(This can probably be posted somewhere else, right?... )
Anyway, so I have had glasses since the second grade, and my eyesight has gotten increasingly worse as I am getting older. I am currently at R: -4.75, and L: -5.50... but... I am due for another eye dr appointment, and my glasses have been blurry for quite some time now, so I know I will only need a stronger prescription. Sometimes glasses dont bother me.... Until I have to go somewhere nice and dont feel like "looking smart", or I dont want to blindly search for them in the morning when they fall off my nightstand.... I can keep going with the reasons I hate them. I have worn contacts, but they dry the crap out of my eyes!
Ive always told myself that my graduation gift from nursing school (MAY 2010!.... Yeah, I have some time left....) will be Lasik eye surgery!... But, I was just looking up reviews on it and information, and its really scary!... I know that MOST surgeries go well. But I feel like if something were to happen to my eyes.... IF I were to go blind or have permanent damage, how could I live with myself for that? The benefits outweigh the risks, I feel... but, I just dont see how I could ever live a happy life if, on the off chance, my sight was permanently damaged.
I just wanted to know if anyone has ever had Lasik, heard of stories, opinions.... Anything..... Its really hard to decide something like this when you hear any type of horror story. I feel like its a vanity issue--- Glasses are doable, just really annoying most of the time... So... Am I vain enough to want to sacrifice my eyesight so that I'll never have to wear glasses again?
My dad had glasses since he was a young child, and had horrible vission-couldn't see ANYTHING without them really. Then about 6 years ago he had Lasik. It worked amazingly! The first few weeks he was so excited he wanted to read everything out loud just to prove he could see it now. I admit it was kinda funny seeing him without the glasses, even now sometimes when he's over to visit I will look up and think to myself "What happened to his glasses?" then luckily I remember that he doesn't have them anymore before I make the mistake of asking :imbar...my family is big on making fun of dumb questions...
I had the surgery exactly one year ago! I am SO HAPPY that I got it done. If my eyesight kept worsening, it was very likely that I'd be considered "legally blind" in a number of years (I'm only 26).
Now I see 20/15 and better than I ever did with contacts/glasses!
I researched different doctors for several years and spoke with their patients before making my decision. I opted to go for the more expensive but customized Intralase surgery (laser to cut the cornea.... no blades).
Sure, my eyes are drier than they were before, but cheap eye drops take care of that.
I know that one day I'll have to at least wear reading glasses, but I'm fine with that.
I can see the time on my clock and see where I'm going at the beach/pool.... just basic things that I haven't been able to do since I was around 5 years old :redpinkhe
Go get a consult, they're free.... and try to get info. from patients on finding a reputable doctor. Good luck!
This is a great question! I just went yesterday to have my eyes checked for more contacts and more glasses. I have been wanting Lasix too for a few years and now that I am finished nursing school I can start to look into it more. I would love to wake up in the morning and instantly see the clock or TV without searching for my glasses. I will be going for an consultation soon.
I had Lasek (similar to PRK) done this past June. If I had to do it over again I would pick a different clinic. I think I was suckered into paying $200 for punctal plugs (they claimed my eyes were dry and needed more moisture before surgery, which now that I think of it seems odd, I am constantly wiping tears from the corners of my eyes, always had that problem). I was treated like crap before, during, and after the surgery. I lost my near vision, which sucks. I can't see my armpits clearly to shave them and need to use a magnifiying mirror to pluck my eyebrows, and I'm only 37 (had perfect near vision before surgery). I don't think I ended up with 20/20 vision but I'm not sure because the jerky doctors that did the procedure never told me what I ended up with! That being said, I know several people that have had Lasik and were happy. You get what you pay for, that was the lesson I learned. My vision was -3.75 before surgery.
My husband and I both had the surgery about 8 years ago. We both wear glasses again but a much lower prescription. I wear them for driving and when I really need sharp vision but for the most part I can watch TV, etc without them. It wasn't perfect but it was money well spent for us just to be able to see the alarm clock without glasses!
I had it done and I technically have 20/20 vision right now. I also have problems with dry eyes and its a bit annoying. I have a bit of astigmatism left (about .5 I'm told). This was fine except when I'm reading (which I love to do). Whenever I tried to read anything, book, magazine, ect, my eyes would get extremely tired as they tried to focus the image and I also got headaches. I had to get a pair of glasses to correct my astigmatism and my eyes get less tired now, but still tired a bit (maybe from the dryness).
Now the positive part is that my vision is much better w/out glasses. I can see in the morning. I can drive without glasses. So I don't know if I totally regret it or not. I can always go back and get my eye corrected for the astigmatism that is left, but I was told that the chances of complication for correction is about double (4%) which to me, is a bit more risky.
I recommend looking into PRK. There is no risk of dislodging the flap (as there is no incision.) However, the recovery time is much longer, but from what I hear it is safer. My friend in the miltary got PRK done. He told me that thats the only kind of laser correction that they would allow due to it being safer (more impact resistent I guess.)
I had Lasik done last year after I completed my pre-reqs. It was the best decision ever. The price was competely out of my range but I paid in installments and have no regrets whatsoever. My vision was -5.25 and -5.75. I had glasses since 2nd grade and contacts and glasses til I was 35. My eyes were killing me between studying, working and lack of sleep. My contacts always made my eyes feel dry and would burn in the mornings when putting them back in because of not much sleep. I cannot say enough about the freedom you will feel starting the very next day. Definately the best thing I ever did.
I had Lasik just about a year ago. It still is overwhelming sometimes to realize that I don't need to go put my contacts on in the morning... I've had glasses since the fourth grade, wore contacts since I was 13. Sometimes I wake up at night and can read the alarm clock on my husband's side of the bed and am just amazed.
As far as the details - I think the price is totally worth it if you think about how much money you spend on contacts, solution, eye exams, glasses, etc. over the course of just a couple of years it is paid for. And most places now are offering lifetime guarantees, so if you think your vision isn't perfect, just go in and ask for a checkup, and they'll tell you if you are eligible for re-adjustment...
As you can probably tell, I am a huge fan of the Lasik procedure... the only complications I've had are what others have said - halos at night, which are getting better, and the occasional dry eyes if I've, say been working a 16 hour shift. Okay, sorry for the lengthy post, I guess I just can't see why you wouldn't want to do it!!
And I loveee the "Lasix" comment by the way, did I mention that as I was typing my original post, I wrote out "Lasix" and said.. Oh no wait!, and then corrected myself... lol.
I have never heard of PRK, but I will definately look further into that now. A lot of you sound just like me... who have been wearing your glasses forever and it just gets sickening after a while!... I want to be able to do things without them, see the alarm clock at night, not have to wipe my glasses because its raining outside, not have them get fogged up.... I cant even see a foot in front of me without having my glasses on. Honestly, after reading all your posts, I think that Lasik (Holy crap, I just wrote out LASIX again... which reminds me, I have to go study lol) is a really good option for me. The price of the procedure isnt an issue for me.. I would probably get it done right now even though Im not making a nurses salary yet (and am a poor college student...), but I want to wait at least another year or two so my eyes can become more so stabilized. I dont care how much I have to pay, because being able to not wear glasses is priceless! And yes, realizing that I may still need glasses now or reading glasses later on is a good thing to point out, but... right now I will be wearing glasses for the rest of my life, so if I have to wear glasses "sometimes" or when I'm 40 then so be it. But right now, I am only 20 years old, and darn it, I dont want to wear glasses all the time.
I really think I am going to start looking into it further right now, and hopefully in the summer when I have even more time, I will make even more progress with it. How long did it take everyone to decide on a doctor?... And how do I find a doctor in my area that I know wont butcher my eyes?... Im trusting them with my eyesight, thats a scary thing. ..... Hopefully by May 2010, My glasses will be in the garbage!....:heartbeat
)
) will be Lasik eye surgery!... But, I was just looking up reviews on it and information, and its really scary!... I know that MOST surgeries go well. But I feel like if something were to happen to my eyes.... IF I were to go blind or have permanent damage, how could I live with myself for that? The benefits outweigh the risks, I feel... but, I just dont see how I could ever live a happy life if, on the off chance, my sight was permanently damaged. 
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..... Hopefully by May 2010, My glasses will be in the garbage!....:heartbeat
SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN
10,263 Posts
I had it and it's fabulous.
Your doctor needs to tell you if you're a candidate for it, though. Not all vision problems can be corrected with it.