) |
| designergirl | Posted – 10/21/2003 10:16:30 AM | show profile fragrance? I never heard that before. I wonder if that only applies to your particular type of procedure, maybe it doesn't affect the laser used in Lasik? Anyhow, it sounds like your doctor was very thorough and that's definitely a good thing. I'm feeling much better now about my surgery. My night vision is getting better and it's only been a month. I can see everything really well, with the exception of small text across the hall, but who can see that anyway? I think you need vision better than 20/20 for that. In response to PauLau2, the laser machine has a pedal that the surgeon uses to turn the machine on and off, so in the unlikely event that you moved your head, he would immediately take his foot off of the pedal and the laser would shut down. Also, I was afraid of what could happen if you didn't look straight up at the laser the whole time, but that's not a problem because modern lasers have an eye tracking system that follows your eye. It's really hard to keep a straight gaze and I personally was looking up and down a few times. The laser just follows your eye. If you move your eye too much the surgeon turns off the laser and asks you to look straight. The only bad thing is it takes longer because the doctor has to stop. But that only happened in my left eye and that's the one with the best vision. Moving my eye didn't affect the outcome. One other tip: I would strongly recommend taking a Valium or some kind of sedative prior to the surgery. It's best to be as relaxed as possible. Easier said than done, huh? |
| steady1 | Posted – 10/21/2003 10:50:23 AM | show profile Are any of you folks over 40? I read that when the surgery is done in older people, they still need glasses for reading. I'm nearsighted now, but I don't want to go through surgery just to trade nearsightedness for farsightedness. |
| designergirl | Posted – 10/21/2003 3:47:26 PM | show profile Steady1 I'm 33, but you're right. Laser surgery doesn't prevent farsightedness. If you are nearsighted now and have the surgery, you won't need glasses for distance vision but when you get older you will still need glasses for reading. I think what some surgeons do is to correct one eye for nearsightedness and leave the other one uncorrected for reading. It's called monovision. Sounds really strange to me but you might want to research that. I'm expecting to wear glasses for reading when I'm over 40, but I now have about 10 years with "normal" vision. Who knows, in 10 years they might have a solution for everything. I don't think I want to mess around with surgeries too much, though. |
| designergirl | Posted – 10/21/2003 3:50:36 PM | show profile Some info I found online... "Around the age of 40, people lose the ability to focus on close objects because the lens loses elasticity with age. This is called Presbyopia. Bifocals and reading glasses are used to see close objects. LASIK surgery can reduce or eliminate the need for bifocals or reading glasses using a procedure called Monovision. Monovision corrects one eye for near vision and the other for distance. The brain can concentrate on the near eye for close objects and the distance eye when looking far away. You can “test drive” monovision by using one contact lens provided at a LASIK evaluation before having the procedure." |
| voxo | Posted – 10/21/2003 5:33:31 PM | show profile Am I understanding this? I have been reading this thread with great interest, as I am nervously interested in the surgery. Are you folks saying you are awake when the surgery is performed? And you can see everything? |
| snapple | Posted – 10/21/2003 6:31:50 PM | show profile | email poster Yes, you are awake and can see and hear and smell everything. I read prior to my surgery that the laser smells like burning hair. I don't really remember it smelling like that exactly, but the smell was a bit strong. Especially because my eyesight was horrible and they had to use the laser for much longer than the average patient. Even though you are awake, they put some kind of device to keep your eyes open the whole time so you don't blink. And I think they drug you up before the procedure. I know they gave me a Valium before, and sleeping pills after. And as for the presbyopia, I think that in a few years they will probably have the technology to "fix" that problem too. Even though I've had Lasek surgery, my doctor told me that I will have slight presbyopia. One eye was weaker than the other prior to surgery, so it's still slightly weaker now, so I think the monovision theory applies to my case. Having one weaker eye didn't really bother me before, so it doesn't really bother me now. As scary as the procedure sounds on paper, it's really not terrible if you're a good candidate for it. |
| voxo | Posted – 10/21/2003 6:45:00 PM | show profile Lord have mercy Snapple, thanks for the clarification. You just sent me over the edge - I know now that I will never have this done. Holy mackerel, I just don't think I can work up the courage. |
| designergirl | Posted – 10/22/2003 10:00:44 AM | show profile To voxo The surgery is really only about 10 minutes of your life, compared to a lifetime of bad eyesight if you don't do it. I think it's worth it. Prior to the surgery they put numbing drops in your eyes so you don't feel any pain. The only thing you feel is slight pressure when they put the device on your eye to hold the eyelids open and when the flap is created. I think that's the most uncomfortable and scary part. The laser part is actually kind of cool, it's like being in a nightclub with red lights. You don't feel a thing. The smell is not that strong. My boyfriend, who also did it, didn't even notice it. I guess it's not for everyone. But in the hands of a good surgeon, I think it's worth the few minutes of fear. |
| designergirl | Posted – 10/22/2003 10:03:11 AM | show profile snapple What was your prescription number before the surgery? Just curious... |
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