LASIK as a third year

[aalamruad]

---

Members do not see this ad.

@GoSpursGo @Ismet @JJMrK @Smurfette @neusu One of you should shut down this thread before OP (or anyone else) continues to receive misinformation and speculation from people who aren't qualified to give this kind of medical advice.

OP (and anyone else considering LASIK), go talk to doctors about it, not anonymous SDNers.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

6) contact lenses are bad for your eyes, even if you take care of them.

You know, this thought bothers me a little bit. If they are that bad for your eyes, why do opthalmologists still prescribe them? Or is this bad in the same way that a cheeseburger is bad - bad but not impressively so.

Beyond that, does this apply to the somewhat newer lenses with far superior oxygen permeability than the older ones?

Disclaimer: family doctor who has been wearing contacts for 20+ years.

 

[Straw Hat]

I've always wanted Lasik but I keep wavering back and forth on my decision to get it. I recently listened to this radio newscast about Lasik. Not sure how thorough and accurate their information is but I found it interesting nonetheless. Link below.

Synopsis: Sixteen million Americans have had lasik surgery for vision correction, and some have complained of severe visual artifacts and eye pain. The former chief of the FDA branch that approved lasik has now petitioned the FDA to remove lasik devices from the market for these safety reasons. He and experts on both sides of the issue discuss safety of this common surgery.

https://radiohealthjournal.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/11-16-14-story-1/

 

[StudentDoctorM]

wow I haven't checked SDN since I had my surgery.. Did not know this thread got so many replies! Thank you all for your input. I hope the information and experiences provided here will help anyone out there that might be considering the procedure.

As for me, I had LASIK on 01.20.16, roughly 3 weeks ago. The first 3 days I stayed at home and didn't do much, but I can tell you by the end of the first week I was back to my rotations and doing everything. Like some said, dry eyes and halos at night, but they are gradually getting better. Left eye is 20/20, right eye is 20/25 during my 1 week follow up; I will be going into my 1 month follow up soon.

So everything is going pretty great! granted this is just the 4th week.. but so far so good!

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

wow I haven't checked SDN since I had my surgery.. Did not know this thread got so many replies! Thank you all for your input. I hope the information and experiences provided here will help anyone out there that might be considering the procedure.

As for me, I had LASIK on 01.20.16, roughly 3 weeks ago. The first 3 days I stayed at home and didn't do much, but I can tell you by the end of the first week I was back to my rotations and doing everything. Like some said, dry eyes and halos at night, but they are gradually getting better. Left eye is 20/20, right eye is 20/25 during my 1 week follow up; I will be going into my 1 month follow up soon.

So everything is going pretty great! granted this is just the 4th week.. but so far so good!

That's good. Hopefully it continues. Like I said, I had better than 20/20 for a few years and then one day...floaters. Hope you don't get them.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[StudentDoctorM]

Thanks!
I had floaters before the surgery.. and I heard about it being a possible complication of the procedure, but I have learned to live with them already so I took the risk.. my biggest concern was retinal detachment but those cases are rare and very likely not associated with LASIK. I would not suggest this procedure to anyone unless they understand the possible complications and that the long-term side effects are still unknown due to how new LASIK still is (~20 years)
I didn't do this procedure for cosmetic reasons, it was more I couldn't stand wearing glasses and contacts (constant headaches and eye irritation). My eyesight was -5.75/-6.oo. After researching LASIK for years I decided the benefits out weighted the risks for me, and I recommend anyone who wants to have this done do the research on it themselves too.

 

[MonsterRehab]

Both my wife and I had it done around 3 years ago. Both back to work after a 3 day weekend. Both of us had astigmatism. Her vision is perfect (better than it was with glasses). Mine is like 20/20 in one and 20/30 in the other. They told me it would probably go down that way because my eyesight was pretty screwed before hand (I think I was farsighted which complicated things some). It's painless. It's fast. It's well worth it. Do it.

 

[Quaero]

You get your retina checked out?

Not a bad idea

 

[Donna478]

The most updated thread I could find here about LASIK was a few years old so I wanted to hear some of the more updated experiences here.. I'm in my third year with -6.5/-6.0 and thinking of getting LASIK done next week but am a bit anxious. Because after all, it is surgery.. on the eyes. Yikes

Anyone had LASIK during medical school here? did it affect studying/ performance at rotations and residency? The idea of constant dry eyes or halos while studying, during rotations, and while taking the Steps worries me too..

Or could anyone who has done it at any point in their life share their experience?

Thanks!


In case anyone is curious, I'm going with Custom Wavefront Allegretto Wave Excimer Laser 500 Hz.

I recently read in a blog that PRK might just be the right laser vision correction procedure in some cases. Everyone who is considering LASIK must undergo a series of tests to determine if they are a good candidate. During this extensive testing process, sometimes the results conclude that PRK is better for a particular patient. To know more about this just read- http://www.clearviewinstitute.com/2015/08/what-is-prk/. Hope it might be helpful.

 

[studentdocftw]

I thought that the LASIK complication rate was so low that it's not something to really consider but this thread has defintely changed my perception of that..

Didn't realize anecdotal references trumped empirical research, but thats none of my business tho. On a side note, I hereby request a Kermit drinking tea emoji. K thx.

 

[Pusheen]

I was really hoping to get LASIK done before starting med school, but now I'm kind of skeeved out. Obv going to meet with an ophthalmologist to discuss the risks and such.

I hate wearing contacts and almost always stick to glasses. Do you med students feel that glasses are a nuisance in clinical rotations? Mine were kind of a pain during my clinical volunteering and shadowing, I felt like they were always collecting grime and germs, and were in the way of eye protection and masks...

 

[ChrisMack390]

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say someone who specializes in the eye doesn't like putting a foreign body in direct contact with the eye, especially if it can be avoided for a slightly less stylish option.

Glasses are cool these days anyway!

 

[sazerac]

I hate wearing contacts and almost always stick to glasses. Do you med students feel that glasses are a nuisance in clinical rotations?

I wore glasses during third year. I forget why I switched from contacts. Glasses were a pain in the ass during surgery, because they would sometimes interfere with the face mask or eye shield. Of course, a lot of things were a pain in the ass during surgery, so the glasses thing didn't particularly stand out.

I can't think of any other glasses issues during third year. As I wrap up 4th year, I haven't really thought about my glasses at all.

 

[68PGunner]

I had PRK w visions of about -6 on both eyes. Right eye with scarring is 20/20 and left normal eye is 25/20. It has been a year since I had my surgery. The recovery period took 2-3 months for me. Best decision of my life.

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

Had Lasik done about 5 years ago; one of the best decisions I've made. Before that, without glasses, the big "E" was just a blob, and glasses were inconvenient when it came to the pool or river and having to carefully stow them before jumping in (essentially blind) or going out into humid weather from AC and having them fog up.

Now I can wake up every morning and things are perfectly clear as soon as I open my eyes, and that's pretty incredible. At first both eyes were 20/15, but now I think individually they're each 20/20 and 20/15 combined. Still have halos around lights at night, but it's a very small price to pay.

There are definitely risks, and a personal exam is the best way to determine how well it works for someone. I will say that most people are satisfied with their outcome and you never hear about them, compared to the unfortunate stories where things went wrong.

 

[lunalight]

Had LASIK before med school. Best thing ever. I never had an issue with contacts or glasses. But I used to work for eye docs so they did my procedure gratis. My vision is so much better now than it ever was with glasses/contacts. I had no idea what I was missing.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Didn't realize anecdotal references trumped empirical research, but thats none of my business tho. On a side note, I hereby request a Kermit drinking tea emoji. K thx.

It does if they're your eyes...

 

[Psai]

Didn't realize anecdotal references trumped empirical research, but thats none of my business tho. On a side note, I hereby request a Kermit drinking tea emoji. K thx.

"Empirical research" is the record of one's direct observations or experiences. So it's basically a compilation of anecdotal evidence.

Also, most ophthalmologists aren't getting lasik. Some people get halos at night, some people have worsened vision, etc. Only you can decide if it's worth it for you.