Laser Eye Surgery

[GrittyVeterans]

Thinking about it.

Anyone here ever gotten it? results?

[Make Angels Great Again]

I got it, well a variation of it called PRK which is for if you have thin corneas.

Because I got that, recovery took a bit longer. My vision didn't become crystal clear until 3 weeks later or so. It would improve more pretty much every day. I'd also have to take 4 different kind of eye drops multiple times daily. That shrunk down to just 2 different kinds of eye drops. after a week I think. Regular Lasik might not need that many drops.

The procedure cost me I think either 3.5 or 4.5k, and was definitely worth it. The pricing for PRK vs Lasik is almost identically i think.

When you go to get the procedure, they'll dilate your eyes (you'll need to have someone to drive you home) and give you some numbing eye drops. Then you'll get a surgical cap put on, they'll walk you over to their little operating room and lay you on a bench, put some things in your eyes to keep your eyelids wide open and start taking what seems like a squeegee to your eye, it's super bizarre and mildly uncomfortable. After the squeegee portion is done the bench slides over with your face under this special machine. They'll tell you to look at a dot in the center and some noises go off, you don't really feel much of anything. Repeat for the other eye and you're done. You'll get some protective goggles you'll have to wear for the next 24-48 hours or so. And that's that.

I'm really glad I don't have to wear glasses anymore, have them fall off your face when looking down etc. and can buy regular sunglasses without any hassle.

[red321]

yes...it was awesome

 

 

[Make Angels Great Again]

Side note: I got mine done at a TLC eye center and they were great.

[Make Angels Great Again]

2 minutes ago, calscuf said:

Was your vision bad because you masturbated too much?

 

Quality, not quantity.

[Lou]

yes. it was easy and was seeing perfectly right away. 

should have had it done years before I did. 

[Redondo]

I had PRK done last year and Maga explained it well

My son had lasik last year also. Healed up quick and he sees really well.

My other daughter is getting it done next month

Both of them and I opted for the upgraded Wave machine. More money, but better overall results.

Definitely worth it. Wearing glasses is not good. And you get to wear sunglasses.

[eaterfan]

22 minutes ago, Lou said:

yes. it was easy and was seeing perfectly right away. 

should have had it done years before I did. 

That about sums up my experience perfectly.

[DCAngelsFan]

I'm like the 1% who had problems - you know the microkeratome- that's the bit that flattens your corneas with a "glass", I guess, then cuts a flap with a laser?  That glass scratched my corneas.

You know how many people say they got off the table and magically could read the clock for the first time in years?

I was so looking forward to that experience!  Instead - I was practically blind - I wandered into the waiting room, and my ride was 10 feet away from me, and all I could see was a brown blur in the midst of a white mist.   That night, I was in agony, my eyes were pouring tears, had two black eyes, both eyes completely full of blood, and in the sunlight, I couldn't bear to open my eyes - basically, was completely blind.  They put soft contacts on my eyes to allow them to heal.  That helped a lot - but I was in a rage for days as my vision wobbled at 20/100, and still hurt like hell most of the time.  

Eventually, my eyes settled in at 20/15 and the pain faded- yay, right?

Well, the scratches and scarring are permanent - my optometrist says I still have 20/15 vision - but it's like looking through a dirty window.  I can "see" well, sort of - but letters and such are blurry - will probably need an early cornea replacement.  

Oh, the trade-off can be trading correcting near-sightedness for far-sightedness.  I now need reading glasses, and doing any fine work like with small tools or what have you?  Forget it.  They warned me - but it's a bigger pain than I expected.  Probably would have been worth it if it wasn't for the other issues.  But it's a pain not to be able to read something like a check without glasses (before I could just hold it up to my face.)  

So, most people, it's awesome - but for me, it was a mistake.  I had relatively thick corneas, so that wasn't the issue.  

The surgeon had done like 10,000 procedures - it wasn't in the back of some guy's van.  

Your mileage will vary.  

[HaloMilliVanilli]

20 years ago.  Awesome.  Still see 20/20 or better and couldn't see the alarm clock next to my bed before.

[Tank]

had it done in '03 and love it. told me i'd need reading glasses within two years but i managed to go 9 without them. 

i was back in the era where they cut a flap in your eye, opened it up, used the laser, and then put the flap back down. when the flap was lifted up, i saw colors i had never seen before. it was fascinating.

i like being able to wear sunglasses that aren't prescription.

[wopphil]

Had it done when I was 22, 17 years ago. I had 20/20 for a short period of time after the surgery, but within just a few years needed glasses for certain activities (driving at night, movies, baseball games, watching t.v.). I think before the surgery I was a 2.75 or 3.00 in both eyes, and now I am a 1.00 or 1.25.  In other words, the surgery helped a lot, but my eyes still require assistance. 

[red321]

I had my done in my early 30's...that's when they suggested it was best to do it. Prior to then your eyes are still "deteriorating" is what I was told (sounds like what wopphil experienced). They did tell me I would probably need reading glasses when I was older (which was going to be the case regardless) and I a year or so ago I did get a very mild prescription for driving at night for when we are on road trips in the middle of nowhere.

Makes activities so much easier without glasses, especially if you are active. Waking up and being able to see. Athletics. Swimming. Hiking. Watching tv/reading in bed. Sunglasses off the rack.Think of any activity that glasses can be a hassle...instantly better without.

I did it at TLC in Newport as well. They were great and the guy who ran the program was considered one of the best in the field...he was the guy who did all the pro athletes in the area and was called a secondary doctor who would be asked to try and fix problems that might have occurred in other procedures.

The only issue I've had is with dry eye, which we discovered I already had issues with prior to the procedure...just didn't know it.

[Lou]

10 hours ago, Tank said:

. told me i'd need reading glasses within two years but i managed to go 9 without them. 

I was told that I would most likely need reading glasses, but not for about 10 years. One day, I noticed whatever it was that I was reading was very blurry. I checked my records and it was exactly 10 years and 10 days later.

haha, he was WAY off! 

[Tank]

54 minutes ago, Lou said:

I was told that I would most likely need reading glasses, but not for about 10 years. One day, I noticed whatever it was that I was reading was very blurry. I checked my records and it was exactly 10 years and 10 days later.

haha, he was WAY off! 

that's awesome. don't ever go back to that hack again.

i finally relented and got reading glasses (thank you joy magano on HSN) when my arm at school could no longer hold the book far enough away for me to read it clearly.

[Lou]

3 minutes ago, Tank said:

that's awesome. don't ever go back to that hack again.

i finally relented and got reading glasses (thank you joy magano on HSN) when my arm at school could no longer hold the book far enough away for me to read it clearly.

ah, I see you developed Shrinking Arm Syndrome, too.

 

[ten ocho recon scout]

Good thread. Looking in to doing it.

Not to sound cliche, but as a copper, its time...

For the last 2 years or so, i made excuses that I was tired when my eyes blur.

I always had very good eyes, shot expert at every course i ever attended (Marines, Army, Cop). Last few years, started missing shots i used to make easy... my shot groups started drifting...

Figure an orange finger nail at 50 meters... used to pick it up easy.. now its gone...

Time to get the eyes fixed. 

And accept im old

[Blarg]

My career is completely dependent on my eyes so I have never risked it. Not sure whether I'm a candidate anymore as I'm using a bifocal lense and the correction can only be one range or the other. 

[T.G.]

I cen ce jus fene.

[Tank]

51 minutes ago, True Grich said:

I cen ce jus fene.

looks like you got the cajun version of the surgery.

[cez]

got it in 2002

a few minutes of discomfort for 15+ years without glasses

had to start wearing readers lately which sucks, but distance is still 20/20.

[T.G.]

20 hours ago, Tank said:

looks like you got the cajun version of the surgery.

I do not have a cage of virgin sturgeons.