TELL me about LASIK!

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

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

3rdEyeDeuteranopia posted:

Different drugs for different surgeries. PRK is Vicodin and Lasik is Valium typically.

I got Valium for my PRK, and I was giggly as hell during the procedure. They gave me Lyrica for the post-op pain. I really didn't think the pain was bad at all.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2009 07:57

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 06:56

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

Fraternite posted:

So I just went in for a consultation and was told that I have a thin cornea and large pupils -- but not thin enough (500 microns as opposed to 550 micorns) or large enough (9.2 mm as opposed to 6.5 mm) that normal LASIK was out of the question.

I'm going to hit up another place in the area for a second opinion, but for whatever reason I just got the impression that I really should go for the custom wavefront despite their protestations that normal LASIK wouldn't be a particularly bad option. Does anyone here have enough information and background to give a somewhat informed opinion on this?

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.

# ¿ Aug 3, 2009 04:00

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

swenblack posted:

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.

Really, I don't see why most people don't just get PRK anyway. The risks are slightly less, and the only real disadvantage is the pain and the healing time. The pain was a joke compared to what I thought it would be. At my one week follow-up exam, my acuity was good enough to legally drive, though to be honest, I was driving at night two days after surgery (NOT recommended).

# ¿ Aug 4, 2009 12:14

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

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.

Hell yeah, I'd do it again. No, it's not bad at all, really. Did your doctor tell you what pain medication he'd be prescribing? I had Lyrica, and that combined with Aleve seemed to do a pretty good job.

I'd say it just felt like my eyes were really dry and irritated for a couple days. Not like an "Oh my God, make this stop!" kind of pain. I think a lot of it's psychological due to the fact that your vision is shot to hell for a few days, unlike with LASIK patients who get their sight back almost instantly. Within a week, I was at 20/40, though, and now I think I see better than I did with glasses and contacts.

Follow your doctor's instructions to the letter and don't be nervous. Good luck.

# ¿ Aug 8, 2009 16:41

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

From my limited knowledge of Wavefront, I would definitely shell out the extra money. Here's an article explaining some of the advantages:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/custom_lasik.htm

Personally, when it comes to my eyes, I like to have the best technology available.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2009 13:07

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

Collar Crazy posted:

How long did you guys have to wear "protective eyeshields" for after the surgery?

That's the part I'm really dreading. If I have to sleep with poo poo on my face for a week, well, I won't sleep for a week.

LASIK, I dunno about. PRK, I think I had to wear them for a day, and then while sleeping for like a week. Ask for an Ambien prescription or something if you think it will be a problem.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2009 20:40

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

HatandBanana posted:

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.

No, PRK DOES NOT use a laser to remove the "cells on top of your eye." The epithelium is removed by hand with a tool that kinda resembles an orbital toothbrush (I don't know the name of it). Once the epithelium is removed, the excimer laser removes tissue from the stroma. In LASIK, the flap can be created either by microkeratome or with a laser, as you mentioned. I tend to question whether "most" are done with a microkeratome anymore, though that could be the case. Do you have a source for that, or are you pulling numbers out of your rear end?

Collar Crazy posted:

Also thanks to Elijah for suggesting the Ambien prescription, they wrote me one for twelve pills though I only asked for seven. I will be filling that tomorrow, it's only $9.50 so that's worth it for a week of sleep.

Sweet, you can give me the other five.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2009 16:54

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

Puck42 posted:

I have my PRK surgery in less than a week and picked up some antibiotic eye drops to put in pre-surgery.

Do they normally run ~$89? After insurance they were $68.50 but this really seems extreme for 5mL of liquid. Hopefully I don't need to buy another bottle after surgery.

Yeah, I paid something like that for one of my steroid drops. I think before insurance it would have been in the $200 range for a three-month supply.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2009 14:47

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

lirda posted:

Can i watch 3D movies if i get LASIK?
Is there anyone here who�s had LASIK that has seen a 3D movie?

Yeah, you can watch them (I saw the Hannah Montana 3D movie one month post-op), but unfortunately the image will be somewhat distorted (depending on how much of a correction you had.) What's your prescription?

Also, due to the way the blue and red light reflect off the corneal epithelium, the retina basically gets "confused," for lack of a more accurate scientific term, and you will see a mirror-image of what's actually on the screen. This is usually not a big deal, but can be annoying if the movie has subtitles.

Occasionally the picture can be out of sync with the audio, but this is rare, and is usually only a problem if there is corneal hazing causing visual latency.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2009 19:44

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

blue_kameleon posted:

New 3D movies aren't in red and blue.. I've seen new-style ones no problem post op. My correction was -5 ish in each eye, not huge but not small either.

I must be really bad at sarcasm, if you actually believed I was serious. Or maybe you're just dense. Maybe both.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2009 14:21

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

Phiberoptik posted:

I had a consultation and I was recommended Lasik, and was told I have very, very large pupils (one of the largest theyve seen). Online, it seems that PRK is recommended more for people with large pupils, should I be concerned about this?

Also, Should I go for wavefront? Its about $2200 more, and the doctor said she was on the fence about what to recommend since my near sightedness isn't bad at all (only -1.5). Is it worth the extra money?

Personally, I think just about everyone should get PRK instead of LASIK anyway, but if you have concerns about what they told you, you should get a second opinion. Don't take chances when it comes to your vision.

$2200 more for Wavefront? That's kinda steep. How much are you paying total?

Elijah fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Apr 16, 2010

# ¿ Apr 16, 2010 14:45

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

KasioDiscoRock posted:

My optometrist mentioned the other day when I saw her that taking an Omega 3 (fish oil) supplement helps alleviate dry eyes FWIW.

I started taking it a few months post-op when I was still recovering slightly, and I thought I noticed a difference.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2010 01:54

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

TLG James posted:

What's the usual time difference between first appointment and procedure?

Depends how booked up they are. I only had to wait two or three weeks. Some places you might wait quite a bit longer.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2011 17:42

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

ghostinmyshell posted:

I'm finally getting serious about getting this done, but I'm paying out of my own pocket since I don't have insurance.

What I want to know are the surprise hidden costs related to the treatment? Some of you mentioned $100 eye droplets, but outside of the actual treatment and eye exams what else is there?

Well, if you currently have prescription sunglasses, there's the cost of getting the lenses replaced. :c00l:

# ¿ May 31, 2011 05:44

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 06:56

Elijah: Jul 13, 2004; how do i red title

Anyone considering LASIK...Harden the gently caress up and get PRK!

# ¿ Jul 4, 2011 23:27

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