# Considering Lasik surgery



## sarahbobarah (Sep 5, 2005)

Hi guys, for those who know me from TPT forum, my year of glasses is up, and I'm looking into getting lasik soon. :suspiciou Does anyone have any experience or knowledge to share with me?

Cost? Pain? Time off work?

Thanks for any help.


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## avijitsen (Oct 28, 2006)

Hi Sarah,

For a minute I thought I was in the wrong web site!. Well am a newbie on this site and been searching for more info on GW and thats when I saw ur thread.
To answer ur query about Lasik surgery...................no problems with it at all. I had a high number of -6.0. Had got mine done in Aug 2000. Still all well and no glasses except the ones I use when driving at night or on the computer which is an anti glare zero number spectacles.
Cost: In Indian Rupees 32,000/- or USD 680/-
Pain: Depends on what is the degree of pain u can take. For me it was like a pin prick in the eyes till it lasted (for only about 5 mins each eye) Day 1/2/3 are a lil tough as ur eyes are constantly watering.
Time off work: It was a Saturday when I did my lasik, Monday I was working like normal.

Hope this is of some assistance and I do not face flak from the moderators for replying to this non-fish/plant query!!

Take care & all the best

Avijit


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

A coworker got his eyes done a few months ago. He had it done on a Friday and was back to work on Monday. It was through Scott Hyver Vision (the Dr who did Bill Walsh and a number of other local sports figures).

I think he told me it was close to $5K to get both eyes done. And it's elective surgury so not covered by most insurance plans (not that most vision plans cover diddly-squat anyway).


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

avijitsen said:


> Hope this is of some assistance and I do not face flak from the moderators for replying to this non-fish/plant query!!Avijit


No need to worry Avijit, this is "The water bucket", so any type of non-plant conversation is fine here as long as it's not offensive. 

Sarah, I've also heard good things about the surgery. Keep us posted on how you like it if you go ahead with it.


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## rey (Jul 4, 2005)

Check the wikipedia entry on lasik.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

I have first hand experience with Lasik.

Three years ago I had both eyes corrected at the age of 18. Most people would say that is too young but it has been one of the best things to happen to me.

Really it wasn't that bad considering what they do, the whole cutting the eye thing. They give you some medication before hand that basically makes you not give a crap what happens. I took the max dosage they could give and was pretty darn calm. All that happens is you stare at a little red light, they tape your eyes open, everything goes super blurry while they make the cut, few seconds of laser treatment, and you're basically done. My surgery lasted MAYBE five minutes in the room.

Before I sat down they had me try to read a clock. I responded "what clock?". My eyesite was VERY bad and almost to the point contacts wouldn't work. Immediately after surgery I sat up from the table and read the clock clearly. 30 minutes later my vision was better than 20/20. My left eye is slightly worse than 20/20 and my right eye is now spot on. Doctor said it would be like that for many years to come.

Cost - Roughly $2500 per eye after parent's insurance. 

Pain - The next few days after the surgery isn't painful, more uncomfortable. Remember you just had your EYE's operated on. I experience extreme dryness which was pretty annoying and sometimes hurt. I had to wear these goofy goggles to keep from rubbing my eye. That's the biggest thing, DO NOT RUB YOUR EYES. After a week they felt pretty normal.The worst side effect is at night when bright lights. I do get some of that "star" shape coming from them. I've learned to live with it.

I had to take a week off work. Couldn't risk having oil splatter in my eye (was a cook) and air conditioning would of made me miserable.

Overall it really isn't that bad. If you can take a little pain for a long time of good eyesight, go for it. Even those I was just barely old enough to have it done my eyes are still great. Your experience could be completely different. Not sure how technology has advanced in those three years. The doctor told me each person responds very differently. Some have chronic dry eye, others the surgery reverses in a matter of weeks, and some absolutely no side effects. Don't forget the whole possibly being blinded thing (something to consider).


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

> Some have chronic dry eye


About how often does that happen? I have chronic dry eye unrelated to contacts and believe me, it's bad news.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

No idea what the occurance is. He just said "it's a possible side effect" or something along those lines.

Somewhat of a good article.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I'm 44 and I've been wearing contacts for years (myopia - shortsighted), the last five years or so using daily contacts. The original correction was -2.25 in one eye and -1.75 in the other.

A couple of years ago I noticed that I was having slight problems reading. Text would appear very small and difficult to read and I had to hold the text further away to be able to read. Note that without wearing correction I have absolutely no problem reading... I'm not at all farsighted.

This got progressively worse: while distance vision was corrected perfectly, problems continued for reading, especially small text that I had no problem reading without the contacts (or glasses).

I went and saw my ophthalmologist and here's what he explained. Initially, the eye/brain has no problem adapting for the correction of myopia when reading or looking at small detail closeup. However, with age, the eye gets less capable of making this adaptation so while the myopia correction still works perfectly for seeing things at a distance it causes problems for seeing small detail closeup even though your close vision is perfect without correction.

What he did was reduce the correction in one eye from -1.75 to -1.00. This allows the eye/brain to make the adjustment better from far to near vision. It does make a huge difference and I have a lot less problems than before.

At about this time I was also considering laser surgery. After this learning experience I started wondering: if I permanently correct my myopia with laser surgery it's a similar effect to wearing permanent correction. So will I have the same problem seeing detail with things near?

My ophthalmologist (he does laser surgery) hummed and hawed and couldn't really give me a good answer so I went and got a second opinion for an ophthalmologist who doesn't perform eye surgery. He told me he has seen this type of problem, specifically with a lady who after correcting her myopia, now needs to wear reading glasses to see things well closeup...

I didn't research further as I can live perfectly fine with the daily contact lenses. So I haven't checked any other sources of information on this and it may not be a prevalent problem.

Just something that someone considering the surgery should check up on/investigate...

I do have several friends who've had the surgery and love the results, with absolutely no issues as described above so maybe I just have strange eyeballs  (on the other hand they are in their thirties so younger than me).

If someone does investigate this issue more deeply, I'd be curious to know the results.


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## werner (Jul 6, 2006)

Also had it done a couple years ago and would wholeheartedly recommend it (best money I ever spent!) No pain, but there is quite a bit of pressure for a few seconds. Your sight is improved instantly, but with a bit of "vaseline" vision for a few hours. I was cleared to drive the next morning.

I also had some dryness that lasted for a while. Apparently this happens because cutting the flap cuts some of the nerves in the surface of the eye which signal that tear production is needed.

I paid about C$2000 for LASIK on both eyes. Now you can also get intraLASIK (laser cut flap instead of by microkeratome) which is an additional charge. Gimbel Eye Centre

Go for it! Just be sure to find a reputable doctor/clinic and avoid the cheapie discount places.


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

I had lasik done about 6 years ago, and it was the best thing I've ever done. I was nearly legally blind before, and now my vision is 20/10-better than 20/20! I was fine the next day. I had astigmatism that's why my vision was so bad. The only thing negative I can say that there is slight glaring at night, but nothing extrordinary. If you have the money go for it. You'll be glad you did.


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## ShortFin (Jan 13, 2006)

I was wearing contacts before I had mine done 6 years ago. It was when they still cut the flap to fix the eyes. My vision went from -400 and -425 to 20/15.

Cost? 
edit: I edited the total price. The original post's price was too high. I remember giving my sister half, which is $700 to help her pay for it.

The total cost was $1500. Don't be fool by the advertise price of a low price. That price is for people with -100 or below vision.

You will need to buy special eye drop medication after the surgery. It will cost around $50.


Pain?
No pain at all. They will drop some medicine to get your eyes dilated before the surgery. There's a little discomfort when they clamp your eye open to do the laser. Eventually, your clamped eye's vision will black out in order for them to work on it. There was a burnt smell when they work on my eyes, but my sister claim she didn't detect any smell when she has her done the day before.

Time off work?
I did it on a Saturday and was back to work on Monday. There will be 3 follow-up session, so you might need to take some time off work for it.

Side Affect?
It depends on the individual. I see halos and starburst after the surgery. They went away a month or two later. Older people might need reading glasses after the surgery. My co-worker did, she is over 50. 

I can't see things within 10 inches clearly anymore. This kinda sucks because I like to get really close to the aquarium glass to see those micro-organism. But not needing glasses/contacts to see and drive is well worth it.

Side note..
You will need someone to drive you after the surgery. Your vision will be like looking under water. I just went to sleep afterward. You will need to keep water out of your eyes when showering. I bought swimming goggles for that. Not the tiny ones, but the ones that look like what scuba divers uses. It will be much more comfortable. Or you can forget about the goggles and just close your eyes.

Edit:
Oh I forget to add...Everything seems brighter after it was done.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

ShortFin said:


> ... Older people might need reading glasses after the surgery. My co-worker did, she is over 50.
> 
> I can't see things within 10 inches clearly anymore. This kinda sucks because I like to get really close to the aquarium glass to see those micro-organism. But not needing glasses/contacts to see and drive is well worth it.
> ...


This sounds exactly like what I was told about...


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## werner (Jul 6, 2006)

Laith said:


> This sounds exactly like what I was told about...


It's called presbyopia: the lens of the eye becomes less flexible with age and it is harder to see up close. You usually end up getting reading glasses or bifocals. Lasik doesn't correct this.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

werner said:


> It's called presbyopia: the lens of the eye becomes less flexible with age and it is harder to see up close. You usually end up getting reading glasses or bifocals. Lasik doesn't correct this.


Yes, this is true but it's not exactly the situation I was describing...

Without any correction (glasses or contacts) I have perfect close vision, even very very small text. With my original correction, the close vision deteriorated noticeably. Now that he reduced the correction in one eye from -1.75 to -1.00 it is much better but still not as good as without any correction.

In my case the issue seems to be the capacity of the eye to adapt from viewing something far away to something close *while wearing correction*. Sort of like an induced presbyopia! 

So if you have a permanent correction as with laser surgery, what I heard was that the negative impact on close vision becomes permanent, even if before the correction one had perfect close vision.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

Laith said:


> So if you have a permanent correction as with laser surgery, what I heard was that the negative impact on close vision becomes permanent, even if before the correction one had perfect close vision.


That's pretty much the trade-off. I felt that I'd rather have to wear glasses a minority (reading) of the time rather than a majority (every day life). Thankfully I didn't have the side effect of worse close vision. Although one of my mom's coworkers had it done and they now need glasses to read but no longer need them to drive or watch TV.


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## Spidergrrrl (Oct 11, 2006)

I have also had Lasik done - 6 years ago, when I was 28. I would have to agree w/ Burks that it was the best thing I have ever done for myself. Before the surgery, my eyesight was -7.5 in both eyes, with a moderate astigmatism in my left eye. After surgery, I am 20/20 in my right eye, and 20/25 in my left.

As others have already mentioned, don't go to the cheapy places. I paid $3k total and it was well spent. I felt comfortable, because I was extensively tested to make sure I was a good candidate. I was also warned about possible presbyopia, but haven't experienced it yet. 

The surgery itself is a breeze. I was given a sedative, and a nurse helped walk me to the surgery room. They put some restraints into my eye to keep the eyelid open, and to keep the eyeball from moving. Then they cut the cornea. The worst part was when the laser actually adjusted the eye - burned eyeball is NOT a pleasant aroma! After that, the flap was put back and rinsed. Then, they taped a clear, protective eye shield on me. The procedure was then repeated for the other eye. Afterwards, my dad drove me home. Surgery was on Friday, I was back at work on Monday. No pain, and no discomfort. Just a little inconvenience for me.

I was warned not to rub my eyes, or get them wet, for two weeks. So I wore the eye shields at night so I wouldn't rub them in my sleep. I also put in an eye gel at night to help keep my eyes from drying out. I did experience dry eye and starbursts for about six months, but I have since returned to normal. I also experienced a greater sensitivity to strong sunlight, but that has since disappeared as well.


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