I am bumping this because I am going in tomorrow!! I am so excited but a bit scared. It's my BD present to myself. Anyone have this surgery in the last few years since this thread was last active?

A bit old, maybe someone has up to date info?

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/...6-28-lasik.htm

My husband got implantable contact lenses a couple years ago when we moved to AZ. He was not a candidate for Lasik due to the thinness of his corneas. He has been very pleased with the results.

I've never even heard of this. This sounds interesting.

The implantable contact lens procedure sounds like the procedure they do for cataract patients. I think this is what they did for my mom when she had eye surgery a couple of weeks ago. Medical professionals - am I correct?

That's what I was thinking too. After my dad had his cataract surgery, he had 20/20 vision for the first time in over 60 years. He doesn't wear glasses now and it seems really strange that he doesn't!

It is basically the same procedure as cataract surgery, but they don't remove your native lens. They have to perform a laser iridotomy to prevent glaucoma since the new lens is placed behind you native lens. The nice thing about it is you can have the lenses replaced if needed down the line.

I'm going to ask about this. I tolerate contacts very well, but wearing reading glasses on top of contacts is annoying. I've been increasingly considering lasik.

It's not available everywhere. My husband was lucky that we moved to AZ where they were the first to do the technique in the US. It's been used in Europe for 15 years or so. It's not widely available in the US or wasn't two years ago. His alternative as a someone who was not a candidate for Lasik was PRK. He wasn't excited about that since it has a long recovery time and a higher complication rate. He had perfect vision the day after his surgery with IOL, but had a monster headache when he came home.

My dad got the surgery about five years ago and is very happy. He wears glasses once in a while for reading, but besides that, he is able to go without his glasses almost all of the time!

About ten years ago, I worked as a Patient Educator for a group of Ophthalmic Surgeons, and they did a lot of LASIK. They also did cataract surgeries, and they were starting to get into IOC (interocular lenses).

LASIK is a very safe procedure, but remember, it's surgery - so follow your post-op instructions and ask lots of questions. I got, as a benefit of that job, a free LASIK - but I have 20/20, so I gave it to my boyfriend (who is now my husband).

He did well - he works in television - he produces now, but at the time he was a videographer/editor, so it was a little scary for us both - and he had a few weeks where his night vision wasn't perfect, but within three weeks, he was completely happy with the results.

He had acute astigmatism, so he does still wear glasses for work, to make sure everything is crisp and in focus. But where he could not function without them before, today they're optional - a mild prescription.

Of course, we're both about to hit 40, so we'll be seeking out cheaters pretty soon!

Good luck!

I made it!! I love it thus far!! My distance vision has adjusted well, it's the close up I am working on. I have my computer settings blown up and I still have a bit of a headache, 1.5 days now post-op...

Glad things went well.

Glad things are going well! I am thinking of having lasik; my vision is extremely poor and my eyes have become intolerant to wearing my contact lenses. I have had so many problems with my eyes (chronic allergies that had to be treated with steroids, dryness) over the last couple of years that I think I am overly concerned about complications.

Keep us updated. Incidentally, do you have to wear glasses during the day, initially? I just read some information about the procedure on my opthamologists' website and it said that protective glasses are recommended during the day for the first couple of weeks post-surgery, in addition to goggles at night. I didn't recall that from my appointment with them.

So happy for you!

Of course, if you're the one in 10,000 for whom LASIK doesn't work out, it's pretty catastrophic. But in the years since I've had it, I think they have learned the better candidates.

I started wearing glasses when I was five, and the hard contacts when I was 12. The thought then was that the hard contacts would act much like braces on the teeth, and keep my eyes from getting any worse. FWIW, they didn't. I eventually went to the soft contacts, then of course, LASIK. I still have monovision (no bifocals for me - ever!), and no regrets!

I reread this thread and want to say that my mother was legally blind at the time of her death. She had both glaucoma AND macular degeneration. She was on the protocol for the medication Preservision, so her AREDs didn't progress at quickly as many others at the time. However, when it did, she had to get shots in her eyes to stop the bleeding into the retina. I know it hurt her badly, and it hurt me to watch it. I honestly hope that I die prior to having to go through that!