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Thread: Laser Eye Surgery

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    Default Laser Eye Surgery

    I'm so excited! I have an appointment on Tuesday for a consultation to check if I am a suitable candidate. I have -3.75 and -3.50 vision with mild astimagtism and am sick of wearing glasses to be able to see anything. Contacts aren't bad, but it is frustrating wearing them for long periods of time. Sometimes I fall asleep with my contacts in (by mistake, mainly being too drunk or lazy) and wake up thinking for a split second that my eyes have magically repaired themselves and that I have perfect vision. Hence Lasik has been something I have been looking into for a while, and I have finally decided to bite the bullet.

    However, I do have reservations about a person, or a laser cutting a flap in my eyeball and then all the other assorted issues I have read about post-op. Floaters, halos, regression in vision, vision becoming worse (Lord help me!)

    I'm wondering if anyone has had Lasik done and would love to hear their reviews and experiences.

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    I am so excited for you!!!
    I had lasik done a year ago, I have had glasses since I was 4 years old, (which was 17 years for me lol)!!!! please do not have doubts or second thoughts on this, it was the BEST THING I have ever had done!!!
    you will not feel a thing and I shit you not both eyes take about 5 minutes to do. that includes positioning and everything!!! the freakiest part is when they put the suction cup to your eye, but that is just to make the little slit to laser into, but you will never feel a thing!!!
    it has been a life changing experience for me. please keep us updated I am so happy for you. it can be a little scary but if you take a great friend or lover or parent it will eliminate the creepy feeling if you have any questions please let me know I can fb you
    I know it is scary to think of someone you don't know cutting into your eyes, but if you have faith in your doc you will feel much better. the assistant doc held my hand the ENTIRE time I had the surgery, If that is not faith I am not sure what is
    fyi I had mine done at lasik plus in Dayton OH

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    I havent had Laser eye surgery but my mom and sister have had it done. They have had good results (mom is at 20/20 and sister is 20/15...she might have been over corrected though). Bear in mind since they are both over 40 they have Presbyopia (age old vision...usually starts at 40+).

    Presbyopia is a condition where, with age, the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects. Simply put, they need reading glasses but their distance vision is still good.

    Many people with myopia (near-sightedness) can read comfortably without eyeglasses or contact lenses even after age 40. However, their myopia does not disappear and the long-distance visual challenges remain. Myopes considering refractive surgery are advised that surgically correcting their nearsightedness may be a disadvantage after age 40, when the eyes become presbyopic and lose their ability to accommodate or change focus, because they will then need to use glasses for reading. Myopes with astigmatism find near vision better, though not perfect, without glasses or contact lenses when presbyopia sets in, but the more astigmatism, the poorer their uncorrected near vision.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia

    Personally I would rather have the distance vision...being myopic like you Mad Max and when I am 40+ just throwing on the reading glasses for my Presbyopia.
    I think also to be a candidate you need thick enough corneas. Also God forbid your vision gets a little worse again...they can do a touch up but they can only blast away so much cornea. I think because of that they want a stable prescription of at least 1-2 years. Also its best to get your eyes done when your 25+....thats when the eyes are fully developed.

    I plan on getting mine done granted I am a candidate. (I have -2. something in both eyes with astigmatism).

    P.S. Good luck! I believe you will be just fine. I am tired of glasses myself and having to switch from my eyeglasses to sunglasses everytime can be a pain but I had done it for more than 10 years...whats a few more?

    Let us know how it all goes.

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Yay! You are going to love it! I had it about a year ago as well. Just a warning: They are going to tell you that for a week before the surgery, you have to wear your glasses. (Your cornea has to expand to it's normal, true shape, so that they can reshape it properly) And for a week after the surgery, no eye makeup! (I was caught a little off guard by this, considering that I'm a dancer and had never not worn my contacts or eye makeup to work. It ended up being no big deal and guys actually went crazy for my glasses!)
    The surgery itself really is not that bad, you won't feel a thing, and you won't really know what's going on, since you can't see it! My doctor was pretty good about explaining every step as he did it, and it did help a lot. I agree with Audreyalice, that the scariest part is the suction cup part. It presses down pretty hard on your eye to hold it still and it kind of makes everything go black. I had my flap cut by a microkeratome (blade) instead of a laser, and I'm glad I didn't spend extra money on the all-laser type because it's not like I would have known the difference or been less afraid anyways. I would HIGHLY suggest that if you are anxious, to ask them to prescribe you a Xanax or something to take that day. I didn't take anything since I assumed they just gave everyone anxiety medication, I didn't know I had to ask, lol. They gave me a stuffed animal to hold during my surgery.... haha.
    After the surgery, you'll put on sunglasses and have someone drive you home. It will feel a little bit like there's an eyelash in your eye or something, but no pain. Take a long nap, wake up, and VOILA! You will be able to read your alarm clock! It's the best. However, the WORST things for me came the first month after surgery. They tell you you'll have dry eyes..... OMG DRY EYES LIKE NOTHING ELSE! Especially when I first woke up. The doctor even said my eyes appeared "chapped." You have to use these special eye drops for the first couple weeks, but as soon as they gave me the OK to use drops that contain preservatives, I got these really thick gel eye drops and they made a world of difference.
    The other scary thing for me, is that my night vision was HORRIBLE!!! I was extremely scared that I had made permanent damage to my vision, and I would never see at night again. I actually started getting a little depressed. I had so much trouble driving at night, as it was hard to distinguish details and all lights, especially oncoming headlights looked really bright and "halo-ish." This lasted for about the first 4-6 weeks for me, and improved over time as my eyes heal. My eyes are also no longer extremely dry. I still have to put in eye drops right when I first wake up since they are a little dry still, but nothing life altering or anything like that. I just wanted to tell you these things so that you are ready for it in case it happens to you, so you can know that it went away and I now have no trouble seeing at night.
    I have no regrets about getting LASIK and I would recommend it to anyone who is sick of their contacts/glasses!! Hope this helped!

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Ahhh, thank you so much for your enabling and the sharing of your experience.

    Audreyalice - What type of laser did you have? The normal lasik or the custom wavefront? Also, did you have the blade or the laser make a cut? What was your eyesight like prior to the surgery. Do you have any problems with night vision?

    BlackSheep3 - Thank you for your input! Go make a consultation to get the ball rolling! Then you can decide if you want it done and shop around for the best place as you will know if you are candidate or not. I have mild astimagtism so I have heard that the presbyopia is generally better for me, however I still have another 16 years to get to 40. Regardless, 16 years of being glasses/contacts free before having to wear glasses for reading is well worth it IMO. You need to have thick enough corneas to have LASIK however if your corneas are thinner, you are able to have PRK (they buff part of your eye to reshape it and laser to correct it. Non invasive with no incisions but the recovery time is much longer and painful.) Some people are candidates for both so I'll find out on Tuesday what my options are.

    aperfectseal - Thank you also for your valuable input! They have told me that I need to be contact free for 24 hours prior to my consult. I think I will probably, should I decide to have the surgery, schedule it for two weeks later and stay contact free until then. This involves taking time off work as my glasses are honestly in dire need of replacement (super scratched up). It's also been an awful summer so this doesn't bother me at all given I am feeling burnt out and frustrated and time off will be very much enjoyed! I think I will be going for the all laser custom wavefront LASIK or even PRK if I am suitable. Did the dry eyes feel like a super bad case of wearing contacts for too long, you know when your eyes get all watery and scratchy and dry? How are your halos doing now at night? What was your vision like prior to surgery?

    So many questions! I guess it is your eyesight and that in itself if invaluable. I'm tossing up between having it done between two places. One is LASIK MD which is pretty much a Canada/US chain and apparently is like the 'In-N-Out or the eye surgery world. However, the surgeon I want has great reviews, started the company and does all the training. I'm assuming my eyes will cost somewhere just under $4000 with them.

    The other place is in Toronto, the Bochner institute and seems to have a have a lot of great reviews online. I believe the price should be around $5000 with them.

    I know it's a case of shopping for the best doctor, not the best price and cost is no issue when it comes to my eyesight. Did you shop around for quotes prior to settling on your clinic? How did you find your doctor and what was the cost in the end?

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    I know it's a naughty question, but how much did all of you pay for the surgery (total - not per eye)? This is on my long-term wishlist. I've had horrendous vision since 2nd grade.

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    I went to a chain place called the LASIK Vision Institute, as I honestly was looking for the cheapest price, lol. My vision was -2.50 in both eyes prior, and they originally quoted me $1600 total. I was able to get them to agree to $1200 total, though. This was for the traditional LASIK, not the custom wavefront. Also, they will write you a prescription for some eyedrops that you must use for the first week or something, and that ended up costing me about $100 to fill.
    And yes, the dry eyes felt very similar to falling asleep in your contacts and waking up with them stuck to your eyeball! My halos are gone now, but since my eyes still do tend to be a little on the dry side, I have to make sure I put a few eye drops in before I drive at night, or else it makes things a little hard to see.
    I think I answered all your questions, feel free to ask anything else!

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Quote Originally Posted by aperfectseal View Post
    I went to a chain place called the LASIK Vision Institute, as I honestly was looking for the cheapest price, lol. My vision was -2.50 in both eyes prior, and they originally quoted me $1600 total. I was able to get them to agree to $1200 total, though. This was for the traditional LASIK, not the custom wavefront. Also, they will write you a prescription for some eyedrops that you must use for the first week or something, and that ended up costing me about $100 to fill.
    And yes, the dry eyes felt very similar to falling asleep in your contacts and waking up with them stuck to your eyeball! My halos are gone now, but since my eyes still do tend to be a little on the dry side, I have to make sure I put a few eye drops in before I drive at night, or else it makes things a little hard to see.
    I think I answered all your questions, feel free to ask anything else!
    Woah...that is incredibly cheap! I thought it was closer to $6k for both eyes. I know the price varies quite a bit... I'm surprised you'd go the cheap route for something as critical as your eyeballs. Where'd you get the confidence to do that?! It's clearly a gamble that paid off.

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    I was quoted about $4k total for mine from one of the better places in Houston, but girls on here told me I was crazy for wanting to pay that much. I was considering going for the bladed procedure to save money, but then my optometrist told me a lovely tale about being in the room when the blade got stuck during a procedure. So...

    I haven't had it yet, but I want to within the next year. I might have other health issues that preclude me from it though

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    ^$4k sounds completely worth it to me. No more contact solution, contacts, glasses...no more not being able to see during the night, dry eyes from keeping contacts in too long, etc. I mean, contacts cost around $350 for a six-month supply of two-weekers. Which is $700/year. Plus contact solution expenses and all of the inconveniences that go with not being able to see...

    If my vision were slightly better but still not great, I probably wouldn't be considering it. But I am essentially disabled without vision correction.

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    ^I've been in contacts and glasses since I was eight, so it would be amazing to wake up and be able to see. I'm at -4.5, but my SO is at -8, so at least I'm not that bad...

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    ^Dayum girl. We're in similar boats. I always say "at least the lights are just getting gradually fuzzier and not dimmer!"

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    @Charlie61, I know it sounds so crazy, doesn't it?! Lol, I actually felt comfortable going to the place that I did because they had really great Yelp reviews.
    I can't reiterate enough how glad I am that I finally went through with it! It was definitely a scary decision and I understand why people are nervous about getting their eyes cut open and burned with a laser! I just decided that it is statistically very unlikely that I will have complications, and that I am a perfect candidate. I accepted the risk that I was taking. After I scheduled the surgery, I avoided doing any further online "research" so I didn't encounter any horror stories and freak myself out. Now that it's over, it's so nice to be able to watch a movie and not have to constantly put eyedrops in my eyes because my contacts are drying out, or have to turn off a ceiling fan because it's drying out my eyes. Not to mention not dealing with the constant, maddening frustration of being like "LKJHUYG&(%&^!!!!! MY CONTACTS ARE KILLING ME!!!!!" or "OWWWWW MY EYESSSSSS!!!"

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Yayy!! So I'm a good candidate for Lasik and PRK, but I think I'm going to go with Lasik due to the shorter recovery time.

    It will be $3500 for both eyes with 20/20 vision guaranteed and a life time guarantee should they need to correct it to 20/20 in the future.

    Unfortunately I will have to wait until October now. The surgeon I want is not available until the 29th of August. I am going on holiday 7th September need four weeks before I can swim in chlorine pools. Hopefully a cancellation comes up somewhere in the next two weeks so I can have it done!!

    YAYY!! Perfect eyesight <3

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Ive had crappy vision since the third grade and would love to have perfect eyesight but the risks scare me too much. my friends aunt has had this done with a well known doctor and she suffers glares at night while shes driving. sje now has trouble driving at night and thrres nothing she can do about it.
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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Quote Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post
    Yayy!! So I'm a good candidate for Lasik and PRK, but I think I'm going to go with Lasik due to the shorter recovery time.

    It will be $3500 for both eyes with 20/20 vision guaranteed and a life time guarantee should they need to correct it to 20/20 in the future.

    Unfortunately I will have to wait until October now. The surgeon I want is not available until the 29th of August. I am going on holiday 7th September need four weeks before I can swim in chlorine pools. Hopefully a cancellation comes up somewhere in the next two weeks so I can have it done!!

    YAYY!! Perfect eyesight <3
    That is wonderful, liberation from glasses/contacts for you coming soon.

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Hello I had intrawave lasik done in October 2012. It was $3,600 for both eyes. It was done at Saint Barnabas Hospital in NJ by a reputable Cornell doctor. Prior I wore contacts and glasses and was nearsighted my whole life. Now before you read further I must warn you my experience was not "OMG I can see perfect in 24 hours". Exact prescription L -4.50 with an extreme astigmatism of 4.0 (that's no mistake a full whole number astigmatism) R -2.75 .25 Astigmatism. First off there really wasn't pain. It literally just felt like I had sand in a contact. My probem was 2 things 1)Recovery took 3 weeks to function normally and I had halos for the first month at night (enough to screw up driving at night for 2 weeks. 2) The big astigmatism went from a 4 to a 2 and needed a redo 6 months later (which was free) and because I'm a pain in the butt for perfect. If you don't have a big astigmatism like that I wouldn't worry and would research a great doctor and get it done. Fast forward still BEST MONEY EVER SPENT! Please note I took my drops and directions very serious. The second round was a piece of cake and took only a few days to be fully functional.

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Quote Originally Posted by katia13 View Post
    Hello I had intrawave lasik done in October 2012. It was $3,600 for both eyes. It was done at Saint Barnabas Hospital in NJ by a reputable Cornell doctor. Prior I wore contacts and glasses and was nearsighted my whole life. Now before you read further I must warn you my experience was not "OMG I can see perfect in 24 hours". Exact prescription L -4.50 with an extreme astigmatism of 4.0 (that's no mistake a full whole number astigmatism) R -2.75 .25 Astigmatism. First off there really wasn't pain. It literally just felt like I had sand in a contact. My probem was 2 things 1)Recovery took 3 weeks to function normally and I had halos for the first month at night (enough to screw up driving at night for 2 weeks. 2) The big astigmatism went from a 4 to a 2 and needed a redo 6 months later (which was free) and because I'm a pain in the butt for perfect. If you don't have a big astigmatism like that I wouldn't worry and would research a great doctor and get it done. Fast forward still BEST MONEY EVER SPENT! Please note I took my drops and directions very serious. The second round was a piece of cake and took only a few days to be fully functional.
    Fantastic information - thank you!!

    It's sounding like for people with minor eye problems, Lasik is more of a vanity/convenience expense. But for the rest of us, it's kind of like paying to heal a disability. Priceless!

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    I would love to do this but unfortunately the eye doctor said it would not help me - but good luck to all of you who do have it

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    ^Did he say why?

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    I honestly can not remember exactly why he said I would not benefit from it - I asked him if I was a candidate for it the last 2 times I had my eyes checked - he did say I could possibly get a couple of years of benefit from it but in the long run he said I was wasting my money - i need bifocals - I hate them they make me nauseous - maybe that is the issue

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    Find out the reason and let us know. I've been doing loads of research and there seems to be a lot of alternative solutions for those unsuitable for laser eye surgery!

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    will do - I am at the point now that the bifocals are really necessary and I am going to have to get over the sickness somehow - the first pair I had were a no line so I am going to try the line to see if it makes a difference with the line - as soon as I get the extra money I am going back - right now I am using a 5.00 pair of readers from walmart

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    Default Re: Laser Eye Surgery

    I knew a guy that had it done, (this was a few yrs. ago) he seemed fine w/results. Good luck!


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