NOW you tell me! :p

I guess it's too late, but I'm curious to hear what she has to say anyway...

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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I had Lasik done almost 12yrs ago in Vancouver. It was awesome and amazing over the last decade.

Now we get into this.... I have Keratoconus in the right eye and beginning to show in left eye. Now they dont know if this is genetic or if its due to lasik years ago (studies are being conducted right now at UCSD and UCLA among other places). Im trying to get into the study up in UCLA to see what is going on and the form of treatment they are trying to use. Basically, in theory, some are saying that the surgery weakens the eye and with the pressure differential causes the conical shape to occur.

http://eugeneeyecare.com/...ons/Keratoconus.html (just a quick google search on the first link)

The last 8yrs or so was great without glasses/contacts and this makes me sad to think I have to go back to it. Anyway just saying whats happening to me right now.

What's at the top of that list?

I've always been freaked out by this stuff but also curious to know what waking up and "seeing" would be like once again.

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
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The big issue is long term complications. The REALLY big one being that you can't have cataract surgery if it becomes necessary.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

Day 2 post op.

I woke up with slightly dry eyes, but the drops (2 week schedule) took care of that. I'm now seeing at least as well as I did before with my glasses.

Not rubbing my eyes has been easier than I thought it would be...

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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FWIW (and for the benefit of those people following this thread - not specifically Jordan), I chatted with J's sister for a while about my procedure and am 100% comfortable with my decision. She did remind me of some of the risks (greatest threat is infection but other potential issues may exists with with dryness, increased vulnerability to trauma, and more difficulty in calculating retinal replacement for cataract surgery) but based on our discussion was of the opinion that I was a good candidate for the procedure, and that my surgeon was doing all the right things to mitigate any potential problems. If presented with the opportunity to go back and not have the procedure done, I wouldn't take it.

I'm seeing clearer now today that I was yesterday, with fewer sensations of dryness, and remain extremely pleased with the procedure.

If you are considering this procedure, I highly encourage you to check out several centers, do your research, think long and hard about your risk adversity, and base your decision on your candidacy as well as the options that you have in your area. If you can find an ophthalmologist to talk with beforehand, it wouldn't be a bad idea either. Everyone is going to be somewhat different, and based on your physiology, history, risk adversity and the options in your area, will have a different decision to make. I'm extremely pleased with my surgery to date, but would not say that "this is for everyone currently wearing glasses". I wouldn't even say "I should have done this 15 years ago". I'm glad that I had it done, but I'm also glad that I waited long enough for the technology to mature, and for the experience of physicians all over to grow.

As with anything, YMMV.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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How are your eyes doing since the surgery? I had a consultation today and I'll do another down in Edmonton soon. I also plan on checking out one place in Victoria and one in Vancouver.

I've looked into Lasik and PRK. I've asked a few buds up here who have had one or the other done and the responses have been informative.


Thanks,


Jim

Funny you should bring this up today - a guy from work was just asking me about it this morning...

I walked away from the surgery feeling great, and my eyes had stabilized at 20/15 three months post-op. I was told that my eyesight would still "settle" over the course of the year, and that my vision might still change a little bit. For the first three months the only time I felt dryness or discomfort was when I forgot to take my drops. Staring at a computer screen all day doesn't help. :p 3 months after the procedure I went on tour for 8 weeks and experienced zero issues. Not having to worry about clean hands to deal with contact lenses while camping was a MASSIVE benefit (that had been the biggest driving factor that led to me getting it done) and I had no issues with wind, exposure, or anything of the sort. Just. perfect. vision. I went back in for a checkup at six months and there were no changes - everything was just peachy.

At my 1yr post-op I was re-tested once more and the optometrist told me that my eyesight had degraded ever so slightly from the previous assessments - and that to be considered a true 20/15 I'd need a slight prescription - but that no optometrist in the world would give me glasses. :p Still better than 20/20, and my eyes should be fully settled in. This doesn't mean that I won't need reading glasses as I age - they can't do anything about that. But for now until whenever I may have naturally needed bifocals or readers, my eyes are good.


I've noticed no adverse symptoms in the 18months post surgery, no "haloing", dryness, or anything like that. It's been great. Very occasionally when looking at a bright blank canvass I notice the odd "floatie" - it looks like an amoeba swimming across a slide - but I was told that those are just protein strings that sometimes naturally occur in the eye. They were very likely always there, I just never noticed them before. Blink and they go away.


Definitely do your research and check out several places as you have planned. While I'm extremely satisfied with my experience at Clearly Lasik there are thousands of others who are also just as happy with their procedures done at clinic XYZ. There are several different options from which to choose, at several price points. You have to be comfortable with what you're getting as well as how much you're paying. When I spoke with Jordan's sister she was very pleased to hear that I had gone with custom mapped Lasik Intralase as is was in her words "the best technology we have right now". I don't know if I mentioned this previously but they also installed temporary punctal plugs to help retain moisture during the first three months (the plugs dissolve naturally, though one can get permanent silicone plugs installed if there are issues with dryness - I didn't).


Technology aside, you are putting your eyesight in the hands of a doctor - so pick a good one, who's done A LOT of these procedures, and with whom you feel comfortable.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
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Get your FIX today?

Thanks for the reply. I remember that you did some rather thorough research before going ahead with the surgery. I am using your approach as a template for my decision making process. I have been contemplating surgery since about 2000. I lived in Vancouver then and there were several clinics to choose from. Most of my buds still live there and those who had surgery have had long-term success overall. The interesting bit is that my friends who had surgery had completely different approaches. Some went to places because of testimonials from other friends, some did research, and one guy decided on a whim to call around from his office on West Georgia one afternoon to determine which clinic could do surgery that day! I believe he was successful. No research at all. He has to wear reading glasses now (ten years on).

I asked a lot of questions this morning in my consultation including those regarding night vision, reading, focus time, dust, dryness and a few other items.

I understand and appreciate your caveats and I am in no hurry to have the surgery. I'm content to take my time and digest the information before I make a decision.

I will ask the next clinic I visit about the type of surgery you chose. The more I dig, the more options seem to appear.

Thanks again.

Jim

i had it done 5 years ago and knew the physician personally. i asked him why the procedure was so costly when it "appeared" that all he did was push a button. he replied that i could go down to UCLA's med school and get it done by a student (under an MD's supervision) for about $3,000 less than what he charged. he went on to say that the "hard cost" was the leasing of the laser that does the procedure AND most importantly, "insurance" if you will. he said that his expertise is where the cost is. IOW, if something went wrong (and it did...DO NOT squeeze your eyelids together if they just tell you to blink) i was paying to have him there to fix it. he's now retired but as someone else said, you only have one set of eyes and the guy who did mine had done thousands of procedures before mine and his decades of experience gave me the piece of mind that everything would turn out well...and it did. without a doubt the best money i've ever spent.

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Michael in Fresno
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man" V. Corleone

Rappstar - if you have Lasik (or something similar done) you can still have cataract surgery. The cataract surgeon just needs your before and after Lasik surgery measurements to put into calculating the correct interocular lense implant. It is quite accurate and should provide a good surgical outcome.
Teresa

I hear ya. I'm not going into this looking for the best deal, either. I don't want to be some new guy's lab rat.

Do you recall the name of the procedure performed on your eyes?

Glad to be of help - it's a massive decision, so all the information that you can find is beneficial (or at least it was for me).

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Do you still need to use drops? The climate here is very dry and when I'm wearing contacts it's evident that my eyes are lacking moisture.

Do you wear sunglasses most times you're outside?

I know this decision is a big 'un, so I appreciate your (and anyone else's) feedback.

Jim

I stopped using drops entirely a while back but had tapered my usage greatly after 3 months (pretty much when I went out on tour). In the second six months of the first year I might have used drops 4 or 5x if my eyes felt dry. Most times after a day of skiing (high winds up in the alpine). It is a lot more humid here in Vancouver than out in AB, so you might use them a little more frequently than I did. I think the temporary punctal plugs were very beneficial.

I've always preferred to wear sunglasses when outside, and generally do so. This was strongly recommended by the folks at CL as well - though I think any eye doc would recommend the same. It's kind of like sunscreen for your eyes. :p

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
Get your FIX today?

Cool, thanks.

I look forward to moving back to the west coast. I could use the moisture.

I'm wondering what is your situation after 4 years. What is your most updated vision? Do you notice any halos, glares, and starbursts at night? This is what I worried about because I need to be able to drive at night. Is it true that you can't go back to contacts after PRK (if I decided not to go for an enhancement? What did you pick CL over PL in the first place? I've been to the free consultation at Lasik MD and PL. I'm also thinking about visiting the Coal Harbour Eye Centre next week. I agreed with you that PL does not have the best customer service but I'm there for their technology and surgeons. It's troublesome that I need to find a separate optometrist for pre- and post- checkups. I choose it over Lasik MD because they were pretty strong on LASIK but more and more research show that I should pick PRK. I wish I had the options for paying extras for that. Thank you!

Any good recommendations in Montreal Area? It seems like there are so many choices... Bochner, TLC, LasikMD, YELC, and Herzig, OSI...

So far, just based on reading forums, it seems like OSI where my friends keep telling me about them. Here's the website http://www.opto.com/home.html

I'll need to book appointments to see if I'm even a candidate--I have pretty bad eye sight with high astigmatism (-7.0 x 2.5 and -7.25 x 3.25)

Anyone with astigmatism who had a good success?

I had Femto-Lasik three months ago in Bangkok...... (yes Bangkok) for about 2k. Couldn't be happier! 20/20 and literally zero discomfort during or post procedure.

Just my .02 for the laser!

CC

Hello Khai and All,

http://www.boxerwachler.com/

Dr. Brian Boxer-Wachler is the ace of the base.

About 20 years ago I went to Dr. Brian at Jules Stein Eye Clinic at UCLA upon the recommendation of the Medical Section of the Air Line Pilots Assn.

My vision was close to 20/30 when I had my Lasik and it went to about 20/15.

Brian has since moved his clinic to Beverly Hills and is still the ace of the base.

Our family still goes to him for our annual eye exams.

As I aged I developed some astigmatism in one eye .... expected to have a Lasik touch up .... but instead about three years ago had a procedure that involves cutting into the cornea to relive the tension and restore the correct shape to the lens .... it took about 30 seconds for the operation and I was good as new.

I am race age 82 now and still have excellent vision far and near (no glasses).

Brian also performed Lasik on one of our kids a couple of years ago (and had him on TV Doctors Show) and the results are very good utilizing a procedure that provides both near and far vision ... no glasses required.

Brian is also an athlete and competes internationally in masters rowing.

You may know a triathlete named Pat Garlep (Z man) in Vancouver .... he was here recently in Southern California for about 2 weeks (we got in a couple of bike rides) and was treated by Dr. Brian Boxer-Wachler.

Please PM me if you have any questions.

.

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster