# LASIK Laser correction

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 19, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135 "2003-05-19T00:02:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/1 "2003-05-19T00:02:36Z")

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I am getting LASIK vision correction in 2 weeks. My pamphlet says it is “the No-Touch Method that improves safety because no surgical flap is necessary - nothing touches your eye during the whole procedure.”

Is anyone familiar with this and has anyone had it done? What happened to your vision? How do you hold your eyeball still?

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**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/2 "2003-05-19T00:14:06Z")

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When I had my eyes done about five years ago (using the older-style “flap and zap” process that **did** involve making a surgical flap), the eye doctor told me about the next-generation process (not available at the time) that wouldn’t involve the flap. He told me that 90% of the surgical time and 90% of the subsequent problems were because of the need to make that surgical flap - so, assuming that things proceeded as predicted, the process should be both a lot faster and a lot safer nowadays.

You hold your eyeball still yourself. If your eyeball moves (the eye surgeon told me), the laser system detects that movement and stops the procedure automatically **far** faster than the surgeon could have done manually.

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**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/3 "2003-05-19T00:48:48Z")

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I work in an ophthalmology department, and had brought home some LASIK pamphlets for my husband to look at. According to the description, the system (at least the one we have) scans the eye 4000 times/second, and makes minute adjustments up to 100 times/second to keep the laser on target.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/4 "2003-05-19T01:18:13Z")

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I don’t know about the new method, but I had this done about a year and a half ago. Best money I ever spent. Only down side is some annoying haloing around lights at night (I have to squint a little to read the end-credits of movies because the white on black text produces a bit of a halo).

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**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/5 "2003-05-19T02:26:06Z")

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Go to [surgicaleyes.com](http://surgicaleyes.com) and read the comments of people who have had this done. It is a very dangerous procedure. Some people have went blind, some have lost night vision, some have dry eyes, some have halos, some have spots, floaters, etc. Even if only 1 or 2 percent of people have these complications, you are playing russian roulette. Unless you are legally blind, 20-400, it is not worth it.

## [http://surgicaleyes.com/](http://surgicaleyes.com/) " is an organization founded by people with longer-term complications from refractive surgery to assist others who have had unsuccessful LASIK, PRK, RK, AK, ALK or other elective refractive surgeries. …\<"

[http://www.surgicaleyes.org/Complications.htm](http://www.surgicaleyes.org/Complications.htm)

"Complications:

Aniseikonia (difference in image size between the two eyes)  
Anisometropia  
Aquarium Vision  
Arcing  
BCVA (loss of)  
Blindness  
Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion  
Cataract Formation  
Central Islands  
Central Toxic Keratopathy  
Contrast Sensitivity Loss  
Corneal Abrasions  
Corneal Necrosis  
Corneal Perforation  
Corneal Scars  
Corneal Thinning  
Corneal Ulcers  
Decompensated Strabismus  
Depth Perception (loss of)  
Diffuse Lamellar Keratitis (DLK, Sands of Sahara)  
Dry Eyes  
Ectasia  
Edema  
Endothelial Cell Loss  
Epithelial Ingrowth  
Epithelial Sloughing  
Flap Buttonhole  
Flap Decentered  
Flap Unfolding  
Flap Melt  
Flap Striae and Wrinkles  
Flap Subluxation  
Fluctuating Vision  
GASH  
Ghosting  
Glare  
Haloes  
Haze  
Headache  
Hyperopic Shift  
Induced Aberrations  
Induced Astigmatism

Infectious Keratitis  
Interface Debris  
Interface Keratitis (infectious and non-infectious, early and late onset)  
Irregular Astigmatism  
Irregular Wound Healing  
Microperforations  
Monocular Diplopia

Muscle Spasms

Nerve Fiber Damage and/or Thinning  
Night Vision Loss

Nocturnal glare

Optic Nerve Infarction

Optic Nerve Neuropathy

Overcorrection

Pain (persistent)

Palebral fissures (expanding induced),

Photophobia (undesirable visual sensations produced by bright lights)

Progressive Hyperopia

Psychological Problems (induced or exacerbated)

Ptsopis (droopy eyelid)

Quality of Life (loss of)

Reading Problems

Recurrent Erosion

Regression (both naturally occuring and induced via hypoxia)

Retinal breaks/tears/macular holes

Retinal Detachment

Scarring

Starbursts

Steroid Induced Glaucoma

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Undercorrection

Uneven Pupils Sizes

Visual Field Defects

Vitreous Detachment (Floaters)

Future Induced Difficulties:

IOL Calculation Difficulties  
Difficulty detecting Glaucoma Onset  
Induced Contact Lens Intolerance  
Increased susceptability to ocular trauma (i.e., late flap, dislocation)  
"

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**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/6 "2003-05-19T02:31:26Z")

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Also see…  
[http://www.lasikdisaster.com/](http://www.lasikdisaster.com/)

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**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/7 "2003-05-19T02:57:11Z")

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**Susanann** , only about 1% of patients (stats quoted to me by our physicians - I do not work in the LASIK area but in an unrelated research division, and am not paid by their money but by research grant funds) experience any side effects at all, and most of those are treatable infections, night-time haloes, that sort of minor thing. Yes, any procedure may have side effects on occasion, but I wouldn’t call this “very dangerous”. Educating yourself is wise, though.

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**Author:** ![da\_pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@da\_pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/da_pope)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/8 "2003-05-19T03:02:00Z")

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It doesn’t appear that either of the anti-lasik sites linked to above are addessing the procedure mentioned in the OP.

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**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/9 "2003-05-19T03:07:03Z")

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Thank you. I am learning. Could others who have had this surgery, the one that is the No Touch Method, please tell me their experiences. I also value the opinions of medical personnel.

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**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/10 "2003-05-19T03:16:45Z")

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My daughter recently had the flap and zap procedure done, although I was against it, seeing as how her eyes were correctible by glasses. I had the misfortune of talking to her two hours after the procedure and she was near hysterical with pain. This is a girl who dislocated her shoulder while warming up for a 500 yard freestyle swim and jumped in and swam it anyway, so her threshold of pain is high. Interestingly, when she returned to the ophthamalogist for a check up she asked how he controlled the “moderate” pain after he had it done and he answered “Dilaudid.”

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**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/11 "2003-05-19T03:20:59Z")

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I’m also interested in hear about you pep’s experiences. I got LASIK eye surgery as a 21st present from by parents (yeah, I know, cosmetic surgery from parents is neat eh 😉 ) and that offer still stands. The problem is my myopia is about -7.5 to -8; anybody had good results with prescriptions in that region?

I hate to talk to the eye doctor, they keep on harping about the gazillion to one risks to cover their legal obligations.

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**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/12 "2003-05-19T03:22:21Z")

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Just to make it crystal, my parents gave me the _offer_ for the surgery - I just haven’t collected yet.

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**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/13 "2003-05-19T13:46:10Z")

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Had the regular LASIK procedure done about 5 years ago. No complications, no side effects. I now have 20/20 in one eye and 20/25 in the other (can’t remember my original numbers).

As someone who wore glasses all my life, getting the laser surgery and seeing perfectly was the best experience of my life.

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**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/14 "2003-05-19T18:51:03Z")

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It was explained to me that the cutless procedure involved moving tissue from the surface of the cornea, rather than the middle. My Doctor claimed it was actually more painful and recovery time was longer than the cut method.

I had the cut method. Was 20/600 before and am now 20/15 & 20/20.

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**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/15 "2003-05-19T20:10:36Z")

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In my world, moving = removing.

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**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/16 "2003-05-19T22:11:12Z")

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I was wondering if anyone can offer some suggestions. I’ve been evaluated for laser eye surgery and have passed all hurdles except one–dry eyes. My condition is such that everything is fine for about a month, but all of a sudden, my eyes dry up and and get irritated. On a few occasions, it’s been so bad, I’ve rubbed my eyes till they were really sore ( I know, dumb thing to do). As a result, my surgeon refused to do the procedure. Since I also have -7.5 myopia, you can imagine how much I want this procedure. Are there any new procedures or products I can use so I can get the surgery?

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**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/17 "2003-05-20T10:16:09Z")

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Couple things to remember, folks:

First of all, _not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK_. For instance, I did inquire about it and, after an exam, it was explained to me that my risk of complications is greater than normal. So I’ve pretty much decided that, barring a significant breakthrough in technology, I’m sticking with glasses. If, like **medstar** , you been told you have a “hurdle” you would be wise to consider _not_ having this done.

Yes, I’ve known many people who have had LASIK and are extremely happy with the results. I also know two whose vision is now _worse_ than before the surgery.

If you are interested in this procedure research it carefully and get a thorough pre-op exam by someone who won’t give you a high-pressure sales talk. Do visit the “surgical eyes” and “LASIK disaster” websites to balance out the rosy picture the sales brochures give you. This is real surgery folks, and like all surgery it has real risks. Be a very very choosy consumer.

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**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/18 "2003-05-20T14:11:52Z")

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I have 2 pre-ops coming. Perhaps I won’t be a candidate.

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**Author:** ![HBby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/977dab/32.png) [@HBby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HBby)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/19 "2003-05-20T18:44:38Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by xizor \*  
> \*\*It was explained to me that the cutless procedure involved moving tissue from the surface of the cornea, rather than the middle. My Doctor claimed it was actually more painful and recovery time was longer than the cut method.
> 
> I had the cut method. Was 20/600 before and am now 20/15 & 20/20. \*\*

**xizor** is correct. You would also have to wear a “band aid” soft contact lens for at least 24 hours and you can not remove it to clean it. It ended up getting very dirty and cloudy. They also can only do one eye at a time, with a three week interval between each surgery.

My story: my eyes were about -5.75 each and I have just enough corneal tissue to do one procedure in each eye with no chance of enhancements later on. The first time I went in, a “button-hole” flap was created in my right eye (the first eye worked on) and the surgery was halted due to the irregular flap. I was sent home with this band aid contact lens and had it replaced the next day. I went in for post-op follow-ups three days straight, then every week and then every month, because of the complication.

I had to wait 1 year to redo it. During this year, I talked to my ophthamologist about the flapless method. He did not recommend it on normal people, but weighed it as an option for me because of the slight scarring that occurred in the middle of my eye, where the button-hole was created. In the end, we opted to recut, because the scar diminished. He also told me that, by cutting a flap, this lessened healing time.

In the flapless method, having the laser remove the outside layers required much, much, much more healing time and you will _not_ be able to see clearly right away. You’d have to wait a until it mostly healed over to see out of that eye, and that is why you wait a few weeks to do the other eye. Plus, fluctuations in eye sight was more likely during the next year, while your eye healed.

I see 20/20 in my left eye, and 20/40 in my right. Together, I see 20/20. My sister got hers done by the same surgeon and she sees 20/15 (lucky dawg). Good luck with your eyes.

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**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lasik-laser-correction/176135/20 "2003-05-20T19:06:38Z")

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I was told both eyes would be done at the same time. I have many questions for the doctor.

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