LASIK anyone?

[Express]

anyone done this? im going in on friday for a consultation. i'm not thrilled about being awake while they use knifes and lasers on my eyes.

can i get drunk as shit before i go? or pop 2 xanax or something? a little sedation never hurt anyone....


thoughts? suggestions? experiences?


thanks!

[kyleb350]

Some say you can smell your eyes burning from the laser...

[kyleb350]

I've asked a number of people who've gotten this done as I'm very intereted in getting in done myself, although I have the same fears as you. The feedback I've gotten is mostly positive. The one thing people say is annoying is that your eyes feel itchy for about 4 hours up til 1 day after the procedure. Otherwise, they can't praise it enough.

[Express]

Originally Posted by kyleb350

Some say you can smell your eyes burning from the laser...

thanks!

Originally Posted by kyleb350

I've asked a number of people who've gotten this done as I'm very intereted in getting in done myself, although I have the same fears as you. The feedback I've gotten is mostly positive. The one thing people say is annoying is that your eyes feel itchy for about 4 hours up til 1 day after the procedure. Otherwise, they can't praise it enough.

i've had major eye surgery before so the amount of itching cant compare to the feeling of having stitches in your eyes. i am just terrified of doctors, needles, knifes, LASERS..... etc

[batchelorc]

I got it done back in 2000 or 2001. Best money I've spent. I got mine done at Vanderbilt. I would try and stay away from the discount place at the mall... Don't be worried about being awake, they drug you up real good prior.

[Couch]

Planning on doing it in the next year or two.

[Express]

Originally Posted by batchelorc

I got it done back in 2000 or 2001. Best money I've spent. I got mine done at Vanderbilt. I would try and stay away from the discount place at the mall... Don't be worried about being awake, they drug you up real good prior.

im having these guys do it if and ONLY if they give me some good drugs.


http://www.mleye.com/

Originally Posted by Couch

Planning on doing it in the next year or two.

ill let you know if im still alive by then.

[Feyd]

I've been putting this off for years now.

Been wearing glasses/contacts for nearly 20 years and I'm over it, especially during alergy season when my eyes are on fire and my contacts aren't helping matters.



Funny, I just talked with the wife about this a few hours ago. The open enrollment for changes to her health ins. plans (I'm on her insurance) is up today. She asked me if I wanted to set up the flexible spending account this year so that I can get the surgury.

I wuss'd out. Again. I told myself that we can use the money to fix up our newly aquired house. *shrug* I wonder what the excuse will be next year?




Everyone I know that has it, is really happy that they do. They say it's "uncomfortable", but absolutly worth it.

Freaked out about being awake as well. hrmm....

[Express]

my contacts just fell out. im doing this. fuck being awake, ill get wasted before i go.

[FStop7]

Originally Posted by kyleb350

Some say you can smell your eyes burning from the laser...

True. Smells like burning hair or fingernails. It's not a big deal, it only lasts a few seconds.

I had intralase LASIK done in September. It was money well spent. My vision is drastically improved - I tested 20/15 in both eyes the day after surgery.

I am experiencing one of the common side effects, though - at night I see "starbursts" coming off of bright light sources, such as headlights. I also see a faint glow around things like traffic lights. It's fairly mild and does not interfere with my ability to drive or see clearly. Some people get starbursting that's so severe that they can't drive at night, but that's very rare. If I had it to do over again I would absolutely still get LASIK done. The huge improvement in my vision was more than worth it.

[stimpy]

I'm leaning strongly towards getting this done in March. Getting sick of wearing glasses.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[coh4777]

I had it done a couple years ago and I would recommend it to anyone that is a qualified candidate. The process itself is very quick, literally 15 minutes, but if you go to a good doctor, they will spend quite a bit of time testing your eyes for things like moisture and cornea thickness to make sure that you are a good candidate. The machine is completely computerized now and the one that was used on me even had the ability to track any movement in your eyeball during the procedure and adjust the cutting in response. It is 100% pain free so just relax and don't worry about it. No need for sedation or anesthetics. When the procedure is done, your vision will initially be blurry due to the drops they put in your eyes, but once that clears up after a couple hours or so, you will be amazed and how good your vision is. I ended up with 20/15 vision, which is not uncommon at all. The only thing i would recommend is to go to the best doctor in your area, even if they are more expensive. And the "cheaper" doctors are not always the best value anyway because they may not include follow-up consultations and free "touch-up" procedures in their prices, as the highly reputable practices do.

[Kroy]

if someone can chime in on this. i hear that one of the common side effects is that your eyes become very sensitive to water. so much so that you can't open your eyes under water anymore. or so says my friend who had lasik done a couple years ago. how bad is it?

[coh4777]

Hmmm I don't know about that one. My doctor did tell me not to let water hit my eyes directly for the first few weeks after the procedure because the cornea is still healing. So no swimming and I had to take showers facing away from the water. But other than that, I'm not aware of any dangers with water in the eyes.

[Express]

sedation/mild sedation is still a must for me.

i have a fear of doctors. i shake like a dog.

[kyleb350]

This may no longer be a side effect due to advancements, but I also heard that at night time, you may see halos around lights. Any truth to this?

I've also heard that you'll need reading glasses sooner when you get older.

[Little_Titto]

Originally Posted by express705

sedation/mild sedation is still a must for me.

i have a fear of doctors. i shake like a dog.

They gave me valium. They also use numbing drops. I'm actually going back in next week for a check up because my left eye is not the best, but with both eyes open I'm 20/20.

Originally Posted by kyleb350

This may no longer be a side effect due to advancements, but I also heard that at night time, you may see halos around lights. Any truth to this?

I've also heard that you'll need reading glasses sooner when you get older.

True and True. You do get halos, but it does get better over time and they don't really bother me. An older guy here at work got it done around the same time I did and he needs reading glasses.



If I had to I would do it again.

[smellfish]

Looking at getting this done after the new year on the gov'ment dime. I'm in the same boat as the rest of you. Normally no issue with doctors but even reading this pamphlet give me the willies.

http://www.visx.com/patient/customvu...ion_myopia.pdf

[Express]

Originally Posted by Little_Titto

They gave me valium. They also use numbing drops. I'm actually going back in next week for a check up because my left eye is not the best, but with both eyes open I'm 20/20.




True and True. You do get halos, but it does get better over time and they don't really bother me. An older guy here at work got it done around the same time I did and he needs reading glasses.



If I had to I would do it again.

is xanax an option? if they hand me two of those they can cut my left foot off and i won't mind.

[coh4777]

Originally Posted by kyleb350

This may no longer be a side effect due to advancements, but I also heard that at night time, you may see halos around lights. Any truth to this?

I've also heard that you'll need reading glasses sooner when you get older.

I think the halo effect is less prevalent with the newer technologies. I def do not have it!

As for reading glasses, your eyes will degrade naturally over time, whether you have lasik or not. It is a process called macular degeneration and as far as I know, it is not sped up by lasik.

[pmeloche]

Originally Posted by kyleb350

Some say you can smell your eyes burning from the laser...

People who say that are idiots. I've had both eyes done 5 years ago and it's a 10 minutes procedure with no smell. You have to wear sunglasses for roughly 24 hours and cannot take a shower for about four days, only bath. You need some Visine for about a month to keep your eyes wet and that's it.

[pmeloche]

Originally Posted by coh4777

I think the halo effect is less prevalent with the newer technologies. I def do not have it!

As for reading glasses, your eyes will degrade naturally over time, whether you have lasik or not. It is a process called macular degeneration and as far as I know, it is not sped up by lasik.

The LASIK procedure reshapes the cornea of your eye to give you a perfect far vision. The lens inside the eye is responsible for short distance vision. With age, this len is getting lazy and does not compress enough to properly focus the light on the retina so you need reading glasses to compensate. The LASIK procedure has no impact on the short vision.