Lasik Surgery

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MoLiEG

MoLiEG

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MoLieG
So... I'm getting my eyes "fixed" in a week... :)

... but after doing a little bit more research (I already read about it), I've found some terrifying stories about the post operatory traumas of the Lasik procedure...

Just wondering... Anybody here can provide their own info or experience???? I'm starting to have a lot of fear :(
 
I have heard of one pretty bad case following Lasik, but my understanding from friends who have had it and from a general impression of the surgery is that it's very safe and effective.
 
My aunt had it done not long ago and she didn't seem to have any problems other than not being able to see much right after. I'd imagine most of the horror stories are from when lasik was still a new thing, it's probably much safer now that docs have more experience and better equipment.

In other words, just make sure your not going to some doctor with the qualifications of Dr. Nick Riviera and you should be fine.
 
3 people I work with had this procedure without any issues. Hopefully it goes well for you too.
 
My mother had this procedure years ago and she was fine. Only had side affects due to the irritated eyes and had to wear a big pair of sunglasses they give you for a week or two. Only thing you might notice is your vision changing after quite some years that might require you getting cheap reading glasses. My mother uses prescription glasses for reading but that's only after 8-10 years since the operation.
 
Thanks for the feedback people :)

I started to feel scared after I came up with some pages and blogs with people claiming their lives got completely ruined after the surgery... some of those stories were pretty extreme...

Yeah, I also hope for the best... I trust modern medicine and I'll take all the precautions needed...
 
Sorry for the late reply here - just saw this thread. I'm 47 now and had Lasik done about 3 years ago when I started noticing a need for reading glasses on top of my regular eyeglasses. I didn't want to get bifocals, so Lasik for correcting my distance vision seemed to me to be the best option.

I had the procedure done on a Thursday morning and was home by 1pm. Spent the day in some discomfort - there were 2 types of eyedrops I needed to drip in my eyes all afternoon (I can't remember exactly what they were for - maybe 1 was an antibiotic and the other a lubricant?) I slept pretty well that night and the next morning felt well enough that I think I could have chosen to go to work if I hadn't needed to got to my followup appointment. The Doc said that everything healed perfectly. By Monday most of the sensitivity to bright light was gone and the eyes had stabilised so I was 20/20 for distance.

My wife was so impressed, she had the surgery done about 6 months later with exactly the same outcome.
 
Someone I know had laser eye surgery, and things were great for a while (I can't speak for the immediate after effects). But after about a year, the eyesight in her left eye deteriorated to a pre-treatment state. Due to the nature of the treatment, a second procedure comes with a much greater risk to the patient and so she turned it down. She now wears a single contact lense.

You hear a lot of horror stories, but if you look at the number of people who actually have eye surgery and have no subsequent problems, you will be a lot more reassured. I'm sure it will go fine :)
 
My wife is closing in on 15 years post-LASIK and has never had any problems short of the initial eye itching.

Good luck, MoLiEG. 👍
 
Thanks for your kind words people :)


Some people here at the office also had the surgery and they haven't had any problems... so I expect to be ok :)
 
TB
My wife is closing in on 15 years post-LASIK and has never had any problems short of the initial eye itching.

Good luck, MoLiEG. 👍
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Replace wife with mom and that is exactly the case with my experience. Que te vaya bien, carnal (:
 
Well, I've heard both sides of the story.. success stories and horror stories. The first question I ask is this: "Where'd you get it done?"

I'd bet dollars to donuts that 99% of the "horror stories" you hear about LASIK are the results of treatments done by some bargain-basement fly-by-night doctor that's just trying to make a buck.

People will walk onto a car lot, spend twenty minutes being sold something, and spend $20,000, with practically zero research or even shopping around. For a car. And yet, people will shop around for the cheapest LASIK surgeon they can find, so they can save $150 on a $4000 procedure. And they still don't do any research. Boggles the mind.

Really, even a high-end procedure done by a well-qualified surgeon is only a fraction of the price of the car that you drive every day. Don't skimp. You get what you pay for with everything, and don't let anyone, especially the surgeon, say otherwise, because LASIK is no different.

That said, I'm about three months post-op Intralase (blade-free) LASIK, got it done right after the Fourth of July. I did my homework, read the good and the bad, and spent the extra money to go to one of the best LASIK surgeons in the country. The results are what you'd expect from that combination: Zero problems or complications, and 20/15 vision. Quite an upgrade from the 20/400 I had before the procedure.

Stick with the regimen of drops they'll give you afterwards, antibiotics and so forth. You'll probably need to carry normal wetting drops around with you for a while, the eyes tend to be a bit dry (I'm told that mostly goes away after 6-12 months). And for the love of God, don't rub your eyes afterwards. I forced myself into the habit of not rubbing my eyes before the procedure, and I was so scared of screwing something up that I never came close to doing it right afterwards. And now it's second nature, I don't have to think about it anymore.. I just don't rub my eyes.
 
I basically agree with what Jedi2016 has said above, but paying more does not mean that you are guaranteed a trouble free procedure.

I too paid the extra to have IntraLase Wavefront LASIK around 2007 from a very reputable UK optician. The procedure was basically fine, the first night was agony with itchy eyes but got much better by the next day and got better from there. I kept up with the regiment of various drops and was very careful.

A few days in, my vision was superb, especially compared to being -6 in both eyes with Astigmatism beforehand. Crystal clear with little side effects like sensitivity etc. After a few months though, one of my eyes had regressed to a slight prescription which I wasn't happy with so had a repeat surgery on the one eye.

Since then I've had quite a fluctuating prescription around -1 in both eyes. Not really enough to warrant glasses on a daily basis but I can feel it getting to that point, which is annoying.

Good luck with the procedure though, don't worry too much about the horror stories, there are vastly more success stories!
 
Any medical procedure can go wrong in multiple ways, even if it is performed by a skilled doctor and all precautions are taken. Also nobody knows the longtermeffects, that might kick in after 30 oder 40 years - remember you are 24 years old and need your eyes for another few decades...
Also many people have issues with sight at night and experience certain effects like halos or glare, but I'm sure you've read about this.

Being a medical doctor myself I personally wouldn't do it. It really depends how much you suffer from wearing glasses or contact lenses. Especially glasses protect your eyes, personally I don't have any problems with them in daily life.
 
garlik_bread
Good luck with the procedure though, don't worry too much about the horror stories, there are vastly more success stories!
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So you've read about a few bad cases, it happens with everything in life.
If you purposely look for the negatives it will seem overwhelming, but looking for the positives will give you MUCH higher figures and responses, especially with the medical advances since eye surgery started.
This type of surgery is now completed virtually worldwide on a daily basis but there are still going to be one or two bad experiences.
I know of two people who have had this treatment within the last few years and both with 100% successful results.
Just make sure you are with a reputable company and an experienced doctor and you'll be fine. 👍
 
Yeah, I know, I've read about all the pros and the cons... I've done my homework... 👍

Like I said, I hope to do just fine and I'm trying not to think about everything that can go wrong... I don't want to freak out already :guilty:

Thanks for your words people. I appreciate it a lot. :)
 
Something that helped me during the procedure was to think like this - rather than being scared of it, be amazed at whats happening. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's a very bizarre feeling having it done, but to witness your eyesight getting better is amazing!

I can remember laying down and looking at a fixed point where there was a red light, and naturally this light was super blurred with my shortsighted vision. As the procedure started, the light got progressively smaller and sharper until it was very clear.

The whole thing took a few minutes per eye, and i walked out (well, more stumbled out) being able to see quite clearly without glasses/contacts.
 
Danoff
I have heard of one pretty bad case following Lasik, but my understanding from friends who have had it and from a general impression of the surgery is that it's very safe and effective.
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I still don't think it's a "safe" way to get your eyesight straight by Lasik but in deed the "fastest" and the most "secure" way to recover it provided that the ophthalmologists take charge of sanitary conditions carefully in operation - whilst if not it sometimes become rather dangerous.

As an extreme case in Japan, a patient who underwent an optic surgery of an eye doctor became blind a dozen of days afterwards the operation - for lack of maintenance of hygiene on apparatus used in surgery as well as his inexpert hands to be blamed.
 
So, it's my last night with glasses...

Goodnite people... again thank you all for sharing your stories...

I'll report back in a few days...
 
I've had it done, everything's A-OK for me. Best of luck with it all. 👍
 
When you see this, tell us your experience with your sight before and now!

Suerte!
 
AJHG1000
When you see this, tell us your experience with your sight before and now!

Suerte!
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I'd rather get a shudder to hear of graphic experiences of undergoing an eye surgery if those experiences literally being bloodcurdling for him. :(
 
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So, I'm back :)

Surgery went just fine, my vision is almost crystal clear now 👍

Still, my right eye apparently needs more time to heal because I have a little bit of blurr on it, but other than that, it went perfect :)

It didn't take long before noticing the results... about 5 minutes after the surgery I started to see how my vision started to change... me being able to recognize my mother and father from a quite long distance compared to my pre-lasik eyes...

I have an appointment next Wednesday with the doc, so, let's hope everything goes well :)
 
Lo mismo que Yauma dijo!
Y qué bueno que ha salido todo bien! :D

Now just rest your vision a little bit more, I know nothing about healing and stuff, but a little rest of this kind of devices is always good :D
 
MoLiEG
Still, my right eye apparently needs more time to heal because I have a little bit of blurr on it, but other than that, it went perfect :)
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That will continue for a few weeks at least, as it heals up. My eyes kept switching back and forth, as to which one was better on any given day. It even happened on one of my checkup visits after the surgery, I told them "My left eye's not so good today." (the numbers on it were worse than they had been the previous week), and they just nodded, "Yeah, that happens."

It's settled down quite a bit since then, though, and I haven't noticed any fluctuations in a while. I have my three-month checkup on Wednesday.
 

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