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HatandBanana to the rescue! I had Intralase, (a LASIK type operation that uses a laser to cut the flap instead of an actual blade,) about 2 1/2-3 years ago. Also, I worked as an optician, (not a doctor, just a dispensing agent) for 3 years, so I might be able to help a bit! # Do they see as well as they did with glasses? Far, far better. My vision before the surgery was 20/400, (or in otherwords, what you can see at 400 feet with perfect vision, is what something 20 feet away appears to me.) In Rx form, it would amount to an OD: -8.50 OS: -8.00. Haven't had my vision tested for a while, but I will note that I did have to have the surgery again on one eye, perhaps due to the fact that my eyes would change every 6 months, but in any case, I would guess it now to be 20/25 or 20/30, not perfect, but still allows me to drive. Much better than only being able to see something clearly if it were right in my face. # Does it hurt (before/during/after)? Imagine someone rubbing sand into your eyes, for about a week. It is much more irritating and itchy than it is painful, but I think the worst part is the really, REALLY blurry vision for 3-4 days after. It really impairs your ability to drive. Also, they will give you sport glasses to wear at night so that you don't dislodge the flap. I dislodged the flap once, and that REALLY hurts, but it is fixable. It is just really blurry and irritated until you get back to your Ophthalmologist. Be really careful when rubbing your eyes for ~3 months after the surgery. # I've been told it messes with your night driving, is that the case? Even 3 years later, my night driving is awful! Especially at night, in the rain when the road is wet and headlights are coming towards me. I just sort of have to guess where the lines are. This is due, in part, to the fact that the pupil expands beyond where the scar tissue is, thus scattering the light. It creates a "starburst" or "halo" effect and it is really drat annoying. The Ophthalmologist warned that this would be a side effect, though and there is no way to correct it now. Eyedrops help some. # Does it make working with a computer more difficult? (Using contacts slows down your blink rate which can cause dryness when working at a computer, did this happen to anyone?) It makes your eyes more tired, certainly. For me, especially on "allergy" days, my eyes get a little dry and burn-y at the end of the day when staring at the computer screen. The worst though is, OH GOD, WHITE TEXT ON BLACK BACKGROUNDS! The white text appears to have a "shadow" or "ghost image" and makes it much harder to read, thus, eye strain. I imagine that this is also due to the scar tissue. I notice my eyes strain much more quickly when reading things like a textbook, than they did when I had glasses. # Having done it, would you still choose to do it over again? Absolutely. As high as I was on the Rx scale, anything was an improvement and I am still much happier with the results, (beats coke bottles!) In addition, my Optometrist had concerns of my retina detaching and felt that this would help to slow down the rate at which my eyes were changing, (and it did!) Plus the whole inconvenience of glasses as a whole, (especially when you wear heavy ones 24/7.) In addition, with my Rx, it was much cheaper ($3,500 total) to go this route, than to buy ultra-thin glasses every 6 months. So even though I have to have one of my eyes done again, I would still do it. Is there anything bizarre (like your eyes falling out) that I should know about? Besides what I have already mentioned? Well, I cannot wear any form of eye makeup anymore around my eyes, because my eyes are suddenly allergic to everything. They are also really sensitive to bright sunlight, (and sometimes indoor light,) so I need to take care in wearing my sunglasses. Feel free to ask me anything else! EDIT: Oh yeah, and I have a DVD of my surgery, if that blows your dress up and you want to see it. I did, but again, I worked in the eye field at that time. It is both sickening and really interesting, though if you have a sensitive stomach, it may deter you from having the surgery. HatandBanana fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Sep 23, 2009 |
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Sep 23, 2009 06:58
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Collar Crazy posted:
You are working yourself into a tizzy! Calm down. I can assure you it is a routine procedure that most doctors have performed many times and the success rate is very high. I think you are worrying yourself sick! As far as contacts, weird, my doctor only recommended 2 days. Are you older, OP? The reason I ask that is that older individuals have issues with the pressure reading in their eyes when wearing contacts for long periods of time. Perhaps it is just a "better safe than sorry" precaution, or perhaps it is because I got bladeless Lasik. To answer the next question, First, did you get a topography-like map of your eyes done? Did you get cornea depth readings done? If so, then yes, they can tell by the scans where they need to cut. They would not be recommending you as a candidate for LASIK, if you did not have sufficient cornea depth and then some, in case they mess up and over/undercorrect you and need adjustments. It is no big deal getting adjustments done, it is far more irritating the second time, with them having to cut the flap back open, but it does not hurt. With the Rx that you described, I really feel that the chances for making a mistake are quite low as compared to someone like me with 3x your prescription. I just have far less cornea depth. They will also usually measure you again the day of, (they did me,) to ensure that earlier readings are accurate. In any case, please be sure your clinic offers some sort of warranty/free adjustment/low cost adjustment guarantee in case over/undercorrection does happen.
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Sep 23, 2009 21:04
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Aluminum Record posted:Would also be interested to hear if people responding to this had astigmatism, and if they'd like to divulge what it cost them and any guarantees they got with it. Answering earlier posts, just so the OP can get a piece of mind before his/her surgery. Aluminum Record - I had an astigmatism. It was very slight, OD: -0.50 OS: -0.75, but they warned me that any higher and I would not be able to get the surgery, due to my already large Rx. I did have to get my right eye (OS) done again, though, so I guess that is worth noting. I paid a discounted fee for bladeless LASIK, (Intralase) because I worked in the eye field and knew the guy. It cost me $3,500 for both eyes and came with a year of free adjustments, and lifetime minimal-cost adjustments (between $200-$300.) AFStealth posted:Maybe I got lucky, since I always hear about people who say they had 2 awful weeks of pain after PRK. AF Stealth - I have heard the same, but only from patients who had high Rx's, high eye pressure, or both. You are probably 20-30ish so I doubt you had either, but yes, maybe you did get lucky. LASIK is known to heal much faster than PRK. scapulataf posted:
Sacpulataf - Baloney! Sure, they recommend for you to have a constant prescription, because you are less likely to need adjustments, but believe it or not, LASIK is supposed to help in slowing down the frequency of eye changes, (Thus, why I got mine even though my Rx used to change every 6 months.) I have heard 4 years, 6 years, 2 years, really, as long as your Rx is fairly stable and does not make HUGE jumps, you are golden. Gentle Glide posted:
Gentle Glide- It was my impression that military members could only qualify for FREE PRK. Could be wrong though. As far as you are concerned. It depends on your age and the level of your astigmatism, but I am 20/400 and had it done with success. However, most importantly, it depends on your cornea depth, which is something that can only be measured with a machine. I will warn you though, patients like you and I are more likely to need adjustments every few years or so. Camulos posted:Do they give you anything to deal with them shooting your eyeballs with lasers? The idea of someone touching and being that close to my eyes makes me incredibly uncomfortable but I've heard they give you drugs that make you not care, anyone have experience with them? Camulos - Yes, they do. They offered me valium, which I gladly took. In addition they give you drops to numb your eye before the procedure and continue with the drops every few minutes or so during the surgery. Honestly, I felt pressure, but with the way they are moving your eye, it is hard to really SEE what they are doing, especially if you were blind like me, anyway. eyeshitinyourserial posted:Implantable contact lenses... Eyeshit - Actually, it has been around for a while, but for a different purpose, to assist with glaucoma/patients with cornea issues. Essentially, it wasn't as common and went by another name/purpose. The biggest risk with these are infection (slightly higher than LASIK) and the eye rejecting the foreign body over time, (but with a low percentage rate,) but because it isn't as widespread it is really drat expensive. federal_hax_bracket posted:I had astigmatism, got PRK done in Canada cause it wasn't approved in the states. Federal - What?? They do it in the states all the time, to members of the U.S. military. Who told you it wasn't allowed? rino86 posted:you can be too blind for LASIK. I went in two years ago and they determined that my cornea would become unstable if they cut it enough to give me 20/20. I wear a -.7.5 and a -8.0 contact lense, my vision is something like 20/400 but I cant remember the exact number. Rino- I couldn't disagree more. I was 20/400 as well. I suppose it might depend on your cornea depth, however, as people with higher Rxs are more likely to have thinner corneas, or it could have been the Dr. you went to. jibberjabber posted:I had LASIK done on Friday July 31, And my right eye is still a little blurry but my left eye is fine. Did anyone have one blurry eye after LASIK and how long did it take to get better? I'm kind of worryed that my right eye will stay this. JibberJabber- I was blurry for about a week in both eyes, and another 4 days after that in just my right. Remember, your eyes just experienced trauma and are trying to recover. If you are still having issues today, call your doc, as it has almost been a month. You could have been over/undercorrected. Happydayz posted:how much of a difference does bladeless LASIK and custom wavefront make overall? And since it's so automated right now just how much difference does the doctor make? Happydayz - Depends on your Rx, honestly. Bladeless saves cornea depth, which is a concern if you are on the higher end of the prescription spectrum. Wavefront is reportedly more accurate, because it follows a custom map of your eye. I had both, because with a -8.50 prescription, I was not taking any chances. I imagine it would probably be overkill, though, for someone with a light prescription, (like, under -4.00 or so..) SteviaFan420 posted:I'm interested in getting lasik or another procedure done but I'm a little nervous. Stevia - YOU WILL NOT GO BLIND FROM LASIK. Sure, you can get one eye done at a time, but it is a whole lot more of a hassle than it is worth, and it will really gently caress with your head having one eye be perfect and the other needing a corrective lens. You would most likely get a headache. I doubt there are surgeons who would do it this way, but you never know. It is very time consuming for them, too. Again, you will NOT go blind. You may have to have corrections done, but that might happen anyway, regardless of if you got them done together or separately. Fraternite posted:The pupil size + halos. Fraternite - I got wavefront and I still have halos at night. They are annoying and bothersome, but certainly manageable. My only real issue is with night driving, as, obviously, my pupil expands at night. I would still get it again knowing that, though. You get used to it. xelfer posted:
Xelfer- He just popped some blood vessels, probably when attaching the microkeratome. No big deal, it is really common, actually. Namarrgon posted:
Go to your local Optometrist for a recommendation and let him do part of the work-up for you, (getting your Rx, ect.) Or, just simply call a bunch of Optometrists in the area and ask them where they refer people to. If you hear the same name, call that place up and ask them about their success rates and the rate of individuals who needed touch-ups. WOW! There are still so many! I will get to more tonight after I get home.
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Sep 23, 2009 22:04
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Shall I continue?roads posted:If they put you to sleep for it (I don't know the technical term, but when they give you a mask to knock you out?) then it'll be fine, but just the thought of anything being up in my eyes terrifies me. Roads - Nope, they don't put you to sleep, they give you Valium instead. They do numb the hell out of your eye, though, so you really don't feel them "touching" it exactly, it is more like pressure. You can't really see too much of what is going on, especially after the flap is lifted! Most of the flap cutting occurs out of your range of vision, so you can only see gloved hands moving and that is about it... ilkhan posted:Is there a downside to that at all? Or is it just 100% awesome vision? Ilkhan - The possibility of having to get it done again, blurry vision for a while, dry eye, weird allergies, extra sensitivity to light and halos. Otherwise, it is fairly safe. Those things are manageable and are not really deal breakers. Roll Fizzlebeef posted:For anyone who has had this done: how long does the procedure take? Roll- I came in and did some testing before surgery, which took about 15 mins., then it took me about 30 mins. for them to put the iodine in my eye and get me outfitted in surgical gear and put cleansing drops in my eyes, another 15 to let the numbing stuff kick in and only about 5 mins. for the actual surgery, with about 10 mins. in the recovery room, so roughly 1 hr. 15 mins. - 1 hr. 30 mins. or so, most of it is prep/waiting time. Troublemaker posted:This is a good point -- they stress that you might still get age-related nearsightedness, if you were prone to it. Most people end up needing reading glasses in their 40s, 50s, or whenever, so the odds are good you might end up needing them too. Troublemaker + others - That is because it is due to a different eye issue. As we age, the muscle that we focus with loosens and it becomes more difficult to focus close-up. Because this is due to a different issue occurring in the eye, LASIK does not solve that issue. However, should you have enough cornea tissue at that time, you can get an additional correction called "Monovision" where one eye sees distance, the other sees reading. I have heard that many people love this, but for some their brains have a difficult time in adjusting and it gives them a headache. LASIK is still an option to help correct it though, just pointing that out... Happydayz posted:Isn't it the exact opposite? Over time people with myopia get better distance vision while their close-up vision gets worse. HappyDaze- You are sort of correct. Nearsightedness is common in children, but because their eyes naturally stretch and grow with age, their Rx lessens as the focal point becomes more "correct." If you are already grown and pretty nearsighted, you are apt to stay that way, but your FOCUS will become worse as you age, again, because it is an issue that is less to do with the shape of the eye and more to do with the breakdown of muscles in the eye. See the answer above for more info. As far as the hereditary question is concerned, it is true that an overwhelming percentage of the population need reading glasses as they age. Heredity plays a factor, similar to how it does with arthritis or any other-age related disease, meaning that it can affect the extent to which your body (eye muscles) breaks down and how quickly they do so. Eventually, most everyone's parts stop working like they used to, the question is WHEN and TO WHAT EXTENT. 3rdEyeDeuteranopia posted:Well I had PRK a week ago. 3rd Eye- First, it may be because it was a week ago and your eyes are still adjusting, second, you may have been mildly over-corrected, which is easily fixed, but it will be hard to tell as your vision stabilizes over the next 6 months, you may have some good and bad days. Please ensure to see your eye doctor at regular intervals to check your progress. sliceoftoast posted:LasikPlus. Please, dear god people, avoid "bargin bin chain stores" at all costs. Luckily your Rx was not that high, but these people are out to make money and accept patients who really should not be having the surgery, or that TYPE of surgery, just to make a buck. I have heard nothing, but bad things from them. When I worked with an Optometrist, we saw a lot of "failed" LasikPlus patients. Petey posted:Sports... Petey- After about a year, you really have to hit your eye pretty drat hard to dislodge the flap. If you do, it is painful, but usually repairable, but until your cells grow and the nerves grow back together, you may have to wear eyeshields anyway. That is, if you get traditional LASIK. PRK basically zaps the cells on top of your eye but does not create a permanent flap and they use a laser to zap those cells and leave them to heal (thus, a longer healing time), whereas LASIK creates a permanent flap, zaps the cells underneath, closes/seals the flap and lets it heal over, speeding cell healing time as it is now covered. The poster below you is incorrect. There are procedures that create the flap via laser now, thus making it an all-laser procedure. One method is called Intralase. From what I understand it injects carbon atoms underneath the top layer of the eye, causing it to break down and separate, (your eyes actually feel bubbly it is weird.) However, the poster is correct in that most are done with a microkeratome. Collar Crazy posted:How long did you guys have to wear "protective eyeshields" for after the surgery? I only had to wear mine when sleeping for about 2 weeks.It was annoying, but manageable. Make sure you wear your sunglasses for at least a couple months though, whenever you go outside, (but no, not at night har har.) Really, you should wear sunglasses every time after that, too, but I am usually naughty and forget. Make sure to moisten your eyes every few hours or so for the first week and alternate your pain/anitbiotic drops every other hour. It will help them heal faster and will speed relief time. Good luck on your surgery tomorrow! Report back soon and tell us your experience! Don't let the "traumatized people" scare you, they are all a bunch of babies. You will go in there and end up saying "that's it?" I will mention though, that you may need someone to assist you with driving for the next few weeks and after the surgery, so head's up. Any more questions?
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Sep 24, 2009 07:11
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