I Can See Clearly Now the LASIK's Done!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Hey Y’all
Just got me some LASIK!
Just happened yesterday, and I’m still waiting for a little bit of swelling to go down, but already I can see so much better- (although, I’m not loving the computer screen right now so I may disappear until tomorrow after I post this).

The procedure was a little freaky. Not painful, but freaky. Very uncomfortable for the major portions of the procedure. But I was in and out of the office in less than two hours- the freaky uncomfortable bits totalled only about eight minutes.

At my follow up exam today, the doc said that the swelling when cut with a blade, subsides quicker. My cut was done with a laser and he says the flap will still be swolen a little longer. When I look at anything other than a computer screen I can see fine- I drove today, no problem. Still, I can’t really explain the “Final Result” yet, as my eyes do still feel pretty weird.

Oh! And heres the part you’ve all been waiting for!!! Pics! Pretty Pics!
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That’s me! My eyes!!!

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Congrats! My surgery was the best $2500 I ever spent.

College was a close second.

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Wow. Those photos could really pass in a gallery of fine modern art.

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Yeah the photographer I’ve been working with have done extensive surgical photography, lots for “Dr. 90210” Robert Rey. Since doing the surgical photography for hire, he’s used turned it into the focus of his artistic expression in recent years. (See more examples of the surgical photos turned art)
He’s just sent me some of the un-“artsified” photos:
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Regis Philbin says his hasn’t worked that well yet. He had it done last week.

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First “big money” I made once I got a decent salary got put into LASIK. While I always was perfectly comfortable wearing glasses (a plus when I visit factory labs, and something that lab techs have remarked upon), every time that Mom takes hers off and I see the grooves on both sides of her nose I feel… so… light!

Not to mention the joy of not needing your glasses so you can find your glasses :smiley:

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Mrs. had it done last year, hers are great. She was basically legally blind before. Did you have the traditional lasik or epilasik (Lasek)? I saw a needle in the one pic.

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I had it done more than six years ago, and it’s still the best investment I’ve ever made. I was driving normally the next morning. I need reading glasses now, but it’s way better than not being able to see at all. :slight_smile:

And for me, the freakiest thing was the Clockwork-Orangey eye-holders and the computer that talked. shudder. Good thing they gave me a valium before they started.

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I have been really, really thinking about Lasik - think I’ve been hoping someone would open this thread.

Thing that bothers me is I’m astigmatic, and nearsighted, and forty-eight. I have heard that for people like me they do one eye farsighted and one eye nearsighted. Now when not cutting up dead bodies I look through microscopes for a living, and I cannot imagine that would work for me.

How about y’all? Anyone had the far-eye, near-eye thing? If you’re near my age and you decline to get far-eye, near-eye (maybe keeping glasses for near-eye reading), how’s that work out for you?

Hoping hard for answers,
gabriela

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Do tell! What was the procedure like? What was the worst part? Did it hurt?

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Congrats. I have been ‘looking’ into LASIK for years now, I finally want to go next spring. I want to make sure I will not be driving home in the dark, fresh from the surgery. Several questions for you, if you are willing.

How much did it cost?
What was the exact procedure you went through? There appears to be a dozens flavors of LASIK.
How is your night sight?
How long do you have to wait until you can drive?
When will you know what your corrected vision is?

Jim

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From the looks of the un-artsified photos, I really really hope they were playing Beethoven in the background.

A Clockwork Orange reference

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How much did it cost?
I had mine done in the summer of 2000, and I was on the verge of legally blind. It cost $2,800 per eye. The price has gone down considerably.

What was the exact procedure you went through?
I went in and they gave me a valium, let me sit for half an hour, then took me into the operating room. As the orderly helped me lay down, he said “Do you see that clock on the wall?” I replied “I see something round on the wall, is it a clock?”

Then, they taped a bunch of gauze pads to my temples to catch the runoff from the numbing drops they started to put in my eyes. Then there was the eye-opener-holdey thing, a computer talking, some darkness, and ten minutes later, they sat me up and said “Can you see the clock?” And I said “Hey! It’s five o’clock!” They put some old-lady-cataract sunglasses on me and walked me out of the room towards the waiting area, and I pointed sixty feet down the hall and said “And that guy’s my dad!” It was miraculous.

I had to sit there with my eyes closed for half an hour, and it wasn’t advised that I drive that day. I had clear contacts in as a bandage, and returned the next morning (driving myself) to get them removed. I had already been marveling at the change in my vision, and I actually hugged the guy who took the contacts out, because that made it a million times better. I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup, rub, or get my eyes wet for two weeks.

How is your night sight?
In the years since, my asthigmatism has started to grow back, as I was forewarned it might, because I was just at the outside edge of what was fixable when I did it. I’ve gotten glasses for night driving just because of that, but for five years, my night vision was fine. I’ve never had great night vision, but I learned that the halos around other people’s headlights were because my windshield was dirty, not my contacts. :wink:

How long do you have to wait until you can drive?
I drove the next morning.

When will you know what your corrected vision is?
I never asked, but I’m pretty sure they said I was down to about 20/40 the next day.

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Thanks for all the information, as I know you are fairly local to me. Which Doctor did you use?
By type of LASIK, I just meant:
LASIK variations such as custom LASIK and bladeless LASIK, PRK, epi-LASIK, and LASEK and others.
I have heard great things about custom LASIK and bladeless LASIK but not enough to make up my mind.

Jim

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Do you need sunglasses .Some get sun sensitive.The old RK gave bad night vision and star effects.

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I went to the NJ Eye Center, I think it was–the one that used to advertise on the radio–Dr. Dellorusso. :slight_smile: Last time I checked, it is no longer where it used to be, however.

By type of LASIK, I just meant:
LASIK variations such as custom LASIK and bladeless LASIK, PRK, epi-LASIK, and LASEK and others.
That, I’m not sure about. It was all laser, all computer, and I was lying on the table listening to the computer talk and enjoying the valium and wondering if I was going to hear the words “What are you doing, Dave?” at any point during the procedure. Valium is very good to me.

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I had PRK, because I have unusually thin corneas - thin enough that they couldn’t safely do a flap, do the alterations, and go back and do it again if I needed a touch-up.

PRK is basically the same thing, except without the flap. They just operate directly on the surface of the cornea (well, after using alcohol to kill the thin layer of cells covering it then scraping them away. I have that on video). Since there’s no flap, they use a contact lens as a bandage, and it has to stay in for a week or so, IIRC. It was also slower to heal than LASIK, so it was a couple of weeks until I felt like I could see really well, and a couple of months before it completely stabilized. But I now have 20/10 vision in both eyes with no side effects, other than a tiny bit of glare at night.

I paid $1250 per eye, down from $1500 because of an employee discount type thingy. I could have gotten in much cheaper, but I had access to a really, really good doctor, so I went for it.

The procedure itself was painless. The worst part was when they put in the eyelid clamps to keep them open. I didn’t feel the rest of it.

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Smeghead, how poor was your vision during that healing period? Could you see well enough to function normally (go to work, get around on your own etc.) Did your eyes hurt much after the procedure?

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Congrates Bienville,
I had LASIK done back in 2004 and I’m hysterically happy about it. My contacts, before surgery were right eye: -8.5 and left eye -8.25
I now see 20/20 in both eyes. I do have sun sensitivity but I also attribute that to the fact that since I was 9 years old I had been wearing either glasses or contacts and they always had a UV coating on them.
Gabriela, My Dad’s eyes are like yours, he had it done and is seeing 20/20. You may want to find an eye surgeon and find out if you are a good candidate or not. The one I uses did free consultations. (William G. Martin) He also was ethical so he would never do surgery on somebody if he didn’t think it would work. (He’s one of the top in the nation.)
If you’re really serious about it, do some research. The technology is rapidly advancing.

BTW, I, in no way, benefit for the plug of Dr. Martin. I inlcuded his name if anyone wanted a referral from him to another surgeon.

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The one I uses did free consultations.

Let’s just let that go, shall we? :smack: