Oh yeah! It still burns, two and a half years later. I thought that was just me! Thanks for starting this thread. But I wouldn't give up my now still 20/15 eyesight!

---

- Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P. J. O'Rourke

I haven't noticed any differences in how much sweat bothers my eyes post-surgery. I have had no problems or side-effects of any kind after getting zapped. One day I'm 20/400+, the next day 20/15. Still 20/15 after 6 months.

Chris

I thought it was just me too! I have been wearing a Halo headband (http://www.haloheadband.com/products.html) and it has solved the problem for me.

Hope this helps!

I was just looking at that recently. Until now I've been using a Headsweat running hat and one of their "wraps" under my helmet. But they haven't really helped much. I'll take another look at that Halo.

Thanks!

---

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

I've thought about getting this done after the season is over. I'd really like to play tennis without glasses or contacts. Good sight is critical for tennis. But, I've never had it done for fear something would go wrong. I'm about 20-300 in each eye right now. No astigmatisms. Is it worth it?

-Robert

---

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

I was 20/800-ish before, and now I'm about 20/30. It was 100% worth it for me, as I was blind as a bat (without the benefit of echolocation) before the surgery. It's a personal decision, but the few complications have been greatly outweighed by the benefits in my case.

---

__________________________________________________
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell

Even without surgery, sweat in your eyes can sting like a mofo. (Although if you think that's bad, try blood!)

I've not yet had my eyes zapped, but have been considering it for some time. I doubt if (once healed), the surgery would make any difference.

---

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

I had a "less-than-perfect" procedure. It was pretty rough for me for a few days....but it was STILL worth it!

I'm 20/15 in one eye, 20/20 in the other. And aside from the sweat thing - which if probably just because I'm not used to it without my contacts - I could not be happier.

Just don't wait until March, like I did. I wound up missing an early race due to complications.

---

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

Has anyone had good results with monovision Lasek surgery? My contacts are currently monovision and this allows me to avoid reading glasses (but it hurts my eye-hand coordination in sports).

I had LASIK done on one eye to allow me to function without glasses for regular vision and reading. That was three years ago and it's worked great. Plus it's 1/2 price!

---

John Hollenhorst
St Pete Beach

tryemdad - the increased sensitivity to sweat is likely secondary to dry eye and corneal surface irregularities which are very common following LASIK. Give it some time but don't hesitate to use ocular lubricants and increase your intake of omega fatty acids (up to 2000 mg per day).

MPB1950 - if monovision worked for you with CL's it should be just fine with Lasik (or any refractive procedure). Some people don't adapt well to it but it shouldn't be much of a change for you since you are experienced.

robert

Burned before, haven't noticed any less burning...although I tend to keep my artificial tear drop bottle nearby.

I was 20/800+ w/ astigmatism, now 20/20 both eyes (within 24 hours), although it seems to fluctuate based on how tired I am.

I have been taking 2 500mg tablets of flax seed oil per my opthamologist's suggestion. It supposedly helps with the dry eyes...don't really know if it works, but it can't hurt. That might help with your tears clearing out the irritation from your sweat.

Thanks for the suggestion re: the fatty acids...I hadn't heard that one before.

I'll give it a try!

---

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

I'm 3 months post op and couldn't be happpier. I was 20/15 after the surgery but I've settled in on 20/20. It's an absolute miracle and my only regret is that I waited so long to have it done.

I haven't notice the sweat burning. I do still use the artificial tears, but I live i in Phoenix where it's sooooo dry.

---

_______________________

"I was 20/800+ w/ astigmatism, now 20/20 both eyes (within 24 hours), although it seems to fluctuate based on how tired I am."

______________________________________________________________________________________

I thought it was me. My eyes are fine for most of the day, but they start to get dry and "sticky" in the evenings. My vision goes from perfect to where it seems a bit foggy/haloesque. It only seems to happen at night when I am in bed watching TV. I had the procedure in January and my eyes are still not as moist as they were pre-op, but I am told that time will take care of that.

Anyone else experience the evening dry eye syndrome?

---

I proudly DO NOT post my workouts on Facebook!!!

Has anyone had PRK instead of Lasik?

I'm saving for eye surgery. I can't wait. I've have glasses (like most of you I'm sure) since 4th grade.

Oh to wake in the middle of the night and see the clock.

Dj

The "seeing the clock in the middle of the night" thing is kinda over-rated. My 15 month-old daughter wakes me up 4-5 times a night. I liked it better when I couldn't see the clock...:-)

---

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

I have monovision too but it was from birth not by choice. I had the Lasik and it worked great (barring a few other surgeries to correct monovision and strabisma). I would recommend it highly. The freedom from contacts is worth it in itself. I didn't notice any hand eye coordination problems getting any worse. the only thing that didn't improve was the depth perception which was never there in the first place.

I think, and most surgeons would agree if you had a drink or two with them, that PRK WITH WAVEFRONT is the better way to go for most patients. Fewer risks and complications, less residual dry eye issues, etc. The decision will be made based on your Rx, corneal topography and thickness, and expected outcomes. LASIK is king right now but PRK is making a big comeback because of the wavefront technology advances.

robert

Interesting thread. It makes me wonder if you have any more stinging from chlorine (even when wearing goggles) than you did before. I'm definitely considering Lasik but swim totally comfortably with contacts and goggles. Thanks!

Thanks RAinBC.

That is exactly what my Optometrist told. Glad to hear the same thing from another.

I'm much for comfortable with PRK, it may cost me more but I think it is worth it. Soon, very soon

Cheers
Dojo

I haven't noticed any difference in chlorine sensitivity since my LASIK this past March. But don't take it from me - I've probably spent less than 5 hours in the pool since then!

I liked not having to worry about losing a contact lens though...

---

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

Can you clarify the difference between the two procedures? Let's see, PRK is "photorefractive (?) radial keratotomy", correct? And LASIK is Laser-something-keratotomy. But I can't remember beyond that what the differences are. Is PRK the one where incisions are made radially around the center of the eye (like wheel spokes), and LASIK the one where the corneal flap is shaved and folded up?

What are the mechanics of how each of these "fixes" the vision problem, and why do you think that PRK causes fewer problems? I'm on the cusp of considering surgery for my incredible myopia, so really am curious to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

---

TriBaby
"The rule is, jam yesterday, and jam tomorrow, but NEVER jam today." ---The White Queen

Tribaby,

A quick google search will give you way more information than you would ever want about either of these procedures. Unfortunately most of it is coming from surgical centres which may have their own market-driven biases so watch out and consider the source. I do not consider myself an expert on the subject but I have co-managed hundreds of my own patients and have spoken candidly with many different refractive surgeons who all seem to agree that PRK (with wavefront) is the procedure of choice for MOST people. Some have gone as far as to say that LASIK is on its way out because it is an inherently more risky technique.

LASIK involves cutting a flap of cornea and reshaping the underlying tissue (flattening for nearsightedness and steepening for farsightedness) to focus the incoming light onto the retina. PRK also reshapes the cornea but without the flap. Both can be done with the same laser. Although I like the healing time of LASIK better, any time you cut into tissue you are introducing a step which can be fouled up by equipment or operator malfunction. Cutting a flap right off (not leaving any hinge tissue), button hole flaps, poorly centred flaps, incomplete flaps, too thick, too thin, flaps lifting off years after the procedure (via trauma from air bags, water-skiing, etc.), etc. One surgeon told me that LASIK just makes him nervous and has a higher "sphincter pucker factor". Now these complications are VERY rare, but they do happen.

PRK is far from perfect with a slower healing time, more post-op discomfort, reduced vision for at least a week to 10 days, and a much more involved regimen of drops. There are no cuts involved (you are thinking of the old RK surgery which is, thankfully, very rare now) and the laser is just applied to the corneal surface after the outer layer is removed with alcohol (or laser). A few years ago the surgical zone was quite small and this created big problems for people who had large pupils or did any night driving since they would have a ring of uncorrected cornea surrounding the small button of flattened cornea. The result was lots of halo problems. Now that we can map the corneal surface much more accurately using wavefront technology and use this info to guide the laser with the computer, the surgical zones are much bigger and the halo problem is much reduced. PRK without the wavefront and computer guidance is NOT the same thing and is not a procedure I recommend to many people. Pay the extra and get the best.

Bottom line is that I can't tell you which procedure is better for you. Just get a few different opinions from professionals you trust who know more about you than I do. LASIK is great but computer guided, wavefront PRK would be my choice in most cases.

Good luck,

robert