TELL me about LASIK!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > TELL me about LASIK!

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

Elijah posted:

I know that my doctor mentioned that PRK didn't require the cornea to be as thick as LASIK does, even though mine were thick enough for both procedures. I found this page which explains it a little:
http://www.seewell.ca/prk.html

I don't know about the pupil size issue.

Yeah, neither did I until I had my consult. I have freakishly large pupils (and had a relatively large astigmatism), so PRK was my only option.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2009 03:34

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 21:15

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

ilkhan posted:

Is there a downside to that at all? Or is it just 100% awesome vision?

My PRK took me to 20/15. It's just plain awesome. I piss off my wife all the time by reading street signs half a block before she can.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2009 21:29

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

David Aames posted:

Those of you who had PRK ... would you do it again? Is it that bad?

I've got one scheduled in 3 weeks and Im a bit nervous.

I would do it again in a heart beat. I had a rather large correction done, which, coupled with a severe astigmatism, put me on the upper limit on what's easily correctable. As a result, I had a rough recovery. I basically had to sit around in the dark for five days. I couldn't even stand looking at a TV or computer screen. It also took three months for my vision to stabilize during which I had halos and dryness, but now, four years later, I have perfect 20/15 vision. I can't say enough good things about the procedure and the ophthalmologist who did my eyes.

# ¿ Aug 8, 2009 17:05

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

Happydayz posted:

Isn't it the exact opposite?

Troublemaker is right. As you get older, the muscle that contracts to pull your lens to focus on things close to your face gets weaker. This is what causes people to need reading glasses (or bifocals if they're near-sighted to begin with) at around age 45.

# ¿ Aug 18, 2009 22:03

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

Fraternite posted:

How big are your pupils?

If you're concerned about it, get PRK. I was told by my ophthalmologist that I was 99th percentile in terms of pupil size. I got PRK four years ago with no adverse side effects so far. I had halos for about three weeks post-op, but they cleared up pretty quickly once my epithelium reattached.

Fake edit: I actually managed to spell both ophthalmologist and epithelium correctly on the first try! :smug:

# ¿ Sep 4, 2009 00:00

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

Namarrgon posted:

Uhm is it a certainty or even a higher propability that this would follow?

It's a certainty. If you're near-sighted, your corneas are fundamentally focused closer to your face than they should be. After the age of ~45, the muscles that shape your lens lose strength and are no longer able to pull your lens tight enough to focus on things immediately in front of you. If you are both near-sighted and a little over the age of 45, the two effects effectively cancel each other out, and you don't need reading glasses. Of course, if you're near-sighted, you'll eventually need reading glasses, just like everyone else, but you'll need them later. As someone who got laser eye surgery, I feel blessed simply to not need glasses for any portion of my life past the age of 11.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2009 00:39

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

^^^ That's right. LASIK has only been an option for ~4 years.

Harmburger posted:

Is anyone knowledgeable about US military eye surgery? I was told by my recruiter that there's a chance I could get "free LASIK". I'm concerned about the flap and after reading the thread, would prefer PRK or LASEK. Is it possible he should have said "free vision correction surgery including but not limited to LASIK"? Or is LASIK the only option for US military members?

I had PRK done by an Air Force ophthalmologist. Everyone who wants eye surgery in the military can get either PRK or LASIK for free. The only thing the military is still picky about is that if you want to fly, let them do your eyes. Otherwise the waiver process is a spectacular pain in the rear end. PRK is still the best option for a lot of people and most or all of the doctors are trained to do both.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2011 02:37

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

Harmburger posted:

e: VVV I've read about the priority factor, I'm hoping that being exceptionally qualified and in the Navy's top program will get me a higher priority, but we shall see.

The priority in the Air Force is as follows:
1. Pilots
2. People getting deployed in a few months
3. Everyone else

# ¿ Jul 18, 2011 03:10

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

ryan_woody posted:

Keep in mind this will be somewhat dependant on your chain of command to actually get it done. Mine screwed me and have not pushed anything up for me, hence why I am considering paying out pocket for it.

When I had mine done, I did all the paperwork and just pounded on my commander's door and had him sign it. The only reason I've ever heard of commanders caring whatsoever is if you've got a deployment coming in the next few months. He's probably got to approve it anyways even if you get it done through a civilian.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2011 03:16

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

ryan_woody posted:

Where did you find your paperwork? I have no idea where to look (army), and it would be great to find it and try that avenue again with even less effort on command's part. It's worth trying to save a few grand, I guess.

The base optometrist gave me the paperwork when I told him I wanted to get laser eye surgery.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2011 21:54

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 21:15

swenblack: Jan 14, 2004

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.

Just ask your optometrist. They'll steer you to a decent one. The optometrist/ophthalmologist community is absurdly small and incestuous even in most major cities. Your biggest risk isn't that the surgery will be worse, rather that they'll overcharge you a couple grand.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2014 21:27

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > TELL me about LASIK!