Thinking of having LASIK?

Gertrudes said:
Somehow, having done the operation seems to me as having forced something to happen not only on my eyes, but probably elsewhere....I don't know.
Can you elaborate on this. Did you mean your astral body?
Its funny you should mention it as I was contemplating the same thing.
But by the end of the day myopia is undesired mutation. If we were animals we would probably dye off due to this disability.
So from survivalist point of view I think surgery is the way to go.
 
Pete said:
I can only imagine that your timing with this post is one way the universe has chosen to speak out to me and I am grateful to you both.

Thanks again Lilou! :flowers:
Same feeling here
 
Lilou , what are the age related problems. Do they mean - needing plus prescription.
I think I am already heading there because now with my lenses with artificial light I have to really strain to read very small print such as on medicine or food labels.
I wouldn't mind wearing glasses for reading that's hardly a disability comparing to what I have now.
 
I had LASIK about 6 years ago. My vision wasn't dire but I surf, kite and swim so my below perfect sight conflicted with my lifestyle. 3 years post op I was back wearing glasses and struggling with contacts due to dry eye. I had 3 great years of freedom so I am not too unhappy. And I had the option of getting the surgery done again but at the time i was travelling/living OS so I didn't bother. I do struggle on overcast days and as the sun is setting to decipher when the set is coming and I sometimes miss some good waves because of it.. but my friends are pretty good at hollering me into the big ones. My eyes are also more sensitive to glare, and my night vision is that of a mole... bugger, writing this reminds me that my eyes are cactus. Whatever.. could be worse folks.. could be worse. :rockon:
 
Herr Eisenheim said:
Lilou , what are the age related problems. Do they mean - needing plus prescription.

Yes. Presbyopia (needing plus prescription to read) usually occurs in the 40's. Toxins build up in the lens of the eye, causing it to thicken & harden, not allowing it to bend & focus on small print. And since its avascular, the toxins don't get carried away, they just accumulate. Mercola uses diet & a method of eye relaxation to keep his lens flexible. I also noticed for myself (48 & still not using readers) that if I do use a reader, my eyes are much slower to focus & may not even focus on small print for a short time after I take them off. The readers seem to make my eye lazy. So use it or lose it seems to apply.

[quote author=Herr Eisenheim]
I think I am already heading there because now with my lenses with artificial light I have to really strain to read very small print such as on medicine or food labels.
I wouldn't mind wearing glasses for reading that's hardly a disability comparing to what I have now.
[/quote]

I hadn't really thought much about it, but if you are highly myopic, I suppose the eye has to work harder to focus on small print & presbyopia may show up sooner.

I can see why you are considering the LASIK. In coming times, we certainly don't want to find ourselves without vision correction! I have also heard that if you are starting to need reading glasses, that you will definitely need them after the LASIK. It seems to quicken it - probably from the general inflammation that occurs with the surgery.

Do your research and eventually you will reach a decision . I usually advise patients with high perscriptions that it is likely they will be happy with the results, because even if the vision fluctuates, they will still be happy seeing 20/40 compared with counting fingers or hand motion going in. I don't know if this helps in your decision any - but arm yourself with all the information you can get. There is plenty of you tube videos for and against LASIK but unfortunately, no long term studies.
 
batty76 said:
I had LASIK about 6 years ago. .... 3 years post op I was back wearing glasses and struggling with contacts due to dry eye. ... My eyes are also more sensitive to glare, and my night vision is that of a mole...

Since you were happy for a few years, your case, batty76, was considered one of the successes. The problem with the LASIK statistics, is these problems people are having years down the road, are not being reported to anyone. So making the decision becomes tricky, at best. I know for myself, I wouldn't risk it. But I don't do extreme sports and my cost for specs/contacts is nil, as an eye care professional. Plus, I work in dim light, so glare would be a disaster for me.
 
I had laser eye surgery in 2001/2 (so long ago now), I was wearing bifocal glasses (couldn't stand contact lenses), my problem was long sighted with astigmatism and general age related reading, which I was told would not be fixed by the surgery and would need to wear glasses for reading, which was ok by me.

I went from being over 4+ in left eye and almost 6+ in right eye down to 1+ and 1.5+ respectively. My eye specialist gave wonderful before and after care, with lots of information on what not to expect too. The medication was used for 2 weeks and lubricant drops were used for about 3 months trailing off to zero, I never suffered from dry eye, so all in all I think I've had a good run considering some of the problems I've read on this thread.

Over the years my reading glasses have increased and I also need about half strength glasses for driving. rainy night driving is scary because of the glare from onconing headlights on the wet surface. I would not have a repeat procedure, because I don't worry about wearing glasses anymore and rarely drive at night.
 
Lilou said:
I have also heard that if you are starting to need reading glasses, that you will definitely need them after the LASIK. It seems to quicken it

True, the one thing my doctor told me was that I would likely have to wear reading glasses in my 40s.

anart said:
It sounds like you might have been really lucky to find a really good doctor.

It seems so, I was just talking about this with my partner who told me that University of Coimbra's hospital doctors, where I had my operation, are known worldwide for their quality.

Herr Eisenheim said:
Gertrudes said:
Somehow, having done the operation seems to me as having forced something to happen not only on my eyes, but probably elsewhere....I don't know.
Can you elaborate on this. Did you mean your astral body?
Its funny you should mention it as I was contemplating the same thing.
But by the end of the day myopia is undesired mutation. If we were animals we would probably dye off due to this disability.
So from survivalist point of view I think surgery is the way to go.

Well, I was thinking from the perspective of the "disease" often being a sign of an emotional or mental block of some sort. In my case, I am not sure of when I actually became astigmatic but it was noticed around age 7, shortly after my childhood problems began. My reasoning was that by correcting the astigmatism through laser I could have been somehow buffering the real problem, correcting the eye's ability to see but not the soul's. I wasn't referring to the astral body, but rather to that possible buffering.

I studied Chinese face reading for a short while and although I can't remember much, the one thing that I retained was their philosophy on how altering our natural facial features with, for example, plastic surgery, we would also be affecting our temperament and natural talents. I have the feeling that this philosophy influenced my post. Leaving the question of how truthful their premise is aside, LASIK is something from a different nature since it isn't changing an aesthetic feature.

My reasoning is very faulty, I wouldn't think twice if I suddenly needed some serious surgery in order to live, I would just do it. Why then create a problem with eye surgery? The fact that I didn't consider it to be an absolute need but more of a luxury was what made hesitate.

In an "ideal" world, perhaps we would have the means to understand disease and different sorts of physical problems before "fixing" them with external means. But that's not where we live ;)
 
Good thread, Lilou. Thanks. I was considering this procedure. Its time to do something. These eyes are showing their age and the readers aren't cutting it anymore.
 
Masamune said:
I came across this video recently by Dr. Mercola on Lasik.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lk_xD_0wPg

He recommends not getting it done because it is a permanent correction burned into your eye - and your eyes can change after the surgery. Also it can cause all types of other vision problems as discussed above. It can benefit some people but for others it will not. What he recommends is eye exercises to restore proper vision - his program that he sells is $150. http://products.mercola.com/vision-program/

I have not seen Mercola's program, however fwiw I don't think it's necessary to spend $150 on it to learn about eye exercises.

In this series of videos, Meir Schneider explains exercises that can be done to restore sight. Aldous Huxley wrote about the same type of techniques, which he practiced and regained much of his sight into old age.

Yoga for Your Eyes (1/8)
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJS2LTsQde4

(2/8)
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZieRT4ZQdjA

(3/8)
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7LAbhZHhVY

(4/8)
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOvXDVCi7As

(5/8)
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6REmAX4FwQE

(6/8)
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa-E_v9VPMs

(7/8)
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ye-3F_6SLY

(8/8)
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01p6OUpFBJM

- - -

EDIT: I haven't watched these videos in a while, and I just noticed Schneider promotes breathing in and out only through the nose. I think perhaps this technique could be improved with the use of EE pipe breathing while doing the exercises.
 
Great timing indeed! I was also considering doing the surgery (I have a couple friends that did it with great results) but whilst doing some research I was not able to find any long term (5+ years) info. So despite what you do, your vision can change and there's a good chance you might need glasses again. I know the newer technology is all computerized and you can have the 'flap' created by laser as well, but I guess it's still a crap shoot... I don't mind contacts so I guess I'll stick with that for now...
 
Please Lilou tell me frankly do you think there is some hope or a tried and tested therapeutic for a hightly myopic (-6/10) to enhance or to recover clear sight?
Short sighted since age 7 after family problems,wearing lenses since 30 years,always been very suspicious towards eye surgery(friends have glasses again after ten years it's the same or worse!)
 
Hello,
I actually had the surgery done over a year ago(it will be two years in July). My left eye had the lasik procedure done and my right eye had the PRK. I was nearsighted and both of my eyes were -8 diopters; I was actually legally blind without my glasses. I have to say that I am very pleased with the procedure, my eyesight has not been 20/20 after I had the surgery but that was expected as my sight was quite bad, but I can finally exist without glasses and contacts first time in 27 years. And I don't have to worry carrying my glasses everywhere or worry that I could accidentaly break them and end up completely dependent on people to get me home. I actually considered myself disabled before the surgery.

Now, the bad news. The PRK procedure was the most painful procedure I ever had in my life, I actually prayed to die, and I kid you not. The pain killer that was prescibed to me contained codeine, but because I am allergic to codeine I could not take it. So, I was prescibed a different pain killer which did not work at all and that was the only one they could give to me. I even asked for morphine, that's how bad the pain was. The Lasik procedure I would do again, but the PRK I would never ever do again ever as long as I live.

So, for me the procedure worked wonders. If there was a catastrophic event occuring in my neighbourhood, I could easily run out of the house quickly without wasting my time looking for glasses. And being in constant fear of breaking my glasses, that I don't miss at all.
 
By patient feedback I've received, people who are highly nearsighted - in the range of -7.00 or above - are very happy to be able to see across the room, whether it is 20/20 or even 20/40. I have recently seen some patients who still report they are "pretty happy" with results, even though they are back in glasses. So it is rather subjective.

As an eye doctor, I would not be happy if after 6 or 7 years I had the amount of anisometropia (meaning, the prescription differs a lot between the two eyes) that many of the patients are coming back with. It'd be one thing if after the prescription starts to shift, it shifted at a relatively equal rate, it's another when one eye is nearsighted, and the other is farsighted or has a high astigmatism.

It is very difficult to maintain fusion (the two eyes working together for good depth perception) when the prescription differs by a large amount between the two eyes. This makes the image size coming into the eye differ and it is hard to keep the image single and not double. The eye has to constantly work at it.

Even patients of mine who say they are satisfied with the results, will say it is a bit more difficult to drive at night, and more so if it is raining. They often report that they had bad glare problems initially, but over time, it decreases, but never totally goes away.

People with thinner corneas are more prone to long term problems with glare. There are not good stats out on this, and no long term studies, but this link had a pretty good article.

_http://lasiksurgeryrx.com/lasik_odds_of_20_20.php

Lasik What The Odds of 20/20 Vision

LASIK eye surgery can greatly improve one’s vision, and it some cases LASIK eye surgery results in perfect vision. However patients of LASIK surgeries have various results and not everyone leaves the office with perfect vision. The statistics collected on LASIK eye surgery results indicate that the odds that you’ll see 20/20 after LASIK are not as great as many LASIK eye surgery facilities claim. There are a lot of myths surrounding what you can expect from LASIK, and sometimes LASIK patients have unrealistic expectations going into the surgery. Unfortunately there is no ‘LASIK’ results database; some of the surgery result statistics are based on differing criteria, but at least the information collected can help potential patients to gain a better picture about what to results to expect.

Recently the American Association of Professional Eyecare Specialists, (AAPECS), has reported their statistics on LASIK surgery. The results concluded that 55.3 percent of LASIK patients obtained 20/20 or better vision after LASIK surgery, and 92.6 percent of patients obtained 20/40 or better vision after LASIK surgery. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, (FDA), provides LASIK result statistics on LASIK lasers but not on the surgeries themselves. According to the FDA the laser with the most improved results was the Bausch & Lomb Technolas 217 Scanning spot laser, with a success result rate of 87.3 percent for 20/20 vision and a 99.7 percent success rate of achieving 20/40 or better vision. The lowest FDA success laser was the Nidek Scanning slit laser with a success result rate of 47.4 percent for 20/20 vision, and an 84.4 percent success rate of achieving 20/40 or better vision.

LASIK success statistics can sometimes come out skewed depending on how the statistics were evaluated. For example, some lasers and surgeries are used for correcting severe myopias and astigmatism while others are used to correct low to moderate myopias and astigmatism. Generally LASIK patients who have a high degree of myopia and astigmatism have a lower success rate. Additionally, the definition of successful LASIK surgery can differ. Some statistic results define success as 20/40 or better vision, while other statistic results define success as 20/20 or better vision.

On the whole, it is generally agreed that patients who undergo LASIK have an average 88 percent chance of obtaining 20/40 or better vision; this is the level of visual acuity that is needed in order to drive without contact lenses or glasses in most states. It is also generally agreed that LASIK patients have an average 54% chance of obtaining 20/20 or better vision. It is important to note that the chances of achieving 20/20 vision vary among individuals. Patients who have extremely thin corneas, severe myopias and astigmatisms, or who have had previous eye surgery do not generally have the average success possibilities of obtaining 20/20 vision.
While LASIK success rates can help you to determine how effective LASIK surgery may be, it is important to talk with your ophthalmologist about your own individual chances of achieving 20/20 vision.
________________________________________
 
Rabelais said:
Good thread, Lilou. Thanks. I was considering this procedure. Its time to do something. These eyes are showing their age and the readers aren't cutting it anymore.

I haven't seen any patients on follow up for this procedure, but there is also Conductive Keratoplasty, CK for short. Here's a link that explains the procedure _http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lighttouch-nearvision-ck.htm I haven't researched it much, but the doctor I used to work for does this procedure. I went to a continuuing ed class about it, but I fell asleep! :-[

How bout just getting an eye exam, Rabelais?? You may need just a little bit of magnification for distance, and a bit more on top of that for reading. A nice fashionable pair of no line, progressive trifocals sounds better to me than surgery!! I often see alittle astigmatism on folks needing readers. It's kind of like water running over a rock, the mechanical action of the eyelid passing over the cornea for years and years, changes the shape of the cornea - causing some astigmatism (cornea no longer round).

But I'd try the glasses first. :cool:
 
Back
Top Bottom