Yup - the title says is it all…next Tuesday morning (the 14th) I will arrive at my doctors for an 8am appointment.
Any words of wisdom, or good thoughts? 
All I have to say is that my surgery was the best $2500 I’ve ever spent. It’s totally worth it, and your life will be immensely better from now on.
Enjoy being able to see what you’re doing in the shower. Enjoy waking up in the morning and being instantly able to read the alarm clock across the room. Seven months later, I still find myself just staring at scenery because it’s so clear.
Oh, and obey the doctor’s instructions.
Good luck!
Thanks Smeghead! (Now that is a sentence I never thought I’d type.)
My one concern so far is I’m paying a LOT of money for this procedure. Much more than others I know that have had it. Oh well, I trust my doctor - and if its going to save me years of glasses/contacts I’ll be happy!
I’m VERY nervous about it though. Like paranoid/scared about the actual procedure. Not, the results - the time spend with my eye in that clamp.
My GF had it done on one eye about 3-4 weeks ago. She is a special case though. She is going to need glasses regardless due to an inappropriate procedure done by a doctor in NY state that cost her eyes the ability to accomodate for range. Her goal is to eventually only need glasses for reading.
Listen to what the doctors say about giving it time. She has been on sort of a roller coaster since. At first she could see great close up. This was disappointing as she wanted to be able to drive without glasses. As the few weeks have passed, her focal point has moved out. Now she can watch TV and the like, but needs her glasses for the computer. She has gotten two prescriptions for glasses already and will most likely at least need a third. She will also need to go back for a touch up for her astigmatism in a few months.
I don’t write this to make you nervous or discourage you. She is happy with the results, just impatient. She plans on getting the other eye done once everything is adjusted as much as possible with the first. She picked the “one at a time” approach due to being worried after what the doctor in New York did.
Be patient and enjoy your new vision.
RogueRacer I’m sorry to hear of the complications for your GF. Send her well wishes from me!
That is one thing I feel fairly confident about…my doctor’s ability to do a good job. I have also known others to have the procedure done by him. So I’m hoping my results are equally satisfying.
My doctor said I could return to work the next day if I wanted to. I’m going for my first day follow-up and then will attempt to make it into the office. I just hope I can. I don’t want to miss too much time.
Well, skittles I expect a fully detailed report next week. I’ve sort of considered it for a few years now but I think I’m scared of a) the eye in the clamp thing and b) the “new York” doctor who screwed things up.
My question to you, and anyone else who has had LASIK: How did you find that great doctor in whom you stake so much of you confidence in your ability to see?
If it makes you feel any better, I spent $4000 when I got mine done. My regular eye doctor recommended 2 LASIK surgeons because of their track record and reliability.
The clamp thing doesn’t take that long - not so bad. If you are really nervous, see if the doctor will prescribe you some valium or something akin to that. Mine did, and it helped to make me less nervous during the procedure - and take a nap when I got home.
Usually takes a few days to feel comfortable - I had mine done on a Friday and went back to work on Monday. Basically chilled out all weekend.
Good Luck!
I spent a lot on mine, too, because I’ll be damned if I’m going to the bargain discount eye surgeon! Come on, people! This is not where you save your pennies! I had mine done at the Emory Vision Center by the guy who helped design the particular piece of equipment, and felt very confident throughout.
The actual surgery isn’t any fun, of course, but it’s very fast. Very. Extremely. I mean, of course it’s scarier when they’re actually strapping you in and doing all the gruesome things they’re doing to your eyes, but it’s mere seconds. You can take anything for mere seconds.
My advice for you is to fill the painkiller scrip even if you think you don’t need it. The pain is not bad, it’s exactly like they say: “like having a dry contact”, except that it’s like a dry contact that you can’t fix that dosen’t go away for awhile. Get the painkillers and if you don’t need them, fine.
I’m wearing glasses to drive at night these days (it’s been, um, five years since I had mine done?) but I’ve been very, very happy with the results. I’m sure you will be too.
I had Lasik done last January, and it’s been great. The only thing I wish my doctor had done differently was tell me MUCH farther ahead of time that, for about 10-15 seconds, I’d lose all vision. As it is, my doctor told me that about 10 minutes before he began surgery.
That’s normal, it’s not a problem, but if you aren’t given ample warning, it’s a little scarier than it has to be.
If you’re human, it will be a little scary, in those few seconds that you can’t see.
Otherwise, the procedure should be uneventful.
One last thing: if you’re my age (early 40’s), you’ll probably find that, somewhere down the line, you’ll need reading glasses.
Many people are quite happy with their results. But there are no guarantees:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/health/lasik.htm
http://www.surgicaleyes.com
http://www.lasikinfocenter.net/index.htm
http://www.lasikdisaster.com
In my case, the doctor himself came to my work and gave a presentation explaining, well, everything about how to find a doctor, what to look for, what the options were, what happens during the surgery, etc, etc. I was very impressed with him during that, and didn’t find anyone better when researching it. It was actually kind of a no-brainer, because the guy I went to is the guy who fixes any mistakes done by other doctors in this part of the country. Something like a half-dozen states’ doctors refer patients to him.
If you are post-menaposal, talk with the doctor about dry eyes and insist on having him/her test your tear production prior to the surgery.
I had the surgery in Sep of 98 - some advice:
Make sure you have a driver to bring you home, the dr office arranged for a limo for me
My side effect is dryness, so when I wake up, I have to be sure to use artificial tears.
When you sleep, try not to sleep face down. It won’t be a good idea for you to put pressure on your eyes into the pillow.
Thanks so much for the stories of your personal experiences.
It doesn’t seem like I have too much to worry about. As always, Dopers to the rescue!
astorian I’ll be turning 30 on October 1st…so hopefully I will have ten good years without glasses.
fc1114 my doctor warned me about the dry eyes thing as well. I’m going to have a hard time sleeping at first. I am a stomach sleeper! :eek: Guess I’ll have to try to learn to be a back sleeper for a while.
Zsofia thanks for the painkillers advice. My doctor didn’t mention anything about giving me a script for afterwards - but I’ll be sure to take advantage of it if he does!
Of course I will post a full report on Wednesday! Three days and counting!
Well, it being Wednesday and all…must mean I had my procedure.
Everything went GREAT! It was not so bad. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested.
My doctor was great and even phoned me later that night to see how I was doing.
I went for my 1 day check-up this morning. 20/15 vision in each eye! That is just amazing to me!
YIPPEE!!! 