I asked people on this board for a bunch of advice prior to my LASIK surgery, so I thought I’d post a little review.
I had the Wavefront LASIK procedure. It took about one month for my eyes to start to feel 100% healed. I had very minor side effects such as slight itching and a sporadic sharp pain in my eyes when I was outside in very cold weather.
After two months, I don’t even think about them anymore they feel so great. I can see better at night now than I could before the surgery (less glare). I have larger than normal pupils, so I was especially prone to the halos and glare that are often associated with LASIK. In my case, the Wavefront procedure seems to have totally solved that problem.
All I have to say - after coming in from another bike ride where I didn’t have to bother with contacts drying up or burning or itching or blowing out - is that if you should do it. If you have the means or if you’ve been on the fence about having it done, you should definitely go for it (Flexible Spending Accounts are a perfect way to pay).
LASIK was $3,000, Wavefront was another $800. You can generally put up to $3,000 into a Flexible Spending Account (pre-tax money), if your employer offers it. My insurance did not cover anything.
Your correct in that it’s a relatively new procedure and that there are no long-term studies as to potential side-effects. I saw about 5 eye surgeons and spoke with 2 different eye doctors prior to having the surgery. Every one of them (even the ones that sold eye glasses in their office) assured me that it’s a sound procedure with little possiblity of long-term problems. It’s possible you spoke with someone who’s opinion of the surgery is misguided, or that has some other objection to the procedure. I’d probe a little deeper to find out why he/she advised you against it - It could be that you’re just not a good candidate because of something anatomical.
I chose to do it because:
My brother is a physician and he said that what’s being done during the surgery is so simple that he really has no idea how there could be any side effects. My brother is probably the most conservative physician I know of (many time irritatingly so), so his opinion holds a lot of weight for me.
All the surgeons I spoke with when trying to determine whom I would have do my surgery had undergone LASIK surgery. For someone as dependent on their eyes as an eye surgeon, that also meant a lot.
It’s a gamble I was willing to take. From my layman’s - albeit intelligent - understanding of the procedure, it’s certainly far less invasive than many other elective surgeries. That’s not to say that it’s safe, but I think it puts the liklihood of long-term problems on the low-end of the elective surgery spectrum.
The recovery is basically nothing, and the potential complications (assuming you follow directions) are very minor and rare.
Good for you! We just moved and were able to pay cash for our house for the first time. It’s a great feeling not having that mortgage hanging over your head while paying interest out the nose.
Casey, the only thing I’ve heard that even seemed plausible (besides the risk of losing your eyesight due to a mistake, or having a bad result due to, well, a botched procedure) from a long-term standpoint was, the risk of damage due to high radiation, i.e., mutation risks. I understand the risk, I had it done. I’d do it again if I had to do it all over…very nice result for me.
The prospect of paying off our house in 3 years is pretty much the only thing keeping my wife and I sane. I can’t imagine the feeling of not needing to work more than part-time, especially every spring when the weather starts to turn beautiful (as it is here now). Bills are for suckers.
I’ve heard of him. His website annoyed me, so I never pursued it. From what I know, he speaks the truth.
My wife is allergic to debt, which pretty much makes me allergic to debt. The idea of not needing to hold down a full-time job, not needing to worry about layoffs, or not even needing to worry about anything adult-like sounds really nice. I’d much rather ride my bike and play with my dog than work all day to pay bills.
Congrats on the great results. You should be stable from now on with very little if any change in vision other than the usual Rx fluctuations. The dryness should continue to improve also.
I’m on the mortgage repayment plan also and can’t wait. The accountant says three years but we’ll see.
I haven’t had any problems with dryness - haven’t used eye drops in a couple of weeks. I put them in at least every 20 minutes for the entire first month, which may have helped things heal up nicely. I don’t think that you really appreciate the surgery until you stop noticing that your eyes feel different, which mine did for about 6 weeks. Then it really hits you how rad it is to see perfectly.
Most of my patients have no idea how dry their post-lasik eyes are because of the sensory nerves that are severed by the flap keratome. I would advise using the art tears for another month or so unless you have been advised otherwise by your eye physician (optometrist or ophthalmologist). Better safe than sorry and it will speed up the healing process. Remember also to keep up with regular eye health assesments from now on. Just because your vision is good doesn’t mean that your eyes are healthy and happy.
I’ve been following your posts on this subject very carefully. Thanks for keeping us up to date. My LASIK procedure is scheduled for April 8. I’m a bit nervous but very much looking forward to being rid of my contact lenses for the first time in more than 20 years.
I was nervous too. It’s normal. Take the Valium, if offered and try to relax. The procedure takes only about 10-15 minutes, and it’s rather interesting in its own right.
The long term effects were well documented in an episode of The Simpsons that took place in the future. Your eyes WILL fall out. Just ask Ned Flanders.
I had lasik done about 4 years ago. It’s been truly life changing. I’m 20/15 in both eyes and would highly recommend it. However, the reading classes are starting to call my name, an inevitable condition of the masters age groups. What’s it called?.. oh, yeah, presbyopia