Lasik eye surgery

[WoodMangler]

I am going for a consult tomorrow....

Anyone have this surgery?

I am hoping that I am a "candidate" for this... I have spent probably double the amount for the surgery on eyeglasses over the years....

[TDHofstetter]

THIS is one I'M going to watch closely (as closely as my vision will allow). I've been concerned with my vision going to pot, and apparently accelerating on that potwise trend. Marie says she can see cloudiness on both eyes, even. No, it's not the smoke from a distant fire. :) :) :)

I've been, more and more, contemplating Lasik. I'm NOT comfortable with my growing inability to resolve objects clearly.

-- Tim --


I'm a
HOARSE
WHISPERER.

[Jim1142]

I have had Lasik surgery. Did it 3 years ago at age 62. It has worked well for me and my vision was not all that bad to start with. The surgery itself is no big deal if you are used to putting contacts onto your eyes. Quick and painless for me.
Because of aging I cannot read very well up close so they made one eye perfect for distance vision and one for reading. Each works wonderfully. Getting used to this difference in the eyes was slow for me. It gives me kinda' oiley vision. Takes some getting used to. The need for reading glasses continues to worsen a very little bit by bit but I can read a menue without glasses still.
In short it worked well for me but reading glasses are still going to be needed one day.

[mrohde]

I did it three years ago. I opted for the wavefront procedure, which costs more but I highly recommend. I've had no side effects at all. I can see better than anyone I know now, except for one other guy who's had the surgery (I'm better than 20/15 now). I was near-sighted and slight astigmatic prior to the surgery. - couldn't see the alarm clock type thing.

My only problem is that I don't do "procedures" well. I can't watch and I have to pretend I'm somewhere else or I get pale and ill feeling. With this, I couldn't look somewhere else. I had to watch the whole damn thing and I knew exactly what was happening. It took me 30 minutes of calm deep breaths to get my blood flowing again.

[WoodWorkGirl]

Tim,

Sounds like you need to go for a check up. There are lots of other things that maybe affecting your vision.

Don't take it for granted that is just the aging process.

TJ

[RionM]

Marc:

I, also, had the LASIK procedure. For me it took 10-15 minutes from the time I sat down to the time I got up - very quick and completely painless. I did have a growing anxiety attack while it was happening but the nurse was constantly patting my 'clenched fist' which helped a lot.

The difference between before and after was dramatic. Everything was crystal clear and even though it now (6 years later) is not as sharp, I still do not need glasses and can see better than LOML even though she does have glasses. :-)

My eyes are drier so I need eye drops ever so often (from 3 times a day to only once a week depending on the weather). The 'good' side effect of using drops is that I find that elevated levels of pollen doesn't bother me anymore.

I think it is well worth the money and would do it again. One note of caution - I found that those people I know who had it done by the "cheapest" doctors almost all had to have a follow-up procedure, i.e. have it redone. So far I found that the 'expensive' doctors need only do it once.

[PastorPaul]

It is a dream of mine, but it will probably be expensive if I ever get to do it. The reason being that, after doing much research, I settled on a doctor with the most experience in the St. Louis area, uses various lasers according to your eye needs, and guarantees his work for life (as long as you get a yearly eye exam with a doctor he approves). If for any reason you need the surgery repeated, it is done at no charge.

I could get it cheaper, but my eyes and my peace of mind are more important than saving money.

Pastor Paul
http://home.centurytel.net/chalosi/usaC.gif http://home.centurytel.net/chalosi/usaC.gif

"If they don't have woodworking in heaven, I ain't going!!!"

[doug_d]

Be careful if you have large pupils. This can cause a permanent starburst condition.
You know what they say about guys with large pupils ;-)


Doug D.

[TDHofstetter]

I've been reading about that - starbursts and halos. Even in people with fairly ordinary-sized pupils, during nighttime when the irises are dilated fully. It can, from what I read, be an issue if the irises dilate past the edges of the flap.

That's kinda' what I see right now if I, say, look at a streetlight or a star. I see a starburst with at least two halos. Looks quite a lot like a brightly-lit spiderweb, about the size of the tip of my index finger when held at arm's length.

Mine's probably just astigmatism, and can be taken care of with glasses.

-- Tim --


I'm a
HOARSE
WHISPERER.

[Sonny Edmonds]

For Christmas 6 years ago (almost 7 years now :o ), I made an appointment for Betty to have her eyes check to see if she was a candidate. Thankfully, she was!
She had 20/600 in one eye, and 20/657 in her other eye. She was very nearly legally blind.
After the proceedure she has/had 20/20 in both eyes. But myopia happens to us all so we need them Save-on ready readers eventually.
It was like riding home with a child who was seeing the world for the very first time. There's birds on those wires! There's towers going over those hills! She was seeing things she had never seen before.
And I had tears in my eyes...

Oh, and the first thing she remembers seeing when they raised the operating chair back up was my smiling face and the bluest eyes she's ever seen (her discription) through the window of the operating theater.

I think it was the best thing I have ever bought. And I know it is the best thing that ever happened to her!

They have a flap-less proceedure now. No cutting of the cornia!
I watched her whole proceedure on a huge big screen TV. The entire picture was her eye. Flippin amazing!

Of all the parts on the human body, the eyes heal the fastest, BTW. ;)

:D

[link:home.earthlink.net/~pie/data/index.html|Sonny Edmonds ]
Saugus, CA
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
God Bless America !
In God We Trust !
"Lurkimus turdius orifus"


Welcome to the Forum!
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_4_132.gif

[Postman]

He he he. Betty must really love you if you're still married after she saw you. Hang on to her.

[WoodMangler]

Now I am even more confused...

The person who did my "evaluation" had me look into a machine that had a fuzzy picture of a house... for about 3 seconds... then said "OK, you are a candidate" .... huh???

She said they can only correct one thing... either distance vision, or reading vision... and didn't recommend the correction for reading because it would really mess up my distance vision...

She couldn't answer if my intermediate vision would be corrected or not... http://www.woodhelp.com/confused-smiley-013.gif

If I could see well at all distances except reading close up, I would be happy as a clam...

My distance vision is OK... a little fuzzy but not too bad...

Dunno now... more confused than when I went in for the "free" consultation... *sigh*

[TDHofstetter]

No greater explanation than that? Did she give you a quote? Like $54.99 if you have it done this weekend, in the alley behind the grocery store?

I'd think a really reputable place would sit you down & go over the whole explanation thing with you, being sure you understood exactly what's what. After all, you really SHOULD be looking at thousands of dollars to get a good job done.

Maybe you're a candidate because you're willing to come in & peer at a fuzzy picture of a house with your pockets hanging open. :) :) :)

-- Tim --


I'm a
HOARSE
WHISPERER.

[WoodMangler]

Oh, she went over the pricing.... depends on whether you get the deluxe package or the REALLY deluxe package or the SUPER DELUXE package....

From $1099.00 an eye to $1899.00 an eye... depending on whether you get the special job or the standard job or the length of the follow up... one year, 2, 3...

I won't be going back... there was another place here but they wanted $125.00 just to see if I was a candidate or not... I chose the free option to begin with - so I got my money's worth. :)

[bullethead64]

Tim,

With your wife able to see the cloudiness in your eyes and you seeing halos, I'd say you most likely have cataracts.

Those are classic signs. Cataracts ARE covered by insurance.

Get you eyes checked please.

Best of luck to you!

[RionM]

Boy, I agree with Tim 100%. The doctors (at UCLA) did a battery of 8 different tests 3 times each by a different person (a "beginning" student, a last year student - I'm not sure what their official title is, and the doctor himself). Not only did he go over all the tests but he explained in great detail what each test did and what would disqualify me.

The simplest test was to determine which eye is the dominant one. For stereo vision, one eye basically doesn't move but the other one does as an object is moving toward you - like a finger. I believe that the eye that doesn't move is the one that takes care of your far vision and the other is the workhorse for your close-up vision. Most people I talked to had one eye 'fixed' for their far vision and the other eye 'fixed' for near vision. The only problem is that the point in front of your face where vision is the clearest (the focal point???) is 'set', meaning as you bring an object closer, it starts to get blurry. This point is usually where you would hold a book comfortably.

If you need it, I can provide the website for my doctor that has a ton of good background info on all of the procedures available. I'm sure you can google and find a bunch more.

[WoodMangler]

I am going to check it ....

This person obviously was just wanting to get through the customers as quickly as possible so she could go to lunch, or wherever... monotone, unable to answer questions, etc...

I may contact the doctor himself to let him know what a great representative he has at this place... the surgery center is in Atlanta, this place was in Columbus... so he probably hasn't a clue...

[mpokego]

i've thought about it but i don't like things near my eyes. i am always reminded of "a clockwork orange" and i just get the heebee-jeebees.
i'm gonna stay with glasses cause the worst that can happen is that i get some really ugly frames, but since i don't have to see them, i'm okay with that.
but that is just me.
i really do hope that you research and "shop" around because i know that you would do that for anything else, and with only 2 eyes, you have to be real careful.
but who knows, if i hear more success stories, i might just have to look into it :)

[arcticfox46]

I am a really fussy about my eye sight. I am soooo willing to pay a lot of money for my glasses. I get super light - super thin super light frames. i take really really super great care of my glasses.

If I got regular glass lenses I would be wearing coke bottles.

I have been told that myopia (nearsightedness) is the best candidate for laser surgery. I have myopia and an astigmatism (football shaped eye). Astigmatism is usually associated with myopia. I can see REALLY really good closeup (within 6 inches to my eyes or closer). Far away (12 inches or more) forget it.

I was told insurance didn't cover the procedure. Also told it was $1000 or more per eye.

I don't know about you - but I have 2 eyes - at $1000 each that's $2,000. My super expensive glasses work great at $600.00 They are 3 years old and I figure I can get another 2 years out of them. Sooo $600 for about 5 years. At that rate $2000 would take about 20 years to break even. After 20 years there is no guarantee that the surgery would still be good. Even inside the 20 year period I would still most likely need glasses. So where is the savings???

[WoodMangler]

I guess that, if I could actually get "good" glasses, then I wouldn't even be checking into this...

but...

The glasses I have gotten so far suck... they don't do what I need them to do, and they won't guarantee them or replace them... so it's gambling... get some glasses, they don't work, and I am out another $300 or so...

Tired of it....

[mpokego]

don't know if it is around in your area, but america's best.
i know, i know, how good can 2 pairs of glasses plus exam be for $99?
i went there and spent the hundred bucks and got 2 pairs of glasses, only really wore one, and went back 2 years later and had it done again. i have astigmatism and was told that my glasses would be special order and only waited about a week but my dad goes there too and he has "normal" eye problems and has had the coke bottle glasses in the past and he can get his done in a few hours. and with 2 pairs, its good to have a back up.

[TDHofstetter]

I think the only time I ever got really bum glasses was in the military - in Basic Training. Ya know, the Kreskin glasses. The (first) set they issued me had the prescription reversed. I dang near threw up when I had 'em on, and it took about a week of complaining before they finally reissued me another set. Other'n that, my glasses - while really pretty cheap - have always been pretty decent.

O'course, I've never had eagle eyes... so it's possible I just don't know what I've been missing, hm? :) :) :)

-- Tim --


I'm a
HOARSE
WHISPERER.

[arcticfox46]

VariLUX - lenses -- NOT cheap -- Not $300 at least not the progressive lenses.

Varilux is the only way to go.

If the prescription is wrong the glasses will never be good. Make sure they check the glasses against the prescription when you pick up the glasses.