Jump to content

anyone ever had LASIK?


Recommended Posts

It's like 1100-1200 per eye around me here.

My friend's mom just had it done and the blurriness lasted 2 or 3 days, which is longer than they say, isn't it?

A friend's brother had it done but went swimming pretty quickly afterwards and had problems for a really long time. I think he got a touch-up done, so look into that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i got the custom LASIK since the doctor said i had a slightly above normal level of cornea surface imperfections, most likely because of wearing contacts for 16 years. that cost me $3900 with lifetime touch-ups, the eyedrops and eye appointments for follow-up. i will still have to pay for the routine eye appointments which they recommend every 3 years or so, just to make sure the eyes are healthy (glaucoma, etc).

i also got the stupid custom because of night driving. i always saw the "halo" effect around street lights and the glare from oncoming headlights. and i'm a courier, i'm always driving at night. since i've had the LASIK, the night driving has gotten actually worse and the halo effect is even more pronounced. i'm kind of waiting for the follow up April 4th, i haven't called yet. the first person who did most of the tests during my free consult said she had the custom LASIK, and it took a good 2 weeks to get back to "normal". so far, i don't see my eyes getting any better than the point they're at right now. i know it's a possibility that you will still need glasses after the surgery, but it's a pretty bullshit deal to pay that much and not have 20/20 vision. i figure with the lifetime corrections, maybe they can just zap my eyes again.

i hesitated years ago after my free consult from another place was canceled after i took the time off work and the doctor canceled all appointments for the day. no one called me to let me know, so i wasted the time off and just didn't bother. i took that as a sign that maybe i didn't really need LASIK. i really thought i wouldn't be a candidate this time around and i'd just go back to contacts/glasses.

basically though, their price breakdowns were: regular LASIK is $3200, custom is $3900.

http://www.nseyespecialists.com/ is where i went. they seem reputable enough.

and my contacts were -6.0 to -6.5 before the surgery. i was super nearsighted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i got the custom LASIK since the doctor said i had a slightly above normal level of cornea surface imperfections, most likely because of wearing contacts for 16 years. that cost me $3900 with lifetime touch-ups, the eyedrops and eye appointments for follow-up. i will still have to pay for the routine eye appointments which they recommend every 3 years or so, just to make sure the eyes are healthy (glaucoma, etc).

i also got the stupid custom because of night driving. i always saw the "halo" effect around street lights and the glare from oncoming headlights. and i'm a courier, i'm always driving at night. since i've had the LASIK, the night driving has gotten actually worse and the halo effect is even more pronounced. i'm kind of waiting for the follow up April 4th, i haven't called yet. the first person who did most of the tests during my free consult said she had the custom LASIK, and it took a good 2 weeks to get back to "normal". so far, i don't see my eyes getting any better than the point they're at right now. i know it's a possibility that you will still need glasses after the surgery, but it's a pretty bullshit deal to pay that much and not have 20/20 vision. i figure with the lifetime corrections, maybe they can just zap my eyes again.

i hesitated years ago after my free consult from another place was canceled after i took the time off work and the doctor canceled all appointments for the day. no one called me to let me know, so i wasted the time off and just didn't bother. i took that as a sign that maybe i didn't really need LASIK. i really thought i wouldn't be a candidate this time around and i'd just go back to contacts/glasses.

basically though, their price breakdowns were: regular LASIK is $3200, custom is $3900.

http://www.nseyespecialists.com/ is where i went. they seem reputable enough.

and my contacts were -6.0 to -6.5 before the surgery. i was super nearsighted.

the halo isnt totally normal? shit..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and had any issues with seeing perfectly afterwards?

yeah, i'm in that boat. it's been 2 weeks and i'm still seeing blurry.

I had it last year after wearing glasses for about 18-20 years. I haven't had any major problems with it but if I had it to do over I would not have done it. My vision was fine the next day and not blurry but I had major halos around lights for a little while. I still have halos around streetlights at night which I never had when I wore glasses. I don't know what I particularly don't like about it. I just have never got used to it and it has been over a year already. Oh well to late now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the halo thing totally sucks. I know I saw it with contacts but now it's definitely more apparent. it helped with every person that did the testing saying they got LASIK and it was the best thing they ever did. probably fell for the oldest trick in the book. I just hope they don't tell me to get glasses to correct the slight blur, there's no excuse for that with lifetime corrections in my logic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if it's possible, but can someone post a picture of what they mean by "halos"? Or a better description?

I've never heard of any bad experiences with LASIK and have been dying to come up with the money to get it done I despise glasses and hate having to put contacts in every morning - I just want to see the damn clock at night! Or be able to bang out some bitty and be able to see her without either taking the contacts out afterwards (which I never do) or worrying about having them in overnight.

But regardless, you guys are all buzzkills! Where's the positive stories?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if it's possible, but can someone post a picture of what they mean by "halos"? Or a better description?

I've never heard of any bad experiences with LASIK and have been dying to come up with the money to get it done I despise glasses and hate having to put contacts in every morning - I just want to see the damn clock at night! Or be able to bang out some bitty and be able to see her without either taking the contacts out afterwards (which I never do) or worrying about having them in overnight.

But regardless, you guys are all buzzkills! Where's the positive stories?

I got "epi-lasek" ~5 years ago and I super duper love it. my vision was supposedly 20/900 and now it's ~20/30. I think I see "halos"

[image]

but I feel like I probably saw them before when I wore glasses (I just wasn't "looking" for them). my halos look more + shaped than these, but whatever

in any case, I can see the alarm clock while I'm in bed, I can see in the shower, and I feel significantly more confident about myself (I hated glasses...). the operation was the most unpleasant experience of my life (granted, I've never had a serious injury or anything like that, so this might not be saying much), but it was one of the best decisions I've made

oh, and the main difference (that I know of / understand) between lasik and epi-lasek is:


  • [*:4fw65bg7]lasik makes a flap, pulls it back, does the zapping, puts the flap back down, and then the flap re-heals
    [*:4fw65bg7]epi-lasek cuts off the flap, does the zapping, and then they put a contact on your eye that serves as a bandaid, and then the ~skin on your eye reheals in a week (at which point you remove the contact)

I did the epi-lasek because my horrible vision meant they'd have to essentially flatten my cornea, so the flap would be weak (apparently the flap can possibly reopen, which sounds horribly painful). my thing was supposedly more painful and has a longer healing time (and, as such, a longer time before the variability in your vision settles down... a few weeks compared to pretty much overnight (I think)), but the healing wasn't so bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea, I've a few heard good stories about that. A girl I know is a federal agent and couldn't have the flap, so she got the scratch-off version. She said it was absolutely awful, but absolutely worth it.

I think I have a medium-ish halo with my contacts, especially if they're a little dry. I barely notice, though, which is why I needed clarification.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my eyes have been super dry since (normal, i think) and feel like i've had dirty grungy dry contacts in ever since the surgery. I've used all the eyedrops on schedule and everything. them putting the suction on the eyeball to cut the flap was the most excruciating pain. he told me I would feel pressure but not pain so I assume the numbing eyedrops didn't fully take before being rushed through the surgery process.

I don't have any fear of the eye being touched anymore, years of contact wearing really desensitizes you with all the eye prodding.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the dryness is probably what's causing your blurriness and halos. you should probably call and they can do plugs or change what drops you're using if it's affecting your ability to work, etc. your dry eyes to dirty contacts comparison is a very apt one.

i used to work as a surgical/ophthalmic technician for a lasik practice, but it's been 6 yrs and ya... the suction they put on your eye is no fun... but hey... it's better than the alcohol they use to dissolve part of the cornea on people who can't get regular lasik.

*i never got lasik because i had 20/15 vision at the time i worked there so i've never been one of those "lasik was the best thing ever for me!" people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lasik-induced ectasia/kerotoconus

http://www.lasikcomplications.com/ectasia.htm

that's what i got...

few years of fairly good...then rapid deterioration of left eye...right eye will need work soon

had to get INTACs/collagen cross-linking to stop progression and i have to wear a hybrid lens now to be able to see. w/o i can't see shit w/ left eye.

http://www.helpkeratoconus.com/?src=adw&s_kwcid=keratoconus|6473702950

good times

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...
13 minutes ago, njpunkmusic said:

sorry to bump such an old thread, but I just got lasik two days ago and wow.  I went fro a -6.5/-5.5 with terrible astigmatism to almost 20/20 already.  still a bit blurry, dry eyes, and halos are bad, but it should get better.  best decision I've ever made.

I remember the first time I was in the shower after lasik and was like "wait a minute, I can *see* in here!"  and then when I went to bed -- "I can see the clock!"

 

what's funny is that even though I got lasik nearly 10 years ago, I still have to pause every now and then and remember that I'm not wearing glasses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, harryq said:

I remember the first time I was in the shower after lasik and was like "wait a minute, I can *see* in here!"  and then when I went to bed -- "I can see the clock!"

 

what's funny is that even though I got lasik nearly 10 years ago, I still have to pause every now and then and remember that I'm not wearing glasses.

Ha, yea its like my brain doesn't know how to shut down at night to sleep since its so use to glasses/contacts off, blurriness, and sleep.  Did your halos improve?  I'm day 3 and a bit blurry still, very dry, and night halos.  This morning I could barely open my eyes from them being so dry.  no pain though

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, njpunkmusic said:

Ha, yea its like my brain doesn't know how to shut down at night to sleep since its so use to glasses/contacts off, blurriness, and sleep.  Did your halos improve?  I'm day 3 and a bit blurry still, very dry, and night halos.  This morning I could barely open my eyes from them being so dry.  no pain though

I don't really remember how things looked before lasik, so I don't remember if it's worse than when I had glasses.  But yes, the night halos are still there.

 

On a lighter note, I remember how I had just started playing Guitar Hero when I had lasik -- I had to use eye drops between every song because I wouldn't really blink while playing and my eyes would get super dry.  Good times :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×

AdBlock Detected

spacer.png

We noticed that you're using an adBlocker

Yes, I'll whitelist