Shpiel? Umm no. Yes you need to stay still. Sort of like an MRI. Look at the green dot. Or red dot or whatever.
What’s with the exclamation point? Phlosphr. “Don’t move or else?” WTF? I’m just trying to answer questions about what is a pretty common procedure that many are afraid of.
I’m sure that’s true. I took three days off. I get to be a bum for a couple of days.
Dislike? Wearing glasses or contacts is like saying you dislike eating to survive. What’s to dislike? You simply have to do it.
I got used to it. And very good at it. I had to be.
Shit. I got glasses 40 years ago. I’ve been chasing them around all my life. I got contacts 20 years ago. Been chasing them too. And of course you always have to have glasses as back ups.
Dislike? I guess so. But after 40 years, it was second nature.
My vision was 20-400. Meaning that someone that could see something 400 feet away I would have to be 20 feet away.
Ehhh. It’s not that bad to always have some sort of apliance that you always need. Done it been there. When I needed contacts and reading glasses, I deceided that it may be time to look into something else.
Yes. Do you have a question?
What took you so long?
I had mine done over 20 years ago. Always hated glasses and contacts.
What characteristics render one a “good candidate” for LASIK?
A number of factors. Wearing contacts did not bother me too much, and elective surgery is always something to consider carefully. I also wanted to make sure the procedure was safe and effective.
What pushed me over the edge was needing reading glasses too. I can, er could, read just fine with just my contacts or regular glasses until about a year ago. Then things went down hill. I was fine with reading glasses and contacts but it was a bit of a pain.
I took my contacts out when I went to bed. And put on regular glasses to read. That didn’t work anymore and I was going to need bi-focals or something. That’s when I looked into LASIK. I do still need reading glasses, but I was already going down that road. Now I can get rid of all the rest of the stuff.
Couple of things off the top of my head. Having a prescription that hasn’t changed for a while is one. Mine was the same for about 10 years.
The other is the thickness of the cornea. And If they can remove enough material to correct your vision. That’s a simple test.
This is the big one for me. My prescription’s been changing since I was in grade school, which was nearly 3 decades ago. Still hasn’t stabilized.
That’s too bad, I got glasses in umm. 1968 I think. It may be worth asking you optomitrist about, never hurts to ask.
How freaky was the procedure itself? I’m a little squeamish about the whole touching of my eye thing, no less cutting.
I’m the same way. Or used to be before I got contacts. When I was a kid even talking about eyes would make my eyes start to water.
The drops that they put in your eye prevent you from feeling anything. You just see light. I believe that when the corneal flap is cut there is actually a suction cup on your eye to keep things steady. Though you don’t feel it or see it. At one point, I did flinch, and the machine told the doctor ‘Suction lost’. It was no big deal.
Hmmm… There is no knife for the system I went through. That’s old tech. A laser cuts the corneal flap. You are then rotated around on a table to have the other laser adjust the cornea.
The folks I went to where fantastic. Beyond fantastic. Calm professional folks that answer all questions, don’t rush you or make you wait. I can’t say enough about them.
This is where I went. So far, I believe everything on the web site. Good guy.
Dude; everybody wears glasses NOW! You blew $3000-you could have bought some cool frames! 
And they will behind the 8 ball when we come out with personal radar.
I’m the next Bat Man.
Gotta run to the store. I’m making Italian beef sandwiches for dinner.
[paging Tim Allen]HeerrrrRUMPH[/TA]
I work in an ophthalmology department of a large medical center; we do LASIK/PRK here but that’s not my exact area. The only time I’ve had it mentioned around me as a possibility was when I’d taken my husband in for one of his follow-up appointments for a corneal/conjunctival infection - but it was directed at him as he’s a contact wearer, and was suggested as an alternative if the experience had caused him to be fed up with contacts.
I’d get a great work discount, but with the vision changing it doesn’t seem like a good plan for me. At least I can go 2-3 years between prescription changes rather than every year like it used to be.
I went to one. My eyes were 1000 per eye.
I sent my son . His eyes were 1000 per eye. I am not sure anyone really qualifies for the 299.
My total cost was $3000. That includes 5 or 6 visits to my regular optometrist. The lazik clinic is 100 miles away. So I went to my local guy for the pre-op and post-op check up. The pre-op was about a week before surgery. I guess he was looking for any changes, or problems with my eyes. The post-op was the day after surgery.
I also went to the clinic a month or so before the surgery to get checked out.
I also have an appointment with the my local guy next week. Then I think its a month and then 3 months and 6 months. Probably a bit over the top, but that’s all included.
$2000 goes to the lasik clinic. $1000 to my local optometrist.
$3000. I like honesty like that. Not $2995. 3 grand.
I’m a LASIK surgeon. Surprised that on such a renowned forum, there doesn’t seem to be another voice of authority here. The information presented here seems to be fairly well-represented. There are options available for almost anyone reliant on glasses or contacts, and only your eye doctor can advise you on what is best for you. It really does work, and the effects are long-lasting. Contact me if you have questions. Always happy to help fellow Dopers…
iDoctor - Welcome to the boards! Don’t feel like you can only respond to opthalmological questions. Do you have any cats? 
StG
Is there an age limit for this operation?
And have the cats had LASIK?