So... Lasik & Me...Today

[Chief Rum]

Getting my awful, awful eyes fixed today. I have been a mix of anticipation and anxiety at the same time, which is kinda like having the same thing happening to you twice for two different reasons.

Anyone want to offer up their thoughts on their experience with Lasik and the procedure? I'm sure we have some here.

[PackerFanatic]

Out of curiosity, approx. how much are you paying (if you're willing to indulge)? I know I am not at a place to get it done at this point, but it is something I am interested in for the future. I don't mind contacts, would just be nice not to have to mess with them.

[Chief Rum]

Out of curiosity, approx. how much are you paying (if you're willing to indulge)? I know I am not at a place to get it done at this point, but it is something I am interested in for the future. I don't mind contacts, would just be nice not to have to mess with them.

No problem asking. I am paying $5K. I think I paid high end though. I know you can get it done for cheaper. I was more comfortable with the doctors/place I am going, and they are offering no down, no interest 24 months.

[BYU 14]

Not personally, but one of my kids and a couple of friends have had and all with great results. I think you will find it a minor life changer from feedback they have given. Best of luck with the procedure.

[PackerFanatic]

No problem asking. I am paying $5K. I think I paid high end though. I know you can get it done for cheaper. I was more comfortable with the doctors/place I am going, and they are offering no down, no interest 24 months.

I expected higher, so knowing that is likely high-end is nice. Especially since I am probably at least 5 years out from doing it myself. Thanks for the info :)

[PackerFanatic]

And of course, I hope everything goes well for you, CR!

[Chief Rum]

Thanks, PF.

I suppose there might be higher prices to pay, but I know that's not bottom end pricing. My sister in law got it done for cheaper, and I know she didn't scrape the bottom of the barrel on that either. But of course, if you can find good quality work for cheap, go for it. Me personally, of course, my eyes are very important to me; I felt it was worth it to be sure I was going to be taken care of.

And, thanks for the input BYU, I would love for it be a minor life changer. I can always use a little life adjustment.

[PilotMan]

Mrs Pilotman had the procedure done a few years ago. She was a contact lens abuser and I was terrified she would permanently damage her eyes. Her vision had never been able to be corrected to better than 20/30 so there was little hope of the fix being better than that. The majority of complications with Lasik are with the flap on the cornea when they cut it. In order to avoid that we opted for the older PRK procedure where here cornea was shaved a bit. She also had one eye done a month after the other because the recovery was so much longer (2 weeks with little vision in that eye for 7 days), but the results were outstanding.

Her vision is better than 20/20 and her nightvision is now on par with mine, where before she had terrible halos that made any oncoming traffic completely blind her from the road.

The hardest part other than the pain immediately after (which should be minimal for you in comparison) was the procedure itself. She has pretty bad PTSD when others are over her and she can't move so the office had to be very mindful to keep talking her through the procedure (twice).

All in all, it has changed her life. It has been a great investment and the results have been better than we ever thought they would be. Best of luck to you, you will be very happy when you are done with it.

[spleen1015]

Good luck Chief.

This is something I have talked about doing the past. I am hoping to get around to it one day. :)

[DaddyTorgo]

Mrs Pilotman had the procedure done a few years ago. She was a contact lens abuser and I was terrified she would permanently damage her eyes. Her vision had never been able to be corrected to better than 20/30 so there was little hope of the fix being better than that. The majority of complications with Lasik are with the flap on the cornea when they cut it. In order to avoid that we opted for the older PRK procedure where here cornea was shaved a bit. She also had one eye done a month after the other because the recovery was so much longer (2 weeks with little vision in that eye for 7 days), but the results were outstanding.

Her vision is better than 20/20 and her nightvision is now on par with mine, where before she had terrible halos that made any oncoming traffic completely blind her from the road.

The hardest part other than the pain immediately after (which should be minimal for you in comparison) was the procedure itself. She has pretty bad PTSD when others are over her and she can't move so the office had to be very mindful to keep talking her through the procedure (twice).

All in all, it has changed her life. It has been a great investment and the results have been better than we ever thought they would be. Best of luck to you, you will be very happy when you are done with it.

This kind of story makes me want to get it done.

I wonder if my horrible, fucked up eyes are a candidate.

[Swaggs]

Good luck, CR.

I have heard that nearly all complications are from poor candidates having the procedure when they should not, so going to a good staff was the best move. Everyone I know that has had the procedure done has been pleased, with the exception of hearing a few complaints about night vision. For me, I think being able to wake up and see (without being either blind or my contacts being super dried out) would make it worthwhile.

[Chief Rum]

Yeah, I should add with the last couple mentions of candidacy. The docs at this place more or less said I was kinda like an All Star of a candidate, lol. Thick corneas (to match my head), which apparently is a bonus, and the physical factors of my eyes and eysight all fall right around the midline of the ranges they look at, or at least well within safety zones.

[DaddyTorgo]

Cool. I keep meaning to go in for a consultation everytime I hear the ads on the radio round here.

Enjoy CR - and let us know how it goes of course!!

[Logan]

Wait til you see what the stripper looks like post-op...

[heybrad]

I had my Lasik done at the Tri County Eye Institute about 4 years ago. It was the best money I ever spent. I was blind as a bat before the procedure. I was a bit freaked out during the procedure but it was amazing how as it was happening, the moment they finished the first eye I could immediately tell a difference. The recovery process was a piece of cake for me. I had no issues.

I'm happy for you as I remember how wonderful it felt to be able to wake and actually read the clock the next day.

[tyketime]

Yeah, I should add with the last couple mentions of candidacy. The docs at this place more or less said I was kinda like an All Star of a candidate, lol. Thick corneas (to match my head), which apparently is a bonus, and the physical factors of my eyes and eysight all fall right around the midline of the ranges they look at, or at least well within safety zones.
Crap - I guess that makes me the undrafted senior then. When I went in for my exam 4 or 5 years ago, the Doctor refused to proceed because my cornea was too thin. I give him all the credit for the thorough exam and divulging the results. I'd be afraid a "cheaper alternative" may have pushed ahead with the procedure. So... no Lasik for me!

Good luck with your procedure!

[CleBrownsfan]

Awesome man - good luck! I have heard all but good things about the surgery...

[Chubby]

I would love to get lasik but i know i would be freaking out with people trying to slice my eye...

[spleen1015]

I would love to get lasik but i know i would be freaking out with people trying to slice my eye...

This is one of my hangups. I have a head phobia and I don't like people messing around with my head. Going to the dentist is a struggle for me. I don't know how bad it would be to have someone carving on my eye.

[cougarfreak]

I had it down about 8 years ago. Best thing I have ever done for myself hands down. Pretty painless, and tons of reward.

[tarcone]

My wife had it done a few years ago. I cant say enough. It is an amazing thing. She woke up the next day and could see. The procedure didnt take long. It took longer to drive to the office.
Again, the results are outstanding. She can see. I recommend it to anyone who can have the procedure.

[Ryan S]

I would love to get lasik but i know i would be freaking out with people trying to slice my eye...

Ten years later I can barely remember the slicing of the eye, but I will never forget the burning smell...

[DaddyTorgo]

I would love to get lasik but i know i would be freaking out with people trying to slice my eye...

This is my major hesitation. I can't even get contacts into my eyes.

[DaddyTorgo]

Ten years later I can barely remember the slicing of the eye, but I will never forget the burning smell...

I presume this is a joke?

[Chubby]

This is my major hesitation. I can't even get contacts into my eyes.

same here and I have hella trouble with eye drops which I know are needed for lasik (to numb your eyes i believe)

[DaddyTorgo]

same here and I have hella trouble with eye drops which I know are needed for lasik (to numb your eyes i believe)

Yeah. I wonder if once your eye is numb if your blink-reflex decreases?

[Chubby]

Yeah. I wonder if once your eye is numb if your blink-reflex decreases?

do they use those things that keep your eyes open during interrogations in the movies?

[PackerFanatic]

do they use those things that keep your eyes open during interrogations in the movies?

According to what I just read on wikipedia, it looks like they do, heh.

[JediKooter]

I can do contacts, I can do eye drops. Don't know if I could do, seeing this machine bearing down on my eye and then to slice it. Does the slice heal back or do you have this flap the rest of your life?

[Ryan S]

I presume this is a joke?

No joke.

What Was That Smell During Lasik? (http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-smell-burn.htm)

[Rizon]

No joke.

What Was That Smell During Lasik? (http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-smell-burn.htm)

Nothing worse than unpleasant order!

[Ryan S]

I can do contacts, I can do eye drops. Don't know if I could do, seeing this machine bearing down on my eye and then to slice it. Does the slice heal back or do you have this flap the rest of your life?

From my experience (with pretty awful vision before surgery), I could not see much of what was going on. When the cut happened I felt a sensation, but no pain at all.

When the flap is open it is a very strange experience, much like looking into a kaleidoscope.

[JediKooter]

From my experience (with pretty awful vision before surgery), I could not see much of what was going on. When the cut happened I felt a sensation, but no pain at all.

When the flap is open it is a very strange experience, much like looking into a kaleidoscope.

So would it be a bad thing to drop acid before going in? j/k

How long before that flap healed up?

[gstelmack]

No joke.

What Was That Smell During Lasik? (http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-smell-burn.htm)

The excimer (http://www.usaeyes.org/glossary/de.htm#excimer) laser is a "cold" laser and does not remove tissue with heat. The concentrated light frequency disrupts the molecular bonds that hold together the corneal (http://www.usaeyes.org/glossary/bc.htm#cornea) cells. Without these bonds the cells escape in the form of a mushroom cloud that looks similar to an atomic bomb.

Wait, what? Lasik is step 1 towards the Ender's Game spaceborne weapons systems that destroyed the Bugger home planet? And folks were worried about the LHC?

[tarcone]

So would it be a bad thing to drop acid before going in? j/k

How long before that flap healed up?

My wife had it done in the early afternoon. She was healed the next morning. It is an amazing thing. I would get it in a heartbeat if it would be effective for me.

[JediKooter]

My wife had it done in the early afternoon. She was healed the next morning. It is an amazing thing. I would get it in a heartbeat if it would be effective for me.

That seems awfully fast. I mean, there's a flap of your eye that's been cut, I would think it would be a week or two for that to be fully healed. I'm just guessing though. Maybe eyes heal faster?

If it is indeed that fast, I may have to reconsider getting this done. One of the main reasons why I never got it is, the one doctor I went in for consultation said that the flap never heals and will always be loose. I'm an eye rubber, so that wouldn't be a good thing for me.

[MacroGuru]

I wear an eye rubber, so that wouldn't be a good thing for me.

Boy no wonder the sock puppet left....you are weird.... :eek::popcorn:

[Ryan S]

That seems awfully fast. I mean, there's a flap of your eye that's been cut, I would think it would be a week or two for that to be fully healed. I'm just guessing though. Maybe eyes heal faster?

I was able to drive the next morning, but it will not heal that quickly. I hear that full recovery takes up to six months, and your eyesight will improve in that time (though you probably will not notice it until you take an eye test as it happens gradually)

You are advised to avoid contact sports for about 4 weeks, and sleep wearing an protective eye shield to stop you from rubbing your eyes at night during this time. You are also advised not to swim for a few months.

[Ryan S]

One of the main reasons why I never got it is, the one doctor I went in for consultation said that the flap never heals and will always be loose. I'm an eye rubber, so that wouldn't be a good thing for me.

From what I can gather, laser cut flaps heal, blade cut flaps will not heal.

I can rub my eyes, though for a few years after the surgery I tried to avoid it.

[Kodos]

I'm too chicken to ever risk something going wrong. So glasses it is for me.

[Marc Vaughan]

Word of warning if you're considering having it done and wear hard contact lenses then you have to leave them out for one month per decade or so of wearing them .... that allows your eyes to go back to their natural shape (lovely thought ;) ).

I've been wearing contacts for 30 years now so at some point am planning on wearing glasses for 3 months, was going to be this summer - but now my soccer league has a summer programme thats not happening ;)

[Chubby]

From what I can gather, laser cut flaps heal, blade cut flaps will not heal.

I can rub my eyes, though for a few years after the surgery I tried to avoid it.

there's a type where they use a laser and not a knife?

[Ryan S]

there's a type where they use a laser and not a knife?

Yep, it's called intralasik (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IntraLASIK)

[Ryan S]

From what I can gather, laser cut flaps heal, blade cut flaps will not heal.

I can rub my eyes, though for a few years after the surgery I tried to avoid it.


Just to clarify, my LASIK was blade cut and I have had no problems, nor have I heard of anyone with issues.

[sabotai]

there's a type where they use a laser and not a knife?

Yes, that's what I had a few years ago. I never would have done it if they still used that razor. Although, I'm sure some of the "budget" doctors still use the razor.

[SackAttack]

Never. Never ever ever never ever never.

Never.

Ever.

[Blackadar]

Had mine done almost 10 years ago. Best $2k I ever spent.

[Lathum]

Wife had it done and it's been great. The coolest part was I got to watch it on a closed circuit camera up close. Nothing like seeing your wife's cornea peeled away.

[Passacaglia]

I'm in the same boat as DT and Chubby. I used to barely be able to do contacts in high school, then I stopped, and now I can't do them at all, and eye drops are a battle. I'd be up for some Lasik, but I bet I wouldn't be able to do it unless they put me under.

[jeff061]

I actually really like contacts, despised glasses and replacing them with contacts was great. I don't think I'll do lasik simply because I have zero issues with contacts.

[atatange1]

I had LASEK on a friday (Dec. 17) and was back at work the next wed., got them done for 3k. By Dec. 29 I was 20/40, a couple weeks later at another checkup I was 20/20. Had zero pain, no halos at night, a really positive experience.

[Chief Rum]

Heh... this thread just kept rolling while I was silent. ;)

Everything went fine. The surgery took 10 minutes. But I was at the surgery center for two and a half hours. :D (okay, about half of that was just waiting to be called)

I zonked out all of Tuesday night, woke up at 2 a.m. for no known reason and could see my alarm clock from across the room. Went out on my patio and saw the halos for the first time. Fed my poor dog who usually gets fed at night, but had to wait while his master healed up.

I worked two jobs yesterday and had plans afterward, so it was kind of a busy day. Otherwise, I woulda posted yesterday.

I would have to rate the whole thing as a positive experience. Overjoyed at my new vision.

If anyone has any specific questions, ask away.

P.S. Burning smell == yes (just for a little bit)

[Ksyrup]

Went out on my patio and saw the halos for the first time.

Too bad they suck this year. :p

[Chief Rum]

Too bad they suck this year. :p

Ouch. :D

[PackerFanatic]

I zonked out all of Tuesday night, woke up at 2 a.m. for no known reason and could see my alarm clock from across the room.

This is what I would love. Any pain at all? Issues with dry eyes?

[Chief Rum]

This is what I would love. Any pain at all? Issues with dry eyes?

I have had some very minor irritation, but it's not a constant thing, it comes and goes. Frankly, when my eye doc yesterday told me yesterday that my left eye was a little dry, I just blinked at her and thought, "What?" Didn't feel any different to me.

I think half of what I feel from my eyes is myself psychologically expecting to feel something, like a psychosomatic experience.

I am trying to stay on top of my eyedrops. Speaking of which, it's time for the next set of artificial tears.

[Blackadar]

I'm in the same boat as DT and Chubby. I used to barely be able to do contacts in high school, then I stopped, and now I can't do them at all, and eye drops are a battle. I'd be up for some Lasik, but I bet I wouldn't be able to do it unless they put me under.

You'd be surprised. I hate doctors, needles and so forth, but I got it done without being knocked out. It's not painful, but it is uncomfortable. It's more of the sense of the unknown than anything else. If you can convince yourself that this is almost as routine as getting your teeth cleaned by the dentist, you'd do fine.

The only "oh shit, I might freak out" moment was when they were working on my first eye and telling me to keep looking at the (with my vision, blurry) red light. Then they did something and the light vanished. I couldn't see anything. My vision didn't go dark, but everything was just a blank tan. The first thought that went screaming into my head was, "oh shit, I'm fucking blind." After a few seconds, the red light kind of drifted back into view and since the docs weren't panicking, I figured everything was normal. They were done a short time later with that eye and when it happened the next time I figured it was a normal thing.

I went into the doctor's office with 20/450 vision in both eyes.

A day later I entered the doctor's office with 20/40 vision in one eye and 20/30 in the other.

As I said before, that was the best $2k I ever spent.

[Neuqua]

Getting this done in about two hours. A friend of mine who went through the same procedure has calmed me down a bit and told me what to expect on a step by step basis.

Still nervous though..

[Chief Rum]

Hope it went well for you, Neuq. It was a crazy good decision for me. 20/20 in the left eye, 20/25 in the right eye now. No more contact lens shit to worry about. It's wonderful.

[Dutch]

Hope it went well for you, Neuq. It was a crazy good decision for me. 20/20 in the left eye, 20/25 in the right eye now. No more contact lens shit to worry about. It's wonderful.

+1

[JediKooter]

Looking forward to the post surgery report.

[Lathum]

In the waiting room now. Pretty nervous, not sure why.

[DaddyTorgo]

Wish I was a candidate. Eyes too fucked up though.

[cartman]

It is nothing like this. Well, probably not.

:D

http://cdn-static.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeek/files/styles/article_main_half/public/recall-main.jpg

[Logan]

In the waiting room now. Pretty nervous, not sure why.

You'll be fine. And I'm sure saldana will take good care of you.

[finketr]

so, i've pondered lasik now and then... my wife likes the look of me in glasses so who knows...

Anyway, Chief Rum, how're the eyes now?

For the others that have had it done, do you have astigmatism in either eye? Mine are pretty strong (i think) and if i have to wear glasses afterwards then what's the point? Are you able to go swimming now?

thanks in advance,

[cartman]

I had pretty bad astigmatism, to the point I wasn't eligible for contacts (back in the late 90s). I got LASIK done in both eyes back in January of 2000 (wanted to make sure the Y2K bug didn't affect the machines :) ) and am still seeing 20/15 in one eye and 20/10 in the other. At the time, they told me that once you get in your mid to late 40s that reading glasses would be likely be necessary (just turned 41) but so far so good. No issues at all with swimming.

[cougarfreak]

I had it done in 02 and had to go back to wearing contacts this year. Ticked me off, they told me at the time I wouldn't need them again except for reading. I'm 41.

[finketr]

as i turned 41 earlier this year.. one good report, one bad report...

and reading glasses would seem to ruin the point since that's all I do all day ... read, read, read..

[Chief Rum]

so, i've pondered lasik now and then... my wife likes the look of me in glasses so who knows...

Anyway, Chief Rum, how're the eyes now?

For the others that have had it done, do you have astigmatism in either eye? Mine are pretty strong (i think) and if i have to wear glasses afterwards then what's the point? Are you able to go swimming now?

thanks in advance,

The eyes are great. I see as good as ever, and don't have any irritation beyond what everyone has.

I am about due for my next checkup, so I don't know if my vision has changed in the last year, but the last time my doctor checked, I still had 20/20 in one eye and 20/25 in the other.

I don't see halos anymore either (although, really, I barely ever noticed them and I think they stopped a long, long time ago).

Good luck, Brian!

[korme]

I had Lasik done a couple of years ago - and now I'm awesome. Everyone should do it.

[Ryche]

Got my eyes done a bit over a year ago, it's awesome not having to think about glasses or contacts after wearing them for over 30 years. Had some issues with dealing with bright light for a couple of months but since no problems at all.

[cougarfreak]

I'm looking into having this done for the second time. I'm really hating wearing glasses again, and contacts are drying my eyes out something awful. Cost has gone up quite a bit in the last 12 years, but I guess that's to be expected.

[Blackadar]

I'm looking into having this done for the second time. I'm really hating wearing glasses again, and contacts are drying my eyes out something awful. Cost has gone up quite a bit in the last 12 years, but I guess that's to be expected.

What's the cost nowadays?

[cougarfreak]

I was quoted $4495 from the Cincinnati Eye Institute. I was thinking it was about half that when I had it done the first time around.

[Blackadar]

I was quoted $4495 from the Cincinnati Eye Institute. I was thinking it was about half that when I had it done the first time around.

Yeah, mine was around 2 grand back in '01.

[Sun Tzu]

Wifey got LASIK about 4-5 years ago. She couldn't see a damned thing without glasses/contacts before the surgery, and within a week post-surgery she was seeing better than 20/20. Her vision has regressed a bit since then, but it's still significantly better than it was pre-surgery. We may look into another LASIK in 5 years or so, but only for fine tuning.

[cougarfreak]

Wifey got LASIK about 4-5 years ago. She couldn't see a damned thing without glasses/contacts before the surgery, and within a week post-surgery she was seeing better than 20/20. Her vision has regressed a bit since then, but it's still significantly better than it was pre-surgery. We may look into another LASIK in 5 years or so, but only for fine tuning.

Yeah, my eyesight hasn't regressed awfully. I was about 20/400 before surgery in '02 in my right eye. I'd guess I'm 20/50ish now. Enough to give me a damn headache w/o correction.

[tyketime]

I had Lasik done a couple of years ago - and now I'm awesome. Everyone should do it.

I wanted to years ago. But when they did a pre-scan, they determined my cornea was too thin for the operation. I was disappointed, but extremely grateful that they were reputable and didn't go ahead with the procedure for the cash.

[Sun Tzu]

If you're 12 years removed from surgery, I imagine you'd be a strong candidate for your second go 'round. I don't know what the technology being used back then was, but I'd be willing to bet it's exponentially better now. It seems like every 3 months I hear about some new fancy-shmancy revolutionary thing they're touting.

"We're now offering the all-new handy-dandy, individual eye, super duper, animal style, custom wavefront, all laser LASIK. Call today for details!"

[cougarfreak]

If you're 12 years removed from surgery, I imagine you'd be a strong candidate for your second go 'round. I don't know what the technology being used back then was, but I'd be willing to bet it's exponentially better now. It seems like every 3 months I hear about some new fancy-shmancy revolutionary thing they're touting.

"We're now offering the all-new handy-dandy, individual eye, super duper, animal style, custom wavefront, all laser LASIK. Call today for details!"

My wife wants me to do it in a month or two. I'm more inclined to wait a year until I can adjust our HSA to cover the majority of it. I'm going to see where I'm at after my new non-progressive eyeglass lenses come in here in about a week.

[Blackadar]

If you're 12 years removed from surgery, I imagine you'd be a strong candidate for your second go 'round. I don't know what the technology being used back then was, but I'd be willing to bet it's exponentially better now. It seems like every 3 months I hear about some new fancy-shmancy revolutionary thing they're touting.

"We're now offering the all-new handy-dandy, individual eye, super duper, animal style, custom wavefront, all laser LASIK. Call today for details!"

Nope. My vision has only declined very slightly in the last 12 years. I'm sure the surgery is better now, but I don't need to spend $5k to correct 20/40 vision.

[Sun Tzu]

Blacky, I should have quoted the person I was responding to. My fault.

cougarfreak, I was responding to your post about your eyesight regressing to the point of giving you headaches.

[cartman]

It has now been 14 years since I had it done, and I'm still 20/10 in one eye, 20/15 in the other.

[cougarfreak]

So, I had the 2nd go around last Friday, the 24th. This time they did PRK on the outside of the eye, and boy howdy is that different. I am still having a hard time seeing. They really didn't warn me about the recovery time (they and their website says 4-7 days). Hell the nurse told me before I went in I could probably go see movie or out to eat that night. I couldn't see at all for 3 days, and am still having a lot of trouble. Everything I found online since says it's about 4 weeks until your vision really sharpens up.

[lighthousekeeper]

that must've been a scary 3 days