laser eye surgery

[Chankovsky]

Does anyone here attest to the benefits of this procedure. How much did it cost. I'm concerned that if something goes wrong, my medical profession will go down the drain.

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[AlternateSome1]

wrong forum

 

[OnMyWayThere]

I paid $3000 (popular doc) but it's the same machine and very light procedure I would go with any trustworthy doc.

Procedure took about 3 minutes... best money ever spent.

 

[tonyjerry]

im going in next week to get it done. i figure i definitely dont want to have to worry about contact problems or mess around with glasses if im ever in surgery or that kind of situation. i spend almost 200 on contacts each year anyways so might as well get it done now.

 

[CaptainJack02]

I paid $3000 (popular doc) but it's the same machine and very light procedure I would go with any trustworthy doc.

Procedure took about 3 minutes... best money ever spent.

Do you have issues with night vision? Do you see close to 20/20 ALL the time without blur/glare/etc?

Are there special precautions you need to take(swimming in chlorine, etc)?

 

[ewasse]

I got it done 3 years ago and still have 20/15 with no night bluriness (that fades after 1-3 months). It's still the best thing I've ever done. I only regretted it for a tiny moment, when I wanted to look smart in glasses.

 

[rockstar2525]

Check with your health insurance company, sometimes they will hook you up with a deal. I have blue cross/blue sheild and since I'm young (25) they think it's a better investment to pay part of the surgery instead of paying for eye exams for the next 60 years. If I go with an in-network provider it is only $900 an eye.
I haven't decided if I'm going to do it yet, but I am leaning towards it. When I shadowed an ob/gyn this past year I had to work some 30 hour shifts and by the end my eyes were so red and sore I looked like a freak. Definitely not good for med school and residency.
PM me if you decided to do it, I want to hear how it goes. 😎

 

[nicko18]

had a cousin go through laser surgery, and it's turned me off frankly. His daytime vision improved (he was -2.0 contacts) but at night he gets halo's around any source of light... says working indoors can look foggy with lots of lighting.

Treatment as it stands is irreversible, which means if your eyes change further you cant get it done again, and i'm assuming as a 20 yo my eyes are going to change a fair bit between now and retirement. i'm going to wait a few years. I understand new procedures involving lifting the flap of the cornea and placing a small film are being developed, which are 100% reversible.

 

[chopper]

Had mine done about 5 years ago. Still see 20/20 or better, no night vision problems.
Echoing some other posters - this was the best money I ever spent.

That said, I do know people who have had problems. I think it is a probably low percentage, but I think that's to be expected. Nothing serious - usually they are people who had Lasik done and thier vision 'degenerated' a few months later. I think most of these get a re-do. I don't know what the percentages exactly are now - that's probably the most important thing to look at. Good Luck!

 

[Gleevec]

Im personally waiting for deposition technology now where they ADD material to your eye that can be removed later if necessary. I just got too weirded out about having a huge chunk of my cornea removed to go through with LASIK.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

My night vision was a little blurry for the first 6 months or so but now it's fine. I usually wear goggles when I swim, but I can swim w/o them too. I think it's a very good investment.

 

[Bubchik]

If you get LASIK procedure done now, there is a very little chance you will have night vision problems. Technology has evolved so much over the past several years, the complication rate has decreased even more. Intralase (or the "all laser LASIK" as it is more commonly called) and Wavefront Custom Cornea technology are the latest developments in the field of refractive surgery which have made outcomes even better. Corneal implantable lenses are under investigation now, and I can guess that it will be several more years before something like that comes out. Having worked with a refractive surgeon for over 7 years, I can conclude that over 99% of patients are very happy with their outcomes.

 

[Downhill Racer]

I've heard of blurriness / halo due to eye fatigue, so this could pose a problem for future surgeons, esp for long surgeries. Although, I'm certain contacts can dry out as well...

there are some more thoughts here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=66155&highlight=Lasik

 

[Bear1220]

If you get LASIK procedure done now, there is a very little chance you will have night vision problems. Technology has evolved so much over the past several years, the complication rate has decreased even more. Intralase (or the "all laser LASIK" as it is more commonly called) and Wavefront Custom Cornea technology are the latest developments in the field of refractive surgery which have made outcomes even better. Corneal implantable lenses are under investigation now, and I can guess that it will be several more years before something like that comes out. Having worked with a refractive surgeon for over 7 years, I can conclude that over 99% of patients are very happy with their outcomes.

I've got a friend who did Wavefront a couple weeks ago. His dad's a physician so with the "professional discount," it cost him $1700 an eye. Granted it's only been a couple weeks, he loves it since he's had glasses the majority of his life.