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EVG posted:A couple people mentioned that having the corrective surgery affected their up-close vision, is that common? Kind of. When you're nearsighted you can focus super-close to your face easier because that's just how your eye works. I tested this before and after - before Lasik I could focus on my hand when it was virtually pressed against my eye, and I could VERY clearly see my skin texture. Afterwards, I can't focus clearly on it when it's 1-2 inches in front of my face. Apparently this is common... but you typically don't see differently than when you're wearing glasses (I tested this too, and it was the same). Sometimes people have a harder time focusing up close because they don't use those muscles as much if they're nearsighted, but not enough they wear glasses all the time. So they have to train their muscles again to focus correctly, which can take some time. I think my doctor said 4-6 months sometimes. Luckily I used some form of correction all the time because I was blind as a bat, so I'm focusing more or less normally.
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Jun 21, 2012 00:32
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I went in for a free consultation for LASIK yesterday, and was told by the doctor that I really shouldn't have the surgery, he said that while my eyes are healthy, there is a weak spot in my right cornea, and doing the surgery may exacerbate it and give me Keratoconus. However he said there is still hope, that I could get an ICL -- implantable contact lens. Has anyone had this or know anything about it? He gave me some info to look over and contact him again if I was interested. Seems to be much newer than LASIK but since its an actual lens, you can generally get better initial results since the doc has exact control over the prescription of the lens going in. Of course, if your vision degrades, you either have to get a new one or get glasses/contacts again. They quoted me $3600 per eye also (yowzer). I'm still considering it though. I'm tired of glasses and contacts.
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Jun 21, 2012 03:05
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For anyone who has had PRK done, did you have to go back for a touch-up at any point? And if so, did it take as long as the initial surgery for your vision to recover and any pain or discomfort to fade away? I'm especially curious about anyone who's had Wavefront PRK done (that's what I'll be getting). The doctor does free touch-ups, so I'm not worried about the extra cost, just how much of a hassle it will be if fine-tuning is required down the line. Edit:: Also, if anyone here has by any chance had their surgery done by Dr. Manche in Palo Alto, please share your thoughts. ibntumart fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Jun 21, 2012 |
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Jun 21, 2012 12:34
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alwayslost posted:I went in for a free consultation for LASIK yesterday, and was told by the doctor that I really shouldn't have the surgery, he said that while my eyes are healthy, there is a weak spot in my right cornea, and doing the surgery may exacerbate it and give me Keratoconus. However he said there is still hope, that I could get an ICL -- implantable contact lens. Has anyone had this or know anything about it? He gave me some info to look over and contact him again if I was interested. Seems to be much newer than LASIK but since its an actual lens, you can generally get better initial results since the doc has exact control over the prescription of the lens going in. Of course, if your vision degrades, you either have to get a new one or get glasses/contacts again. They quoted me $3600 per eye also (yowzer). I'm still considering it though. I'm tired of glasses and contacts. Look up a company called Visian, I think they're the standard ICL provider right now. When I was looking over the risk, it looked like the risks were less likely, but more severe, than Lasik. So that's a factor. Healing is quicker since there's no flap like Lasik, there's just a small incision in the side of the eye to slide in a lens, which I guess is a lot smaller than a contact lens, and is slightly folded and unfolds inside? I think? But yeah, my doctor briefly mentioned this to me as an option during consultation but they said it's more expensive (twice that of Lasik per eye) and there was really no reason for me to choose one over the other at the moment.
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Jun 21, 2012 18:50
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alwayslost posted:However he said there is still hope, that I could get an ICL -- implantable contact lens. Has anyone had this or know anything about it? He gave me some info to look over and contact him again if I was interested. Seems to be much newer than LASIK but since its an actual lens, you can generally get better initial results since the doc has exact control over the prescription of the lens going in.
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Jun 21, 2012 19:30
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I went for an initial assessment with an Optometrist today and was told I was fit for LASIK. Corneal thickness looked fine. However, I was told astigmatism changed slightly during the last couple of years. I'll see a surgeon in 3 weeks and he'll give the final approval for the surgery. I really want to get this done. Myopia is my main problem (-5 in each eye). Should I be worried that my eyes aren't stable yet? Did anyone undergo surgery even though their prescription changed slightly during the previous two years?
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Jun 28, 2012 01:15
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Myrddin Emrys posted:My night vision went from really good to kinda lovely - does that get any better? My eyes used to adjust pretty quickly to dark rooms, but I noticed the last two nights, my bedroom has been pitch black and I can't see anything but a few LEDs for the longest time. When I wake up in the middle of the night I can see okay, but when I go into the bathroom, turn on the light, then come back into the bedroom it's completely pitch black again. Anecdotal - My halos and night vision steadily improved over the course of a year or so and I stopped noticing things a little over 12 months post-op. I'm about 2 years out now, and still 20/10 and night vision is perfect, halos are gone.
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Jun 28, 2012 18:05
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Soopafly posted:Anecdotal - My halos and night vision steadily improved over the course of a year or so and I stopped noticing things a little over 12 months post-op. I'm about 2 years out now, and still 20/10 and night vision is perfect, halos are gone. I've actually already noticed a significant reduction in halos/starbursts. The first week or so was like "whoa" at nighttime, now it's sort of "if I look for it, I notice it, but it doesn't get in the way". Either it's improving, or my brain is getting used to it, or both.
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Jun 29, 2012 04:13
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I was avoiding getting lasik due to military not wanting helicopter pilots that had lasik done. But since they are changing that, I have decided I'd rather have lasik surgery done, than to keep having to deal with glasses. My biggest problem is I cant keep my eyes open to put contacts in. Just something about putting something in my eye. Could this gently caress with getting the lasik surgery done?
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Jun 30, 2012 03:22
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McScumbag posted:My biggest problem is I cant keep my eyes open to put contacts in. Just something about putting something in my eye.
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Jun 30, 2012 14:39
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Beep Street posted:Not at all. Your eyes are held open during the surgery. 
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Jun 30, 2012 14:43
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CoderCat posted:I went for an initial assessment with an Optometrist today and was told I was fit for LASIK. Corneal thickness looked fine. However, I was told astigmatism changed slightly during the last couple of years. I'll see a surgeon in 3 weeks and he'll give the final approval for the surgery. I really want to get this done. Myopia is my main problem (-5 in each eye). Should I be worried that my eyes aren't stable yet?
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Jun 30, 2012 14:47
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Beep Street posted:It depends how dramatically your eyes have changed in the last year or so. A small gradual change would be less of a problem than had they changed from say -1 to -5. I'd go with a company that will offer to do a free top up treatment if your eyes change after the surgery. Thanks for your answer. The clinic I'm with does offer a "lifetime" guarantee of remedial treatment. I talked to my Optometrist and she said the change was too small to stop me from having the surgery. Myopia changed by -0.5 during the last 4 years, and the change in astigmatism was even less noticeable. I'm feeling more confident now, but I'll wait for the final word from the surgeon in a few weeks.
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Jun 30, 2012 20:40
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When I type Lasik and my location into Google (north NJ) I get a million results - what's a good way to find a good doctor? I've had trouble finding a decent eye doctor around here, so I'd rather not even bother with asking mine who they recommend.
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Jul 2, 2012 02:59
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I just started a new job that has vision insurance as part of the benefits, and it offers a reduced price on LASIK as part of the plan. I called the nearest place that takes my vision plan for a price quote, and it'd be $3600 for both eyes and I have a $500 off coupon so I've been seriously looking into it. Lately just the act of taking out and putting in my contacts every day is getting really annoying and if I could eliminate that from my routine that'd be swell. Problem is, I just moved and have NO IDEA who's good and who's not. I guess the only way is to go around and visit offices. I'd been going to my old eye doctor for 15+ years so this is weird finding a new one. Would it be a good idea to have my old optometrist fax over my records for the LASIK surgeon to look at, or could they tell if I'm a good candidate just from a regular exam? Or should I hold off on going straight to a LASIK center and find a regular non-LASIK optometrist and see what they think for a more un-biased opinion? Might be a little  but I worry that asking a LASIK surgeon about whether or not I should even get the surgery will lead me to being pushed into getting the surgery because  for them if I do.Edit: There's a place that does eye surgery across the street from my apartment. If I got surgery there, would I be able to walk home or should I still have someone drive me? Problem! fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Jul 4, 2012 |
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Jul 4, 2012 23:47
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EVG posted:A couple people mentioned that having the corrective surgery affected their up-close vision, is that common? Kraff Eye Institute. Ran about $5k, worth every penny. Had it done nearly 2 years ago and went from -3.75 in each eye to 20/15 (still). Had custom intralase (Wavefront I think?) done at 3pm on a Friday and was out at the beach by noon the next day.
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Jul 6, 2012 19:18
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CoderCat posted:Thanks for your answer. The clinic I'm with does offer a "lifetime" guarantee of remedial treatment. These offers are never a lifetime no glasses. In the first year or two companies tend to do an enhancement treatment for free if needed which is fair. From what I can gather you have to attend all your check up appointments and have a test every year to qualify for "free" lifetime treatment. even if you've been good and attended all the appointments you'll probably have to pay something for more surgery in 20 years or so. The technology will have moved on more so you'll have to pay something to use the new treatments available. This is what I assume is going to happen because it makes little business sense to guarantee someone's eyesight for the rest of their life.
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Jul 7, 2012 18:03
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McScumbag posted:I was avoiding getting lasik due to military not wanting helicopter pilots that had lasik done. But since they are changing that, I have decided I'd rather have lasik surgery done, than to keep having to deal with glasses. It's hard to internalize this before the surgery, but your eyes are numbed and you don't feel the urge to blink. There's two different contraptions they use on your eye - the first is a ring that holds your eye in place to cut the flap. At this point for me my eyelids were taped down, but that's all that was holding them open. I didn't blink or feel the need to blink at all. The second is a little thing that holds the eyelids open longer-term, for the actual lasering and flap-lifting. I was really worried about BOTH of these things before-hand. The thing that holds your eyelids open I literally didn't even notice. The ring I noticed, because you lose some or all of your vision when it's on there. For me, everything faded to a weird greytone and I could see shapes but no detail. Some people say vision goes away entirely and they panic because they're "blind". The surgeon talked to me like I was blind at this point, but I wasn't.
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Jul 8, 2012 16:41
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I think I've finally gotten over my fears, and am starting to look at actually doing lasik/lasek. Is anyone familiar with the clinics in the Seattle/Portland area, and have recommendations? I don't mind paying more for the latest and greatest (assuming it is actually better), and places that do free* touchups would be nice. I'd like to get the procedure done about the end of August/first week of September. * Generally requires periodic visitations, which is why I want to stick with something local, instead of going to a place in Chicago or something like that.
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Jul 18, 2012 23:38
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I went into Lasik MD for my consultation today, I'm a valid candidate. They gave me a list of prices for the various options and I'm trying to figure out what the best choice is. Wavefront with Keratome: $3100 Standard with Keratome: $2880 Wavefront Bladeless: $3980 Standard Bladeless: $3480 If I choose Wavefront I get a Lifetime vision plan, if I choose standard I get 5 years. The doctor told me that Wavefront is a good option, but that Standard would be perfectly fine for me. I'm thinking of going for the Wavefront/Keratome option. Is there any huge advantage to going bladeless instead of using the Keratome?
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Jul 25, 2012 18:31
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The healing time for bladeless is quicker thus less risk of infection and complications. If you can afford to drop the money on it do, if money is an issue keratome will do the job fine. As for wavefront, it is only an extra few hundred dollars so again if you can afford it go for it. Especially if you get bad night vision or glare.
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Jul 25, 2012 23:16
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Beep Street posted:The healing time for bladeless is quicker thus less risk of infection and complications. If you can afford to drop the money on it do, if money is an issue keratome will do the job fine. How much quicker are we talking for bladeless recovery? A couple days/weeks?
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Jul 26, 2012 02:41
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I broke my glasses yesterday and just said gently caress it, I'm going to get surgery instead of keep messing with these drat things. Just got back from a consultation, said my eyes are fine and that I should have no problems with surgery. They scheduled me for this Friday afternoon to have the procedure done, really excited. Having custom intralasik done, and the price was a lot less than I was expecting it to be, $1400/eye. Can't wait!
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Jul 30, 2012 22:28
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Not sure if I can ask this here, but do any UK goons have any info on which is the best-recommended laser eye surgery (in the north east for preference as I'm Newcastle based) I've been looking through websites and testimonials but they're all equally 'Yay this place was awesome' and I can't decide if it's because they are all equally good, or if they've gone with good PR. If anyone has any ideas on how to narrow my search, or if there's a place they'd specifically recommend because of quality of procedure and service/niceness of doctors, that'd be great.
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Aug 4, 2012 15:59
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Had my surgery yesterday, went in for an examination today, everything went perfectly. Already have 20/20 vision, it is so amazing not having to reach for my glasses constantly! So glad I made this decision.
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Aug 4, 2012 19:47
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My vision got a ton better after LASIK, but my left eye (which was super weak to begin with), never quite got up to 20/20 as promised. My vision is insanely better though. Best $3,000 I ever spent.
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Aug 5, 2012 20:12
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If I haven't been to an optometrist in years due to being broke and no insurance, would I be able to just visit a lasik place or do I need to see a regular optometrist first?
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Aug 5, 2012 20:25
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EightBit posted:If I haven't been to an optometrist in years due to being broke and no insurance, would I be able to just visit a lasik place or do I need to see a regular optometrist first? I just went to the lasik place and they performed a full check up.
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Aug 7, 2012 22:46
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I had the surgery a month ago. My experience was different from much of what I read online in one aspect: I could see well after the surgery, but my vision was nowhere near perfect. A week later, it was still so. It took me a month to get perfect vision. I was quite worried during this period that my surgery didn't go well and that I would need a fixup. My vision is perfect now, and I can easily say this is the best money I've spent.
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Aug 18, 2012 00:53
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Kluliss posted:Not sure if I can ask this here, but do any UK goons have any info on which is the best-recommended laser eye surgery (in the north east for preference as I'm Newcastle based) The trick is to play the companies off against each other to get a good deal. Moneysavingexpert is a very unbiased forum and there is a very long thread about laser surgery which should have recommendations for Newcastle in there. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=194675
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Aug 18, 2012 03:22
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Beep Street posted:All companies have really high standards in the UK, it's not like any of them can get you drastically better eyesight than the next. Best advice is go to the big three providers for an appointment and see what they can offer you. They can show you profiles of their surgeons. You spend very little time with the surgeon anyhow. Thanks  I ended up going with Optical Express (really good aftercare and they've told me free 2-yearly eye-tests for life)I got it all done on Wednesday, Lasik Intralase with Wavefront, and I have to say I am amazed. It's now just about 3 days since I got it done, the next day I had slightly better than 20/20 vision - I'm looking forward to another test later next week, as hopefully some of the fuzziness will have gone by then too. I can't see to read all that well yet - it tires my eyes out really easily, and I know I might have a few months of that before it all settles down. Grossest thing about this: waking up in the morning and discovering all the drops have glued your eyes shut. Yay for having an understanding fiancé!
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Aug 18, 2012 08:08
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Kluliss posted:Thanks
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Aug 18, 2012 12:32
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I had LASIK done yesterday morning. The surgery went well despite me being incredibly flinchy when it came to putting in drops. They had to paint the numbing agent on with some type of brush because they couldn't get the drops in. I had some mild pain in my eyes for the first 4-5 hours, since then they've just been a bit dry. I went in for the 24 hour checkup today, my right eye isn't quite 20/20 but my left eye is. They said it will continue to improve over the next week or so. I also have a big red bruise that covers about a third of my right eye. They said it would go away in a about a month. I don't mind too much because it looks sort of cool.
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Aug 18, 2012 15:27
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Beep Street posted:Whoops, I didn't notice how old your question was. Good to hear you are happy. What was your prescription before you got it done? It is totally normal for your eyes to be tired and gunky for a while after, make sure you go to all your checks in the first year and you should be fine. No problem  my prescription was relatively low - -1.75 left eye, -2.5 right eye (with associated astigmatism and apparently very steep corneas...)I ended up sitting in the sun this afternoon for a couple of hours (with sunglasses firmly on) and my eyes are actually less tired now and less dried out, probably because I wasn't looking at things particularly close up and the air was warm here it's given me some hope that I'll be comfortable soon(tm) >.<Freeze posted:I also have a big red bruise that covers about a third of my right eye. They said it would go away in a about a month. I don't mind too much because it looks sort of cool. I have random bruises all over my left eye and a semi-circular bruise on my right - they're going away quite fast though, 3 days in and I'd say they're only half as prominent as on the day, so I suspect you should heal up in less than a month? (it is only bruising, you wouldn't necessarily expect to have a bruise a month after bashing your leg...would you?) Kluliss fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Aug 18, 2012 |
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Aug 18, 2012 17:37
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I'm scheduled to get the procedure done on Monday 8/27. Preop is 8/23, post op is next day and 1 week. I was able to get free consultations at a few different places and got different pricing. I'm getting bladeless lasik. It's a shy under $4000, but I qualify for interest free financing so that's a plus. This was a more expensive quote I was given, but it does include lifetime guarantee/touch ups. Prescription is on the low side: -1.50 right eye, -2.75 left eye. Slight astigmatism. I'm super excited, but curiosity is getting the best of me and I'm watching youtube videos that creep me out. I'm amazed at how fast the procedure is. I hope to have positive update in a week or so.
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Aug 19, 2012 02:54
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For those of you have had PRK, how long did the light sensitivity last? It's been four weeks since I had the procedure done. My doctor says I'm healing quicker than average, halos are minimal, and the bouts of blurriness are definitely on the decrease as is the dry eye feeling. But I still can't bear to walk outside in daylight without shades on. It just doesn't seem to be getting better unlike the other side effects.
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Aug 19, 2012 07:01
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Just had my 2 week checkup, extremely happy with the results, 20/15 in both eyes now. I would definitely do it again. I also haven't had any problems with dry eyes or irritation, and the halos at night that I had pretty bad at first are almost completely gone. Like a few others however I did off and on get slight blurryness in my eyes occasionally that would go away after an hour or 2, but is far less frequent now.
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Aug 21, 2012 14:15
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Had PRK done August 3rd, my left eye is pretty awesome, it's not perfect but it's free from the side affects as far as I can tell and getting better slowly. My right eye on the other hand is an abortion. My vision before the surgery was atrocious (20/500+), and I'm unsure if I had an astigmatism or not. I know the recovery time wiht PRK is long, and I know it's normal to have bluriness in one/both eye's, but it seems like I've got or developed (if it's even possible) an astigmatism in my right eye, because I can't see a loving thing at any distance on my right eye. Internet diagnosis tells me it's an astigmatism because I can do the little "cone" test (make a small hole to focus through over my eye, everything magically becomes clear), and the other various tests. Doesn't seem like the normal "bluriness" where I'm say 20/80 or something and can see at some distances, it's just universally horrible and getting worse, not better. My eye's are a tiny bit light sensative but other then my right eye being awful as poo poo I have had none of the common side affects (haloing, double vision, ghosting, dry eyes etc.), taking Restasis and it helps a ton with the dry eyes (e.g. I have none, I put in the drops every now and then just because). My next checkup is in 2 days but my right eye is super frustrating. Is this within the realm of normal?
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Aug 21, 2012 22:28
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So I just had an FS-LASIK done today and I am really impressed with it. The place I went to was Memira in Aalborg, Denmark. I was told that FS-LASIK leaves your eyesight a bit worse than LASIK and LASEK in the first 3-5 hours after the surgery, but that the advantages are that full recovery happens very fast. This is purely anecdotal, of course, but I found it to be true, as I was waiting with two other people post- and pre- surgery who were having LASEK done. The procedure itself was quick and practically painless for me. Once the laser gets going it is a bit gross that there is a smell of burned hair, but really, there wasn't anything which was that much worse than having someone else give you eye-drops, I thought. I was told to keep my eyes close 30 minutes after the surgery and then for an additional 3 hours after getting home, and I was really light sensitive at the beginning of this period, for sure, but after those 3 hours I've had no issue at all with light, dryness or anything else, and I'm seeing as clearly as with glasses, if not better. I was previously -4 / -4.25. I lucked out by having a prescription that was very suited to the surgery and having thick corneas, so this may be large part of it all. Anyway. If any Danish goons are looking into getting this kind of work done, I can recommend FS-LASIK, for sure. I had it done by Memira in Aalborg and the doctors name was Thor Brevik. I still have to take eye-drops for a week and wear eye-shields while sleeping for a couple of days, but it is a complete non-issue, I feel, and money well spent. Remember, Danes, if you have a -/+6 prescription then you're eligible for free treatment 
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Aug 22, 2012 16:51
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7u880y posted:Thor Brevik. I would go to this doctor purely because of his name
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Aug 23, 2012 03:48
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