Hello all, just wanted to say I had LASIK eye surgery today and I am happy happy so far with the results.  Painless procedure.  15 minutes after the surgery, even with swollen eyeballs and numerous drops in my eyes, I was seeing 20/30.  It will take a few days before I completely heal and my vision becomes stable, but so far, I am thrilled with the results.  Anyone else have it done?  How do you feel about your experience?  

I had Lasik March of last year. I don't miss glasses at all. I'm very happy with the results, except some days it takes a little longer to focus than others. I don't have any night time driving problems or anything like that. I highly recommend the procedure[^]

I am on active duty with the USAF and I was able to have PRK done at the US Air Force Academy hospital last year.  Same laser, but they just use the laser without cutting the flap on your cornea and lifting it up.  Never had any night vision problems and would do it again in a second if I had to.
No more problems with my glasses fogging when I need to look through my scope to take a shot when I'm elk hunting.
Plus, couldn't beat the price - Uncle Sam covered it all!

I'm really wanting to get this done.. but i'm a -8 which is getting pretty bad.  Doc said I could get about 85-90% vision corrected.  That is fine with me.. been wearing glasses since 1st grade.  

At 1 PM tomorrow, I go in to have mine done.  I'm scared to death.

At least I'm getting the latest in technology.  Eye mapping procedure, and a laser to cut the flap (instead of the blade) are among them.  At close to $2k an eye, it had better be worth it.

I'm about 20/300 now.  I'm hoping for 20/40 or better.  I'll post here when I know how things went.

I wouldnt do it... I knew a guy once who did it... a week later. He was dead.

had NOTHING to do with the surgery ... but still. What a coincidence.

I've thought about it.
I'm a -2 in one eye and  a -2.5 in the other.

I just got back from my follow up visit.  Had my surgery not even 24 hours ago and my vision is already 20/15 in each eye!  AWESOME!!!![8D]

Perfect candidate. I love my results. 20/15.

I need sun glasses when driving, glasses when cutting the yard and weed wacking, doing wood working and glasses when shooting.

So, why pay a few grand to remove glasses only to have to buy more glasses when driving, mowing, weed wacking and wood working.

I'll use the money to purchase new toys and ammo.

I have to wait until next week.  They called this morning and told me the laser wasn't perfectly calibrating itself, so it won't be used until it can be looked at.

That sounds real comforting [:(]

I used to have really good vision, Started to decline though after I started to spank my monkey.

Was that too much information?

I had it done last year and I'm very happy with the results.  I had to go back for a second procedure (for fine tunning).  Life without glasses is fun.  Of course I do like to wear cool shades from time to time.

For a nonsurgical option, do a search on Ortho K. This is basicly wearing contacts at night while you sleep which reshapes the lens of your eye for proper focusing. No contacts needed during the day. Non-permanent correction, but no risk of surgery.

How long would this procedure take? I would be willing to do it provided glasses are not involved.

I had LASIK done on both eyes in June 2001.  The procedure was a piece of cake (IMO), I had little discomfort and the results were great.  Heck, 2 years later I can honestly say that the results ARE great.  YMMV, but I've not regretted having it done for one second.  I went in with stable 20/200 vision in both eyes and a week later I had 20/20 in both eyes.  Today, I have 20/15-20/20 in both.


It wasn't cheap and I insisted on going to the most highly respected (and consequently most expensive) doctor in my area, but you can't put a price on your eyes.  I would have paid twice as much if I needed to.


Good luck and for those of you contemplating LASIK, DO EVERYTHING THE DOCTOR TELLS YOU TO DO POST-SURGERY.  No exceptions.  [:)]

I wouldnt RISK IT [:(] because LASIK is no
gurrantee your eyes will stay the same, in a few years your eyes could change again and you only have so much materiel to work with on your eye if you keep chipping away on your lens with a laser you wont have anything left to work with later and it could lead to more eye problems? your eyes are too important to risk with surgury just for cosmetic reasons,
especially since the damage could be permaneant? there's no turning back once they
do the reshaping. [:(]

How much did you guys pay?

Lasiks is $1920.00 per eye here.

The place I went to charged by how much correction was needed in each eye. One eye cost me $950 and the other cost me $1,250. I'd happily have paid double the amount for the results. I Love not wearing glasses and now I can wear the cool sunglasses I never could wear before [8D]

Interesting..... I have 20/100 now, and I'd LIKE 20/20 or better, but I'm worried about two things - messups, and long term deterioration. Does this surgery wear off over time?

I also had my eyes done at the Academy last June.  Went from 20/70 and 20/100 (with a HUGE astigmatism in the right eye)  to 20/15 in both; now I use the 1x granny glasses when reading.  Wish I could have done it years ago!



Blackjack--there is some deterioration, in the sense that as your eyes get older they get weaker; the surgery doesn't change that.  What it does is "reset" the clock, sort of; rather than slipping over 20 years with a starting point of 20/100, you slip over 20 with a starting point of 20/20.

Most of the surgeries nowadays are pretty routine; unless you either have a really crappy doctor or a very weird set of eyes, mistakes shouldn't be a problem.  Make sure you ask the doctor what their batting average is!  At the USAF Academy, they told me that 95% of their patients ended up with vision between 20/15 and 20/20.  (Caveat:  I had PRK done, a more conservative procedure, older and therefore the risks and methods are better developed than Lasik).

The doctor [s]is going to[/s] should do a pretty comprehensive screening and tell you if you are within the acceptable ranges for the surgery.  And, if all else fails, remember he doesn't want to get sued anymore than you want to have problems.

I did it back in 2000

I'd do it over again in a heart beat

has dramaticly improved the quality of my life

I'm no longer dependent on corrective lenses to function

Got mine done Oct01. I am very glad I did. I have nothing but praise for the entire Lasik procedure. My eyes are now 20/20R 20/15L, what else can I say?
Oh, No stars or halos either.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner.  Since this has only been around for a few years, no telling on what this will do to your eyes in 10-20 years.  I also hear lots of horror stories about starbursts and night time problems.  

1999 website which scares me.  [:)] [url]www.surgicaleyes.com/imageyechart.htm[/url]

Thanks but no thanks.  

I'm a prime candidate for Lasik or some similar operation.  My correction is -3.0 diopters, spherical, zero astigmatism, and equal in both eyes. (Well, actually, my left eye has drifted ever so slightly since my last eye exam, several years ago.)

If I had it done,  I'd go for the new wavefront Lasik procedure, which maps out the tiny bumps and imperfections in your eye with great precision and as part of the surgery, applies very precise spot corrections as part of the surgery.   Reportedly it's achieving 20/10 [b]OR BETTER[/b] in a good percentage of patients.

I figure that at worst, I might have to go back to glasses if I ended up with my eyes getting worse with time after the operation.  And most likely, those new glasses would have a milder prescription than what I have now.

Corrective eye surgery is now getting to the point where we are starting to see some moderately long-term results,  as the first radial keratotomies (done with a scalpel and not a laser) were done in the early 80's.   So far, I know of no reports of any serious developments in those patients with the passage of time.   And all the laser-based procedures are known to be less stressful to the eye than the knife-based procedures, so I think that in the long term,  the procedures will be shown to be effective and without significant long term problems.

The only long term issue that should be about cataracts, which eventually many people will develop, and which have been successfully dealt with millions of times.    If you live long enough, you're almost certain to get them sooner or later, and though the surgery for that will leave you with an artificial implanted lens and you will maintain excellent vision (my father returned to 20/15 vision after his cataract surgeries),  you'd have to choose between best near or far vision.  You'll need glasses again, but for your choice of close-up work or far away viewing.    But by the time you're that old, your natural lens system won't be changing focus efficiently anyway, so you'd probably be happy to take the improvement.

CJ

The problem is that there will ALWAYS be a new technology out on the market.  In 10-20 years, LASIK won't be in use anymore, and 3 or 4 other techniques may have been used.  You'll never know the LONG term effects until that form of surgery has long passed.

Starbursts...you get them with glasses.

Halos...you get them with contacts.

So, you might as well have perfect vision and take the ODD chance that you'll get one of these, which you have anyway with whatever you're using.

Cost for me will be $1895 per eye using the latest in technology.  

That website relates to people who go see surgeons with no experience, or the ones who simply line people up and start cutting, or who charge a whopping $299 per eye.  My surgeon has never caused any of those problems (I've done research), and he pioneered the technique.

Scared?  Yes.  But I'll be happy when it's over.  It sucks I have to wait another week.  But I'd rather the machine be perfect that slightly off...

I am defiantly going to a doc that uses the latest technology.. Theres one in Memphis that helped pioneer it also and a bunch of people say he is very very good.  He is expensive but he's blasting my eyes and i'd rather pay a damn good doc 2000 per eye than 300 per eye.  

I have a appointment soon to get my eyes checked out then it will be another appt to get it done.

What about getting hit in the head? I have a friend who had RK, she got hit and it almost detached her retina. She was told that any moderate jarring could have this problem. Is thier any chance of this with lasik?  Spelling?

The reason the military (USAF) was not performing LASIK is because in that procedure, a flap is cut on the surface of your eye, the flap is raised up & the laser is employed.
In PRK, the laser is employed directly on the surface of your eye with no flap being cut in your eye.
We were briefed there was a risk of the flap becoming detached with violent head trauma.
That is why our pilots couldn't have LASIK done because of the posssibility of them having to pull excessive G's and the flap possibly detaching.  The AF isn't particulary fond of pilots having to eject from the aircraft if they don't have to!
My surgeon also practiced in downtown Denver and he related two cases out of 4000+ of his patients who had experienced a detached flap: One person had a bad snow skiing accident and detached the flap and another had a head-on car collision.  
It's true there is a possibility of the flap becoming detached, but in these two specific cases-they had much more serious injuries to worry about.
My $.02 worth is get the best surgeon your money can buy....you only have one set of eyes and I wouldn't want the bargain basement surgeon operating on mine!!!

Detached retinas are fairly common from impacts to the head.  They have nothing to do with RK, PRK, or LASIK, as none of these come anywhere near the retinas.  They all do work on the cornea.

I have a friend was was doing work on a fence when he fell off and whacked his head.  Detached both retinas...  The horrible sounding part is that staples were used during surgery to reattach them.

Seems like PRK is better from what I've heard. No flap in the eye, better chances for vision 20/20 or better, makes methinks...

PRK can actually be a LOT more uncomfortable for weeks after surgery, as you are basically causing large abrasions to the front of the eye.  Or so says my eye surgery counselor who advises people to do both types (PRK and LASIK).

Chances are not BETTER for 20/20.  They're actually the same.  But recovery time is longer.  The flap opened with LASIK will heal in 2 weeks with no discomfort during that time.  All that's needed are eye drops that contain steroids and antibiotics to help the healing process.

The USAF usually does your PRK surgery on a Monday, you have a follow up the next day, your "bandage" contacts come off Thursday, and you are back to work the Monday after your surgery.  My eyes were fine in six days.
Painful???  A little.  Kinda like having some sand in your eye.  But nothing the bottle of 30 Percocets you are given can't tame.  I may be the exception, but I only took the meds to help me sleep.
My only problem was that I was stuck at home for a week and couldn't watch TV, use the computer, drive, or anything requiring my eyes to focus.
I have been told that LASIK is less painful and you do recover faster.
The flap does heal, but there must be some probability of becoming detached, as the USAF won't perform the procedure on it's active duty personnel.
With PRK I had the same eye drops you describe for the LASIK procedure.  I was also given an antibiotic to ward off any potential infection.
Having said all that, if I had to sit down in the chair right now and do it all over again....I would in a heart-beat!


Also, the next day after surgery both my eyes were 20/15.  Today, almost two years later they are both 20/20.

I had my eyeballs cut up with lasers yesterday.

I went in to the clinic at about 2 PM, and walked out at about 4 PM.  The actual procedure itself took about 25 minutes (including a 15 minute wait in the middle).

What they did was:

Walk you into a room and take your blood pressure.  Then they give you a valium to calm you down (didn't do anything for me).

Then they take you into the OR, and lay you down.  They put a few numbing drops and sterilization drops in your eyes.  Then they have you close your eyes and rub a bedadine solution over the lids.  Then they clean that off with sterilized water.

I laid there for about 5 minutes while I waited for the Interlase machine to be cleared of the patient before me.  Then they laid me down at that machine.  The interlase machine cuts the flap on the surface of your eye with a laser, as opposed to a scalpel-like device most places use.

After they laid me down, a small clear suction device was placed on my eyeball.  Once in place, everything went black.  This device pushes down on your eye, but sucks the outer layer of cells upwards so they can be cut with no damage to the rest of the eye.  All I could see were little colored dots like you'd see if you put pressure on your eye, with the occasional faint white flash of the laser.

That took about 3 minutes.  After the flaps were cut, I was put into a dark room to wait for about 15 minutes.  This is to let the bubbles formed by the laser in the upper tissue clear out.

After 15 minutes, I was brought back into the OR and laid down underneath the VISX laser.  I was told to look at a halo of light with a red dot in the center.  The was difficult, as they were peeling back the flap at the same time.  When the flap moves, so does the image, and they kept having to tell me to not move my eye.  After the flap was peeled back, they fired he laser.  I was told to keep looking at the halo of light, which, without the flap, was VERY faint.  The laser sounds like a loud tapping noise each time it fires.  Each eye took about 5 to 10 seconds of lasering, during which time the halo and red dot came into focus.

After lasering, they gently cleaned the area with some fluid, then replaced the flap.

I was sent home, and told to rest for a while.  This morning, I went back for a followup exam.  My eyesight went from a craptastic 20/300 or so to an incredible 20/15!

So, if you're in the Houston area, let me recommend Dr. Mann of the Mann-Berkeley eye center.  They use the latest technology available, and they were one of the first pioneers of laser eye surgery.

Cost was high at close to $4k total, but well worth it, as it has already changed my life.

my wife had it done.  She was legally blind in one eye and got the vision down to 20/80 in that eye.
She has a little bit of blurriness with night driving and lights.

LASIK does not heal (the flap).
This can cause major problems down the road.  Doctors love it because of the down-time.
PRK is better, but the results are not complete until months after the surgery because of the healing of the epithelium.  Plus, it burns for approx 3 days.

Absolutely untrue.  I researched this heavily, and that is a myth.  The flap completely heals within 15 days or so.  All we're talking about here is a little flap of epithelial cells...in effect, clear skin.  So, by saying it doesn't heal, that means a small paper cut on your hand never heals either...

I agree with BigD. I had lasix last year. My flaps are totally healed. It only takes a couple months for the flaps to totally heal.

According to this source there are five phases of flap healing that can take up to 24 months to complete.

Phase V -- Day 181 to 24+ months post-op
During this period collagen slowly begins to form at the interface between the flap and the underlying stromal bed. This collagen includes fibril infiltrates that extend from the flap into the stromal bed, in effect suturing the flap to the underlying stromal bed. At the conclusion of this process the flap is both "glued" and "stitched" into place, as well as "sealed" and secured by the surface perimeter epithelium and basement membrane. Although still not as strong as an untouched cornea of the same thickness, the flap and stromal bed are nevertheless now very securely bonded together. At this time, any trauma strong enough to dislodge the flap would also do damage to an eye without LASIK. It is also believed by many researchers that by the 24th month post-op the flap has begun to contribute to some degree to the bio-mechanical strength of the cornea thus reducing the risk of late-onset ectasia.


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