Lasik Eye Surgery

[HappyDancer 7]

I am nearsighted and I am bad blind and a sorry case when I don't have my eyeglasses or contacts on. I have been dealing with this since I was 17 and I am just getting sick and tired of it. Fiance asked me if I wanted to go for lasik eye surgery and I honestly have no clue if it's any good at all. Anybody tried it?

Also, I have a scar on my left eye - an accident that happened when I was 9 that almost left me blind. I am just a lil nervous.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

[kearinne 0]

I am nearsighted and I am bad blind and a sorry case when I don't have my eyeglasses or contacts on. I have been dealing with this since I was 17 and I am just getting sick and tired of it. Fiance asked me if I wanted to go for lasik eye surgery and I honestly have no clue if it's any good at all. Anybody tried it?

Also, I have a scar on my left eye - an accident that happened when I was 9 that almost left me blind. I am just a lil nervous.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

I have not tried it but I have been considering laser eye surgery for some time now. I've been wearing glasses since 3rd grade (8 years old) and currently wear contacts during the day and glasses at night.

I would talk with your eye doctor on whether or not it is even an option for you. There are quite a few criteria that you should meet before even being eligible, one of those being a stable prescription. My husband also wear glasses but he is not an ideal candidate for eye surgery because his prescription keeps changing, getting progressively worse. My eyes however have only had a .25 difference in the last 15 years so I believe I am a better candidate. I also know that there is a degree of poor vision that can't be fully corrected with surgery and you will still need to wear corrective lenses.

Again I would urge you to talk to your eye doctor, even get a second opinion if they try convince you too fast that you are an ideal candidate (my husband's first eye doctor said he was ideal and we found out he was wrong and just wanted the $$$) and read up on the subject because though you may temporarily have better vision for a while with laser eye surgery, the results are never going to be permanent and if it done wrong it can make things worse for your eyes. They remove a thin layer of your lens that won't grow back and if they make a mistake it may be irreversable.

Edited March 16, 2009 by kearinne

[NickD 202]

My son-in-law, a MD had it done with good results so he could permanently pitch his glasses, it's normally an out of pocket expense not covered by health insurance. But no sense in asking here, have to undergo a series of tests for general health, age, and the condition of your eyes before you would be a candidate for this type of surgery.

[Talyss 0]

I had mine done about 21/2 years ago and it is one of the best things I ever did.

As a previous poster mentioned it is not suitable if you have a lot of variability in prescriptions or if you have a bad stigmatism. Also if you wear contact lenses you have to have not worn themfor at least 3 weeks before they can do a proper assessment of your eyes. Your current eye doctor should be able to tell you whether or not it is feasible for you to consider.

[Niels Bohr 72]

They do the procedure with your eyes wide open. You witness everything. After it is finished, you become temporarily blind because there's so much light coming into your eye. You become weezy.

However, the end result is good. You won't ever need glasses again.

About you accident when you were nine years old, you may want to ask your Doctor.

[HappyDancer 7]

Thank you all for the feedback. I am just making sure I am not adding risk instead of getting my vision back. I would have to think about it along with honest opinions of the doctors...

[anitacastillo 0]

They do the procedure with your eyes wide open. You witness everything. After it is finished, you become temporarily blind because there's so much light coming into your eye. You become weezy.

However, the end result is good. You won't ever need glasses again.

About you accident when you were nine years old, you may want to ask your Doctor.

I disagree with the bolded statement. I have 3 friends/family who had the surgery and a few years later have needed glasses - probably not as strong as pre-surgery.

To the OP - good luck with your decision and research. You may want to talk to people you have done it in your area - how was their specific doctor experience?

[Niels Bohr 72]

Of course.

The Dr said that during the age of 20-30, your eyes won't change as much. Maybe about 20-40 years later, you may need another surgery.

[MissStacey 1]

I have known several people who have had it done- not one of them has regretted it.

Definitely go have a consult and see if you're a candidate and what the Doctor says.

[almaty 19]

same here.. i know several folks and they are all happy

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I leave my contacts in for a month at a time (Focus night and day). I love them. A co-worker had lasik and after 3 years she needed glasses again and can't wear contacts. No thanks!!!!

[Eveline 9]

My husband had PRK done while in the military. the recovery was terrible, he slept for days and was in pain for even longer but he's got 20/15 vision now and doesn't need glasses anymore. His doc told him, that his eyes will still age and later on he will need glasses (like almost every old person out there) but as of right now, he won't need any.

[britbird 4]

There are different sorts of surgeries depending on how your eyes are...some more invasive than others. The doctors will let you know which one would be best for you.

Here are a couple of considerations...

If you are planning to apply for certain jobs (some law enforcement type jobs for instance) then there is a waiting time after you have lasik before you'll pass the physical fitness test (i cant' remember offhand what it is, but a year sounds about right).

If you are going to be doing a lot of reading/close work (like going to grad school for instance...) you might want to wait to get the surgery until after you're done.

[HappyDancer 7]

I am planning to do lasik eye surgery in KY. I will have to research and gather feedback first. My case is complicated as I have a scar. Thanks everyone.

[Nessa 23]

i definitely would have it done if tricare covered it. how much does it cost?