I’m being quoted $ 1,700 per eye (including appointment) to correct nearsightedness. Since this is not a covered expense I just wanted to see if this was within the realm of reason.
I paid $2800 almost two years ago for both eyes, including checkups and followups. If price is the limiting factor, you should be able to do MUCH better than what you’ve been quoted; $700 per eye is not unusual around here.
Damn that is a lot of money. Move to the UK and get it done on the NHS for free.
It cost me IR£3,200, but I got about a fifth of it back from Revenue.
And the NHS doesn’t pay for LASIK, unfortunately.
I’m going for my second pre exam on monday. And it’s costing me $3600.
I just want to ask if those of you who’ve had the surgery done are satisfied with the results. It’s something I’ve been considering. I just have a few fears–maybe they are normal ones, but I’d like the input of some of you out there who have had it done.
I worry about complications–infections and such. How common are they and would my eyes be permanantly damaged?
I worry that it won’t work on my eyes and that I’ll have gone through all that for nothing.
I worry that during the recovery, I might do something that would interfere with the process and damage my eyes (i.e. rubbing them too hard when they itch.)
I sure would appreciate some info (and I apologize for the hijack)!
I’m sure someone less lazy than I am will be along to provide actual cites, but when I was researching it I came to the conclusion that in the overwhelming majority of cases any infections that resulted were the fault of the patient who didn’t take a few simple precautions. Of course, there are no guarantees anywhere, but after what I read I felt completely comfortable undergoing the surgery.
You will probably be given something to wear over your eyes for the first week when you sleep, so that you don’t rub them by accident. I did actually forget at one point during that week and rubbed my eyes with a towel, but nothing bad happened.
I’m mostly satisfied with the results - apparently my eyes are just about 20/20, but I don’t see as well as I did with my contacts/ glasses, and occasionally this has been problematic. I would still do it all over again though because the freedom from having to wear contacts or glasses is worth it to me. YMMV.
Well, Mayflower, I can only answer from my own experience; for solid answers on statistics and such, you should ask a doctor. Most docs, in my experience, are more than willing to discuss the surgery with potential patient/customers at no cost.
After the surgery, they give you a little bottle of antibiotic eyedrops that you use for the first week. That should prevent any infections.
Will it work for you? I dunno. Talk to a doctor. They can tell you if you’re a good candidate and what your correction will likely be. I’ve never heard of anyone getting the surgery and having absolutely no improvement.
Can you damage your eyes if you rub them right afterwards? Well, they say you can dislodge the flap, but it’s not common, and if it happens you can go back to the doctor and get it repositioned.
If you want to read a step-by-step walkthrough of the surgery, I wrote one a couple of years ago in this thread: Gettin’ my eyes lasered….
My LASIK cost $700/eye. I’m very happy with the results. I had one eye deliberately undercorrected (to 20/40) to postpone the need for reading glasses for a while. Pre-surgery with my good eye I could see the big E and the 2 letters below it, with my bad eye I couldn’t see the big E.
I was given a pair of goggles to wear while I slept. I needed dark glasses for a while. I had a slow healing because my eyes are drier than normal. This isn’t because of the surgery - I knew going into it that it might take a while longer. There is slight haloing around lights at night, but to be without the glasses I’ve worn since I was 7 is wonderful! I wish I’d done it years before.
StG
My LASIK cost $700/eye. I’m very happy with the results. I had one eye deliberately undercorrected (to 20/40) to postpone the need for reading glasses for a while. Pre-surgery with my good eye I could see the big E and the 2 letters below it, with my bad eye I couldn’t see the big E.
I was given a pair of goggles to wear while I slept. I needed dark glasses for a while. I had a slow healing because my eyes are drier than normal. This isn’t because of the surgery - I knew going into it that it might take a while longer. There is slight haloing around lights at night, but to be without the glasses I’ve worn since I was 7 is wonderful! I wish I’d done it years before.
StG