Lasik before med school?

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Very interesting. I seem to remember reading about those nighttime CLs sometime in the past.
CL implants (ICL) are reversible which means they can be upgraded to whatever the next best technology is when it comes around, but expensive up front, and still surgery.
I do get leery of eye surgery. I'm not sure if I'm ready to take the plunge.
They did tell me that not every woman who has LASIK pre-pregnancy has major vision change but it's definitely a big possibility and should be considered. If you do it then make sure your retreatment guarantee doesn't have a pregnancy exclusion clause.
Good luck! btw, some glasses are sexy...mine are red/gold frames that I get compliments on all the time.

hey madona, I'm in a similar boat (glasses since 3rd grade, contacts since 9th) but I don't seem to ahve the irritation...but my eyes are chronically red! Sooo not cute. I appreciate your vanity issues, my glasses were HORRIBLE think junior from the sopranos, but wirth "tortious shell brown)
mr_six_uncle_junior.jpg

Not so cute. I also had horrible pink plastic frams because my mom said it brought out the pink in my lips, same size glasses though! Needless to say even once I got contacts I had pinkeye one summer and decided to wear one contact for a week!

I had NO idea about the pregancny thing though. Great, yet another thing I have to think abuot (29 yo, no Bf or kids). I do know of a company in the DC metro area that gives lifetime "tuneups" so that could be an option I guess. I just though it would be best to do it now before shcool...I'll spend just as much $ on glasses, Rx sunglasses and contacts/sol'n by then anyway. Kinda bummed about the pregancy thing!

I'd take permanent contacts though...whatever would work. hey my Dr. said there's some "reverse contact" (my termanology I don't remember what she called it). Anyway it's a contact you sleep in which changes/corrects the shape of the eye while you sleep so you take them out in the morning and have clear vision. You have to do this nightly because it's temporary which means the longer with out a "re-up" (Wire-speak) the less clear things are. Try looking into that!

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I had corrective surgery before my first year of medical school, got a package with free corrections for a lifetime if needed (considering you have yearly check ups). I have absolutely no complaints. Had halo's around lights at night but that is fading (as they said it would). I would do it again in a heartbeat. I had the lasik where they also use a laser to cut the flap instead of the manual blade microkeritome(sp?). My classmate (sitting next to me as I write this) also had refractive surgery (during first year). He had PRK, and said that he would do it again as well. To us the benifit FAR outweighed any risk.
 
I had corrective surgery before my first year of medical school, got a package with free corrections for a lifetime if needed (considering you have yearly check ups). I have absolutely no complaints. Had halo's around lights at night but that is fading (as they said it would). I would do it again in a heartbeat. I had the lasik where they also use a laser to cut the flap instead of the manual blade microkeritome(sp?). My classmate (sitting next to me as I write this) also had refractive surgery (during first year). He had PRK, and said that he would do it again as well. To us the benifit FAR outweighed any risk.

not a med student yet, but I had intraLASIK as well (all laser). I decided to get it before Peace Corps because I wore contacts and knew that I would not be able to continue over there. I'd worn contacts for years (with the same prescription) and could not imagine going to glasses.

Anyways, I had a really good experience. I went to Dr. Boothe in Dallas (he's actually had the surgery himself). At the time, he had logged more procedures than anyone on the particular laser that he used for me. In addition, he used the wavefront technology (where they take corneal scan and are able to correct unique abnormalities). I have had zero problems, and after the surgery I could see 20/15. No problems with night vision or halos. If anything, I see better at night than I did before the surgery. This was about 3.5 years ago. I recently went to another ophtho and still have 20/15 vision. This is after a year of working at a job where I spend a lot of time looking at a computer.
 
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To us the benifit FAR outweighed any risk.

Even in low risk procedures if you're they guy who has a bad outcome (say 20/80 vision so you still need glasses/contacts and you develop ridiculously dry eyes) then it isn't much comfort that most people didn't wind up with your problems. Every surgery is a calculated risk.
 
I am sorry it was not as clear as I ment it to be. What I was meaning to say was that, to my classmate and me, when we looked at the risk (percentages, possile complications etc) and looked at the benefit (percentages, support if a bad outcome etc), the information was good enough for us to know the risk and feel that we should go through with the surgery despite these risks.
 
not a med student yet, but I had intraLASIK as well (all laser). I decided to get it before Peace Corps because I wore contacts and knew that I would not be able to continue over there. I'd worn contacts for years (with the same prescription) and could not imagine going to glasses.

Anyways, I had a really good experience. I went to Dr. Boothe in Dallas (he's actually had the surgery himself). At the time, he had logged more procedures than anyone on the particular laser that he used for me. In addition, he used the wavefront technology (where they take corneal scan and are able to correct unique abnormalities). I have had zero problems, and after the surgery I could see 20/15. No problems with night vision or halos. If anything, I see better at night than I did before the surgery. This was about 3.5 years ago. I recently went to another ophtho and still have 20/15 vision. This is after a year of working at a job where I spend a lot of time looking at a computer.

Haha...I remember seeing his commercials all the time on tv (I'm from Arlington). It seems like there's two or three of them that were always on tv...Tylock was another. 20/15 is amazing. What was your vision going in?
 
Haha...I remember seeing his commercials all the time on tv (I'm from Arlington). It seems like there's two or three of them that were always on tv...Tylock was another. 20/15 is amazing. What was your vision going in?

I don't know in terms of 20/XXX. I was nearsighted to the degree of 2.0 in one eye and I think 3.0 in the other. It was just bad enough to be inconvenient.

yea, Dr. Boothe really knows how to crank out the patients too. I can't even imagine how much that guy makes. He cuts flaps on everyone, then pulls you all through with the laser after. I think there must have been like 10 other people there with me for my surgery. He does them all. No partner.
 
I don't know in terms of 20/XXX. I was nearsighted to the degree of 2.0 in one eye and I think 3.0 in the other. It was just bad enough to be inconvenient.

yea, Dr. Boothe really knows how to crank out the patients too. I can't even imagine how much that guy makes. He cuts flaps on everyone, then pulls you all through with the laser after. I think there must have been like 10 other people there with me for my surgery. He does them all. No partner.

Hmmm...the Henry Ford of Lasik. Its kind of funny how he and Tylock seem almost like celebrities. They always had Dallas Cowboys and Mavericks on their commercials it seemed like, or were the official eye surgeon for one of the teams. My eyes are -6 and -7, and there's a special running down here....half off if you let a resident supervised by an attending do it. But I dunno 'bout that...:scared:. Think I'll pass.
 
I've thought about it. Though just one semester of med school has already caused my eyes to get worse. Wore contacts coming into school, with a prescription that hadn't changed in like 2 years (both eyes the same) and half way into my first semester I just couldn't stand reading with my contacts, went back to reading with glasses and that seemed to be easier on my eyes, but I can tell that my right eye has gotten worse.

Will probably deal with glasses for a while and wait until my vision stabilizes.
 
The key to having a good success to LASIK is to make sure your ophthalmologist is SCREENING you properly BEFORE the surgery. Since it is not covered by insurance, this is just money in their pockets. Therefore there are a number of institutions that will do lasik on anyone. however, unless your eyes have completely stabilized, it is guaranteed that they will change after you have the procedure. On average, girls' eyes stabilize around age 22 and guys around 24.

I was lucky enough to get mine done over a weekend during my first year after having several thorough eye exams and tests done to make absolutely sure they had stabilized completely. I haven't had any problems and can't imagine life with glasses/contacts, despite having them for 14 years. Just make sure its done right and you won't regret your decision!
 
I had lasik done before I went to med school. Now I have 20/20 going into a field that requires visual skill.
 
I had lasik done about a year ago, knowing that I would be attending medical school this fall. I am very happy with my decision. The lack of contacts/glasses cuts down on my routine in the morning and I no longer have the frequent eye irritation that I had with contacts, especially at night or in certain weather conditions. I had the option of purchasing an additional insurance plan with my lasik that would correct any decrease in vision over a long period of time for no additional expense.
 
for those who had it done (lets say within the past 3 years), how did you sleect your Dr.? Was it word of mouth, the big places like Lasik Plus, did you shop around, or do it based on price?\

thanks!
 
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Very interesting. I seem to remember reading about those nighttime CLs sometime in the past.
CL implants (ICL) are reversible which means they can be upgraded to whatever the next best technology is when it comes around, but expensive up front, and still surgery.
I do get leery of eye surgery. I'm not sure if I'm ready to take the plunge.
They did tell me that not every woman who has LASIK pre-pregnancy has major vision change but it's definitely a big possibility and should be considered. If you do it then make sure your retreatment guarantee doesn't have a pregnancy exclusion clause.
Good luck! btw, some glasses are sexy...mine are red/gold frames that I get compliments on all the time.



Have you looked into Corneal Moulding lenses at all?



I'm actually in the middle of making a final decision on whether to move forward with LASIK. Wanted to do it last year before starting school, but my OD advised against it because he was concerned my eyes might change. Went to an OD down here in Knoxville last week and he doesn't think my eyes have changed much and thinks I'm a good candidate.

I'm set up for a consulation with Dr. Jonathan Woolfson of Woolfson Eye Institute in a couple of weeks. I will likely go through with it if things check out ok. I'm still a bit chicken, but I've got to figure something out. My eyes don't deal with contacts well for more than about 10 hours or so (rotations coming up next summer), and I loathe the thought of wearing glasses while working, or wearing them at all times.

They are asking me to be contact free for 2 weeks before the surgery...I hadn't heard of that before. I wear soft lenses, and have for years.
 
I had LASIK a year ago. Best decision EVER! It is amazing!! Before I had glasses because I couldn't wear contacts very long without my eyes drying out. So swimming and beach days I just had blurry vision. It sucked! Now I have 20/20 in one eye and better in the other, I think 20/15. My night vision was already not very good and I had dry eyes so it took awhile for those effects to get better after the surgery. But today it is completely better, I put in an eyedrop maybe once every 2 months. Much better than when wearing contacts, every hour a drop. I researched very well into which type of laser and technology was available. Check the FDA website for details on all laser clinical trials. The very best out there is over 90% chance of 20/20 afterwards. I tracked this laser down to Jax and got it there. Pretty expensive but 40 seconds in each eye and then perfect vision. I say amazing!! (It was Zyoptix if you're wondering = Orbscan 3D topographical mapping + Zywave wavefront technology + Bausch & Lomb laser)
 
I had LASIK a year ago. Best decision EVER! It is amazing!! Before I had glasses because I couldn't wear contacts very long without my eyes drying out. So swimming and beach days I just had blurry vision. It sucked! Now I have 20/20 in one eye and better in the other, I think 20/15. My night vision was already not very good and I had dry eyes so it took awhile for those effects to get better after the surgery. But today it is completely better, I put in an eyedrop maybe once every 2 months. Much better than when wearing contacts, every hour a drop. I researched very well into which type of laser and technology was available. Check the FDA website for details on all laser clinical trials. The very best out there is over 90% chance of 20/20 afterwards. I tracked this laser down to Jax and got it there. Pretty expensive but 40 seconds in each eye and then perfect vision. I say amazing!! (It was Zyoptix if you're wondering = Orbscan 3D topographical mapping + Zywave wavefront technology + Bausch & Lomb laser)


Thanks. I know they supposedly have the latest and greatest in terms of lasers, but I'll check into it.
 
I had Lasik done 6 years ago. My vision was 20/400 and now it's 20/25 (had my last eye exam this past Nov).

I do get "halos" around bright objects at night, but it doesn't interfere with my overall vision. I also have a slight astigmatism that couldn't be corrected by Lasik and I have glasses with a slight prescription. It bothers me sometimes at night, and I just put my glasses on when it does. I'd say I wear my glasses at night 10% of the time.

It was one of the best things I ever did for myself! I would do it again in a heartbeat.
 
No, but sounds intriguing. At the moment I'm lacking the disposable income that would be most helpful in this situation. My stupid employer fails to see the value of an HSA/MSA or any kind of tax deferral program for anticipated health expenses, otherwise it would be a no-brainer. Still I may not be a candidate with my rotten eyes. I may be stuck in glasses until I'm 50 and can have cataract surgery so I've been told :rolleyes: (Even if I don't have cataracts???)

Have you looked into Corneal Moulding lenses at all?



I'm actually in the middle of making a final decision on whether to move forward with LASIK. Wanted to do it last year before starting school, but my OD advised against it because he was concerned my eyes might change. Went to an OD down here in Knoxville last week and he doesn't think my eyes have changed much and thinks I'm a good candidate.

I'm set up for a consulation with Dr. Jonathan Woolfson of Woolfson Eye Institute in a couple of weeks. I will likely go through with it if things check out ok. I'm still a bit chicken, but I've got to figure something out. My eyes don't deal with contacts well for more than about 10 hours or so (rotations coming up next summer), and I loathe the thought of wearing glasses while working, or wearing them at all times.

They are asking me to be contact free for 2 weeks before the surgery...I hadn't heard of that before. I wear soft lenses, and have for years.
 
I've been considering getting corrective surgery for a while.

Does anyone know about long-term incidents? Like 10 or 20 years?

I know the procedures done then are not at all near the level of today's....
But I'm just curious.
 
I couldn't see the big "E" on the top of the eye chart. I had lasik my senior year of college (three years ago). I am so happy I did. I still have 20/20 right eye & 20/15 left eye.

My vision was stable for three years in college, and I decided that it wasn't going to change all that much during med school.
 
I've been considering getting corrective surgery for a while.

Does anyone know about long-term incidents? Like 10 or 20 years?

I know the procedures done then are not at all near the level of today's....
But I'm just curious.

I got lasik's done in 2000, 8 years ago and my vision is still 20/20 or better (I tested myself with a pocket eyechart a few weeks ago).

Btw, the actual lasik procedure was invented about 4 decades ago and they have been doing procedures in the US for almost 2 decades.... its not a new procedure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LASIK

But I do agree with another poster who mentioned something about your eye's 'stabilizing' (her post is below). I got it done when I was about 25 yrs old.

And most people who get it done will tell you its the best $2000 or <insert figure> they ever spent....that's exactly what I think. I recommended Lasik's to my sister and after the surgery she said the same thing.

Of course, just make sure you pick a good doctor with a lot of experience.

The key to having a good success to LASIK is to make sure your ophthalmologist is SCREENING you properly BEFORE the surgery. Since it is not covered by insurance, this is just money in their pockets. Therefore there are a number of institutions that will do lasik on anyone. however, unless your eyes have completely stabilized, it is guaranteed that they will change after you have the procedure. On average, girls' eyes stabilize around age 22 and guys around 24.

I was lucky enough to get mine done over a weekend during my first year after having several thorough eye exams and tests done to make absolutely sure they had stabilized completely. I haven't had any problems and can't imagine life with glasses/contacts, despite having them for 14 years. Just make sure its done right and you won't regret your decision!
 
Had my pre-op appointments this week. I'm scheduled for a custom LASIK procedure next Wed. morning. It's something where they use the Wavefront Technology from NASA. I'm looking forward to it. Been in glasses only (no contacts) since 7/1 and after working in the yard for the most part of that time I'm MORE than ready to be rid of these things.

Dr. Woolfson is apparently one of the best, if not the best in the Southeast, so I'm hopeful for a good result.
 
wave front and all that extra jazz that tacks onto the cost didn't help anything but make the bill bigger. not worth it in my opinion. i had the zyopic crap, it just spit out extra charts and you had to sit through more tests with "fancy" machines.

it may help, however, to have a plan that lets you have corrective proceedures in case the docs screw up their calibration on the damn machine. That's all it is. of course they had to make me do my right eye again. lamest thing i had to do over again to tell a story.
 
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