My parents, in an apparent fit of generosity, have offered to pay for me to have laser eye surgery (specifically, LASIK) to correct my godawful vision. I’m scheduled for August 18th. The benefits of the surgery are absolutely enormous, and I’m seriously loving the idea of no more glasses and no more contact lenses. And yet…
Well, the idea of the surgery itself is giving me the queasies. Not so much the lasering part, although I have some latent worries about that. It’s more about “the flap” and its creation and aftermath. For those who don’t know about the surgery, the doctor cuts your eye and peels back a little flap, then sculpts with the laser, then replaces the flap. And, though numbed, you’re awake through the whole procedure, which they tell me takes around 15 minutes, including about a minute and a half of actual laser work.
People who have had it done, do you have some reassuring words for me? Am I just mentally blowing things out of proportion?
Mrs. O had it done at The Laser Cemter (not sure if they’re the LASIK people or not). Watched the whole thing on a video monitor. The results were absolutely great. She’s ecstatic about not having to wear glasses any more.
As for the actual flap, that starts healing almost as soon as they close it up (at least according to the doctors). They give you a serious amount of anaesthetic drops and your eyes are kept open with a couple of specula (very reminiscent of the Ludovico treatment in A Clockwork Orange, but Mrs. O tells me the only really painful part of the procedure was the vacuum pump they applied to her eyeball to get a good curve on the cornea for the incision.
As I said, I don’t know if TLS are the LASIK people or if it’s just the name of the procedure, but she got real confidence from the doctors because they were completely honest with her. Tho her vision was bad, they actually said it was almost too good to warrant the procedure. They went through everything she’d experience both during the procedure and after, possible complications, etc. In short they were really good about the whole informed consent thing.
For a week afterward you’re going to be using artificial tears like they’re going out of style. Mrs. O still uses them but nowhere near as frequently as she did right after the surgery (which was May 18th, for reference). Other than occasional blurry patches in her field of vision (very temporary and limited in area) she’s had absolutely no regrets about doing it. I’m still kinda getting used to seeing her without specs on but she’s never been happier about her sight. Your parents are way cool to be doing this for you and you should write a big thankyou note for it.
As has been recommended by many Dopers in the medical threads, ask your doctor any and every question you have about the whole deal, and follow their instructions. You shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Let us all know how it came out!
I have only heard good things about LASIK. A very good friend, had it done and said that other than the sunglasses he had to wear for the rest of the day that there were no side effects and he can now see without glasses. I have heard several other things about it since another friend ages ago was dating an optometrist. Both my friend and the optometrist said it really wasn’t painful or anything.
I don’t know how old you are, but did they tell you you will need glasses at 40 anyhow? Either for reading or driving, depending how your “main” prescription fits.
At 50, you will still need bifocals or two sets of glasses.
The problem is that depth of field depends on the elasticity of the lens, not the shape of the cornea.
And the lens gets more and more “solid” as you age.
I understand how it feels to be nervous about the procedure. The idea of the flap being cut is scary. I found the cutting of the flap to be the most uncomfortable part of the procedure. The discomfort was very mild, and it probably originates in part from the anxiety of being able to see it being done. It felt kind of like a squeezing motion being performed on the front of my eye. You can see the flap being folded back, and things are really blurry after that, but you do still have vision, because you are then asked to gaze at a light straight ahead.
If the flap isn’t perfectly cut, and the doctor has any doubts about the safe and effective performance of the procedure, he is supposed to replace the flap and send you home to heal before re-attempting the LASIK later on. My doctor said this is uncommon but it is occasionally done, mainly to be on the safe side.
After the lasering is done, the flap is folded back down. You can feel this a little bit. It doesn’t hurt; it feels weird, though. Then the doctor carefully realigns the flap where it was. (When it’s cut, it’s marked with a little coloring on the edge to facilitate this–or it was in my case.) This is sort of a squeegee motion, and the doctor will likely take a little while making sure that the flap is smooth and straight.
In my case, I had to have the procedure “touched up” after six months. The flap had not healed entirely since the first time, so they were able to simply pick up the flap somehow and repeat the procedure. This makes it sound like the flap would be easy to displace yourself, but I am given to understand that after the first few days, this isn’t true. At every check-up appointment I’ve had through the whole process, days, weeks, and months later, the doctor has checked the alignment and healing of the flaps and pronounced them perfect. This is despite the fact that (after being careful for the prescribed length of time post-op) I’ve managed to get poked in the eye a couple of different times. At this point (one year post-op), the dr. says he can’t really see the incision marks anymore.
Please don’t be too worried. (I was petrified before I had it done, and afterward I thought, “That was it?”) IMHO, the paramount thing is finding a doctor that is reputable and experienced and with whom you feel comfortable. I had my original surgery in Dec. 1998 and my follow-up in June or July of '99 and I have no complaints at all, despite the fact that my vision was terrible (20/1200) before and that increases the likelihood of problems.
I wish I could tell you exactly how bad my vision is, but I don’t know the precise numbers. I do know that it’s mighty bad; I’m very nearsighted and very astigmatic. My doctor told me that correcting the astigmatism may take an additional 30 seconds or so with the laser.
And that was my latest concern about the flap: that I’d stupidly rub my eye and wind up displacing or (ew ew ew) tearing it somehow. I’m sure I’ll feel much better about it by August, as I hear more personal stories about the procedure. I know one woman who was so thrilled with her results, she said she’d mortgage her house to do it again if she had to.
Thanks for sharing, y’all, and don’t feel like you have to stop; I’ll take all the positive reinforcement I can get.
My exGF/roommate had LASIK done in march. It was truely amazing. The day after the procedure she has slightly better then 20/20 vision. I myself was amazed that the procedure itself was so fast and easy, she had both eyes done at once and was in and out in LESS then 15 minutes! I even got to watch through a window. They gave her valuum before and some for after, she slept for the next 24 hours. She had no pain, just a SLIGHT irritation (she didnt complain very much so trust me she had NO pain). 3 months later there are no complications and no more glasses and contacts. Her uncle also got it done with great results.
Okay, now there’s a twist to the story: tonight my folks tell me that there’s been a price war in their neck of the woods and that the price of the surgery in their hometown will be around $1200 less than if I go through with it here.
So now I got two new problems. First, what with the very very short breaks I get between summer school sessions and before the fall, I’d probably have to delay the surgery until December. And even then, I’d only get a couple days of rest before I’d have to make the 6-hour drive back here. Second, the standards there seem a bit, um, lax, compared to what my doctor here has described, in terms of dilating and mapping the eye, amount of ‘rest’ (not wearing contact lenses) before the surgery, followup visits, and so on. So, does less money mean less care? Do you get what you pay for?
Honestly, I’m of the opinion that I don’t wanna take any chances with my vision, $1200 be damned. But that’s a good chunk of change. Damn, I’m torn…
Max, I have a friend who had the surgery when he was 58, eight years ago, and was very happy with the results. I sure would do it if I had the money!
As to the price difference, talk and ask questions of both doctors, and go with the one you have the most confidence in. $1200 is a big chunk of cash, but with your eyes, it’s best to get a superb surgeon.
What a great thing to be able to see without crutches!
Max: I was really blind - 9 or 10 diopters. Lasik was a life changing experience. The procedure is over in seconds, and you walk out AND YOU CAN SEE!!! Yes, your eyes are blurry, becuase of the dilation drops, but they get better every day. True, after 40, you might have to go down to the old drug store and buy a coupla pairs of cheap reading glasses for the fine print, but that’s WAY better than bifocals. Get a pair, anyway, when your eyes get blurry, they come in handy. Get a couple of “wrap aroud, wear over your glasses” sunglasses, in dark and light (clear or yellow is good at night, they remind you not to rub, and they protect). Remember to use your eyedrops, you’ll need to buy more. Buy a magnifying mirror, the kind that sticks on w/ a suction cup, so you can see in your eyes. Go to the best Dr, even if he costs a bit more.
Max, I’ve had bunches of friends at work have it done. My best friend had it done one afternoon and she was back at work the very next day. Her biggest grip was that she couldn’t wear eye makeup for a week! She only had to go back in for one checkup.
Our insurance covers part of the procedure now, so it only costs about $2200 now. I’ll probably have it done next year.
There are lots of qualified doctors that can do the procedure. The difference in price may not necessarily mean lower quality of care. It’s the latest trend now so the competition is what drives the price down more than less quality of care being given.
Any surgery makes people nervous, so your apprehension is very understandable.
I’ve been thinking about it myself, Max, so if you decide to have it done, I’ll be anxious to hear how it goes with you.
If Falcon listens to the radio at all, she’s probably passed the word to you that the going rate in the DC area seems to be around $3000 for both eyes. I don’t know how that compares with where you (or your parents) are.
The rate for the whole ball of wax here in Lubbock is $3900 from my eye doc. In New Mexico, where my folks live, it’s around $2700.
I’m gonna talk to my eye doc today and see if I can talk him down a bit. He should be willing to negotiate if it means that he’ll lose out on a $4K operation, don’t ya think? I don’t know if I’ll be able to talk the folks into spending that much extra cash, but I’d really prefer to do it here…
Best of luck, Max! I’ve been considering this myself. I literally can’t remember a time when I could see without corrective lenses. I wear glasses again now and hate 'em, but can’t wear contacts any more because they literally wore ridges in my corneas.
I’m really interested in what people have had to say here, trying to screw up my courage to do it. FWIW, if you can’t get a better price, I’d still go w/ the better doctor. Picture blindness or your sight worse than it is now. How much is your vision worth? If I scrape up the courage to do this, the best doc I can find will be the one holding the laser, cost be damned.
This is really encouraging. Congratulations and best wishes to you.
Just popping back in to second what people are saying: Please, don’t automatically go with the lowest bidder in this case. I’m sure that you know better, but I just wanted to reiterate it.
Some people thought I was crazy because I went to a Laser Center two hours from here, when there were facilities which would do the LASIK for less right here in town. However, I was paying only about $700 more, for a doctor who had done close to 10,000 of these procedures, who actually travels around teaching other doctors some of the finer points of the surgery, who cared enough about me and my eyes to call me at home the evening after the surgery to see how I was doing.
I know three people who’ve gone to the “fly-by-night” laser places here in town, and two of them have had persistent problems with nighttime haloes and irritation and other side effects.
I’m NOT saying that cheaper = less reputable, successful, or careful, just that cost should not be the determining factor if you can help it. Like Veb said, choose the most experienced doctor possible. If you can’t afford him, I would wait. The price is bound to keep coming down.
Once again, good luck! If you have confidence in your doctor, there’s really very little to be worried about
Is it really “standard procedure” to have both eyes done at the same time? What if you get an infection or something?
I’ve thought about this surgery too but I’d prefer getting one eye done and then wait about 6 months to see how it works out. Maybe I’m just a little overly scotomaphobic (yes, I had to look that up) but I would never in a million years risk both my eyes that way.
