I wear glasses (I’m nearsighted), and I’ve considered laser eye surgery for many years, but hesitated to pull the trigger just because I think I function fine with glasses, and I’m worried about the small risk of something going wrong with an eye procedure. If you’ve had it done, please tell me about it.
Had it done. Love it. One of the best choices I ever made. Not having to fumble for glasses to see clock, being able to see shower, sports/swimming without worrying about contacts or glasses.
Huge pluses. My son had it, at least as enthusiastic.
Best money I ever spent, and in 1999 it was quite a bit of money. Starting to lose clarity now that I’m in my fifties and have to wear one contact and sometimes reading glasses, but I was 20:15 for at least 15 years. Check how many procedures your doctor and clinic have done, read reviews, and don’t cheap out. This is not something you want done in a mall for $750. If you do sports it’s a big, awesome change.
Take the Valium they offer before the procedure!
Thanks! How many years ago did you and your son have it, and have there been any problems at all (night vision, pain, headaches, etc.)?
When I started needing reading glasses along with contacts, I got the surgery. About 20 years ago. Great results.
More recently I got a cataract in one eye. They put in a multifocal lens. In my eye that did not have a cataract, I wear a multi-focal contact. Now I don’t need reading glasses either. I think I see better than I ever have.
I wouldn’t recommend going about the matter this way if your concern is “the small risk of something going wrong with an eye procedure”.
The issue with laser eye surgery problems is that they’re very low frequency but very high severity. Things rarely go wrong, but when they do go wrong they can go very wrong. The chances that in any random group of people on a MB or RL will contain someone who had a serious issue is very low - but then you already knew the likelihood was very low.
So I don’t think polling random people is going to add anything there. (Unless you just want to know how much of a difference it is when things go right.) It’s like polling people who let their fire insurance lapse how it worked out for them. Chances are that none of the people you asked had fires so it worked out great for them, but that doesn’t really address the fundamental question.
Let me be the voice of caution here:
I asked an eye doctor I trusted to evaluate my for LASIK surgery. It turned out I was at relatively high risk for some serious side effects and thus I choose NOT to get the surgery. I don’t regret that decision, even though it means eyeglasses.
I did the research and found out I shouldn’t have the surgery. So let me join the voices here and say please, please do research the doctor and the place where this is done, and if they caution you about potential problems listen very carefully. Don’t be rushed into this.
if you are evaluated and found to be at low risk of problems, your surgeon is experienced with a good track record, and the surgical center has a record of good outcomes then go ahead.
Most people have good results and are happy. I sincerely hope you will be among them (most likely you will).
Have your doctor measure your cornea thickness. If you have thin corneas, you should not get Lasik. Lasik is best for those with thicker corneas, because you then have room for error that can be corrected. If you do have thin corneas, you still may be eligible for inter-ocular lens implants (the same procedure they do for cataract patients).
I had mine done 10+ years ago, my son 5. It took my night vision six months to completely come back (it was fine for almost everything just in super dim light). No issues with pain, headaches. Dry eyes for a month or so for my son but that was his only complication.
Had it done 20+ years ago. Borrowed a wad of money from my parents, didn’t regret it for one second. I was at -8.1 diopters, and this was a life-changing decision.
After that, my mother, brother, aunt, friends, etc., all got it done too, once they saw the change in my life.
If the doctor says you’re good for it, do it.
I went to Lasik+ in Alexandria in 2003 or 2004. They have (or had) a free examination where they tell you if you are a candidate or not, and what type of surgery is best for you.
I went in the morning, 45 minutes or so later, I was done. Went home and slept, like they suggested. Woke up when the doctor called me and my eyes were hurting like there was sand in each one. I told the doctor that, and he said “That’s normal. Try to sleep the rest of the night” Had to wear a set of goggles while sleeping so I wouldn’t rub my eyes while sleeping.
Woke up the next morning, bam! 20-20 vision. It was the best use of money ever. I highly recommend you at least go and get the examination.
I had mine done about 10 years ago. I was extremely nearsighted, about 9 diopters of correction needed in each eye. The first doctor I went to said that my corneas were too thin. The second said that they were thick enough for one round of lasik but that if I needed additional correction (which they would do at no charge), it would have to be PRK which is not nearly as “user-friendly” to the patient. I decided to have it done and don’t regret it for one second. My vision is NOT 20/20. It’s probably around 20/35 which means that I need to wear glasses when I drive. On the plus side, I don’t require reading glasses. Given a choice of the two, I’d rather go with glasses while driving. Up close vision is very important to me and I lose it when I put my glasses on. Bifocals would take care of that but I’d rather just not mess with it.
My eyes are more light sensitive than they used to be and I still see halos and glare but my brain mostly tunes it out.
One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Prior to LASEK, I wore bifocals but, due to nearsightedness, really did not need them while reading in bed at night. After the surgery, I had no ability to read without reading glasses which are now constant companions. It was a bit of a surprise how corrected vision unmasked the problem that was being partially hidden by my prior poor vision but I would still have the surgery again without hesitation.
I found that better quality reading glasses are a great investment as the drugstore versions did not fit or work particularly well. I also invested in a pretty good pair of sunglass readers for viewing dash displays while driving. Money well spent IMO.
I have not had it done, but some observations:
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Make sure you understand the tradeoffs between distance and reading. My older brother had it done when he was about 50, I think (had to use up some flex spending money). He had NOT been aware of the fact that he’d likely need glasses for reading - and was fairly upset. It surprised me, because even I knew about that issue. His expectations had simply not been managed.
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If you have cataract surgery later on, it’s helpful to that doctor to know you’ve had Lasik. They may want some of the measurements that are done as part of the pre-Lasik procedure - not sure exactly what, but when I was reading up on things before my cataract surgery, several sites said “make sure they know you’ve had Lasik”. I’m sure your Lasik surgeon will know what’s needed.
Some people opt for “monovision” where one eye is left slightly nearsighted - which lets you do more reading without needing glasses. This is a concept that has always horrified me (I’ve had trouble adjusting to progressive eyeglasses because my prescriptions are so different) - but before my cataract surgery, I basically had that anyway due to the one eye being so much worse, so it might have been just fine: it’s an option with cataract surgery as well, and I did consider it. Supposedly some eye docs will let you “try before you buy” with different contact lenses; if yours offers that, give it a try.
And whatever correction you go with, if you’re lucky you’ll be able to get cheap drugstore reading glasses; one of the opticians we work with said that’s what he did. And it’s what I’m doing now with my cataract-fixed eyes.
You’ll find that a lifetime of eyeglass-wearing habits are hard to break. For years, i’ve had inside glasses (reading / computer) and driving glasses (distance only) that lived in the car. i’d have to remember to change when I got into or out of the car. I still try to do that 
I’ve mentioned this in other threads, but that happened to me when I tried to get Lasik again (I’d paid for lifetime redo if needed).
They told me “Yeah, no problem, we can fix it. But then you’ll need reading glasses”
I said WTF? I don’t need reading glasses now, why would I need them after you fix my near-sightedness?
They said “Because you are old” :mad::mad::(
Turns out, when you get old (I was 45), your eyes can’t be corrected for both near and far-sightedness with normal Lasik procedures. I’d never, ever heard that before.
:::::shudder:::::
I read about that when doing my cataract research last year. Yes, there are people who opt for “cosmetic” intraocular lenses just to get rid of glasses even without having a cataract.
Oh HELLLLLS no.
Cataract surgery is the most common surgery in the country (in the world?) and has an excellent track record. But your eyes are NOT “good as new” afterward. You completely lose close-up vision unless you opt for multifocals, which have their own disadvantages. The surgery does have some risks, and there’s a very good chance you’d develop “secondary cataracts” (PCO) especially if you’re younger - and those require treatment.
I actually got pushed into getting evaluated for LASIK a few years back. I’d been having a lot of trouble getting glasses that worked for me - my eyes were different enough that regular progressives caused insta-headache. I’d never had any interest in it, and 5K wasn’t in the budget, but I went along anyway as it was free. As it turns out, I have extra thick corneas so I’d have been a very good candidate from that standpoint. PRK might have been an option if I had thinner corneas - I don’t recall what they said were the indications of one vs the other.
I have not had it done since I assume it would be like my glasses were permanently on. I am near-sighted but my close in vision sucks with glasses on. I like to be able take my glasses off and see things close up.
I’ve had LASIK for something like 15 years now and it’s still the best purchase I’ve ever made. I had trouble even navigating my house without glasses previously (around -5.5 diopters), and now my vision is close to 20/20. I hated both glasses and contacts for many reasons and it’s wonderful to be able to just see when I open my eyes in the morning.
I’m >40 and presbiopia has yet to kick in, but inevitably it will and I’ll need reading glasses. It’s still worth the trade.
The procedure did not bother me but I could see some anxious or claustrophobic types having trouble. They clamp your eyes into place, and in my case used a blade to slice off the corneal flap (they use lasers now, but it’s basically the same process). This part is a bit disturbing since you are close to blind at this point: instead of -5 diopters, you’re now at something like -25 diopters. But the correction part is pretty quick, and despite smelling like burning hair is not too bothersome. I had the procedure done on Friday, took a cab home, and was back at work on Monday.
I have a very mild haloing at night. It’s no worse than what I’d get after a few days of protein buildup on my contacts, or a day of grime on my glasses. But not quite as good as freshly cleaned lenses, so I’ve lost some fine detail at night (I can only make out a few of the individual stars in the Pleiades). Not nearly enough to affect driving or the like, though.
I had it done in 2001. It wasn’t cheap but was worth every cent I paid.
I had it done about 15 years ago. It hurt like hell for the first week but then the pain was gone. Ever since I’ve had 100% perfect vision and I don’t regret it at all!