Of course this was a completely different procedure but my step mom had the radial keratotomy done (where they literally slice your eye up like a pie) she had scarring from contacts and sleeps with her eyes open (very dry eyes).
She hasn’t had any problems with that procedure except that she was so healthy (really) that her eyes healed quicker than they had anticipated.
I would assume that LASIK is safer in all respects than what she had.
Now, if the slicing of your eye like a pie was the only available procedure, there is no way on Earth I would even consider it. Way too much room for error there!
TC: well you are sorta right. For at least one month after the procedure, no swimming. Maybe with scuba; 2 months.
I have had a small amount of the 'halos", but it is not bad at all. I know no-one that has had problems*, except one idiot that was doing some shit he shouldn’t have, during the 1st month, and got a splinter in his eye. But they say it would have been bad without the additional complications of the healing lasiks, but still…
Actually, there IS a saw device, that cuts the corneal “flap”, which is then manually flipped over by the eye surgeon. The cornea underneath is reshaped, and the flap is returned to position and the surface of the eye is dried to help the flap adhere. At least that was how it was done in my case.
P.S. the drying of the eye looked like frost forming on the window pane of my eye.
Guess I should watch the video they gave my brother of one of his eyes.
Consult with his doctor, then make the decision.
Thank you all for scaring the poop outa me < kidding >
I really am interested in doing this. I can almost afford it but anything to avoid wearing these things would be great. My last good looking pair of glasses were broken because I would fall asleep while watching TV.
Techchick, my ex-girlfriend had LASIK surgery. She’s a doctor herself (a urologist), so she knew all the pros and cons and where to go etc. etc.
Statistically, 99% of LASIK patients have no trouble. My ex fell into the unfortunate 1%. Her corneas are apparently so sensitive now that her eyelids opening and closing can abrade them. She has to put in eyedrops often, her eyes get tired easily and her night vision is very poor. She very much regrets having the surgery.
I’m considering the surgery myself, but my ex’s experience has brought me to decide to do it one eye at a time, just in case I end up with problems like hers. I would strenuously encourage you to do the same. One percent isn’t much, but it’s enough for me.
For people like me, the prospect of having to wear glasses in the future is not a problem. Because I don’t mind wearing glasses per se, I just mind wearing glasses that are like coke bottles and make my eyes look like little pinpoints. Glasses with a lesser correction wouldn’t be so bad.
As an alternative, does anyone have anecdotal evidence about Intacs (the corneal rings)? Supposedly one big advantage is that they can take them back out and permanent damage to vision is extremely unlikely.
It’s only been approved in the last year and a half or so, so there are far fewer experienced doctors performing it, or who has performed a lot of procedures using Intacs. They’re recommended only for low-level myopia. Since you still have to operate on your eyes, some patients might still experience scarring and sensitivity. According to information at the ophthamology page at About.com, seven to 17% of patients experienced side effects (“glare, halo, night vision problems”). But the biggest advantage, as ENugent points out, is the ability to have the inserts.
I got LASIK down about one year ago, and I love it. I had been thinking about it, or its earlier incarnations, for a while, but I finally did it after, due to some eye injury, I couldn’t wear contacts anymore.
Confession time: I really did it for one reason - sex. Not to get more sex, but so that I could see what was going on during sex! What can I say, I’m an extremely visual guy.
TechChick, thanks for starting this thread. Missus Coder and I have both thought about this, especially for her, as her eyes are much worse than mine. I’ve printed this thread for her to read, and to add to the pile of literature and stuff on the topic.
Another story about a satisfied patient: One of Ralf Junior’s teacher’s had both of her eyes done. One was corrected for close-up work - reading, computers, that sort of thing. The other was corrected for distance work, like driving. She loves it. She can see things both far and near, and she got rid of her glasses. AFAIK, she has had no side affects or problems, and recommends it to anyone who is interested. She also chose one of the most experienced doctors in town to do the procedure.
