I can see clearly now -- uh, well, maybe later (LASIK questions)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Hey y’all,

I’m seeking advice/knowledge from those of you who’ve had your eyes sliced…

  1. Before getting LASIK, what are the pre-procedure things you have to do? I wear contact lenses and I’ve heard that you can’t wear them for a period of time before the procedure so the eye will return to its natural shape. True? If so, how long is this period?

  2. Once you’ve had the procedure, is there a list of things you can/can’t do? Are your eyes more suceptable to damage from wind/water/rubbing/etc?

Thanks for your answers, and by all means feel free to post your success stories and any gotchas that you’ve encountered before/during/after having your eyes worked on!

EZ

2

I had lasik done in January of 2002.

Best. Thing.I’ve.Ever.Done.For.Myself.That.Doesn’t.Involve.Chocolate.
I was a -7 and tired of glasses and contacts.

The surgery was possibly 30-40 minutes total ( time moves fast and you have the worst seat in the house to view it.)

I had every faith in my Doctor and his team. He came highly recommended and his staff at his office answered every question we wanted to ask or could think of asking.

He broke down the cost of everything so that we didn’t feel we were getting gouged. Essentially it was $2800. $800 for the laser center that the doctors in the area use that we paid directly to them upon arrival. $1000 per eye, and he broke it down farther how much for what, and since he had four kids, after payroll, insurance and allowance, he might have enough money for a happy meal. :slight_smile: I like doctors with a sense of humor.

The surgery was about 30-40 minutes. Nearly all of the that time was setting up or calibrating the laser with my eye coordinates ( if that is the terminology I want to use.) The actual time the laser was zapping my eye was possibly 3 to 4 minutes per eye. It makes a tiny popping noise when it does its work. Like electricity.

I came out with vision that was similar to having vaseline over my eyes. Took an eye test then and was better than 20/20. Went home with funky fly-eye goggles on to sleep ( the google are worn the first week at least.) and everynnight for at least two weeks, allowing the cornea to heal.

The only side effects I had really was the standard dry eyes issues ( you can buy the blister pack things of eye stuff the doctor’s office recommends -not Visine or the like because they have something in them that is bad that I can’t remember what it was at the moment- at Costco or Sam’s for about $15. This is mucho cheaper than the stores.) and never realized just how much I wanted to rub my eyes or how anal I could get about my eyes until after the surgery. My night vision is actually better.

My one eye is my reading eye and the other is my distance eye. Sometimes it’s weird, but then I remember to put on my Pirate’s eye patch over my reading eye and shout ARRRRH! No, it’s no problem. My vision is crystal clear, baby.

I drove myself into the next day’s doctor’s appointment and had 20/15 vision and after my last post-op check up, was between a 20/15 and 20/10.
A couple of Heads-up things that you need to know that I was told about, but I’m dense.

When you are in the chair and they prep your eye, they hold your eyeball open with either an eye speculum or surgical tape or both. It is very creepy feeling for the first eye. By the second eye, it’s nothing.

Secondly, when they put the vaccuum on your eye ( it’s a blurry black thing that only gets blurrier) to get the right suction to make the incision, YOUR VISION GOES BLACK. For a nth of a second you feel …oh…shit…this may not be a good idea…and then the nurse or doctor tells you everything is fine. When you do the second eye, you are more relaxed. During the entire procedure, you see white lights, but you really see nothing that is going on and your other eye they are not working on is covered or something. I dunno. As I said, its the worse seat in the house. But you don’t see a tiny laser fight over your eyeball.

Most doctors will give their patients a relaxant…Valium …before hand. Not for the surgery, but so that the patients go home and fall asleep immediatley, cause, frankly, what else is there to do.
I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who wears glasses. The fact that I can go swimming without either squinting like an idiot or fear of losing my glasses or forgetting to not open my eyes under water and losing my contacts in the water is worth the money right there.

The fact that I don’t have to wander blindly on a crowded beach squinting for my towel and pray someone didn’t step on my glasses inside my shoe is worth it for me do it all over again.

3

There are a couple of things you should know, based on my experience having it done in 2001. At first, I had a hard time focusing for reading and similar activities. I had been extremely nearsighted, and never had to wear reading glasses or bifocals because even reading meant “distance” to me. After the procedure, I had to wear reading glasses for about a week, but then found that I could abandon them for all but the tiniest print.

Secondly, for me at least, my vision is not quite as clear as it had been with glasses. Not that it’s been a major problem. I was easily able to pass my vision test at the DMV, and for all intents and purposes, my vision is perfect. And, of course, being able to abandon glasses and contacts was fantastic.

Finally, the company that did my procedure allows lifetime adjustments, as needed, for $150 a time. I thought that was more than reasonable since that’s about what I would have spent replacing glasses.

4

I just had PRK done, because my corneas were too thin for LASIK. It’s basically the same thing, but they don’t cut the flap - they operate directly on the surface of the eye. The main drawback is that it takes longer to heal. It’s been almost two weeks now, and at today’s appointment, the doc said I was legal to drive, but just barely. Things are still quite blurry.

Anyway, they gave me a very comprehensive eye exam a few months beforehand to see if I was a candidate. That’s where they measured my cornea thickness and told me I’d have to go with PRK. They told me I had to not wear contacts for at least two weeks before the exam, so I’d get accurate results. I never wore contacts, so that wasn’t an issue, but I know it is for many people.

Obviously, my post-op experience is different from that of LASIK patients, so I can’t comment there. I’d just recommend you find the best dang doctor in your area. It’ll be more expensive, but it’s worth it. You just don’t want to go to Jim-Bob’s Discount Mufflers and Laser Surgery.

5

some people are thrilled with their results, some less so:

http://www.surgicaleyes.org/
http://www.lasikdisaster.com

general info:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/lasik/
http://www.refractivesource.com
http://www.lasikpatient.org/index.html

6

To answer your first question, you are not supposed to wear your contacts for a period of time before your surgery. This is based on the type of contacts. Net, the longer you can leave your contacts out the better it is for your eyes.

Here’s a great link on this subject. It’s a bunch of questions that you should ask a prospective surgeon. Read through this, it will really help you to understand better how to evaluate doctors. Just because somebody owns an expensive laser, or works for someone who owns one, doesn’t mean you should trust your sight to them.

You’ll feel a lot better about letting someone work on you if you understand the process. I was fairly nervous about it, but it was a very simple procedure, quick, painless, and I could see pretty well just sitting up off the operating table. My eyes felt dry for a while after, but now they are fine. I have close to 20/20, but still have some uncorrected astigmatism that is noticeable in my left eye. As the lasers advance they seem to be getting better at that, so if you’re still pretty young and have astigmatism you may consider waiting while the technology evolves. There’s a lot of money in this so that’s one reason the technology is advancing so rapidly.

Good luck!

7

I had it done. I didn’t wear contacts so there was no pre-procedure steps for me.

After the operation, I had to wear some dark sunglasses for a couple of days because your eyes are very sensitive to bright lights. I was encouraged to avoid driving at night. I had to use steroid drops to facilitate the healing process. Also, I was not to rub my eye for a period of a week or two because I could tear the flap since it wouldn’t be fully healed yet.

This was 3 years ago or so. I haven’t had any problems since. I find my vision is not quite as good as it was with glasses on, but I routinely get 20/20 on eye vision tests. I find I’m more sensitive to glare then I used to be. I’ll wear sunglasses on days that most people don’t. All in all, I’m extremely happy with the results.

8

I had it done in the summer of 2000, for a ridiculous amount of money that I have never for a moment regretted spending. I was pretty close to legally blind, and I can’t tell you how much I love not having to fool with my contacts every morning.

I had some serious contacts, and I was forced to do without them for a week prior to the surgery. (Which is something of an advertisement for replacing your glasses regularly, so you won’t have to walk around for a week wearing the giant bug-eyed early-90’s glasses you got in high school.) The doctor gave me a valium, which endeared him to me in ways I cannot describe. I was very close to freaking out.

The part about your vision going black for a second is true, so don’t freak. You’re already all valium-ed up, with those Clockwork Orange eye-openy things lodged on your face, and a computer talking about the laser cutting while it seems the doctor just sits there. Because of aforementioned valium, all I was thinking were things like “Warm liquid goo phase beginning” and “What are you doing, Dave?” while the computer chatted away.

I was instructed to wear the bug-eye shields to sleep for two weeks. I couldn’t wear makeup, touch my eyes, or get them wet for the same amount of time. The morning after my surgery, I drove myself to the clinic for the post-op checkup, and I couldn’t believe how well I could see. There’s nothing quite like waking up in the middle of the night, looking at your clock, and being able to read it.

Since I’m a moron, and a klutz to boot, I bought myself some lightly tinted cute sunglasses to wear inside and out for that two weeks, to avoid accidentally poking myself in the eye, or rubbing them without thinking. Other friends of mine who have had it done since thought this was a good idea, so I recommend it.

Good luck, you’ll be glad you did it!

9

I detailed my personal experiences with LASIK in this very old thread: Gettin’ my eyes lasered…. So, go there if you want to read my step-by-step account of what the surgery is like.

Basically, if I had known before the procedure just how easy it is, I wouldn’t have been nearly as worried. It’s a snap, and totally painless. Well, except that for the next day or so you feel kinda like you have an eyelash in your eye.

10

My father got some sort of laser surgery done (I don’t know if it was Lasik or something else) as part of the FDA trials several years ago. His only problem has been needing reading glasses as he gets older. He was in bed for two weeks afterwards unable to see (extra precautions, I guess).

My mother had hers done a few weeks ago and is totally healed.

I want mine done, but I’m also reluctant as my profession/art requires that I be able to see. However looking through a camera lens without glasses would be fantastic.

Does anyone know if I can get my glasses refit with plain plastic lenses (no prescription)? I don’t like the way I look without glasses and I want to continue wearing them.

11

Had mine done in '99 and have no regrets.

To answer your questions:
Depends on the type of contacts you’ve been wearing. But I believe you will need to not wear them for some period before the procedure. Your doctor will be able to tell you how long. There is another post-procedure side effect for (previous) contact wearers: after the procedure they’ll give you eye drops and they’ll want you to keep your eyes from drying out. It seems that former contact wearers have more on an issue with this. It was explained that the contacts seal in moisture, so your body figures out not to generate as much fluid. So right after the procedure your eyes aren’t generating as much fluid.

As to post-procedure restrictions, the biggest applies to the first week after the procedure. Having cut a flap in your cornea, the biggest concern is re-loosening that flap before it completely re-attaches. So they don’t want you to rub your eyes. This is why they

  1. make you wear these plastic sheilds at night (since you won’t be able to consciously stop yourself from rubbing your eyes while you’re asleep)
  2. tell you not to take a shower for a couple days (turns out the shower is harmless, they just don’t want you rubbing your eyes if you get soap in them) or
  3. use makeup (not a biggie for me, being a man. But again, it’s not the application or makeup itself that’s an issue. It’s the rubbing to remove it ).

But longterm, I was never given any restrictions/limitations on things I could or could not do. It was just that first week, although I tended to be more careful with the rubbing thing for about the first month.

For me, it took about 4 months for my eyes to really settle out. What would happen is that fluid would collect under the flap while I slept. And in the mornings, my near vision focusing would be continually adjusting. It was most intrusive during the first couple weeks. It would usually settle out by the afternoon (as the fluid leaked out from under the flap). Gradually, it would settle out earlier and earlier. Until I would not have this issue in the mornings at all.

I do have the halo’s around lights and stuff at night. But I’ve gotten used to it, and it’s never really been an issue. One of the reasons for having the procedure was because I’m into scuba diving. And I’ve been very pleased that my vision in low light seems just as good as before.

Anyway, that’s my story.

12

The one detail that didn’t cross my mind and wasn’t mentioned in the pre-lasik prep. work by the clinic staff was: To obtain the full benefits of the Valium, don’t have a big breakfast/lunch right before surgery. Yeah, a bit of a common sense thing, but it didn’t occur to me at the time.

Since I would be given a prescription sleep aid after the surgery for the necessary post-op sleep/relaxation period back home, I thought it’d be a wise idea to eat a good sized meal beforehand (or else, I’d wake up with a hunger-induced migraine). With a full stomach, I just didn’t get the sedation I thought I would from the Valium. I believe that was the first time I’d taken a prescription sedative, so I just assumed it was working. The happy thoughts and pretty colors others described never arrived, so the procedure was a bit . . um . . stressful. And tensing my body up also made it harder for the doctor to get that eye plunger suction thing going. In comparison, a 45-minute circumcision procedure under local anesthesia was a walk in the park.

But there was no physical pain at all during the procedure (another good thread here).

I have noticed that focusing on small print up close is slighly more difficult. Anyone else experience this? It could be an age thing, but at age 31? And even if it was a side effect from the procedure, I still would have no regrets

13

The money I spent on LASIK this year was the best $4500 I’ve ever spent in my life.

I had the procedure done on Jan. 5 of this year, and 1 day later my vision was already at 20/20. Previously, my contacts prescription had been -6.5 and -5.75, with mild astigmatism in both eyes. I also had abnormally large pupils.

Best advice for you at this point (after hearing everyone’s raving success/failure stories) is to go research who the good providers are in your area (I believe the FDA website has an area that allows you to research the best lasers, etc.) From the research my husband did before we both got LASIK, we did find that, in general, higher cost = better quality lasers and surgeons.

Most LASIK places will give you a free screening, during which they figure out if you’re even a candidate based on current vision, overall health, level of astigmatism, etc. etc. (some places would not have been able to operate on me with my huge-ass pupils)

Previous to the surgery, I think you can’t wear contacts for sometime between 3-6 weeks. (Overall, worth it for never having to wear them again.) I had to go to a preoperative exam that lasted almost 3 hours, during which they dilated my pupils to the max, did all sorts of imaging of my eyes, and otherwise tried to determine if there were any other factors which might prevent me from getting the surgery.

Then it was a go – on surgery day, I took an Ativan right after arriving at the surgery center. (THANK GOD for the ATIVAN). Like other people here have said, there’s no real physical pain, but parts of the procedure were uncomfortable for me. Still, the entire time spent in the laser room was less than 10 minutes. That is really not long at all. The actual laser burning time was less than 1.5 minutes per eye. The only uncomfortable part for me was the process of cutting the flap in my cornea. I’ll stop here because most people really don’t like discussing cuttage of the eyes.

My vision was pretty blurry for a few hours after the surgery, partly because my eyes were still dilated, but I could already tell that the vision underneath that was better than before. The night of the same day I had my surgery? I watched a movie. Yeah, that kicked ass.

My eyes were slightly photosensitive and generally dry/itchy for a couple of days, but no pain. It sort of felt like I’d been crying for a long time. It took me a good 2 weeks to get over the feeling that I had to take my contacts out, after a long day. I have heard from my husband and other folks who’ve had it that my lack of dryness & light sensitivity are slightly unusual. I almost never use eyedrops (maybe once every few weeks) and never use sunglasses. And my vision? A solid 20/15 in one eye and 20/10 in the other.

Simply put, LASIK rocks.