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- rarkai, on 10/12/2007, -1/+49Notice the doctor on the lasik at home add is still wearing glasses....
- oOLiquidNightOo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+35if you're on a tight budget, options are available:
http://www.lasikathome.com/ - dhakbar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Here's my anecdote:
Both of my parents received Lasik eye correction and they love it. Neither had any complications. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Eh, you'll be fine.
That's like saying, "Plane crashes kill everyone aboard, I'll drive instead," or, "People who drive seem to get into horrible accidents, I think I'll take a horse and buggy."
Lasik and other eye correction procedures are common place now, and have been for over a decade. Mishaps that are reported happen just the same over all kinds of surgeries. It's just media scare. - dbalaski, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Basic concepts of the article are understandable
-- I've never liked Contact lens in the first place..
But Lasik scares me even more -- as explained by a surgeon (who was head of the Blind Education Services for state gov.)... The eye lens is very fragile, clearer than crystal, and cutting it leaves a scar...... She also told me they have had clients in BSE with botched lasik...
For me -- I'll be safe and stick with glasses... - Acqua206, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12I've had CustomVue Lasik done. Its basically lasik but they can track your minute eye movements with a radar and the laser adjusts itself. I went from about 20/300 to 20/15, no *****. Don't go for the value laser job, i.e. $499 per eye. Its your friggin eyes guys..if theres one place you don't want to be a cheapskate on its this. Plus, you don't want the doctor to possibly treat you different cuz your picking the value pack.
I paid $1700 per eye, this is with lifetime corrections.
The procedure itself isn't that bad. They give you a pill during preop to calm you down. They then set you down on a table and believe it or not, they give you a stuff animal to hold on to. It helps more than you think. They clamp your eyes open(think Clockwork Orange), its not that bad as they lubricate your eyes. They then put some kind of suction thing on your eyes and your vision blacks out. They then use that suction thing which has a blade attached to slice your cornea?. they remove the suction thing and flip the flap over. You then focus on the red light and you hear a series of zaps. They swap your eyeball then and flip the flap back over. They then squeegee your eyeballs, and thats exactly what you'll be seeing, similar to water running over a window. Repeat for other eyeball. Afterwards everything was a bit fuzzy but I could read the clock. I was 20/20 a week after surgery. After the last checkup(1 month), my vision was 20/15. It took a couple weeks for my vision to stabalize but it finally did. It was annoying sometimes with the different rates of healing i.e. my left eyes vision was more crisp that the right for a while but it balanced out.
DO LASIK. I could never go back to contacts/glasses again. You have no idea how liberating it is. Its the best $4k I ever spent. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
If anyones in seattle, I got mine done w/ King and Molkavak? eye center. - ArchieAndrews, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12I had glasses / contacts for at least 30 years and got lasik about 3 years ago. I am sorry it took me so long to do it.
I can understand people's squeamishness towards the procedure but it really is a well established operation. It took a little over half an hour to do both eyes and the discomfort was minimal, I was back at work the next day. I paid around 3500CAD for both eyes. I am sure you can get cheaper but the thought of handing over my eyes to the lowest bidder never really seemed that smart to me.
The only side effects I noted were reduced night vision (cleared up after about 6 months), halos or startbursts (but anyone with glasses and/or contacts has dealt with these all their life as a byproduct of not wearing correction or wearing dirty correction) and my "macro" vision is now gone. Previously, when I removed my glasses, I had spectacular macro vision for small or close objects. Now, I can't focus inside of about 6 inches.
I would do it again in a heartbeat. - bradgab, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Do your research before getting Lasik. Don't buy into the $299 an eye deal. The last place you want to start cutting costs is on your eyes.
There's nothing cooler than waking up in the morning and for the first time in 25 years, looking over and being able to read the alarm clock. I had Lasik and I recommend it to anyone. Painless procedure and back to work the next day.
I went from not being able to make out words on a stop sign from 15 feet to 20/10 vision in 30 minutes. I can see things now that I've never seen. And no, I'm not an opthamologist. - Drumrboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6if anyone had a neg. experiance, they probably couldnt read this and wouldnt be able to respond ;)
- RandomSkratch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Yeah and something about watching that blade pass over the eye and seeing the eyeball squish and then the flap just hangs there...*shudder*.. oh man I think I'm going to be sick..
/me likes his glasses - xocomil, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6My anecdote:
My wife had the new "Intra-Lasik" (I think that's what it's called). They gave her a lifelong guarantee that if her vision ever gets worse than 20/50 they'll correct it for free (as long as she has enough cornea to do it). She loves it and now she sees better than me! DAMMIT!! - Akaji, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Chances are, if the impact of your face hitting the ground is strong enough to *shatter* your glasses, you've got other things to worry about than just glass in your eye...
- realchris, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"My eye doctor passionately hates the treatment."
You mean the guy who won't get any more money from you if you get the treatment... - psyon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4They can do the procedure now without any blades at all.
- rodrigo74, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I went through Lasik surgery a couple of months ago, and it was the best decision I've taken in my life. After 2 months I still catch myself amazed with the fact that I don't need glasses anymore, after all I'd been using glasses (and thick ones) as far as I can remember. Simply amazing how such a quick surgery (the procedure itself took less than 10 minutes) can change our life so dramatically.
Are there risks? Of course, but then again there's risk everywhere, and many higher than the 0.3% chance of something going wrong with the Lasik, which afaik is the current statistic. I think it's all about cost-benefit, for those with huge vision limitations as I had (-6), it's an acceptable risk. Just be sure to choose the best doctor you can, don't go for discounts on something so serious. - jjk5, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I use Focus Night & Day contact lenses, where I wear them continuosly for a month. I'll put up with that for now until Lasik has been around for a bit longer. Still has that "experiemental" feel for some reason, despite how long they've been doing it. Also, I read that it cripples you ability to see well at night. Can anyone confirm this? That would be a deal breaker for me.
- Yez70, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I paid $1800 for both eyes about 5 years ago, although I did not have my astigmitism corrected. Prices are higher in most areas, but I found a great deal in L.A. when I lived in Cali - with a doctor who had over 10,000 procedures performed. My vision is better than 20/20 now. I do have the same astigmatic halos I had before with contacts. It's something I was already dealing with so it was no big deal. I could go get some eyeglasses for driving at night, if I drove, but I don't.
I was about 480/20 vision before - without contacts or glasses. I could not read a newspaper at arms length. I think I was -4.75 and -5.25 on my eyes - been awhile. I had worn glasses for over 25 years.
The first year my eyes were dry and I used eyedrops a lot, but since then it's purely amazing. I wake up and can see - for those with no vision problems, this is hard to describe. It's unexplainable to have your vision back - all the time.
I would recommend it to anyone, and I suggest you pay the extra $1000 to have the astigmitism corrected too if necessary. It's safe, has been around for over 15 years and saves you more than just the costs of glasses, contacts, checkups, cleaning solutions - it saves you time and lets you enjoy life again, like when you were a child. - mrcan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Be ware of the manipulations of statistics.
- Kallius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The downside of Lasik is that it removes material from your cornea permanently. In order to fix a "botched" Lasik job, the surgeon must remove more material from the eye.
I had looked into Lasik last year. Unfortunately, my prescription was strong (~ -10 diopter in each eye) and my cornea was too thin for the surgeon to recommend the surgery. Instead, I ended up getting implantable contact lenses.
Downside? About 2-3X more expensive than Lasik.
Upside? Healing time was about 1 week per eye, no need for drops etc. after that (unlike Lasik, where you may need to use artificial tears for months or even years). Because the lenses are in a semi-liquid form, only tiny incisions are necessary, and if anything goes wrong, any trained opthamologist can remove them (therefore the procedure is reversible, unlike Lasik).
I have had ICL's for nearly 1.5 years and I love them. Considering I've worn glasses since I was four years old (and I'm quite a bit older than that!), it's been a real blessing. - Cozmcphish, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Is it just me or did this description of Lasik sound like that scene from the movie "Fire in the Sky"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCzNrAyjBMU - mandarin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3They're uncomfortable. I hate the idea of putting those things on every day. Might as well get it over with if you can afford Lasik.
- humblepatience, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3digg+
How much is Lasik surgery anyways? Has anyone had it?
I got contacts this year after wearing them since high school and I barely wear them because most of the time I'm at work and it doesn't matter - they are kind of a bitch, but an awesome invention - frednofr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm sure I'm not the only one who know many people that have had Lasik, and 100% of them are satisfied.
- rnelsonee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2About $2,200 an eye. Some of my friends have had it, and all of them pleased with it. One guy had halos at night for a while, not sure if they're 100% gone yet, but he's still glad he got it done.
- bglodde, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2A lot of pseudo doctors treat this like you're buying a car. If you consider it, definitely spend the extra $ for a good optometrist who has had the operation him/herself. I visited what I perceived as a "discount" LASIK factory - cheap but my gut instinct was bad, so I backed out. About 4 months ago, I visited a real optometrist and went through with it. Couldn't have been easier, in about 20mins (plus 3hrs rest) I could see and now have 20/20 vision. I wore glasses since I was 8 yrs old and now don't need anything, even for reading. I'd highly recommend the surgery but be sure you have the right person on the other end of the laser! Mine was $3000US - I also had CustomVue
- Coffeedemon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Anyone able to comment on the strength of prescriptions they'll do? I have -6 in one eye and -4 in the other so thats a fairly strong correction. Or is it simply a matter of me having enough cornea to get it done? I am sick of contacts and glasses after 22 years or so.
- bclawhammer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm definitely interested in the surgery, but as a recent college grad, there's no way in hell I can afford it. Also, if it affects my night-time vision, I'll surely have to consider other options.
- Malarky22, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2There is no question that LASIK has helped a lot of vision, and that the complication rate is low. However, think of you would feel if you were one of the patients who had blurred vision or ruined night vision? There is no way to transplant an eye yet.
The healing time is quick, but you need to avoid any eye trauma for a year-can ruin the healing of the flap. Most places will offer revisions up to a year by just lifting up the corneal flap, without having to cut a new one.
As a friend of mine said (an opththalmologist)-"There is a cure for what you have (nearsightednss)....GLASSES." Also, most people have to wear reading glasses anyway when they get older, even after LASIK.
One last point-LASIK is technically damaging healthy tissue. Most surgeries are done because there is a problem, usually to remove or fix something. With LASIK, healthy cornea is being cut and shaved. There is still no long term data whether there is a downside to this. - herculez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Just to put the other side out there...
LASIK surgery ruined my eyes:
http://www.salon.com/mwt/col/tenn/2006/08/29/lasik/index.html - dbloodnok, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm considering LASIK at the moment. I've worn monthly, take-out-at-night contact lenses for about 7 years. They're not bad, but the inconvenience of taking them out each night and putting them in the morning sucks, especially if you're out camping.
Recently I trialed a set of lenses you keep in for the entire month. Apparently they let in more than enough oxygen (my current ones dont). I ended the trial with an eye infection, so I went back to my old ones. I'm trying to work up the balls to get my eyes sliced and burned. - bradgab, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If you're considering it, use a health savings account and do it tax free. Check out a local bank or your employer if you're unfamiliar with one.
Tax free baby! - Ganpachi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I see all of these "yeah, sure, the study was sponsered by lasik" comments, but has anyone here had any negative experiences?
I am really thinking of doing this since I have been wearing glasses since the age of seven and can only see about four inches in front of my face before it gets blurry. - freeboarder1402, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2do you know what your eyes feel like with contacts when you're tired....I'll stick w/glasses
- roadtrippy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I had LASIK surgery two years ago.
Imagine my surprise and a wee bit of hesitation when the directions my eye doctor gave me led me to a parking lot with a huge black eighteen wheeler that had "Lasik Vision Institute" written on the side of it! Yes, I had surgery on one of my body's most critical organs performed in the back of a semi trailer.
I'll have to say though, it's been the best $1,600 dollars I've ever spent. I went from not being able to read a highway billboard sign if somebody smacked me with one to 20/20 vision. I'm sure prices are a lot lower now too. - Arrakistor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I used the OrthoK lenses about in 1997 or so. They actually do work to a great degree. But the lenses never make your eye stay that shape and they were very hard thick lenses. They were approximately 6x as thick as normal contact lenses. Unfortunately, you always have to wear them again. What is the point of only having to wear your very uncomfortable contacts 2 days a week? I tried the Day & Nights disposables, but found I would always get some sort of irritation in the right eye, and my eyes would constantly be dry or sensitive.
I gave up and went back to glasses.
Fortunately I had the money to seek out professional advice about lasik. I visited many opthamologists and optometrists who spoke vehemently against lasik, sighting corrupt doctors who would take off their glasses when consulting with patients. Another thing I never heard the end of is "cool laser" which somehow implies that it isn't explosively vaporizing soft corneal tissues. I built lasers as a hobby, so I am always surprised when I see that word association pop up.
The doctors advised me to wait a decade to see what happens.
-4.0 in both eyes with 0.25 cyl ast. - Y0tsuya, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I remember playing a softball game from way back where the guy trying to catch a pop fly missed and the ball smacked into his face instead. Shattered his glasses and the shards went into the eye socket. It's a miracle they missed the eyeball itself. From that point on I specify plastic lenses only. I've had ground balls pop up and hit my face more than once.
- FormerEnigma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No one has mentioned a very interesting alternative:
OrthoKeratology (Ortho-K)
This uses special hard contact lenses that are worn while you sleep to help temporarily re-mold the cornea to the proper shape for 20/20 vision. It is about as safe as contact lenses and is completely reversible. The effects seem to last 24-72 hrs or so. Supposedly there is new technology on the horizon to wake one 8-hour wearing/remolding session last up to 2 weeks. I have not had this done, but am seriously considering it. Seriously, if LASIK was so safe and good, then why do so many optometrists and opthalmologists still wear glasses?
Pro:
- completely reversible
- cheaper than lasik (about 1000-2000 USD)
- no dry eye side effect that can occur with LASIK/LASEK/etc
- when you get older, you can stop using the lenses and let natural presbyopia counteract myopia. (with LASIK, you need to get reading glasses)
Cons:
- you still need to wear lenses, though much time than contacts
- effects last only as long as you use the lenses
- more expensive than plain contacts
- good for up to -6 diopters maximum and about 1 cylinder of astigmatism. - brundlefly76, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I did it about 4 years ago and didnt take any chances - I went to the best clinic I could find, which was in Montreal (I lived in California), and paid a premium for advanced Lasik.
Unfortunately it did not take, and I still needed a mild prescription, so I had to have it re-done, which is riskier because you have to re-lift the flap, so they only do one eye at a time in case something goes wrong (read: 3 cross-country trips).
After the last eye was re-done, they found a a mild fold on my eye which may have caused serious problems and had to be monitored, but it was fine - very scary though. Now my vision is 20/20 and I love it. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I just had to quit wearing contacts for a month because I had developed scratching of the corneas (kerititus), not a whole lot of fun... I asked the opthamologist if it was indeed true that lasik was safer than contacts, and he confirmed the fact, at least as far as complications that are likely... I will probably get lasik done in a few years, because it is a hassle dealing with contacts/glasses..
- ZenMojo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My vision was written down as 40/50 and 35/40 when I first got glasses. I guess that's the equivalent of 20/25 and 20/22.9. It's fuzzy (my astigmatism), but I can make out what things are -- I just can't read letters.
My main concern isn't how this would work with my astigmatism but more how this would work with my nightvision and myopia. I can currently focus at one inch and see fairly well at about two-to-three candle illumination. I don't know if I can give that up until they make lasik a bit more advanced. - phlogiston99, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't think it's the math that's fuzzy.
One in 100 will get an eye infection over 30 years. Assuming that vision loss is a serious complication of the infection, that one percent getting an infection gets a 5% chance to have complication and vision loss. Because that's one in 20 (2000 / 100), and 1/20 = 0.05 (=5%)
But you can make statistics lie about anything, and this kind of number mashing does not mean ***** anyway: when you only have one chance in 10,000 to get botched lasik that makes you blind, when it actually gets botched, you can feel happy for the remaining 9,999 others laughing at you, because statistics don't work that way. 100% of people blinded by botched lasik agree with me.
Furthermore, you have to probe the cases of the ones wearing lenses, getting an infection and serious complications causing blindness. Factor in all the other external elements leading to the complication and comparing it to your life. (general health, hygiene habits, care of lenses/eyes in general, doctor treatment, predisposition to complication like age, diabetes, weakened immune system, etc)
Personally, I can't wear contacts, I can't get lasik either (and would not anyway)
So I'll keep wearing my space age material glasses. (plastic) - blixel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My anecdote:
My wife recently had "high definition lasik surgery" performed by Dr. Konrad Filutowski (supposed to be one of the best lasik surgeons in the world) ... she loves it. She has perfect vision now. I don't wear glasses or contacts, but I do have a very *slight* prescription. So her eyesight is actually better than mine now. - geeky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Okay here's what I don't like about the article (the big FALLACY). It ASSUMES that people do not take care of their contact lenses and therefore are prone to get eye infections, corneal ulcers and the like. However surgery still carries a lot more risk than wearing contacts.
With regard to surgery you are altering your eyes permanently and therefore any damage done by surgery (typically that’s about 5% - 10% chance of damage occurring during surgery), even minute damage due to the procedure. A patient will have to live this impairment for the rest of their life.
There is a difference with contact lenses however. If you get an infection, you will discontinue use for a period of time. During this time you follow-up with treatment (medication). When your eyes are healthy again you will be able to continue wearing contact lenses.
BOTTOM Line:
If you wear contact lenses, keep them clean and sterile. Most importantly have your eyes checked annually (at minimum) by an eye doctor.
Surgery carries enormous risk and is highly recommended for people with severe vision problems. Not everyone is good candidate for surgery however the marketing of these procedures tends to suggest the opposite message. - tastypastry, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Thats my concern too, I have really bad vision. I'll stick with glasses and contacts for a long time. Plus I would like to see what the long term affects of this surgery are.
- theOster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i like the little wisp of smoke :)
- armbar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Eye infections from your contacts are probably from not cleaning them, or wearing them while you're asleep. Same thing happened to my brother.
- nkthen, on 02/26/2008, -0/+1lasik is definitely better and safer than contact lens
http://www.eyes4lasik.com - alarmclockasdf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Fuzzy math in article, or am I stupid?
Lets see:
risk of contacts = chance of infection * chance of infection resulting in vision loss
Plug in data from article:
1/200000 = (1/100) * (1/2000)
Chance of Lasik problems, from article:
1/10000
1/10000 > 1/200000
Am I missing something here? Read what it says below:
The article says:
contact lens wearers face a 1- in-100 risk of developing a serious lens-related eye infection over 30 years of use and a 1-in-2,000 chance of experiencing dramatic loss of vision loss as a result
and
Lasik surgery leading to significant vision loss is about 1-in-10,000 - thyarcher, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have gone through this procedure and am very pleased with the results. The contacts take a little to get used to because they are the hard lenses, but once you do, the results are very good. Using them, I get a little better than 20/20. For others, more information can be found here:
http://ortho-k.net/ - RandomEngy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm in Seattle and thinking about LASIK; I'll check those guys out. I assume http://www.kmlasik.com/ is what you mean?
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