I’m a candidate for either, but am a bit worried about the lasik flap getting disturbed during an event. Probably overthinking it, but in my last HIM I got punched out twice from wild @sshole arms taking off my googles and nearly my cap (was and still am pissed).
I’m moving up to the iron distance, so just want to take a poll on whether folks have done fine with lasik and “accidental” swim trauma. Anyone have experience with a bike crash?
Thanks in advance.
lasik - get the full custom version
usually no issues with flap
read and understand all the issues that may arise
not able to do redo as eyes change in life.
I did lasik to see far way (the buoys) - slight halos in the beginning at night driving.
been 4+ years. all good, except now i need glasses to see up close.
PRK
can be done “many” times if eyes change as you get older
longer recovery time.
my 2cts
Find someone who can offer SMILE. Its the next gen in Laser eye surgery and is better than both.
I work in a practise that can offer all three and I know what id have.
Or get Rx goggles and then wear Rx sun glasses the rest of the day
I’m not convinced that i’d not be a person that woukd not have complications and the thought of them, irrespective of the low level of risk attached for an elective non essential procedure at this point is not worth it for the few days per year it might be handy (tri, skiing and diving)
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I had PRK about 5 years ago in anticipation of a deployment to Afghanistan. My reasoning was to eliminate the risk of Lasik-flap issues with dust and debris on the roads or from rotor wash. Didn’t deploy due to an unrelated injury (torn ACL during training), but very pleased with the results. Recovery was inconvenient, but 5 years later and still better than 20/20 in each eye. Also had the halos at night for a while, but that went away after maybe a year.
I had LASIK three years ago. I went on a week long on a hiking trip on the AT. One night went much much colder than expected and my contacts froze in their case. That was the final straw for me. Zero problems in races or otherwise since LASIK.
I have had Lasik for 4 years. That was right before I started doing tris. I have completed a couple of full IMs and several halfs. I have never had any issues with my eyes. Once I got an eye lash in there on the swim, that was really uncomfortable, but never messed the flap up or anything.
Or get Rx goggles and then wear Rx sun glasses the rest of the day
I’m not convinced that i’d not be a person that woukd not have complications and the thought of them, irrespective of the low level of risk attached for an elective non essential procedure at this point is not worth it for the few days per year it might be handy (tri, skiing and diving)
This was me before LASIK. Prescription goggles, prescription sun glasses, goofy and stupid over-the-glasses ski goggles… Screw that shit.
I was never able to do contact lenses. I just couldn’t bring myself to keep touching my eyes.
I had LASIK done in December of 2010 and my eyesight has been pretty much perfect ever since. I get the occasional halo at night, mostly after I have been in bright rooms for a while before going into the dark. Other than that, I have had no lingering issues. I had it done in December when I could afford to take a few days of no workouts. The doc essentially said not to train for a few days while the flap healed. He was concerned about sweat getting into my eyes, and getting infected. After a few days of checkups he said it was healed enough that I would be OK running or riding, but told me to hold off swimming for a few more days. He didn’t want the goggles to bump my eyes. I was back to full training, skiing, whatever after 10 days. At the time I also did martial arts, and I was back to that within 2 weeks but was asked to try to avoid getting hit in the head if possible for a few more weeks.
I had lasik maybe 8 years ago. Before I got into triathlons. Never had any issues with the flap nor have I had any concerns about it.
A bunch of friends have had one or the other procedure completed. Most are back to wearing corrective lenses full or part time while still living thru dryness/halos/etc. (n=6 so not exactly reliable or representative)
Personally, I’m going to hold off until medical trials for this new procedure wrap up:http://www.ocumetics.com[/url
The physician developing the device is Canadian and it garnered a lot of media attention up here when announced. It could be on the market in 2 years (once Cdn and US trials wrap) and then… who knows? It may be a viable alternative. We’ll see how it pans out.
Lasik done in 2002.
Best money that I have ever spent on myself.
I would do it again in a second.
I did MMA style fighting until 2007 and was hit in the eye/face more times than I care to admit without any issues. It would be hard for a swim to be rougher than those sessions. I don’t worry about it at all.
I had Lasik in 2002 and am STILL 20/15, so glad I did it. I DO wear reading glasses now, but thats just aging 
Did LASIK 5 years ago best money I have ever spent.
I’m a candidate for either, but am a bit worried about the lasik flap getting disturbed during an event. Probably overthinking it, but in my last HIM I got punched out twice from wild @sshole arms taking off my googles and nearly my cap (was and still am pissed).
I’m moving up to the iron distance, so just want to take a poll on whether folks have done fine with lasik and “accidental” swim trauma. Anyone have experience with a bike crash?
Thanks in advance.
After getting a bad eye infection after my last iron distance race from overuse of contact lenses and swimming in foreign water, I had it done.
In the long run it’s far healthier than sticking a piece of plastic in your eye every day.
I had “all laser” custom wavefront. The laser cutting the flap is precise and it heals better. The doctor who did my post-op appointment several months later said it was almost impossible to see where the flap had been cut.
I have already take a couple of minor hits to my eye, once in a triathlon and once when moving some boxes. I have no worries about tearing open the flap as the flap has healed almost 100%.
At almost two years, I can say it is the best money I have EVER spent. Your eyes are worth it.
I could do either, but chose PRK in part due to flap issues I’ve heard about when people get hit in the face… like in a mass start swim.
It’s also reworkable in the future. Who knows what’s coming next for eye surgery options, and I wanted the maximum material left for future work.
Finally, I didn’t like the idea of cutting the flap. It just weirded me out too much.
Recovery wasn’t bad - I was reading and driving in 2-3 days. No issues in four years.
I had PRK back in 1995 when it first came out. Recovery did take a few days, with discomfort. I am still 20/20 to this day and at age 45 I am not experiencing presbyopia yet.
I opted to go prk about 9 years ago and haven’t looked back.
Now, I will say that the recovery process is quite slow and more intensive (drops, contacts etc) but I think the overall result is at least equal if not better. I still have perfect vision from the surgery and thankfully avoided the halo effect.
From what I remember the flap should heal within a few days of surgery so I don’t think it should be an issue in a future event?
I don’t know anything about the latest procedure so can’t comment.
Optometrist with extensive experience in pre and post op LASIK and PRK here. I was residency trained in ocular disease/refractive surgery management as well as clinical director for a surgery group for 3 years. Currently in private practice and do many, many consults for refractive surgery.
As far as the security of the flap is concerned, you have no reason to be worried. I would definitely suggest intralase LASIK. The flap design is far more secure. In fact, if you sustain any type of trauma that would dislodge the flap, your eye would probably be the least of your concerns. Studies show after 1 year, the intralase flap is as secure as an eye that has never had surgery. In fact, the USAF now allows LASIK for all aviators.
As far as LASIK vs PRK goes, most surgeons start to reconsider PRK with higher amounts of myopia (-6.00 or more) due to excessive scar tissue formation. Also, keep in mind the recovery period for PRK is far longer than that of LASIK. PRK is essentially a controlled abrasion to reshape the cornea. Expect pain, lots of pain, for 3-4 days, extremely blurred vision for 1 week, moderately blurred vision for 1 month, then it slowly improving. With Intralase LASIK, your vision will usually be slightly hazy/foggy for a month or so, but overall, the improvement is immediate.
If deciding between the two, honestly the only reason nowadays to choose PRK over Intralase LASIK would be corneal thickness concerns. If you are a candidate for both, I would pick Intralase/custom LASIK. Actually, I already choose that 10 years ago this month! I would do the surgery again with no reservations.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
I had lasik about 15 years ago and it’s the BEST thing I’ve ever done. The flap heals within a few weeks and is completely healed within a few months. I would recommend having it done in the fall and take some time off from swimming (and a couple of weeks off from doing anything… hence the off-season).
As someone that got PRK… get LASIK. If I’m not mistaken, LASIK is even approved for fighter pilots now - PRK was the only method allowed for a while, due to concerns with the flap but numerous studies showed it wasn’t a problem.