Lasik

Ok guys and gals the tax refund is coming and I am thinking about getting Lasik. Who here has had it and what are the pros and cons? EyeDoc feel free to jump in and give your professional opinion. I have had glasses since the 3rd grade and contacts since 6th. I am BLIND without them (-5.25 and -7.00) so the first thing I do every morning is wake up, throw my glasses on, walk to the bathroom and put in my contacts. The last thing I do every night is take them back out.

 

I hate it. I am tried of wearing contacts. I want Lasik!

 

Should I do it and why?

Had it done 7 or so years ago couldn't be happier, I'd would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

BTW LP was playing up last I think I've sent more than one reply to your PM.

Wife had it done at 18 and loves it.. she is 29 now and no problems.

 

My corneas are way too thin and I can't get it done. Really sucks. I hate contacts. I hate glasses even more.

 

 

The younger you can get it done the better. That way you will have the longest time before needing to wear bifocals to see shit up close.. We all lose near vision when we get older because our Eye muscles can't focus enough to see close objects. That is why we need reader glasses etc when we get older.

 

So go for it and be glasses free as long as possible!

Had it done 7 or so years ago couldn't be happier, I'd would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

BTW LP was playing up last I think I've sent more than one reply to your PM.

 

Thanks! Silly LP! I got your first reply on no RS4 and then your second on the price of cars. Did I miss anything?

Wife had it done at 18 and loves it.. she is 29 now and no problems.

 

My corneas are way too thin and I can't get it done. Really sucks. I hate contacts. I hate glasses even more.

 

 

The younger you can get it done the better. That way you will have the longest time before needing to wear bifocals to see shit up close.. We all lose near vision when we get older because our Eye muscles can't focus enough to see close objects. That is why we need reader glasses etc when we get older.

 

So go for it and be glasses free as long as possible!

 

Cool. I think I am going to book the appointment and see what happens. If it goes well the wife will get it done next.

How old are you?

 

I'm asking because I just went to see my eye doc and he said that I should go for it if I was in my 20's. But now that I'm in my 40's he said that it's a bad idea. I'm short sighted like you. And my doc said that if I get lasik I will lose that, so I will have to start using glasses to see stuff up close. He said that people don't realize that most of the stuff we do is up close and not far away.

 

He also said that when we get old the people that are far sighted will lose that so they will need glasses for near and far. But as a near sighted person you will have one advantage, and that is that you will still be able to see stuff up close when you get older without glasses. If you do lasik you will lose that advantage.

 

So I have decided to stick with my contacts and glasses.

 

Something to think about before you go ahead.

How old are you?

 

I'm asking because I just went to see my eye doc and he said that I should go for it if I was in my 20's. But now that I'm in my 40's he said that it's a bad idea. I'm short sighted like you. And my doc said that if I get lasik I will lose that, so I will have to start using glasses to see stuff up close. He said that people don't realize that most of the stuff we do is up close and not far away.

 

He also said that when we get old the people that are far sighted will lose that so they will need glasses for near and far. But as a near sighted person you will have one advantage, and that is that you will still be able to see stuff up close when you get older without glasses. If you do lasik you will lose that advantage.

 

So I have decided to stick with my contacts and glasses.

 

Something to think about before you go ahead.

In my 20s but you've given me a lot to think about. I'm going to print this thread when I go and ask about eveything that's been brought up here.

 

Had to LOL when I saw the ad being displayed in this thread.

I had my LASIK eye surgery correction done back in 2000. Now 14 years later, I can start to sense one of my eye sights may be deteriorating a little. We always have one strong eye and one weak eye. I will do LASIK again if I need it in a heart beat.

LASIK was one of the best things I have ever done next to buying a lambo lol.. Seriously, it changed my life. Your eyesight is slightly worse than what mine was, and I can tell you right now the best feeling is waking up and being able to start your day without worrying to put in your contacts or look for your glasses. The day after my surgery I went in for a checkup and my doc told me my vision was 20/15. Do it, you wont regret it.

Agreed with all of the above. One of the best things I've done. The technology today is better than when I did it a few years back too (laser for both cutting the lens and reshaping the cornea). I was -3.75 on my contact prescription and after the surgery, stood up and was immediately 20/20. It was unreal. Highly recommended.

had prk done 3 years ago. would do it again in a heartbeat.

Do you have an appointment yet? I have a friend that is a cornea specialist. His office is near me so I know it's a hike for you but I'm sure he would answer everything honestly. He actually talked me out of it but I am a -1.25 and -1.75. Feel free to text or email if you like. After you have it done we can see if you can still see the krypton Exige, lol

About a year ago I was set on getting it done. I did all of the consultations and had it figured out how much it would cost. $5750 from a local guy that has been doing it for a long time. I know he does a good job. But then you see all these people saying they can do it for half that. Are they worth it? I know people that have gone that cheaper route and it goes good for them. Its just hard for me to decide to go that route.

 

What have people been paying for theirs?

Do they do both eyes at the same time?

Do they do both eyes at the same time?

Not usually. I had one done then the other one done 3 days later.

 

What have people been paying for theirs?

I want to say mine was $4000-$5000 14 years ago!

Wait a minute... What's a tax refund???

Haven't seen one of those in years!

 

But yes, had lasik done 7 years ago and haven't had any problems. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

I had both eyes done for $2000ish

Wait a minute... What's a tax refund???

Haven't seen one of those in years!

Haha...isn't that the truth!

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Is putting it off one more day! The wife and I both had it done on the same day about 10ish months ago. I couldn't even read my alarm clock without glasses or contacts, and as far as driving goes... NO FN WAY!

 

After being prepped with Xanax and sent to a dark room to "relax", I went in sat down, was lowered back in the chair....looked up and saw a big red fuzz like haze. They kinda scary part is when they peel your lens back everything goes dark, the laser did it's magic for about 25 seconds, they pull the flap back over and DAMN!!!!! the big red fuzz is now a perfect red dot and I can see PERFECT!!!! Next, the other eye (repeat steps above).....

 

My vision is now 20/20 & 20/15. I would do it again in a second! I believe the total cost for both of us was only $6,500 (they give a discount for paying in full). It's honestly worth whatever they charge in your area, like I mentioned before, I would do it again in a second, pay double, whatever.....not having to wear glasses or contacts again....is PRICELESS!!!!!

 

 

Feel free to ask me any questions, or shoot me a PM.

 

 

 

DO IT!

Hannibal

 

This is the discussion that I have with my patients who ask this question:

 

LASIK is a safe procedure for the right candidate. The minimum age that LASIK can be performed on is 18, however I don't recommend it for anyone younger than 22 or 23 and the reason for this is because you want to assure that the patient has a stable refractive status. This means that their prescription has not changed dramatically in the past 2 years. LASIK is contraindicated for patients with certain systemic conditions, such as diabetes--due to poor wound healing and unstable refractive errors. The ideal candidate also has to have good ocular health (ie., no cataracts), no retinal or corneal problems (ie., corneal diseases, like Keratoconus or scarring) and preferably does not have ocular surface disease (ie., significant dry eyes).

 

To determine if you are in fact a good candidate, your eye doctor will have you remove your contacts (typically one week for every decade of soft lens wear) prior to your exam. This is important because the contact lenses will alter the shape of your corneas and we want the corneas in their natural state. A pachymetry reading will be done to determine if you have adequate corneal tissue to eliminate all of the nearsightedness and astigmatism. IF your corneas are "too thin" then you might have to go with an alternative procedure, such as PRK. A topographical scan will be done of your corneas (Orbscan) to determine if there are latent irregularities that will negatively affect your outcomes. A dilated fundus exam will be performed to look at the internal structures of the eye to ensure that you can achieve the best visual outcome.

 

LASIK corrects distance vision. However patients who are over 40 years old, might want to consider doing MONOVISION LASIK--this correction involves correcting the dominant eye for distant and the non-dominant eye for reading. This does impact depth perception so its not recommended if your job or your hobbies require perfect depth perception--professional athletes, pilots,driving fast exotic cars around a race track, etc.

 

The procedure itself takes no more than 5 minutes tops per eye. It is painless and performed under topical anesthetic. You will need someone to drive you home (preferably in a Lamborghini) after the procedure. You should be able to go back to work the following day, although I would recommend taking 2 days off of work, if possible. You'll be given 2 medications (eyedrops) to use for the first week--one antibiotic and one steroid. You'll be advised to wear an eye shield to bed for the first few days so as you don't accidentally rub your eyes in your sleep and disrupt the healing. There'll be several post-operative followups: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 month, and 12 month.

 

Cost is anywhere between $1500-$2500 per eye. Anything cheaper and I would be concerned that you're not getting the latest technological laser treatment possible.

 

The prescription you described is a moderate one and you must have adequate corneal tissue (thickness) to achieve the best outcome. That's the first cut to determining whether you are even a candidate or not--your pachymetry readings. Hope that answers your question. For the right candidate and with the right surgeon, I think its a great choice. Good luck!

 

Having said all of this, I would recommend getting your wife a Hermes Birkin handbag instead with your tax refund

Sorry duplicate post

Hannibal,

DO IT! Don't wait even a month longer than necessary! As others said, it will truly be the BEST money you ever spent!

 

My twin sister and I both needed glasses by our 12th birthday. I spent 15 years having problems with contacts, trying every brand out there as my eyes seemed to have problems with ALL of them (I was the guy who carried contact solution around with him EVERYWHERE as it was never a question of "if" they would start giving me problems at night, but "when". However I HATED how I looked with glasses and always felt self-conscious wearing them, so I put up with them for years). When my sister was 25, she had it done and told me it was the best thing she ever did. Two years later after hearing her brag about it every time I saw her, I started doing research and decided to go with Diamond Vision in NYC (one of the best out there). I went in for the surgery on a Monday morning. Took about a minute per eye (if that), and when I sat up from the operating table not even 10 minutes later I remember being AMAZED because I could see a clock on the opposite wall (it was blurry, but I could SEE it). I went to bed immediately as suggested and woke up the next morning. Came downstairs with my eyes still feeling a little blurry and sore, and looked out our front window. In disbelief, I suddenly realized I was reading road signs a 1/4 mile down the street, that up until that morning (without glasses) would have just been blurry white squares in the distance.

 

The day after my surgery I was 20-30. A week after I was 20-20. I haven't worn a pair of glasses or contacts since the morning of the surgery. It was truly the best money I ever spent, and my only regret is that I didn't do it years earlier.

 

Good luck man! You wont regret it!

Having said all of this, I would recommend getting your wife a Hermes Birkin handbag instead with your tax refund

Haha....I'm starting to like you more and more!! That's some funny stuff right'er!

Haha....I'm starting to like you more and more!! That's some funny stuff right'er!

 

Eyedoc's good people.

My wife had it done years ago. She was terrified that if she lost her glasses in the middle of the night she wouldn't be able to help one of our kids if they were sick. That was 17 years ago. She swears by it and would do it again in a heartbeat