Ask the guy who uses Paragon CRT instead of LASIK surgery.

In My Humble Opinion
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Inspired by this thread, Ask the guy that had LASIK 24 hours ago. - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board

My sister had LASIK. My ex BIL has LASIK as well.

My concerns with LASIK had to do with the fact that my eyesight is still deteriorating, and having LASIK done would mean I’d have to have an adjustment (or adjustments) made in the future.

Instead, I talked with my optometrist about Paragon CRT.

Basically, it’s a hard contact that you wear typically while sleeping. You put the lenses in at night, take them out in the am when you wake up, and you can see perfectly.

The hard contact reshapes your cornea while you’re sleeping. My corrected eyesight is 20/15 in both eyes.

Depending on the individual, you do not have the wear the lenses every night. I typically wear them M-F and don’t bother on the weekends. There is very little regression over the weekend, IMHO.

The initial cost is approximately 1k USD. This covers 1 set of lenses, and the visits.
I had to go the 1st day, leave the lenses in over night, come back the next am so he could check how well they were seated. Then back in a week, then back in two weeks, then back in a month, then back in 6 mos.

Lenses typically last anywhere from 12 to 18 months without replacement. They cost me about $200 per set. I don’t use any drops, just my cleaning solution every morning on the lenses when I take them out.

I have been wearing them for three years now and absolutely love them.

Questions? I’ll try and answer them for you…

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There’s no doubt that CRT can work. I just don’t like to see people sleeping in any contact lenses. As a corneal specialist, I see more corneal infections related to sleeping in contacts than any other risk factor. If you have to put in and take out contacts every day, why not just wear a lens during your waking hours?

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are they good for presbyopia?

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Do they feel uncomfortable - do you have problems sleeping?

Is there any permanent effect, or will you have to wear them every few nights forever?

Do they work with myopia? Astigmatism?

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Why deal with lenses in your eyes while you’re awake, if you don’t ave to? I never have to worry about losing a contact in the pool or the lake, I don’t have to worry about them drying out, itching, or irritating during the daytime. Why not enjoy the fact I can see without them in during my waking hours?

It’s been three years, and no ill effects, no infections. Why risk surgery that could leave me with halos, or having to have “corrective” surgery again in the future, when I can just adjust the lenses if need be?

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currently only by monovision – just as they would do with LASIK.

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No, there is no permanent effect, just as there isn’t with regular contacts. The main factor in my decision in wearing them is that my eyes are still progressively worsening, and if I had LASIK now, I would have to have it again in the future.

It depends on the individual on how often you have to wear them. Typical results allow you to wear them one day, take a break for a day or two, and wear them the next few days, take a break, etc. What other alternative do you have, other than surgery, that allows you normal vision without wearing anything or having surgery? Granted, the results aren’t permanent, but it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to take.

They also do correct myopia and astigmatism. I have the latter and suffer no ill effects with the lenses.

I have no problems sleeping with them. Typically, I put them in a few hours before bedtime and watch tv on the couch with no problems.

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So will you have lasik when you’re eyes are no longer worsening? Or will you even know, given that the lenses correct your sight for days at a time?

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I may have LASIK at that point, but right now I cannot see shelling out 2-3K for something that is only temporary. To spend that kind of money and to have to wear glasses or contacts again, or go through surgery again, seems fruitless to me.

Will I even know? Of course.

Think of it this way. If you wear glasses, and your eyesight worsens, you notice, right? If you wear regular contacts and your eyesight worsens, you notice, right? The CRT lenses are contact lenses that reshape your cornea, but they are specific lenses dependent on your prescription, just like traditional contacts. So when you visit your optometrist for your checkup, they would notice that your vision has degraded and change your prescription.

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So what was your vision before you started using the CRT?

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The same vision as if I chose not to wear the lenses.

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Wondering what the cost, or at least range-of-costs, is for this? I’m reluctant to schedule an appointment with a provider if I don’t have at least some general idea of the cost…

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The cost was covered in the first post.

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For your driver test, do you or don’t you have corrective lenses? (I’m assuming you’re not wearing any corrective lenses at the time you take the test.)

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How do you know if your eyesight has “Settled” My last visit showed no change in prescription, and my next visit is due soon, if there’s no change again, that would be two years without a change, does that mean I can consider LASIK?

The possible need for further correction is what’s kept me away as well. Also 4K for LASIK is just a bit much for us now with a young child. On the other hand, I’ve always loved the idea of lenses I can wear at night and not have to worry about during the day. No matter what brand I try, I always suffer from a feeling of constant dry eyes when I wear them. They get foggy as well, and they are a pain to use towards the end of the day (specially staring at a PC monitor as I do for work).

Does it take several nights for the correction to kick in, or can you go without glasses the very next day?

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Zombies don’t need corrective lenses, they smell you.

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Had PRK six or seven years ago. The only thing I can’t see now is a reason not to have done it sooner. The slight (mostly age-related) changes since then are easy to live with.

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(Lay) LASIK clinic director here.

We typically look for stable prescription of at least a year, at least two years if the patient is under 25. So you would be fine in our estimation, assuming the rest of the examination looked good.

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This thread is over eight years old, and while I see that some of the new responses are relevant, the title is an “Ask the…” thread created by a user who hasn’t been around in nearly five years.

I’m closing this one, but by all means, if people want to continue to discuss Paragon CRT, please start anew.