Has anyone had lasik surgery?
 

I'm going in for an initial exam next Tuesday so I was wondering if any of you guys have done it. Everyone keeps telling me how great it is and there's nothing to be scared of. But hey - they put a laser beam in your eyeball! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif
Also have to wear glasses for a coule of weeks which sucks. Anyway, has anyone here had the surgery?

Hey, i haven't had it...but have heard the benefits are great and all, but of course there are the tons of downfalls, like continual light sensitivity (even months after), can't read/go online for a while, etc...

So just get all the facts before you get the surgery http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif. GOOD LUCK!

p.S. are you nearsighted/farsighted/have astigmatism, etc.? I'm nearsighted and have astigmatism--what a combo, ughh

[This message has been edited by newbie (edited June 14, 2001).]

Not to totally freak you out, but I know someone who had it done and she went blind.

yeah, what leslieagd said is right...BUT, on the other hand the chances of the operation going wrong is VERY VERY slim (like under 3 percent or something like that)...

But it is something you wanna take in consideration...on the other hand, you could come out of it seeing 20/20 or 20/30...

all in all, i think talking to your doctor and asking any and ALL questions plaguing you is a MUST, since eyesight is so precious! i really think that no matter what we say on this board--your doctor is the only authority who can tell you if it's right for you or not. Good luck and keep us posted!

oh p.s. it's also good to check that the doctor is highly recommended and certified to operate...check him out in the BETTER BUSINESS BEAUREAU (sp/??) book...ask him for some patients' phone numbers<--don't be scared to ask, it's your vision, for heaven's sake! And find out how many years of experience he's had...you don't want him to operate on you if he's only had like 2 years of experience.

Also...you might want to go to multiple doctors to see if they ALL recommend the operation to you...it's all for safety's sake, anyway http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif.

newbie, you will die when you read this - I too am nearsighted and have astigmatism! I think I wear the world's THICKEST contact lenses!!!

OMG--NUCUTIEPIE---you just crack me up!!!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif my goodness...i'm ROFLMAO!!!!! It's so weird how we're sooo alike!!! LOL

I used to wear glasses (still do, sometimes while at home), but I wear contacts...and they're great, but they're also a pain in the a$$!! I wear RGPS, so mines aren't thick...do you wear soft?? My prescription is soo high, it's not even funny http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif.

Seriously!!! That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Either that or it not being 20/20 then I can't ever wear contacts again. Have you guys seen that Simpson's episode where it's way in the future and Ned says - yeah that Lasik surgery was great until 5 years later my eyeballs fell out. I'm not THAT scared but it was funny.

Thank you for the advice. You're so sweet. I'm going to see the same people my dad went to. I'm just afraid they will try to talk me into it too much because they ALL seem more like a business out for profit than concerned medical staff. Oh well, I'll let you know what happens.

Thank you for the advice. You're so sweet. I'm going to see the same people my dad went to. I'm just afraid they will try to talk me into it too much because they ALL seem more like a business out for profit than concerned medical staff. Oh well, I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks Veruca! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif You're welcome for the advice, I just really hope that no matter what you decide, it'll come out wonderful for you!! I know what you're saying about the medical staff looking for money http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif, sometimes what they say makes me wonder, too. Well, good luck!!! and keep us posted!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

I'll never do it.

You're born with 2 eyes, once they're gone, that's it. No one knows the results of this surgery after 10, 15, 20 years. It might reverse itself. And you can NEVER wear contacts again.

As bad as my eyes are, I'll NEVER chance ruining them for the chance of perfect vision. I don't trust this surgery for a minute.

Veruca76,

I'm not a Doctor but I'm probably a pretty good person to give advice about this. A couple years ago I found out that I randomally acquired this corneal condition that happens in 1 in every couple thousand people across the US. They dont know what causes it but its called kerataconus. Most people that have it can go through their life time with just glasses/contacts but my right eye got really bad. Your cornea is supposed to be clear and flat but mine became obscure. Kind of like a flat tire. I know this all sounds bizare but I had a cornea transplant. It was a success after 7 months of recovery and dealing with 20 stiches in my eye. Before my Doctor said that I wouldnt be a candidate because of my condition but because I have a new healthy eye I would be. He mentioned the idea of laser surgery last week but I'm kind of reserved about the idea. I've heard many successes about the procedure but I have heard that people that have had to do a couple follow up procedures. In worst case I have heard that people sometimes have to get cornea transplants. My Doctor, a corneal surgeon, said that the laser he uses only shapes the eye for visual clarity and doesnt effect the inside of the cornea(overall health). He said that but I'm still wary about it because I've heard the procedure is better suited for those with less eye problems. I've never had it but during my recovery from my corneal surgery I will say allergies definitely made things difficult at times. I got over it and I'm fine but each person is different. Newbie said it best in the fact that you should talk to your Doctor. Hes the best person to ask about the procedure, get to know him well, find out how much experience he has doing it, and also if you find a second opinion if your unsure about him/her. A big plus would be if you had a University Hospital nearby.

Kevin


[This message has been edited by Miami1839 (edited June 14, 2001).]

My dad had the surgery a few years ago, after having worn glasses for more than 30 years. He's still absolutely fine, his eyes didn't fall out nor has it reversed itself. I know that doesn't mean it never will, but he can see better than I can, and my vision is 20/20.

Kevin, I'm SO glad that the surgery worked out successfully for you!!!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif And thank you for sharing your story with us, too http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif!

I looked into have Lasik done and even went to a consultation. Unfortunately, I'm not a good candidate because... get this... my pupil is too big. Apparently, if your pupils are too big you risk having a "halo" effect that affects night time vision mostly. If that occurs there is absolutely nothing they can do to correct it (or so my doctor says).

Bummer... I was looking forward to life with perfect vision.

I definately have to agree with this. The two minutes I spend putting on my contacts in the morning is nothing. I do a lot of reading, and that, in turn, affects your eyes. Your eyesight may revert after the surgery, then you'll have to wear glasses, because you won't be able to put contacts in your eyes. The surgery changes the shape of your eye... I think it flattens in out, which makes wearing contacts impossible. Some places do lifetime vision correction... But you know, with inflation, that can always change. Ten years down the line, you get a letter in the mail- "We no longer do lifetime corrections. Have a nice day!" And then, well, if you want to see, you need to wear glasses. Sometimes it doesn't work at all, and people end up haveing to wear glasses for the rest of their lives. It's just not worth it. The fact that there is ANY CHANCE that I might go blind, or have my eyes permanently damaged by this surgery turns me off to the idea right away. I hope that made some sense. !Estoy Cansado!

Newbie,

Thank You. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Kevin

Hi there,
Thanks to everyone who replied. Just thought I'd give a little update/ info. According to my doctor and a website I checked - no one has gone blind as a result of an American/ FDA approved Lasik treatment. Also, this doctor has never had a patients vision get worse that it was originally from the surgery. The real risks are light halos and starbursts, increased problems with driving at night, infections and problems with the corneal flap they cut open not healing properly.

As for me, they are willing to do the surgery on me but I have large pupils too. That means I stand at increased risk to have light halo/night driving problems. Since I was already squeamish about it - I'm officially not doing it. However, if I'd been an ideal candidate I would definitely do it.

Thanks for the sharing of the update, Veruca!! Well, I think that's a smart choice, since sensitivity to light REALLY bothers me (I rarely go out into the bright sun without sunglasses). Anyway, do you wear glasses/contacts?

Veruca76,

Your Welcome http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif I think you made a wise decision. In my opinion we havent had a long enough history of these lasik treatments. Enough factual proof to say that they definitely wont cause blindness as a result of the procedure. I think that generally its a great procedure and serves a lot of people well. I'm just suspect about it. It seems so market driven and I totally agree with KayDeeCareBear. Before my transplant I had that halo effect all the time.

Kevin

I know this is an old thread but I didn't want to start a new one and then have everyone scream at me. I am getting LASIK on Monday morning and wanted to know if anyone on GC has had it.

I read this thread which is very anti-lasik, but I've been legally blind in one eye my whole life and the doctor I am going to (Dr. Maloney) was one of the first doctors authorized to perform this surgery in the US and is considered one of the best in the world. I have a congenital eye disease and have always dreamed of being able to see. The doctors at the Jule Stien Eye Institute at UCLA have been trying to convince me to get surgery for many years, it is only in the past two years that I have felt safe getting my eyes fixed.

I have heard from a lot of people that their eyes are kind of dry for the first few days and that they are light sensitive, or have a flap problem, but I am totally ready to do this b/c I can't wear contacts and my glasses are such a burden.

Anyone have any POSTIVE advise? What to do before/after, etc?

By the way, for those of you who have large pupils, there are special lasers now for people with large pupils. I have two friends who were not considered good candidates a couple of years ago who have now had the surgery and have 20/15 vision.

Laura

Laura, I don't know anyone who has gone through the surgery, so I do not have any advice for you. I just wanted to wish you a successful surgery!! :)

Lasik Surgery
 

Laura, I had LASIK done this past March, and I cannot say enough positive things about it! I truly feel that I have been given a tremendous gift. I was one of those people who could not see the alarm clock without my glasses, and I have been known to walk into furniture when I wasn't wearing my glasses or contacts.

My prescription was one of the more severe ones that my doctor had treated, and I did have severe astigmatism in both eyes prior to surgery. I did a lot of research and interviewed several doctors. My situation is a bit complicated because I am married, and my husband has a vision impairment that cannot be corrected with glasses or contacts. Because of this visual impairment, he is unable to get a driver's license. So as you can see (no pun inteneded), my eyes are very important to both of our lives.

My advice to you is to follow any pre-operative directions that your surgeon has given to you. When you do return home after surgery, do nap for several hours. It really does help your eyes to heal. Finally, my last piece of advice is to be prepared for incredible results when you return to your doctor the next day for your exam. Because my vision was so horrible before surgery, I didn't dare hope for 20/20 vision; I was just hoping that my reliance on glasses or contacts would be significantly less after surgery. When I went for my post-operative visit the following morning, I found out that my vision was 20/25 in my left eye and 20/20 in my right eye. I actually had better vision after the surgery than I did with my glasses. (My peripheral vision was drastically improved.)

It has now been five months since I had the surgery, and I have had absolutely no complications from it. My doctor had told me that I may have dry eyes and require drops to keep them moist, but I have not had any dryness issues. One of the other common side effects is the appearance of "halos" around sources of light especially at night; I am pleased to report that this is not a problem either.

It sounds as if you have already done your homework and chosen a surgeon you believe in and trust. I am confident that you will have a wonderful LASIK experience. I am very sorry that this post is so long, but I just have so many wonderful things to say about the surgery. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me. Good luck.

I'm so happy to read about your experiences, EtaPhiZTA!!

I too am extremely nearsighted... I've been wearing glasses since I was 2! :eek: and have had a great deal of trouble with contacts.

Now, I work for an insurance provider, and they offer a deal through a (very established) local eye doctor where they will do your LASIK for a reduced fee, and include in that fee anything that you could possibly need before or after the surgery. I can't quite afford to do it yet, but I'm hoping to save up the money within the next year or two!

Good luck with your surgery and let us know how it goes!

EtaPhiZTA,

Thank you so much for your long post. It is always nice to hear positive stories from other people who have serious nearsightedness. My Lasik will be a slightly more complicated surgery than the norm so it was really important to me to find the best surgeon who everyone trusts. I can't see the alarm clock either and walk into the chair in my family room every couple of days on my way to the kitchen (I've even broken my toe several times doing this).

I can't wait to see without glasses and am so excited for you that you have 20/20 in one eye. They think my right eye will be about 20/15 and my left eye will be about 20/30. I am sad for your husband that he can't have his eyes fixed too, but maybe someday with all the new surgeries they will be able to fix his eyes too.

I'll make sure I let you know how it goes!

Laura

LASIK - How did it go?
 

Laura,
It's Tuesday morning and I am thinking of you. How did your LASIK go? You are probably at your doctor's office now for your follow-up visit having him tell you that you now have 20/20 vision. Please be sure to post your story or PM me if you want.

Courtney

$$$$$$$
 

How much does it cost where you are? I heard last night that I can go from Oklahoma where it's about $1200 per eye or so to Texas where it's about $600 per eye. Same LASIK procedure!

What does it cost where you are?

My husband had it done two years ago when we were dating and I got to see him get it done! His dad is an eye doctor, so his dad assisted...

He is not blind. He sees better than 20/20 now. If you go to someone who knows what they are doing then the risks are minimal. He has had no problems with it! I do not know how much it costs since he had it done for free.

LASIK costs
 

I paid $2700 for my LASIK surgery. That included all pre- and post-operative care as well as the actual surgery. Unfortunately, none of it was covered by insurance, but I was able to pay for it with pre-tax dollars from a FLEX account. However, I must say that I think it was worth every penny!

kt snake -

To answer your question I wouldn't go to one of those places that offer a super cheap price. From what I've heard they are much more willing to waive people through who may not be ideal candidates and they tend to put you through like an assembly line. That being said, my dad went to one of those places and it worked out great for him.

I think when you pay the extra money you are paying for more individualized and attentive care for your very unique set of eyes. Like anything else, you're getting what you pay for.

glad to hear your surgery was successful. it's natural to be apprehensive about something so serious. hopefully, you'll have this new and improved vision for the rest of your life. i know a few people who have had the surgery and no one has a single complaint.

Re: LASIK costs
 

Wow, that is cheaper than what several of my friends told me it cost them, they mentioned over $3000 and one was like $3600! They have all had great results.

If I could use pre-tax dollars, I may look into whether I could be a candidate for the surgery. I have the such bad eyesight and have to wear glasses a lot when my allergies act up. Thanks for the idea of pre-tax dollars!

Hi guys! I am so sorry it's taken me so long to post. Since the surgery I've been trying not to spend too much time on the computer when I am not at work and the only threads I've been checking have been rush threads. Silly Laura.

Anyway, I can see. It is seriously the most exciting thing ever. I am amazed by the little things in the world around me and can't believe I've lived so long without any depth perception and so little peripheral vision. The morning after my appointment my vision was 20/15 in my right eye and 20/25 in my left eye. This is better than the doctor expected and there are times when the vision is even stronger than that.

People always say that you don't know how special something is until it is taken away or you lose it. I feel blessed to be able to see things that other people take for granted. I drive down the freeway and close my "good" eye and can read license plates, billboards and even license plate frames. I woke up b/c of an earthquake two nights ago and can tell you that it occurred at 12:08 p.m. b/c I was able to read the clock. It amazes me that I've lived so long unable to see these things and that now I have the opportunity to enjoy them. I have to keep moving books away from my face b/c I'm so used to being near sighted and have to teach myself to read with books at a normal distance from my face.

As you can see I could go on and on about how amazing it is to have this surgery. I also advocate not going to any old Laser Surgery Center. There are different types of lasers and Lasik has progressed dramatically over the past few years. They can now operate on larger pupil sizes and correct astigmatisms, which they could not do before. The prices vary depending on the city, but run b/w $500 per eye and $2500 per eye here in Los Angeles. I know in Dallas it is A LOT less expensive per eye at the high end doctors than it is here in LA. I spent a lot of money having my eyes done, but I think it is worth every penny and if I have to have them redone at some date in the future I will pay whatever I have to pay to get it done.

As for the side effects, I have what are known as "very dry eyes." Basically my body doesn't produce enough tears and they had to put plugs in my tear ducts to keep my eyes moister. I also use an ointment on my left eye at night right now b/c my eye doesn't close all the way and they want to keep it moist.

Like others have said, I recommend napping after the surgery (I slept for four hours) and sleeping with the shields on for the first week after the surgery (they make you feel safer).

If anyone has questions about the surgery feel free to PM me. Sorry about the long post!

Laura

I'm glad to hear it went so well!! I was honestly a little frightened when you didn't post... worried that you'd been blinded or something (yes, I'm a worrier!)

Congrats!!!

Whether or not you can wear contacts after Lasik depends upon the same factors as it does before the surgery. My understanding is that with people whose prescriptions are less than 10 diopters 95% have vision correction to 20/40 or better after the surgery (meaning you can drive without glasses). My doctor has a great webpage that explains a lot about the different types of surgery and what they are doing today that is at the forfront of medical technology.

I work with a guy who had -13 in one eye and -15 in the other. He is now -2 & -3. He is sad that he doesn't have perfect vision but he can walk around without glasses on now, whereas he never could before.

It is amazing what they can do. Hopefully, by the time I get presbyopia they will have a cure for that too!

Laura

Laura, I am so glad that your LASIK experience was a great one! It definitely sounds like the dry eyes are worth all of the benefits that you mentioned.
Congratulations,
Courtney (EtaPhiZTA)

just bumping this thread up !!!

I'm seriously considering lasik surgery b/c I have been wearing glasses/contacts since I was in kindergarten.. no joke!

I've done some research and the docs in Dallas have some pretty reasonable prices!

Yeah, I think it's something like $1,000 per eye. My parents offered to pay for my lasik procedure after graduation. An unofficial graduation gift, if you will. :D

I've considered getting it done by eyes aren't that horrible (-2.50 and -2.75).
My sorority big sis got in done back in high school. She was on the swim team and was sick of getting chlorine in her contact lenses (ouch!). She says it's the best thing she's ever done. No adverse side affects. Just perfect vision.
Another friend of mine got it done her senior year of high school. She said that she went home and took a nap and when she woke up, for the first time in years, she was able to see without glasses or contacts. She said her eyes were slightly red at first but that was the only problem.
They've had great advances in recent years. And, like someone has mentioned, no one has ever gone blind from a FDA approved Lasik surgery center.