Totally OT - Laser Eye Surgery

Has anyone here had laser surgery to correct your vision? I'm trying to learn as much as I can about this procedure and talk to as many people as I can to hear their experiences.

If you want to share your experiences, good or bad, you can either post here or email me at pvassil(at)sympatico(dot)ca.

I am asking for personal reasons only. After many years of rejecting this procedure because, frankly, it scares me....I am actually considering it. But not before I know everything that I can know about it.

I know of a few people who have had it done and were quite happy with the resuls and loss of glasses.

One thing to consider though, did you ever notice that all the doctors who perform this type of surgery wear glasses?

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Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn

Has anyone here had laser surgery to correct your vision? I'm trying to learn as much as I can about this procedure and talk to as many people as I can to hear their experiences.

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Lasik is a miraculous procedure. After thirty years of profound nearsightedness (20/1200), I now wake to clear vision every day. Like you, I began my investigation not knowing what was involved. I'm not sure if it is still available, but four years ago I found a thirty minute video on the internet that showed the entire process. While the surgery itself takes but ten minutes or so, there is a lot preparation involved.

On my initial visit, I was given a thorough eye exam (dilated) and precise measurements were taken. On the day of the exam, I joined another five or six folks who would be getting the surgery that day. The surgeon briefly spoke with each of us before the procedure. Next we were given a couple of different eye drops. When my time came, I went to the glassed in theater where my wife was able to follow the CRT monitor during the procedure. In order to stabilize your eye, a clamp is placed that keeps your eyelids open. This was the only mildly uncomfortable stage. I remember looking up a the laser and focused on a blurry red light. On the clamp is placed the microtome which is in effect a precise cheese slicer. A vacuum is pulled and the microtome slices an extremely thin layer of the cornea. This was a bit unusual because the vacuum causes your vision to momentarily go first to grey then black, but quickly back. The surgeon pulls the flap back and irrigates your eye. Then the laser begins. For about forty five seconds, there was a slight cracking noise and a little burning smell. Then the surgeon carefully moves the flap back in place and continues to irrigate the eye. I notice that the blurry red light now looks like four red LEDs. Then we switch to the other eye and the procedure is repeated. I looked at the clock on the wall and for the first time without contacts, I could tell it was 4:30. I was then moved to an examination room where another doctor examined the result. Since all looked well, my wife drove us home. I was given a pain killer (but never used it) and counseled to rest my eyes for the next two days. I turned my recovery into a long listening session! Once we got home, my wife headed off for church. My eyes felt a bit tired like after wearing hard contacts for a day, so I placed some drops in them. Then I walked outside and looked around. That was a most memorable and emotional moment for me to see the world really for the first time in decades. I found myself crying in joy. It was like I had been touched by the finger of God.

Six months later, my eyes had regressed from 20/20 to about 20/60. This is normal for the profoundly nearsighted like me. I chose to have only one eye enhanced (procedure repeated) which is where I remain today. This I did to acknowledge that presbyopia causes difficulty in reading for many beginning in their forties. I now wear one (thin) disposable contact in the weak eye when driving. I do have some "haloing" at night. This is the condition where bright lights like streetlights have small halos around them. Such is a common result although I was accustomed to that effect with my contacts as well.

My procedure was not inexpensive. I went to TLC Vision Center and the tab ran around $5000. That included the enhancement and about half a dozen follow up visits. I felf assured knowing that my surgeon had over 10,000 procedures under his belt. I cannot imagine going back.

rw

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Originally Posted by E-Stat

I looked at the clock on the wall and for the first time without contacts, I could tell it was 4:30.

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My brother-in-law just had this surgery and he said that was the first thing that he noticed too. I think that they put the clock in the room just so that you have something to see!!!

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Originally Posted by E-Stat

Then I walked outside and looked around. That was a most memorable and emotional moment for me to see the world really for the first time in decades.

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My dream is to wake up during the night and be able to read the time on my clock radio.

Thanks for the post.

I had the procedure done in Montreal (Laservue) last year. I live in NH and its much cheaper to travel to Canada for the surgery than to go to my local hospital. It cost me about $2500. It was definitely worth it.

You should know that by the time you are 40 (or so), you will probably need to wear reading glasses, even if you have the surgery. Having said that, I know a woman who is 43 and had the surgery done and she hasn't had to wear reading glasses yet. I'm 34 so I haven't hit that threshold yet. It's also posible that you could need to go back for a followup if the doctor over or under corrects the cornea. I never had that problem though.

My experience was completely a positive one. The discomfort only lasts a few hours and your vision gradually improves over a period of a few weeks.

The clinic that I went to had a near perfect success rate. I think out of the many thousands of surgeries they did, they only had a couple of problems and even these were minor. I cannot begin to tell you how many people told me I was stupid to have the surgery, that I'll go permanently blind in a few years, etc. Do not believe them. Find yourself a reputable clinic, talk to your eye doctor and make your own decision. When you wake up the morning after the surgery and you don't have to fumble for your glasses or put your contacts on just to go pee, you'll wonder why you waited so long (not to pee, but for the surgery).

Good luck.

I had lasik in 1998, my eyes were bad, -6.5 RH and -7.0 LH.
I was born in 1962. My vision is 20/15 now, hawk eyes.

get the info,make your choice. Best money I have ever spent ($4k back then).

When they have your eyelids open with the clamps, is it true they suck your eyes out of their sockets a little? I heard this somewhere and since then have not been too fond of the procedure. I would like to one day get this done. ForeverAutumn did a great job explaining the process. I think I'm gonna start looking into it myself.

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Originally Posted by JamezHill

When they have your eyelids open with the clamps, is it true they suck your eyes out of their sockets a little? I heard this somewhere and since then have not been too fond of the procedure. I would like to one day get this done. ForeverAutumn did a great job explaining the process. I think I'm gonna start looking into it myself.

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Well, there is a certain amount of vacuum used to ensure the microtome has a stable target. I wouldn't, however, characterize that as having my eyes sucked out of their sockets. My wife watched the entire procedure via a close up monitor and never made mention of anything that looked unusual.

rw