Honestly?

[mjl1717]

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what are the side effects of Lasik eye surgery?
They say none BUT I hear of,

1) some kind of temporary halo at night...
2) may have to be recorrected??
3) may not last a life time??
4) you may NOT want it if you are going into opthamology.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

[I also hear the newest machine compensates for eye movement plus the price dropped drastically since 2006 at the some of the "most profound opthamologist" for the cost of 2 eyes if you search]

 

[SpinalSnap]

I actually had the surgery 3-4 yrs ago.

1. Halo absent...or i got used to it either way no problem
2. Myne only one surgery
3.My eyes are getting a little blurry, but still almost 20/20
4.not sure

It is awesome no more blurry mornigns and no more stupid contacts!👍

 

[geekOCD]

If you're a med student and you're considering it, many docs consider being a hardcore grad student a contraindication to the surgery...I'm not sure how they view residency.

 

[JonathanMD]

I'm also considering it. Not any time soon, but before rotations maybe. I tried contacts once and hated them. I only use my glasses in class or when I'm driving.

I just don't want to have to fumble around with them on the job.

 

[DocPsychosis]

My uncle had it done 20 years ago when it was RK and they used mostly blades, and my father had it done maybe five years ago. Neither has any adverse effects and they have close to perfect vision requiring no further correction. Then again, anecdotes != data. Surely there are some actual long-term studies out by now?

 

[evoviiigsr]

Inability to produce tears...really rare though I think

 

[Random Anesthesiologist]

Had mine done 7 years ago. Still see night halos and need a slight prescription in glasses for night driving - I still have an astigmatism.

Vision is still 20/20 as of a year ago.

Sometimes my eyes are more blurry than they used to be but I attribute this to increased computer usage since starting med school.

 

[mjl1717]

Inability to produce tears...really rare though I think

tears originate from GVE of Cranial nerve VII, but vison originates from C.N II..
I dont see how this is related, perhaps Im wrong?? 😕

 

[ZonaRidicularis]

.

 

[diosa428]

tears originate from GVE of Cranial nerve VII, but vison originates from C.N II..
I dont see how this is related, perhaps Im wrong?? 😕

Idk if it's actually an inability to produce tears, but it is known to cause dry eye. Most people who get Lasik are prescribed Restasis for several weeks post-op (this is newer since Restasis is a relatively new drug), and for most people the dry eye goes away, but for some it doesn't. Already having dry eye is a contraindication to the surgery.

You shouldn't get Lasik if you are considering Radiology b/c of the halo effect/ possibility of night vision problems.

A lot of ophthalmologists I know still wear their eye glasses rather than having Lasik but I'm not sure why that is.

Other considerations - sitting at a computer all day can cause worsening of your vision (which I think might be why someone mentioned that full time grad students aren't necessarily encouraged to get the surgery).

 

[mjl1717]

Idk if it's actually an inability to produce tears, but it is known to cause dry eye. Most people who get Lasik are prescribed Restasis for several weeks post-op (this is newer since Restasis is a relatively new drug), and for most people the dry eye goes away, but for some it doesn't. Already having dry eye is a contraindication to the surgery.

You shouldn't get Lasik if you are considering Radiology b/c of the halo effect/ possibility of night vision problems.

A lot of ophthalmologists I know still wear their eye glasses rather than having Lasik but I'm not sure why that is.

Other considerations - sitting at a computer all day can cause worsening of your vision (which I think might be why someone mentioned that full time grad students aren't necessarily encouraged to get the surgery).

Thanks, they always say there are no side effects nor potential side effects, but I knew this wasnt true.
Good info! 👍

 

[mjl1717]

I'd get it done one eye at a time... you know, just in case. 😉

Yes, God forbid something go wrong! {couldnt even look at SDN!}😱

Thats one of the dilemmas..- Your folks and reasoning might say have one eye done at a time..
But instant gratification would say get both eyes done and get it over with FAST!

 

[Pinkertinkle]

tears originate from GVE of Cranial nerve VII, but vison originates from C.N II..
I dont see how this is related, perhaps Im wrong?? 😕

Trigeminal is sensory on cornea, LASIK cuts many nerves. Reduced stimulus leads to decreased tear production.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Trigeminal is sensory on cornea, LASIK cuts many nerves. Reduced stimulus leads to decreased tear production.

Yep. If you destroy the afferent limb of the lacrimal reflex carried by V1 in the cornea then you will get less tearing by CN VII.

 

[mjl1717]

Trigeminal is sensory on cornea, LASIK cuts many nerves. Reduced stimulus leads to decreased tear production.

Yes, thank you! 👍

 

[Forthegood]

Yep. If you destroy the afferent limb of the lacrimal reflex carried by V1 in the cornea then you will get less tearing by CN VII.

Beautiful.

 

[phospho]

had it done about 5 years ago... the best decision I've ever made...

I do see night halos, but i've gotten used to it... if i'm tired, when driving at night, sometimes it feels like everyone has their high beams on, but it's definitely not as bad as it sounds.

no issues with dry eyes, tears, or any of those things you typically hear about... also, my dad had it done in 91, and he also has had no issues at all - both of us still have 20/20 vision and do not require any type of glasses...

The really weird thing (and this is just my experience) is that I have never met an optho who has actually done it (including my surgeon) 😀

 

[Keona]

I wanted to have Lasik done, but my eyes are apparently too bad for it, my contacts were -7.5 if that means anything to you. They told me since I was so young, 21 at the time, and had such bad eyes there was too great a chance of them changing again with this surgery.

My dad and step-mom both had Lasik performed. My step-mom had a slight increase in dryness, and my dad had to have a second surgery on one of his eyes to get 20/20, he had 20/40 after his first surgery. My step-mom shouldn't really drive at night though, I think the surgery did affect her eyes in that way, but she can still drive if she absoloutely has to, my dad has not had any bad side effects with his.

I had intraocular contact lens implantation performed, which they recommend with people who have extremely bad vision and thin corneas. I do not have a thin cornea, but I now have 20/15 vision. It is wonderful, I do have halos at night, but only around electric lights. It hasn't been enough of a problem for me to not be able to drive, and the halos continue to decrease. I had the surgery a year ago, and I am still amazed when I wake up and can actually see.

 

[bioteach]

I had really bad vision (-8.0) and thin-ish corneas so I had to have PRK instead of Lasik. Had it done 4 years ago. Same concept, but the tissue is taken off the top rather than creating the "flap" as in Lasik. Same end result but TONS of pain initially due to the epithelium being sliced off. Its the only vision correction people in the military (all or just some branches, I don't know) can have due to the risk of the Lasik flap coming undone.

Anyhow, my vision is close to 20/20 (its started to decline a little since school started, perhaps due to all the studying and staring at the computer?). I have mild night vision halos and my eyes are more sensitive to everything (light, dryness, dust, any pain). I am so glad I had it done, though. My vision was so bad that it is worth the slight nuisances to be able to see when I get out of bed in the morning. I probably wouldn't have risked it if I had a milder vision problem, but -8.0 is so bad that you are completely non-functional without glasses.

 

[mjl1717]

I had really bad vision (-8.0) and thin-ish corneas so I had to have PRK instead of Lasik. Had it done 4 years ago. Same concept, but the tissue is taken off the top rather than creating the "flap" as in Lasik. Same end result but TONS of pain initially due to the epithelium being sliced off. Its the only vision correction people in the military (all or just some branches, I don't know) can have due to the risk of the Lasik flap coming undone.

Anyhow, my vision is close to 20/20 (its started to decline a little since school started, perhaps due to all the studying and staring at the computer?). I have mild night vision halos and my eyes are more sensitive to everything (light, dryness, dust, any pain). I am so glad I had it done, though. My vision was so bad that it is worth the slight nuisances to be able to see when I get out of bed in the morning. I probably wouldn't have risked it if I had a milder vision problem, but -8.0 is so bad that you are completely non-functional without glasses.

Thanks.. My brother who had it done before his wife about 5 years ago mentioned the "flap".. Anyone know the risk of the flap becoming undone??

 

[bioteach]

Thanks.. My brother who had it done before his wife about 5 years ago mentioned the "flap".. Anyone know the risk of the flap becoming undone??

A friend in the navy had PRK and he said the military has that rule because G forces (fighter pilots), bomb explosions, etc. could cause it to come undone. I have never heard of that happening to a normal person, so I don't know the risk. I can't imagine its an issue since so many people get lasik and you never hear things about their eyes falling apart.

**edit** I really have no idea about what the military's rules are...all just heresay here. The guy I knew wanted to be a navy seal and so he said that is why he had PRK.**

 

[mjl1717]

A friend in the navy had PRK and he said the military has that rule because G forces (fighter pilots), bomb explosions, etc. could cause it to come undone. I have never heard of that happening to a normal person, so I don't know the risk. I can't imagine its an issue since so many people get lasik and you never hear things about their eyes falling apart.

Ironically my brother just came from Iraq (3rd time) And he had the regular Lasik..

 

[Keona]

you might want to post this on the optometry forum too, even though they can't perform it, maybe they've studied the side effects.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

you might want to post this on the optometry forum too, even though they can't perform it, maybe they've studied the side effects.

Wouldn't it then be more appropriate in the ophthalmology forum?

 

[mjl1717]

Wouldn't it then be more appropriate in the ophthalmology forum?

That was one of the things: The opthamologist would automatically say there are no side effects...
I dont know if this is to boost the procedure...And sometimes testimonials are good in decision making or gettting info.

 

[bennnythejet]

for those of you who've had it, how much does it cost? is there any insurance that covers it?

 

[phospho]

for those of you who've had it, how much does it cost? is there any insurance that covers it?

i had PRK done, which is (i think) much more expensive than the usual surgery... it was $4300 for both eyes... my ohio state university insurance (which is supposedly one of the best types of insurance anyone could have) covered nothing... i did get 4300 miles on my airline credit card card though😀

also, the guy i did it at was like the #1 optho in columbus according to the columbus dispatch, so i wouldn't be surprised if the high price had something to do with that...

 

[indo]

Honestly.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D5oKEVqQJg[/YOUTUBE]