Anyone had LASIK?

[duvals101]

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I'm starting school this fall and I'm sick of wearing contacts....(especially putting them in with little sleep....-4.75 in each eye.)

Has anyone had the surgery? What did you think?

I'm kinda nervous because maybe something better will come out down the road.

I would love to hear what you think,

Thanks!

 

[wends]

i havent had lasik but i know two people who have and it has gone well with them. it was hard the first couple of months, cause your eyes are so sensitive so you need a friend to help you get around and stuff.

 

[ms. a]

I'm starting school this fall and I'm sick of wearing contacts....(especially putting them in with little sleep....-4.75 in each eye.)

Has anyone had the surgery? What did you think?

I'm kinda nervous because maybe something better will come out down the road.

I would love to hear what you think,

Thanks!

I just had it a few weeks ago and it is AWESOME!! I was -4.5 and now I'm 20/20. No more glasses or contacts for me!

There are few things that are good to know beforehand, though:
1. you need to be out of your contacts for a while (at least 2 weeks) before you can get the surgery, because they need to see your corneas stabilize, and contacts always cause flucuations (even soft contacts). The older you are, the less likely your corneas are to be changing. Apparently, they can change even into your twenties.
2. You can't wear eye makeup for 1 week after surgery (probably only matters if you're a girl).
3. You can't get your eyes wet for a week, and can't swim for 2 weeks.
4. Your vision flucuates for about 3 months afterwards, so it can get better and worse, but so far the worse has probably been about 20/30 for me, so it's no big deal.
5. About 10-15% of people need retreatment, which won't happen until at least 3 months, after the flucuations settle down.

Also, you might think about waiting until you start school. If your school has an Eye Center (like Baylor does), you very well might be able to get a significant discount as a student (1 got $1,500 off). The procedure itself was crazy. They gave me Xanax, which calmed me down, and the whole thing only took about 45 minutes. Afterwards, everything was really hazy, as if I were underwater. They checked me about 1 hour later, then sent me home, where I took a long nap. When I woke up, things were much less hazy and getting quite clear, though my eyes just felt tired. By the next day, everything was great. I had a totally normal day, went out to lunch and drove myself to the doctor's for my one-day post-op appointment.

Good luck!

 

[AJM]

I had LASIK a year ago as a resident and it was the best decision I've made in the last 10 years!
It was really easy -- I went for the procedure post-call from the ICU. Total time in the clinic the day of the procedure was only 45 minutes, then I was out the door and home 15 minutes later. (the hardest part was my anxiety -- they gave me valium, but because everything went so fast it didn't kick in until after I was done!) Because I was so tired being post-call, I slept most of the rest of the afternoon and evening. The next morning, I had my post-op check at 7am, found out my vision was 20/16 in both eyes, and was back rounding with my team by 8am!

I had some dry eyes for the first 1-2 weeks, and nighttime halos that went away after about 2 months, but nothing that affected my day-to-day life. And I certainly never needed anyone to help me get around anywhere -- as I said, my vision was better than perfect by the day after surgery. Over this last year things have been really stable and I've been extremely happy with the results.

You do have to accept that there are risks to the procedure, as there are with every surgery. A couple of the scariest risks for me were the risk of potentially vision-threatening infection as well as the possibility that I might lose some of my vision and not be able to correct to 20/20 in the future. Luckily none of those worst-case scenarios happened to me, but it was definitely on my mind.

Definitely see if there's someone in your med school who will do these for med students at a discount. The ophthalmologist I went to did the surgeries for half-off to med students and residents at the school. Also make sure you go to someone reputable. Not everyone is a candidate for LASIK, and IMO the best eye surgeons will not only have excellent skills but they will also be up front with you as far as whether they think you are a candidate or not. (there are many lasik guys out there who will operate on people even though they're not good candidates so that they can make more cash).

 

[RaaMD]

I had Lasik about a month ago before starting medical school today. It was a great decision because my eyes would get so bothered with contacts. I see 20/20 now, and really don't think about my eyes as much as I did when I had contacts. Go for it if you can afford it and are willing to go through the procedure. Make sure you choose a highly competent eye surgeon, although there are eye centers that do not use the doctor for surgery. I can't really attest to the quality of these places. Good luck.

 

[Thanatos]

I've worn contacts for years and would love to have it done.....everyone I know that has undergone the procedure has only great things to say about it!!!

My only fear is right about the time they're carving into my eye with that laser a minor earthquake will hit or something........

 

[cfdavid]

Had it 3 years ago, and it went flawless. I'm really glad I did it.

One thing to keep in mind that you may end up slightly straining/damaging your eyes due to long periods of short focus, such as while reading for long periods of time while in med school.

This could damage your eyes, and I'd hate to see you have to get a "touch up" procedure, or be screwed because they may not be able to take too much more off your cornea the second time around. Perhaps it would be best to discuss this with our opto or optho doc.

 

[exmike]

a cheaper and less dangerous alternative is to get some really comfy glasses. My contacts become unbearable around 6pm.. I bought two pairs of comfy glasses for when rotations begin... i cant imagine being on call in contacts.. that would be horrible.

If you pay attention, youll notice how FEW ophthalmologists have had laser eye surgery. There is probably a reason for this - not that lasik is unsafe, it probably is very safe - but we're essentially in the dark about the very long term effects of laser corneal resurfacing. Most eye docs i know wear glasses! Maybe its not worth it for that miniscule .01% or whatever that have complications or *gulp* go blind. Are you willing to gamble something as precious as your vision for something that isnt 100% fail-safe?

i have to admit though that i really really would love to have corrective lens free vision but that tiny chance of error disturbs me. Although contacts and glasses can be annoying, at least i know i wont get blinded by wearing them!

 

[ms. a]

If you pay attention, youll notice how FEW ophthalmologists have had laser eye surgery. There is probably a reason for this - not that lasik is unsafe, it probably is very safe - but we're essentially in the dark about the very long term effects of laser corneal resurfacing. Most eye docs i know wear glasses!

But don't just assume they don't do it because it hasn't been around forever. You need to ask them why. I asked my ophthalmologist why he hadn't done it. Basically, he said that his myopia isn't that severe, and he can still function, especially in the operating room, without his glasses. In that case, LASIK wouldn'd be that much of an improvement in life style.

 

[amy2003uva]

I'm starting school this fall and I'm sick of wearing contacts....(especially putting them in with little sleep....-4.75 in each eye.)

Has anyone had the surgery? What did you think?

I'm kinda nervous because maybe something better will come out down the road.

I would love to hear what you think,

Thanks!

I had a "candidacy" exam at the UT-Southwestern Zale Lipshy University Hospital Laser Center last week. Basically I spent three hours (!) with the opthamologist where he put my eyes through dozens of tests to see if I was a good candidate for the procedure. He also answered all of my questions.

I was hoping to have LASIK before classes started, but there were some things to consider that made me opt to delay the surgery until winter break:

1) In addition to the day of surgery, you have required 24hr, 48hr, 72hr, 1mo, 3mo, 6mo follow-up appointments. The surgery fee covers all of these visits, but I couldn't commit to all of these dates due to the rigors of 1st semester med school.

2) The opthamologist warned me that my eyes may be dry for 3-6 (up to 12) months post-op, and that I may have to apply artificial tears EVERY HOUR for this duration while my eyes are healing. The continual strain from reading can exacerbate the drying, and I am not willing (at this point) to accept having to apply drops every hour of every day for up to a year.

3) I didn't want to compound the inherent stressors of medical school with the stress of possible poor outcomes (needing a touch-up procedure, worsening of vision, infection, dry eye, etc.). I figure I'll have enough to deal with this semester as it is.

4) Contacts during the day + glasses at night is not completely intolerable. I've been in contacts since high school (-2.50 only), so I needn't feel rushed into getting LASIK riiiight as med school starts.

Bottom line: this late in the game, I'd wait until winter break or summer break to hop on the LASIK train.

ps - DO Sacrifice cost for quality. Definitely go for the "custom" eye mapping (if available), and definitely go for Intralase, which takes the human error of the microkeratomes out of the equation. The laser-based "scapels" are much less prone to error - and the microkeratome is the #1 source of error in the first place. Custom eye mapping minimizes the risk of halo and starburst effects because the topography of your eye (microscopic peaks and troughs) are mapped out and the laser can compensate for these things. Intralase helps to prevent incomplete flaps and infections.

Good luck.

 

[USFpremed21]

I had LASIK done three summers ago while I was in college because I kept getting corneal infections from wearing contacts. They were painful, inconvenient and just a real pain the ass because I kept getting them every year despite how diligent I was about replacing/cleaning my contacts. I think I paid around $3000 at the time... I don't know how much it is now. Anyways it was probably one of the best things I could've done for myself. My vision is perfect except at night when I get night halos (unfortunate and not very common side effect) but I got non-prescription glasses to take care of that problem.

 

[neuronerd]

I had my LASIK done this last FRIDAY! YAY! I recommend it. My eyes only get tired when I watch TV or when I went to the SFMOMA and stared at all the funky modern art. Other than that, I'm a hawk and I love it. I think it's worth it for med school even if you'll need an enhancement later.

 

[sfbear]

I had intralase done january this year and i'm SO glad i did it. However, the only reason i did it was because i could no longer wearb my contacts and my glasses drive me nuts. it was fine when i only had to wear them at night, but it became very frustrating when i wanted to do things like dive, run, wear sunglasses, etc. Also, my eye sight was so bad (-8.25) that i couldn't function without them. i would only reccomend it if you feel it is a last resort because it doesn't always come out perfectly. i now have a significant glare which definitely impairs my night driving and reading things like subtitles (light letters on a dark surface) but it's not really noticable most of the time. if my eyes hadn't been as bad as they were, i probably would be frustrated with the outcome, especially because they can't fix it. but because it's such a significant improvement from where i was, i love it. i would definitely reccomend intralase over lasik (a laser cuts the flap instead of a microkeratome) but just be aware that the healing takes a little longer. it's safer and they cut a thinner flap (leaving more to work with on the cornea). best of luck in your decision!

 

[qtpie055]

hey! i would love to get LASIK eye surgery but my doctor told me not to get it till i'm around 30 (eek!). He said that is the age where your eyes stop fluctuating as much? Did any of you have such requirements? Like have to wait till ur perscription stop changing? I've had contacts for 6 years now and my perscription has just worsen...i'm afraid i'm going to go legally blind one day..eek. really want them but i don't know if i can afford them until after med school and pay back those student loans..booo

 

[AJM]

hey! i would love to get LASIK eye surgery but my doctor told me not to get it till i'm around 30 (eek!). He said that is the age where your eyes stop fluctuating as much? Did any of you have such requirements? Like have to wait till ur perscription stop changing? I've had contacts for 6 years now and my perscription has just worsen...i'm afraid i'm going to go legally blind one day..eek. really want them but i don't know if i can afford them until after med school and pay back those student loans..booo

Yes, your vision has to be stable for at least a year for you to be a good candidate for lasik. If your vision is continuing to worsen, lasik will not stop the process. What will happen if you do lasik when your vision is not stable is that your vision will be temporarily corrected, but you'll probably be back in glasses in a year (or will need repeat procedures, each of which carries it's own risk of complications). Just be patient and wait till your vision evens out -- then you can just get a one-time fix and be done with it. 🙂

 

[uptoolate]

I'm about -10.0 in one eye and -9.0 in the other. Anyone knowanything about how Lasik works with prescriptions like these? The one perosn with -8.50 said they had halos and whatnot. is that more likely with more extreme vision deficiencies?

 

[criminallyinane]

i have to admit though that i really really would love to have corrective lens free vision but that tiny chance of error disturbs me. Although contacts and glasses can be annoying, at least i know i wont get blinded by wearing them!

I agree totally. I trust that most opthos are well-trained, respectable, qualified, and responsible physicians who will do their best to take care of your eyes -- but sh1t happens, and I don't want **** happening to ME. I would much rather deal with the discomfort of contacts (although mine are so comfy that I sometimes will go to bed before remembering they're in... whoops) than possibly have halos for the rest of my life, or go blind. Just my feelings on it. Everyone I know who has had Lasik said it was great, but I'm a chicken about letting people cut my eye open when it's not 100% medically necessary 🙂 I also have visions of twitching at the wrong time and having the blade cut not just my cornea, but my whole eyeball in half. How do they stabilize the blade during the surgery to prevent such occurrences? I guess I'll learn that on my optho rotation 🙂

 

[An Yong]

I was considering lasik but I have extremely bad vision, -8.0/-8.5 ...

Instead of lasik I'm waiting for phakic IOL's to be more established. Basically, they're implantable contact lens that are placed in front of the iris. They correct up to like -20, and unlike Lasik it doesn't remove any of the cornea. Oh and you can always remove the lens or replace the lens if further correction is needed.

I think the FDA approved the Verisyse phakic IOL's, but I'm probably going to wait until the results of its test trials are published.

 

[NeuroSync]

Yes, I had LASIK surgery. I'm very glad that I did. I have 20/15 in one eye and 20/20 in the other. I used to depend upon contacts (never wore glasses) and had 20/300+ vision. With an active lifestyleand being a good athlete, including lots of skiing, backcountry stuff, and Airborne training, it was a total pain in the butt to have contacts. My eyes were ALWAYS red from high speed activities like biking, skiing, and blading. So I had the surgery. But it was definitely traumatic. I had to have the surgery twice in one eye and THREE TIMES in the other. I was so stressed out about it by the second and third times that I sweat through the sheets, mattress pads and pillows the night before surgery. It totally freaked me out to have to keep my eye open while they cut it and folded the flap back. DAMN!!!! It still stressed me out to think about it. Additionally, although it didn't last long, there were a couple of hours of GREAT discomfort before I was able to sleep it off (with the help of some fun meds). The poor doc knew I was a medical malpractice attorney (DEFENSE), and he just wanted it to be right. I had a very bad astigmatism in both eyes so I was a tough case that another doctor wouldn't touch. But overall, I'm SUPER happy that I did it. It changed my life. I'd go through all of that stress again in a heart beat. 🙂

 

[::Seabass::]

1) In addition to the day of surgery, you have required 24hr, 48hr, 72hr, 1mo, 3mo, 6mo follow-up appointments. The surgery fee covers all of these visits, but I couldn't commit to all of these dates due to the rigors of 1st semester med school.


ps - DO Sacrifice cost for quality. Definitely go for the "custom" eye mapping (if available), and definitely go for Intralase, which takes the human error of the microkeratomes out of the equation. The laser-based "scapels" are much less prone to error - and the microkeratome is the #1 source of error in the first place. Custom eye mapping minimizes the risk of halo and starburst effects because the topography of your eye (microscopic peaks and troughs) are mapped out and the laser can compensate for these things. Intralase helps to prevent incomplete flaps and infections.

Good luck.

To the OP, I very much agree with the second paragraph. Don't do it yet. Go get to the know the optho at your school and see what they can do for you. You should probably be able to get a student discount or participate in a clinical trial (which is what I did and got intralase(which has diff names diff places) and custom cornea for about half price.)

As for the first paragraph, your first 2 yrs will be very much your own compared to third year and very easy to schedule in doc appts. It may seem overwhelming right now, but give it a month and you'll see. I'm in my third year and having to make the appointments and haven't had any problem getting out for it yet, but I do lose one of my days off when I go in.

You should also consider LASEK. My school actually doesn't even do LASIK anymore. The only downside is you have a longer recovery time but much less like to have halo later and if you are involved in sports, its better in case you get hit in the eye or something.

 

[CTSballer11]

Hey, my mother had LASIK without any complications. It is important that you get a great surgeon and that you feel comfortable with your surgeon. The surgeon that preformed my mothers surgery also did LASIK for Tiger Woods, Troy Aikman, Vijay Sing, Annika Sorentsam, and a few hundred other golfers. She had mild dry eyes for a few weeks and that is about it.

 

[NeuroSync]

I agree that having a great surgeon is very important. Even though I had to have the proceudre multiple times, it was because my correction was quite difficult. My astigmatism was really bad. In fact, another surgeon wouldn't do it. I have no true complications. None. I'm very happy that I did it.

One note of caution: If you are planning to apply for military scholarship or to a military residency, having LASIK surgery is disqualifying (or at least it was). Once you are in, you can have it done, but the entrance requirements are very stringent. If you are planning any type of military service, I'd ask before I scheduled surgery.

 

[ms. a]

One note of caution: If you are planning to apply for military scholarship or to a military residency, having LASIK surgery is disqualifying (or at least it was). Once you are in, you can have it done, but the entrance requirements are very stringent. If you are planning any type of military service, I'd ask before I scheduled surgery.

PRK is now accepted for military pilots. LASIK, being a newer procedure, is not yet accepted. Also, if anyone out there happens to want to be an astronaut, don't do any vision correction surgery. No corrective surgery is accepted in the astronaut corps, and likely never will be.

 

[CanIMakeIt]

Hi

My parents need to have LASIK done. Can any of you please tell how much is it going to cost per person (if there is no health insurance)? Also does the cost depend on what # glasses you wear e.g +4.0 vs +9.0 etc? what are the long term effects? Is age a factor? Are there any good websites where I can get more info?

Thanks in advance

 

[amy2003uva]

You should also consider LASEK. My school actually doesn't even do LASIK anymore. The only downside is you have a longer recovery time but much less like to have halo later and if you are involved in sports, its better in case you get hit in the eye or something.

is LASEK supposed to have better outcomes than LASIK? my understanding was LASEK is used for patients whose corneas are too thin for LASIK. i think LASEK still uses a scapel, but a thinner one than the traditional microkeratome. INTRALASE (LASIK) which is laser-based sounded safer to me. i guess these procedures as a whole are still too new to predict long-term successes... UTSW has only been performing LASIK since 1996 (according to the optho technician i spoke with at my exam).

 

[OnMyWayThere]

I'm starting school this fall and I'm sick of wearing contacts....(especially putting them in with little sleep....-4.75 in each eye.)

Has anyone had the surgery? What did you think?

I'm kinda nervous because maybe something better will come out down the road.

I would love to hear what you think,

Thanks!

I had Lasik done about two years ago and it's been great. First few months, you will need to use some eye drops to moisturize - that was the only downfall. I highly recommend it.

 

[Teragen]

For those with bad vision you can get very good results. My wife had the procedure earlier this year and she was at -8 and for 19 that's pretty bad. She had a good amount of cornea to work with which is what you want. She is at 20/15 as of her 3 month check up. The procedure was $4200 and it was well worth it. The surgeon was excellent and the actual procedure took about 5 minutes when she started.

 

[radioh3ad]

19!? I thought we were talking about how your vision continues to get worse with age and further correction wouldn't happen unless you got a corneal transplant.

just checking, it's the lens that's getting presbyopic and you're correcting by shaving the cornea? sorry if i'm totally wrong here. all i know about eyes are from histology.

 

[Teragen]

Yes, the laser reshapes the corneal tissue.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

http://health.howstuffworks.com/lasik.htm

This article is pretty good and clearly explains the process and types of laser eye surgery. The author undergoes the surgery and gives plenty of insight. If you're thinking about it, might be a good read.

 

[BlondeCookie]

I know someone who had Lasik and two years later she is wearing glasses again! I asked her about it and she said that lots of people have to return to glasses again, though she doesn't have the thick lenses that she used to. So, even if your eyes are stable now and have been for the past few years doesn't mean that you'll be glasses free forever after lasik.

 

[Crete]

hey! i would love to get LASIK eye surgery but my doctor told me not to get it till i'm around 30 (eek!). He said that is the age where your eyes stop fluctuating as much? Did any of you have such requirements? Like have to wait till ur perscription stop changing? I've had contacts for 6 years now and my perscription has just worsen...i'm afraid i'm going to go legally blind one day..eek. really want them but i don't know if i can afford them until after med school and pay back those student loans..booo

He's right! Your eyesight can fluctuate into early thirties and getting LASIK is only recommended at this point. My gut tells me they're right, but this is not well known since the clientele of most opthos would probably drop dramatically if they turned away patients in their 20s!

And I'm pretty sure there is cutting involved in every procedure other than PRK. Lasek is for patients whose corneas are too thin, but the cutting tool is not a microkeratome (procedure supposed to have its own complications).

 

[amyliz]

This is slightly off topic, but I was pretty much lining up for my chance to get LASIK (my vision is awful...like -7.5 in each eye, which translates to about 20/400)...until I switched to using these Night and Day contacts (Focus brand). You don't have to take them out at night, so except for the one time a month you have to take them out to change them (and I leave mine in for 3 months at a time without any adverse effects so far), it's like your vision is perfect. Believe me, it's a welcome change from having hard contacts for 5 years and various other forms of soft lenses for 3 (not to mention having to wear glasses for years before that). The only downside is that they are more expensive than most other brands of soft lenses, but they're a lot cheaper than LASIK (in the short term anyway) and in my opinion they're worth every penny.

 

[CanadianPre-Med]

Monthly's should be disposed of after a month, not used for an additional two months. From what I have read, this practice may have an adverse affect on your photoreceptors, making it difficult to see in bright conditions.

This is slightly off topic, but I was pretty much lining up for my chance to get LASIK (my vision is awful...like -7.5 in each eye, which translates to about 20/400)...until I switched to using these Night and Day contacts (Focus brand). You don't have to take them out at night, so except for the one time a month you have to take them out to change them (and I leave mine in for 3 months at a time without any adverse effects so far), it's like your vision is perfect. Believe me, it's a welcome change from having hard contacts for 5 years and various other forms of soft lenses for 3 (not to mention having to wear glasses for years before that). The only downside is that they are more expensive than most other brands of soft lenses, but they're a lot cheaper than LASIK (in the short term anyway) and in my opinion they're worth every penny.

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

This is slightly off topic, but I was pretty much lining up for my chance to get LASIK (my vision is awful...like -7.5 in each eye, which translates to about 20/400)...until I switched to using these Night and Day contacts (Focus brand). You don't have to take them out at night, so except for the one time a month you have to take them out to change them (and I leave mine in for 3 months at a time without any adverse effects so far), it's like your vision is perfect. Believe me, it's a welcome change from having hard contacts for 5 years and various other forms of soft lenses for 3 (not to mention having to wear glasses for years before that). The only downside is that they are more expensive than most other brands of soft lenses, but they're a lot cheaper than LASIK (in the short term anyway) and in my opinion they're worth every penny.

I worked in an ophthalmology department for over 2 years before starting med school. You should NEVER wear contacts longer than advised. In fact, I don't even advise wearing them overnight. There is a long list of complications, some very painful/serious (corneal ulcer, staph hypersentivity, etc, etc), that can result from continuous CL wear. Ask your ophthalmologist. He/she will tell you.

 

[amyliz]

I worked in an ophthalmology department for over 2 years before starting med school. You should NEVER wear contacts longer than advised. In fact, I don't even advise wearing them overnight. There is a long list of complications, some very painful/serious (corneal ulcer, staph hypersentivity, etc, etc), that can result from continuous CL wear. Ask your ophthalmologist. He/she will tell you.

The Night & Day lenses are specially designed to be worn overnight for up to one month at a time. Before I started using them I talked to the optometrist who originally prescribed them, as well as an opthamologist, both of whom agreed that wearing the lenses as intended by the manufacturer was fine. After 3 years of using this type of contacts, the only change has been that the health of my eyes is apparently better...go figure.