Lasik Surgery

by StinkyPantz 36 Replies latest jw friends

  • Ratboy
    Ratboy

    Also, some good questions to ask your eye doctor is how many have they performed, how long they have performed i, and what thier sucess rate is. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. A lot of people go to Canada (short drive from here) to get LASIK done, includes 2 nights at a hotel for cheaper than you would get it done here. If you do, you are up the creek without a paddle if something goes wrong.

  • drwtsn32
    drwtsn32

    BigTex,

    Generally speaking, PRK is more painful than LASIK. Supposedly you have more of that "sand in your eye" feeling after surgery, and recovery takes weeks not days. Obviously your experience shows that's not a hard-and-fast rule.

    LASIK does cut the cornea unlike PRK, but they use a very precise instrument to do it (a microkeratome). The odds that something will go wrong are extremely low. The process of getting the flap cut painless.

    I guess it comes down to what the eye doc recommends based on your specific eyes.

  • drwtsn32
    drwtsn32

    I found this site which does a quick comparison of PRK and LASIK.

  • LittleToe
    LittleToe

    As has already been shown by this small section of the community, there's variety in how your body reacts to surgery.

    As was also brought up, the lens in your eye eventually starts to become less flexible, causing reading problems as many people age (usually starts to become noticable after 40).

    One of the things that finally swung it for me was seeing my dad struggle with bi-focals (I inherited the same standard of eyesight from him). I can probably expect to need glasses for reading some time in my 50's (if he is anything to go by) but to my mind that's infinitely better than needing them for both.

    The surgery is permanant, and few people need a top-up, though that is often provided as part of the surgery cost, during the first year of aftercare.

    -6.00 diopters (which was approximately my pre-op measurement) is equal to 20/800.
    -0.25 diopters (which is approximately my post-op meanurement in my worst eye) is better than 20/25.

  • Princess
    Princess
    A lot of people go to Canada (short drive from here) to get LASIK done, includes 2 nights at a hotel for cheaper than you would get it done here. If you do, you are up the creek without a paddle if something goes wrong.

    That isn't true. I went to Canada because it was 1/4 of the cost. The clinic has an office in Bellevue, WA as well as Surrey BC so any problems are addressed locally. I did have to go back to Canada to have "enhancement" surgery. It wasn't a big deal, however, if you have to travel far to get there, you might want to reconsider.

  • Alana
    Alana

    Boy, do I feel "old" and "out-dated"......I had RK surgery about 11 years ago. I worked for the eye surgeon, so I actually was able to get the procedure for free......and I truly trusted him, as he was a perfectionist. I was down in Houston and he learned the procedure from the pioneers in RK surgery. At that time the laser surgeries were not yet FDA approved. I didn't miss any work and LOVE not having the glasses or contacts anymore, although I know that I may need glasses as I age, for the unrelated changes in your eyes as you age. After the surgery my vision was 20/15 and 20/20......however, I got a papercut on my eye (yeah, I know.....dumb, isn't it? I didn't blink fast enough, I guess) and so my vision is not a sharp anymore in that eye. :-( My night driving isn't good, but it wasn't good before that, so I don't think the surgery made that much difference. Now, with the laser options, I'm sure it's much better. Just be sure you check references and know the reputation of the surgeon....you only have one set of eyes.

    ~"Alana"

  • Netty
    Netty

    My friend went to have it done, she said she could hear and FEEL the doctor ripping her eye. She said he got nervous, and said he could not finish the procedure. She asked why, he said his scalpal was dull, had not been sharpened. Yup, her tore here eye with a dull scalpel. She went to another opthamalogist, and he checked her out, said there was no permanent damage. But, to this day she still wears glasses, she wont chance it again.

  • drwtsn32
    drwtsn32

    Geez Netty, that's horrible! Fortunately I don't think *anyone* does corrective eye surgery with a scalpel any more. Computer-controlled lasers are the only way to go.

  • AGuest
    AGuest

    Okay, so I'm like 20/800 (blind) in one eye and 20/500 (can't see out of) the other. My contacts are -7.00 and -6.50... when Wal-Mart has them in stock... and half the time my vision's still blurry. And I must, of course, wear reading glasses (of various sundry styles). So what'dya think? Should I go for it?

    A regular Coke-bottle-bottom-baby (who started out way back in the '60's with the proverbial baby blue "cat" glasses), and slave of Christ...

    SJ, who just dropped in momentarily to see what folks were "up" to these days... and say howdy...

  • DanTheMan
    DanTheMan

    My vision is really bad, and a big part of the problem is that I have keratoconus which is a severe thinning of the corneal tissue, resulting in a cone-shaped cornea. Because of this none of the current procedures are an option for me.

    But I don't mind, people think you're smarter when you wear glasses. LOL

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