Is Lasik worth it?

prisonerac

prisonerac

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Recently my grandmother got Lasik done and she loves it so she has offered to pay for mine. I am thinking about getting it, but I keep reading horror stories online. There are also a lot of shill web sites that are owned by the doctors. I was wondering if any Cag had it done and considered it worth while?

Keep in mind that I am not a huge breadwinner and the fact that she is willing to pay for a $4,000 dollar surgery makes me extremely tempted. Oh and I am nearsighted if that matters. So glasses almost 100% of the time.
 
I've known a couple of people who had it. Both were really, really happy with it. However, make sure you get the best doc you can find. It only takes the one mistake for things to be way worse than they started off.
 
I had lasik eye surgery in december of 2007 and it was the best decision I ever made. It was absolutely worth all the money i had to pay!

Not having to worry about wearing glasses or putting in contacts is wonderful, as is saving the money for them!

I now have 20-15 vision all the time.

So in my opinion...take the plunge and do it, especially if it is going to be a gift. Also your health insurance may offer a discount... when i had my surgery for both eyes the total was only about $2,400.
:lol:
 
Eye surgery is great, I've been glasses-free since 2004 and it has been a very positive experience. There is something to keep in mind about Lasik, the surgery may keep you from getting certain jobs in the future. The Navy (and probably the Army/Air Force too) don't perform Lasik on their personnel, they perform a similar surgery called PRK. That is what I got and while the healing time is more painful and longer than with Lasik, I don't have a little flap of eye skin on the front of my eyeball. You might want to read up a bit more on PRK and see if they can do that instead for around the same price (or less? mine was gratis through the Marines).
 
No negative responses? Let me threadcrap.

I'm practically blind. So, I've considered Lasik.

The two problems I've been told about are 1.) you'll need reading glasses in your 40s and 2.) your eyes may be incredibly dry to the point you'll require eyedrops.

If I was 20 again, I'd probably go for it.

Since I'm almost 34, I don't fell like undergoing surgery to avoid glasses for 5-10 years.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn'] 2.) your eyes may be incredibly dry to the point you'll require eyedrops.
[/QUOTE]

I've heard of this from someone who's had it. My eyes get so dry with contacts as it is that I can't even wear them even with eyedrops. That's a major reason why I wouldn't consider Lasik. Plus I kind of enjoy taking off my "eyes" every night. :lol:
 
[quote name='masked lemon']What is the deal with the little flap of skin? What does it look like?[/quote]

God this is going to be hard to do without pictures (and with 4 1/2 years since I heard the description)...

Okay, the goal of Lasik, PRK, and maybe any other eye surgery to improve vision is to flatten part of your eye with a laser. That little flattened part of your eye will wind up working like a pair of glasses.

First off, think of your whole eye as a hardboiled egg standing up with the yolk being the part that needs to be flattened. In Lasik, a laser will slice through most of the top of the egg, leaving a flap that can be lifted to expose the yolk inside. Once that slice is made, the doctor will lift the flap, zap the yolk with a laser to flatten it, and then lay the flap back down over the now-flattened yolk. Surface tension will have no problem holding that flap in place during normal activity (think about two pieces of Saran wrap stuck together. Swimming might require goggles but I'm not sure. Lasik is great because the whole process is painless as can be.

With PRK, the doctor intially takes a little scrubbing thing and brushes off the top layer of skin, exposing the part of the eyeball that needs to be flattened without any cuts. After that is done, he takes a laser, flattens the part of the eyeball to meet your perscription and allows the skin that was previously brushed off the surface of your eye to grow back naturally. The problem with PRK is that the growing back process hurts, alot. I was crazy on painkillers for five days and I had to spend something like six months afterwards wearing sunglasses whenever I was outside. That said, now that the healing is long finished, my eyes work fine and don't have any little cuts in them.
 
So Lasik doesn't hurt and PRK does? But PRK is like a super computer and Lasik is like a Wii? Great. now i don't know what to do.
 
I had PRK (no cornea is cut, just burn some tissues) done only because the doctor recommended me since my cornea is thin. I'd say the first 2 weeks, consider taking some time off (or at least take it easy for the 1st week with no work or school) and just be in bed...sleeping.

You also have to use different drops every 4 hours or so for the 1st 2 weeks and recommend you continue to use eye drops every day for at least a month. Your vision won't stablize to near 20/20 vision until you're 6 months in. You'll see real result instantly, but it goes in and out. You won't see clearly until a good month in (of course if you follow doctor's orders).

Day 0 - They put in contacts in your eyes acting as the bandage. After the surgery, supposed to stay in bed and sleep. Can't read, can't watch TV, no computer, basically no activities besides sleeping.
Day 1 & 2 - Take it easy and just rest in bed. Can't do much outside since you'll be sensitive to the sun. You probably want to kill your eyes because you constantly feel as if there's dust in your eyes. Again, you want to use the eye drops. Don't really recommend driving.
Day 3 & 4 - Your eyesight gotten worst (meaning it'll get real fuzzy) and this is normal. Most definately not recommend to drive.
Day 5 & 6 - Your eyesight should get better, but still sensitive to the sun.

From week 2 and on, you'll see a real results after the surgery, and you resume most normal activities (just nothing that involve sweating or getting stuff into the eyes). The light sensitivity may go away after a month. You can go outside, but you'll need sunglasses.

I did it at the same time as my future brother in law, who got lasik (instead of PRK) done and he recovered a lot faster than me. My eyes get dry from time to time (and it's been 2 months or so), but it's mostly in the morning.

If you ask me if I would do it again, I would do it again in a heart beat. Ask your doctor is what best suited for you for your eyes. My doctor preferred PRK only because they can preserve some tissues and can do "ehancement" in the future.

For the record, I was blind as a bat and I can't survive without my glasses. I believe my prescription was in the negative and had a stig.
 
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I got lasik at age 19, I'm 22 now. I wasn't blind, but my vision was definitely terrible.

The recovery time for lasik pretty short. The day after was like looking through a crystal. It was definitely a magical experience.

Since then, I've had no problems. No dryness, itching, or anything. Those are horror stories, and probably extremely rare.
 
[quote name='georox']Masturbation makes you blind, y'know...[/quote]

My eye sight has been getting worse ever since I got glasses at age 11... I guess it's my fault :bomb:
 
Had it done 8 years ago. One of the best things I've ever spent money on. Do plenty of research on the Doc first.
 
[quote name='TC']Had it done 8 years ago. One of the best things I've ever spent money on. Do plenty of research on the Doc first.[/quote]

What is your current age?
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']What is your current age?[/QUOTE]

I realize this wasn't specifically for me but I'm 29 now. I had the surgery done when I was 25. Someday I might need glasses or a touchup but I've had slightly better than 20/20 vision for that entire period.
 
Man I can't believe this thread was started today. I was at the eye doctor yesterday and had a lengthy discussion about lasik with my optometrist. I really want to get it he said for one of the top docs in my town to due it would be around $3500.

I work some odd hours and my job can get a little crazy so not having contacts or glasses would be awesome. I do get worried I would be one of the few that has a complication, but I'm leaning towards pulling the trigger on it around Christmas.

Keep the positive stories comin
 
ive thought about getting lasik anyway, but hearing that some people end up needing glasses again anyway, makes me very hesitant.
 
Let me do some thread crapping and say that my uncle got it, and his eyes were screwed up for weeks. Blurred vision, dry eyes, itchy eyes, etc. Low and behold, he still has to wear glasses almost all the time.
 
You're vision always gets worse when you get older, so consider this a temporary treatment because your old vision will come back eventually.

At least, thats what I was told by my professor.

On the otherhand, I've had relatives that had LASIK eye surgery thought it was great.
 
For me, it definitely is not worth it. I rather wear glasses than have the possibility of them messing up my vision even more.
 
Ive heard about the issue about dry eyes too. I have problems with dry eyes so I guess its not for me.
 
I've got an idea. Buy a vasectomy instead. Wearing glasses is an inconvenience. Condoms are a bigger bitch.

Anyways; I've been perplexed about this same issue for a long while myself. I've decided to stick it out with glasses for now and see what technology comes out of the pipe in 5 years. I'm hoping for bionic eyes.
 
[quote name='Magehart']I've got an idea. Buy a vasectomy instead. Wearing glasses is an inconvenience. Condoms are a bigger bitch.

Anyways; I've been perplexed about this same issue for a long while myself. I've decided to stick it out with glasses for now and see what technology comes out of the pipe in 5 years. I'm hoping for bionic eyes.[/quote]


Ahhh yea maybe if your married with no plans to have anymore kids.
The point of using a condom isn't just for anti-conception.



But I'm with you on the second thing.
I'm 22 and have been wearing glasses/contacts since .. i don't know since middle school.
I've been fine with it. Get glasses that look good on you and wear it at home or when just going out for bit. I wear my contacts when i go out somewhere special or involved in some heavy activity.
Technology progresses so fast and I'm still young. So I'm waiting on it until there is a much more efficient method or the current ones just get more established and cheaper, which ever it may be.

But that's just me, if you feel like you want it and hell someone else is paying for it as well. I say you should probably do it if everything sounds good.
 
I'll toss in my girlfriend's experience.

She had pretty bad eyesight and got it done about a 6 weeks ago. Right after the procedure she was pretty tired and had trouble seeing.

She was out that night though (friday) getting dinner at a restaurant with our friends. I told her to stay home but she refused to do it. She wanted to go out, so I said oh well her choice. She just kept her big sun glasses on the whole night and in the restaurant and she had no problems.

Six weeks later and she says its great and the best 4000 dollars she ever spent. She got it done at Mass General Hospital - Mass Eye and Ear. The normal price is 5000 but she works there so she got a 1000 off.

When she got her vision checked the day after they told her it was 20-20 and that it may improve a little more. She had her 6 week check up today - but I completely forgot to ask if they did another eye test.

I really want to get it but I don't have the cash on me - we just decided to go on vacation to Las Vegas and I've been focusing on paying off my school loan. Also I get a little put off by the fact I will have to stop participating in my sports for a few months (wrestling, judo, jiu jitsu) since the eye flap will be especially weak at first. I know the flap is never quite the same again but I still think it would be worth the risk.

So I'm definitely gonna get it at some point since my girlfriend and another close friend got it done and both have loved it. If I had someone willing to pay for it I would be standing outside of the office waiting for my consultation right now!

Edit:

In response to the people saying you will need glasses again. As far as I understand it is that your vision will worsen again over time just like it would normally if you didn't need glasses. At the same point I can't think of to many people who are in their 50's who don't need either reading glasses or vision, or something.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']No negative responses? Let me threadcrap.

I'm practically blind. So, I've considered Lasik.

The two problems I've been told about are 1.) you'll need reading glasses in your 40s and 2.) your eyes may be incredibly dry to the point you'll require eyedrops.

If I was 20 again, I'd probably go for it.

Since I'm almost 34, I don't fell like undergoing surgery to avoid glasses for 5-10 years.[/QUOTE]

That is why I wouldn't bother. I'm already at the age, as of a few months ago, where bi-focals are starting to become an option. This means I would trade off wearing glasses all day and occasionally moving them aside when I need to read something tiny (I discovered the change had set in when I was doing a job that required recording the serial numbers off PCs mounted under the teller line in banks) to instead having to carry around a set of glasses to put on just when I need them.

Since I've been wearing glasses most of my life and I'm quite used to them, I'd rather continue that way then have another item to carry around to worry about losing/breaking/etc. I'm not inclined to give a damn about the cosmetic issue, any more than I'm going to start pretending my hair isn't going greyer by the year.

One of my older brothers tried to tease me about the amount of grey in my hair but when I suggested I can only manage this volume of grey because I have so much more hair than he does, he got very quiet and hasn't seen fit to mention it since.
 
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I had it about a year ago. I love it. The first 3 months were a little rough, (dryness), but I love my vision.

Research your doctor, and go for it.
 
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