LASIK during MS2

[medstu19]

Just wanted to put this out there for anyone considering getting LASIK during medical school. I was relatively worried since my surgery fell midweek of classes so I thought I'd put my experiences out into the universe.

MS2 (we started back up two weeks ago), had LASIK Wednesday morning, back in class Thursday afternoon. Many people are at 100% visual acuity the day after surgery but I had a high amount of myopia and an even greater amount of astigmatism (I was supposed to get PRK until the last minute) so my vision was in the 20/40-20/25 range at 1 day post-op, improving daily with expected stabilization in the next week or two.

Feel free to ask any questions!

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Just wanted to put this out there for anyone considering getting LASIK during medical school. I was relatively worried since my surgery fell midweek of classes so I thought I'd put my experiences out into the universe.

MS2 (we started back up two weeks ago), had LASIK Wednesday morning, back in class Thursday afternoon. Many people are at 100% visual acuity the day after surgery but I had a high amount of myopia and an even greater amount of astigmatism (I was supposed to get PRK until the last minute) so my vision was in the 20/40-20/25 range at 1 day post-op, improving daily with expected stabilization in the next week or two.

Feel free to ask any questions!

Don't get it. I have tons of floaters now because of LASIK.

Edit: oh wait I didn't even read your post and thought you were asking if you should
Get it LASIK.


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[Psai]

Don't get it. I have tons of floaters now because of LASIK.

Edit: oh wait I didn't even read your post and thought you were asking if you should
Get it LASIK.


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Maybe you've had them all this time but now you can see them better

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Maybe you've had them all this time but now you can see them better

Nope. I had it done and then about 6 months later I got the floaters. I think I would have noticed a bunch of cobwebs in my eyes.


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[Dr. Retractor]

If you already have floaters would LASIK make it worse?

 

[idkididk]

I worked in a private practice ophthalmology clinic during my gap year and we did LASIK every Friday. Most people see 20/20 by the 1 week post-op. If anyone is looking to get the procedure done, I'd recommend NOT just going to the cheapest place. This is your eyes, one of the most important organs for quality of life. Definitely do some research on the doctor/practice

Nope. I had it done and then about 6 months later I got the floaters. I think I would have noticed a bunch of cobwebs in my eyes.

Seen a retinal specialist yet?

 

[anonymoose1640]

Feel free to ask any questions!

How poor was your eyesight before you got LASIK? Do you feel like your poor eyesight inhibited you in medical school or did you feel like it would be a negative impact in your life in the future? I guess I'm asking - why did you decide to have the surgery? I have pretty poor vision that's corrected well with contacts or glasses but I've been considering getting LASIK more and more, I'm wondering why you decided to go for it. Thanks!

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I worked in a private practice ophthalmology clinic during my gap year and we did LASIK every Friday. Most people see 20/20 by the 1 week post-op. If anyone is looking to get the procedure done, I'd recommend NOT just going to the cheapest place. This is your eyes, one of the most important organs for quality of life. Definitely do some research on the doctor/practice



Seen a retinal specialist yet?

Yes, I've seen two retinal specialists and both have done full exams and say everything looks fine.


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[medstu19]

How poor was your eyesight before you got LASIK? Do you feel like your poor eyesight inhibited you in medical school or did you feel like it would be a negative impact in your life in the future? I guess I'm asking - why did you decide to have the surgery? I have pretty poor vision that's corrected well with contacts or glasses but I've been considering getting LASIK more and more, I'm wondering why you decided to go for it. Thanks!

I've had glasses since I was 6yo and hard contacts since 12yo so I'd been considering corrective eye surgery for years already. I just felt that constantly dealing with discomfort when something got in my eye or the worry about losing contacts or even just the annoyance of having to remember to carry all the related stuff every time I traveled/slept somewhere other than my apartment was getting to be too much. I also had a few experiences where I was in an OR for hours on end and was constantly worried about what would happen if my contacts decided to freak on me while I was scrubbed in.

TL;DR I had terrible eyesight but probably could have managed in medical school, residency/rotations might have been a pain.

 

[airplanes]

Don't get it. I have tons of floaters now because of LASIK.

Because your single, anecdotal experience applies to everyone else, right?

Every procedure has risks and it is up to each patient to decide whether the possible benefit outweighs the (often small) risks. Every elective procedure has risks. To some people, the risks are acceptable. For some patients, the risks become a reality. You should take some responsibility for willingly paying for and undergoing a completely elective procedure, and while your provider may not have gone over every single possible complication, I'm sure it is in the fine print somewhere.

Full disclosure: Ophthalmology resident, would never undergo LASIK myself.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Because your single, anecdotal experience applies to everyone else, right?

Every procedure has risks and it is up to each patient to decide whether the possible benefit outweighs the (often small) risks. Every elective procedure has risks. To some people, the risks are acceptable. For some patients, the risks become a reality. You should take some responsibility for willingly paying for and undergoing a completely elective procedure, and while your provider may not have gone over every single possible complication, I'm sure it is in the fine print somewhere.

Full disclosure: Ophthalmology resident, would never undergo LASIK myself.

Ha, did I say it did applied to everyone?

Just stating the fact that you can fix crap vision with contacts, but floaters are with you forever and can't be fixed. But you know that already cause you're an ophtho resident.

And FYI, to this day the doctor that did my surgery won't admit that there is a link between LASIK and floaters (and therefore isn't in the fine print).


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[ERDOC555]

Full disclosure: Ophthalmology resident, would never undergo LASIK myself.

Would you care to elaborate as to specifically why not? I've heard similar sentiments from Optho residents/physicians and am always curious why specifically they avoid would avoid it.