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I want to report my experience. Two weeks ago I had PRK on both my eyes. I chose PRK over LASIK because I heard there are fewer risks since there is no flap that can detach itself. One of the doctors I consulted noted that my left eye's cornea was rather fragile and would likely collapse after a LASIK treatment. So I went for the somewhat more painful but safer-in-the-long run option, PRK. I was also lucky enough to find the best laser-eye surgeon in Brussels. The operations themselves cost 3,000. For two days after each operation, my eye was sore and I had to take paracetamol and ibuprofen. This is recommended as it reduces the urge to rub one's eyes. For one weak after the operations, I could not take a full shower because I couldn't allow dirty water into my eye. For two weeks, I had to wear plastic shells over my eyes when I went to bed. For a whole month, I must administer eye drops and avoid violent sports. My right eye was the first one done and I'm right now near perfect vision, and it's just fine. My left eye was done a week later and still hasn't reached maximum acuity. I think I'm suffering from a dry left eye, as I have a constant but mild sensation that there is a foreign object in it. I don't know why but the eye drop regimen my doctor prescribed for my left eye is slightly different from that of my right eye. I wonder if there is something he isn't telling me.
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Sep 14, 2014 21:38
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Baron Bifford posted:My right eye was the first one done and I'm right now near perfect vision, and it's just fine. My left eye was done a week later and still hasn't reached maximum acuity. I think I'm suffering from a dry left eye, as I have a constant but mild sensation that there is a foreign object in it. I don't know why but the eye drop regimen my doctor prescribed for my left eye is slightly different from that of my right eye. I wonder if there is something he isn't telling me. I had that feeling in both eyes about once a week for maybe two months. Nothing to worry about in my case, though I did use a ton of eye drops to try to alleviate discomfort. I wasn't put on any special regimen for it. My eyes just stopped feeling like I had an eyelash in on their own.
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Sep 15, 2014 00:38
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Baron Bifford posted:I want to report my experience. Two weeks ago I had PRK on both my eyes. I chose PRK over LASIK because I heard there are fewer risks since there is no flap that can detach itself. One of the doctors I consulted noted that my left eye's cornea was rather fragile and would likely collapse after a LASIK treatment. So I went for the somewhat more painful but safer-in-the-long run option, PRK. I was also lucky enough to find the best laser-eye surgeon in Brussels. The operations themselves cost €3,000.
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Sep 15, 2014 21:52
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I started on ofloxacin drops, then moved to dexamethasone.
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Sep 16, 2014 12:23
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I went in for a consultation yesterday. The eye doc said I'm a good candidate for PRK, but I will need to do one more visit to definitely check out all possible things that could make me unsuitable for the operation. Going to do that next week, then we'll schedule the PRK itself. Plan is to do one eye, wait two weeks, and then do the other, so if something goes wrong the first time I will only lose one eye ("Don't worry, I've been doing this stuff for nineteen years and I never had a patient with serious side effects. There's always a first time though, so better safe than sorry!" GEE THANKS DOC  ). Cost is going to be 1600 per eye, so 3200 total.I wanted to know about possible side effects. The two people I know who have had PRK both said that it felt like they had, quote, "Glass shards in my eyes for a week," but also said that once that's through they would do it again without batting an eye. But what about dry eyes? From what I've read they're the most common lasting complication, how long does it usually last? (I've read it can be permanent and it's a bit of a scary thought) Anything else I should know about? I'm planning to grill the doc with questions the next time I see him anyway, but I wanted to ask someone who's actually had the operation too, so that means you guys 
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Sep 16, 2014 21:39
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I had all laser Lasik done on Aug 1st, so i'm about a month and a half post op. My eyes were not terrible but bad enough so that I could not function without glasses or contacts. I had a substantial astigmatism, enough that I've always needed toric contacts. My procedure from start to finish was about an hour an a half. Only about 10 minutes of that though is actually on the table being worked on. The rest was either paperwork or waiting for it to be my turn. First and foremost, you will be hosed down with numbing drops. So much so that you will see instruments above you eye but have no idea they are even touching you. IF (and this is a big if) there is an uncomfortable part of the procedure, it's during the flap cutting process. The doctor places a rubber eye piece around your eye, the purpose of which is to create a vacuum so that your eye does not move while the laser cuts the flap. When the vacuum turn on it feels like someone is applying very firm pressure around you eye, that is it. You feel no pain, only pressure and it only lasts for 10 seconds. If you want to know what it feels like, cup your thumb and forefinger around your eye and press down firmly, viola. I've read stories from more than a few people who claim this to be painful or very uncomfortable. For me, it was nothing at all, in fact my hunch is that anxiety got the best of people and maybe made it worse than it really was. After the flap is cut, the doctor uses an instrument to fold open the flap, you can see the instrument but you feel absolutely nothing. Once the flap is open though your vision goes extremely blurry, so much so that all I could really make out were lights and fuzzy shapes.... BUT NO PAIN This is the point where the actual laser reshaping process begins. The doctor places the laser above your eye and tells you to focus on the fuzzy green light. This green light will literally be the only thing you can see at this point anyway. You'll hear a loud ticking noise as the laser goes to work and the doctor will tell you to look up / down a little and remind you to focus on the green light which is pretty easy to do. Like with the flap cutting, this only lasts maybe 10-15 seconds and then on to the next eye. Oh, I'll say this, as the laser is ticking away you will notice a mild burning smell, don't worry though that's just your eye tissue being eviscerated ... BUT NO PAIN Ok, so laser time is over, the doctor hoses you down with more eye drops and uses the same instrument to push the flaps back into place. As soon as the flap is back you can magically see again. The whole thing makes your head spin a little so I don't think it set in, but once the flaps were closed, I'm pretty sure I could see better than when I came in.... STILL NO PAIN I was sat up, and imminently had a pair of dark goggles put over my eyes. I was walked out to the waiting room where I sat and waited for my ride. Oh yea, this is the point where they give you Xanex number 2 which is meant to help you sleep once you get home. By the time my wife picked me up I had been out of the surgery for about 15 minutes, and it took another 20-30 minutes to get home. Right around 30 minute post-op mark is when the numbing drops will start to wear off. I was starting to feel a slight burning and my eyes started watering quite a bit. Luckily though, we were only about a block away from our house when this kicked in. As soon as we parked I walked inside, chugged a bottle of water and flopped into bed. The second Xanax must have kicked in because I was out cold as soon as I closed my eyes. I woke up the next morning (16 hours later) removed the goggles and was pretty stoked. My vision was great, I had no discomfort, no bruising, nada. My eyes did feel a little fatigued, but that was it. From that point on it's been totally smooth sailing. I had no "sandy eyes", or any of the horribly things you tend to hear about while you are researching lasik. I used the drops as directed by my doctor and have had no issues with dry eye at all. The only real side effect I had were the "halos" which I only noticed at night and were very mild, I'm pretty sure I just forgot about it after a day or two and they totally went away after about a week. So that's about it... honestly, it was so much easier than I every would have anticipated. Makes me angry that I messed around with glasses and contacts as long as I did. Edit - I thought it would be helpful to add the cost of my procedure: $2850 Also, I should mention one more side effect that I had. For the first 2-3 weeks I actually had a little problem with reading text on a computer monitor. I wouldnt say that it was a vision issues though, more of me getting used to my new eyes. I could see fine, but I had to force myself to focus a little harder for everything to become clear. It kind of makes sense though, if you think about it your eyes are getting a new prescription. For anyone who's had glasses you know that it takes a few days to get used to a new prescription. A month later I'm totally fine though. Sointenly fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Sep 17, 2014 |
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Sep 17, 2014 00:34
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Mikl posted:I went in for a consultation yesterday. The eye doc said I'm a good candidate for PRK, but I will need to do one more visit to definitely check out all possible things that could make me unsuitable for the operation. Going to do that next week, then we'll schedule the PRK itself. My PRK felt like chopping onions for three days after. No issues with dry eyes after the first month or two. Definitely the best money I've ever spent. Would do it again in a heartbeat if I needed it.
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Sep 17, 2014 14:14
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Mikl posted:
First of all seems kind of dumb to do one eye then the other, for multiple reasons, not the least of which with PRK you won't know if it worked or not after a week, it takes closer to a month... That being said, the most common side effect seems to be dry eyes for a while but you should get a regime of eye drops. The other common ones I've heard of are halo'ing (halos around light sources), ghosting (seeing "shadows" of objects as you move your eyes around), and poor night vision (which might be related to halo'ing, I don't remember). I didn't have anything but dry eyes, but halo'ing seems to be the second most likely side effect. There are others I don't remember that you hear about that are even more rare, but typically they all go away after a month up to 6 months I think it's normal? (Ask your doctor) again with about a month being most common full recovery time. Last thing your eyes will be kind of lovely for most of the month then start getting better very quickly, if I recall. Also don't watch tv or look at computer screens or books for the first several days, your doctor should tell you, but probably just get some music together you can jam out to for extended periods. Also also, get some good sunglasses and don't go outside without them on for a year after the operation, especially the first couple weeks/months.
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Sep 17, 2014 16:22
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I had LASIK three weeks ago (as of this Friday). It went pretty well as far as I can tell; I was seeing really well the next day even. I should probably be using eyedrops more often (I'm at around twice a day now), but my eyes just aren't bothering me much and I don't think about it. My next followup is in a week, maybe then I'll have an idea exactly where my vision's at now. (I honestly don't remember what my old prescription was, I had the same glasses so long.) The procedure was a bit uncomfortable; the really annoying part though was that even with Ambien I couldn't sleep afterwards. I hate my insomnia.
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Sep 18, 2014 05:16
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I'm about 5 months out from LASIK and I only need drops once or twice a week at most. I started out needing drops several times a day, so it does get better
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Sep 18, 2014 17:28
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I've got my surgery in about 2 hours, kind of freaking out. Will post a trip report tomorrow I guess, maybe.
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Sep 18, 2014 17:35
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Mr. Crow posted:First of all seems kind of dumb to do one eye then the other, for multiple reasons, not the least of which with PRK you won't know if it worked or not after a week, it takes closer to a month... Reason is this: quote:Also don't watch tv or look at computer screens or books for the first several days, your doctor should tell you, but probably just get some music together you can jam out to for extended periods. I have a (mostly) office job and while I can get some afternoons off for the PRK itself and the checkups, missing a whole week of work while I heal is right out. So the plan is to do one eye, then keep working using my "good" eye to look at the PC screen and papers. Then when the eye I've had the PRK on is good enough to do office work through, I'll do the other one.
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Sep 19, 2014 16:09
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:I'm about 5 months out from LASIK and I only need drops once or twice a week at most. I started out needing drops several times a day, so it does get better I'm 6 weeks post-op and I almost don't have to use eye drops at all. Can regularly go 24+ hours now. But apparently I have really good tear ducts.
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Sep 20, 2014 00:56
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Trip report, wasn't that bad. The office I went to gave me 2mg, and seemingly in contrast to other experiences, had me sit there for about 15-20 and by then it had definitely kicked in. Installing the suction cup on the eye was by far the worst part, it didn't hurt but just the sensation of someone reaching around and applying pressure at the midpoint and behind on the eyeball itself was horrible. I apparently rolled my eye I was panicking so bad and the doctor had to stop. He ended up just poking and prodding my eye for a bit after that, I think it was just to desensitize me and calm me down about having my eye touched. Once my vision blacked it out was actually so much better from an anxiety perspective, I didn't even feel when they attached the suction cup. Which was almost bad because apparently I adjusted my feet and the doctor freaked out at me a little, apparently while cutting the flap. Worked out alright though, and I was more calm for the second eye flap creation. The actual burning of the cornea wasn't bad, smelled a little like a burning clutch. More eye drops, they checked the flap, and sent me home with a pretty complicated drop regimen (enforced a 2 hour nap with specific order of drops before and after). Never had any burning sensation or too much discomfort the first day. Some halos and ghosting around light sources, and very light sensitive overall. Had my checkup this morning and I'm currently 20/20 right eye, 20/25 left eye - biggest issues are occasional blurring and my reading vision hasn't 100% returned (I'm 32 so I've been told it'll come back). Had some serious itching during the day which sucked because I couldn't really scratch it, but using a hot compress helped. Was experiencing a lot of eye strain but apparently I'm just still very light sensitive. Overall absurdly happy with everything. Kind of curious if I'm also just really lucky, or if dry eye is going to get worse from this point out, because I barely notice it so far.
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Sep 20, 2014 04:37
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I'm 7 months out and still have a tiny bit of eye dryness, but not enough where I usually use drops or need. I notice it mostly at night where drops help with some of the halo/glare I get when my eyes are dry. But I rarely use the drops unless I know I'm gonna be driving that night.
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Sep 20, 2014 14:42
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So I am 3 weeks out with great results (better than 20/20), only thing I really have is some light sensitivity. The surgery on the other hand was a nightmare for me. I have a very bad flinch when people try and touch my eyes and very strong eyelids (which is why I could never do contacts). I ended up popping off the eye suction three times on one eye and made the surgeon nervous enough to tell the nurse "hold down his head and don't let it move, I don't care if it hurts him". I was shivering like a rabbit throughout the entire experience. The nurse told me after the fact the I was the worst case that the surgeon completed the procedure on, there were people easier to deal with than me that had the surgery stopped completely. It was hands down the scariest and most uncomfortable experience that I have ever had. That being said, I am super happy I went through with it and have loved my new vision. My only recommendation is that if the nurses have tons of problems trying to get your eyes open on examination, you may want to go down the PRK route instead. I have heard it is far easier for the surgeon to deal with those issues than with LASIK.
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Sep 22, 2014 01:20
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For me the operation was like "oh are we doing it right now? ok what's that smell, is that my eyes? OH GOD IT'S MY EY-" "ok we're done now, go rest in the other room" "ok" *immediately falls asleep*
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Sep 22, 2014 03:31
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I felt a bit of panic when they cut the flap because OH GOD MY EYEBALL IS OPEN but then it was over real quick. It wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated because I didn't realize the surgeon was going to be right there actually doing the surgery, for some reason I'd assumed they'd stick my head in a device that would be remotely operated and I'd panic and screw it up. I purposely didn't watch any videos or do too much reading about the procedure itself beforehand so I wouldn't be able to visualize what exactly was happening to my eyeballs and that helped a lot I think. I had actually put it off for a few years because just reading how they do it made me feel ill, but I'm so glad I finally stopped being a wuss and did it.
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Sep 22, 2014 03:59
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Anyone had occurrences of long term red-eye after LASIK? It's been about 3 months since surgery and I've had no side effects. No dry eye or itchiness or anything. But the last few days my eyes have been consistently red. Not real bad, but I continually look like I just smoked a joint (which sucked because I had to get a new passport and I look stoned in my picture. Homeland Security will love that). They're not itchy or burning or anything, just red. It's probably just allergies but I wanted to see if anyone else has had this.
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Sep 25, 2014 06:22
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Tequila Sunrise posted:Anyone had occurrences of long term red-eye after LASIK? I had some bad allergies a month or two post-op with red eyes and I asked my eye doctor about it and they gave me some prescription antihistamine eye drops, mostly to prevent me from rubbing my eyes. Worked pretty well.
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Sep 27, 2014 02:50
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:I felt a bit of panic when they cut the flap because OH GOD MY EYEBALL IS OPEN but then it was over real quick. It wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated because I didn't realize the surgeon was going to be right there actually doing the surgery, for some reason I'd assumed they'd stick my head in a device that would be remotely operated and I'd panic and screw it up. I purposely didn't watch any videos or do too much reading about the procedure itself beforehand so I wouldn't be able to visualize what exactly was happening to my eyeballs and that helped a lot I think. I had actually put it off for a few years because just reading how they do it made me feel ill, but I'm so glad I finally stopped being a wuss and did it. You are way smarter than me - I researched too much and could visualize exactly what was happening - the worst and most frightening 5 minutes of my life. Worth it in the end (done 4 years ago) but as soon as I read "cut the flap" in your post I almost vomited from the memory.
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Sep 27, 2014 04:26
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Any advice for finding a good place to get lasik done? There are a million clinics here in Atlanta but no good info about where to go.
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Sep 30, 2014 14:05
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BBB, Google, the usual for businesses...
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Oct 2, 2014 01:09
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Tequila Sunrise posted:Anyone had occurrences of long term red-eye after LASIK? Not necessarily dry-eye/redness, but my left eye has a red spot after I shower. It's clearly visible but it tends to fade away after a few hours. Mind you I had my LASIK done in January, so after about 10 months this is a bit of a concern for me. I have a doc visit at the end of the month, but besides that intermittent red spot on my eye I have zero problems and am very happy with my eyesight.
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Oct 2, 2014 03:12
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I had LASEK done in the UK. It cost me 3,300 and I was previously at -5.5 with an astigmatism for both eyes. Unfortunately it's been 6 weeks and my eyes aren't as good as they were when I was wearing glasses, so I may need another surgery. They have always said that it can take up to 3 months for the eyesight to finish changing. So it's a wait and see thing right now! I had my consultation in the Optical Express Harley Street branch and the surgery itself done on Shaftesbury Avenue.
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Oct 4, 2014 13:47
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I'm a little past two weeks, and my vision is still pretty blurry unless I squint. They said it was from inflammation but I'm a little worried.
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Oct 4, 2014 21:24
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hmm is it worth? whats the recovery time like
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Oct 5, 2014 04:46
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Not Safe For Work posted:hmm is it worth? whats the recovery time like Absolutely not. Average time to recover is about 18 months. Possibility for lots of complications would not recommend.
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Oct 5, 2014 16:27
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Pedestrian Xing posted:Any advice for finding a good place to get lasik done? There are a million clinics here in Atlanta but no good info about where to go.
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Oct 5, 2014 21:27
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8 hours post-LASIK. Original prescription was -10.5 / -9.5 with slight astigmatism. Sight is ok right now and seems to be improving by the hour. Many drops, not used to using them. My aim is terrible. Was not able to nap post-surgery, the Ativan and T3s just weren't strong enough for that. Looking forward to tomorrow's healing and follow-up appointment. Edit: next morning's appointment has me at 20/15. Very happy so far, more healing to come. Entirely painless except for some stinging during eye drops the first day. I have a dull toothache that is bugging me more. Veinless fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Nov 1, 2014 |
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Oct 31, 2014 00:50
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I look pretty cool wearing glasses. If I get LASIK can I still wear my glasses with the nonprescription lenses so I can impress my friends and family when I take off my glasses and can still see with 20/20 douchebag vision?
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Nov 4, 2014 02:38
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I believe that's what Drew Carey did. He got corrective surgery, but realized he was unrecognizable without his glasses, and so kept wearing them on TV.
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Nov 4, 2014 07:31
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Jefepato posted:I had LASIK three weeks ago (as of this Friday). It went pretty well as far as I can tell; I was seeing really well the next day even. I should probably be using eyedrops more often (I'm at around twice a day now), but my eyes just aren't bothering me much and I don't think about it. I'll add that I'm doing quite well and rarely even think of eyedrops now. I have another followup just before (American) Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I didn't really get a number on my vision; I'm really curious if I'm past 20/20 or what. I love not needing glasses though.
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Nov 5, 2014 06:02
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1 week followup complete. Slight astigmatism in left eye, vision same as it previously was with glasses, 20/20. Right eye vision is better than it previously was with glasses, at 20/15. At last week's 1 day post-surgery visit I was only able to read two out of five letters on the 20/10 line with my right eye, that's now gone up to three out of five. I am now off the anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drops, and should start seeing night-vision improvements and halo reduction. Vision gets a bit less clear throughout the day, but closing my eyes for 5 minutes restores it. I use artificial tears every 45-60 minutes at work (computer work). At home I go longer. No need for sleeping with eye shields now, looking forward to that. Thanks for the great thread, it reduced a lot of the anxiety.
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Nov 6, 2014 00:59
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Just over 36 hours here (Wavefront LASIK, both eyes). Some mild discomfort in one eye that the lubricating drops help but other than that, it's been an easy recover so far. The 1 day followup appt said I was at 20/20, up from 20/250 and 20/400 with strong astigmatism. Surgery was a little scary but didn't hurt at all, just pressure and blinking lights. If you're on the fence but worried about it, I say go for it.
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Nov 16, 2014 01:58
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So if you suffer from astigmatism and are getting older so that your prescription needs a bit of adjustment every couple years, and you need progressive lenses (i.e. I need both short and far vision assistance) is there really any point to getting lasik? I've been told that it would only correct one (near or far vision) and that I'd still need glasses for the other, and that I'd be back to needing the progressives in 2-5 years as my vision continued to change as I age. I've never gone to see an actual lasik type surgeon, but this is what my regular ophthalmologist told me. I should probably get a second opinion from another real doctor one of these days.
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Nov 16, 2014 04:26
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The Locator posted:So if you suffer from astigmatism and are getting older so that your prescription needs a bit of adjustment every couple years, and you need progressive lenses (i.e. I need both short and far vision assistance) is there really any point to getting lasik? I would trust the opinion of a regular eye doctor over a LASIK doctor, since the LASIK one may not evaluate you without bias towards getting surgery. If you want a second opinion I'd get one from another regular eye doctor instead of the surgeon. That said, I had bifocals and an astigmatism in both eyes and still got LASIK successfully. They did tell me I would eventually need reading glasses, but I'd much rather need to have reading glasses than wear contacts/glasses 24/7.
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Nov 16, 2014 04:33
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I had PRK done and the surgeon warned me that I will need reading glasses one day, too, but yeah, beats not having to wear glasses all the time. Especially since I had to wear coke-bottle glasses and couldn't read anything more than an inch away from my face anyway beforehand. I had severe astigmatism, too, Locator (along with myopia: I was legally blind and didn't even know it).
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Nov 16, 2014 19:42
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Also I had an eye doctor tell me I couldn't get LASIK, but she was pretty old fashioned and I don't think had read up on the latest LASIK technologies. It did used to be true that LASIK didn't work very well with astigmatisms, but now with Wavefront and a few others it doesn't matter anymore. I'd given up on getting it done then I moved and started seeing a new eye doctor who was more up to date on that stuff and said there was no problem with me getting it so I did it and couldn't be happier. I was -7 in both eyes with an astigmatism in both, and luckily I have weirdly thick corneas so I could still get Wavefront LASIK instead of PRK.
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Nov 16, 2014 20:39
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Thanks for the feedback. I may have to look into this with another doctor next year and see if it's something I could benefit from.
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Nov 16, 2014 21:53
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