LASIK surgery [Archive] - Two Plus Two Older Archives

jakethebake

06-17-2005, 10:20 AM

Apparently there are a lot of different kinds of laser surgery, including newer ones that are safer and better. Make sure you do plenty of research and talk to several doctors. They all want to sell the specific kind of surgery that they themselves do.

Victor

06-17-2005, 10:23 AM

i had it and its one of the best decisions ive ever made. i went from -4 to perfect vision.

my only advice is to make sure you get the absolute best and most reputable dr. no matter how much it costs. i know you got flow so dont skimp on this.

sublime

06-17-2005, 10:25 AM

i know you got flow

/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Guy Incognito

06-17-2005, 11:24 AM

Had it done 4 months ago, no serious problems, vision is somewhere between 20/20 and 20/15.

What's the deal with the mountain pictures?

RacersEdge

06-17-2005, 11:29 AM

[ QUOTE ]
What's the deal with the mountain pictures?

[/ QUOTE ]

I wanna know too...

chaas4747

06-17-2005, 11:33 AM

Jakes new avatar might be the best ever.

Alobar

06-17-2005, 11:33 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What's the deal with the mountain pictures?

[/ QUOTE ]

I wanna know too...

[/ QUOTE ]

Hes saying that this thread has been done before

Freakin

06-17-2005, 11:37 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What's the deal with the mountain pictures?

[/ QUOTE ]

I wanna know too...

[/ QUOTE ]

Hes saying that this thread has been done before

[/ QUOTE ]

And it's not a mountain, it's a giant burning pile of cow [censored].

Oh, and it is strongly recommended that you are at least 25 before getting corrective laser eye surgery, because your cornea could still be growing, and would require even more laser surgery later.

Freakin

OtisTheMarsupial

06-17-2005, 01:09 PM

I haven't done it (my eyes are pretty good) but everyone I know who has done it LOVES it.

But then, some people think glasses are sexy (I'm one of them).

And, you gotta worry just a little about the (albeit extremely slim) chances that they screw up and you're blinded. Ahh!

groo

06-17-2005, 01:51 PM

After 25+ years in glasses, LASIK is fantastic. It was cool just to wake up and be able to see the ceiling. It's been over 5 years now. My left eye is a little dry and my vision in it is not quite as good as glasses, but then my glasses were usually scratched or smudged. Easily one of the best decisions I've ever made!

Talk2BigSteve

06-17-2005, 01:55 PM

my 86 year old grandmother had both eyes done on a Friday early morning and she was playing Bingo that night at the lodge.

Steve

ijwaef

06-17-2005, 02:03 PM

I strongly agree with Victor, do not go cheap here. My friend's dad skimp on the price and now he cannot tell whether it is night or day, it's always gray. On the other hand, my girlfriend had it done last summer and absolutely loves it. Similar to groo's experience, her vision is not as good as mine when I'm wearing my contacts. Her surgery was done in Jordan though so I don't know how different the procedures are from the US. Enjoy life after glasses.

NoChance

06-17-2005, 02:24 PM

What is a reasonable price to expect to pay for this? I am also considering this procedure.

groo

06-17-2005, 03:24 PM

When I say it's not as good, what I mean is more that it is different. Kind of hard to explain, both eyes test at 20/15. When I'm on the golf course I see the blades of grass on the green better than I ever did with glasses, but I can't read road signs from as far away as I could with glasses. I still read them from plenty far away though. And when my left eye isn't dry I read them from just as far away.

Knowing what I know now, I'd do it again, and it's not even close. I can even see why.

sublime

06-20-2005, 05:24 PM

my only advice is to make sure you get the absolute best and most reputable dr. no matter how much it costs.

i think i did, and the cost is looking at like 3.5-5k for both eyes. is this reasonable?

AZK

06-20-2005, 05:59 PM

my dad paid 3.5k for it. I'm 22 and thinking of getting it done as well assuming I'm a good candidate... just got off university insurance so I don't have any insurance now, need to find out if any providers cover this or not...

sublime

06-20-2005, 06:45 PM

as a rule they dont cover it. so its straight cash homie.

Yeti

06-20-2005, 07:29 PM

Paul Philips had it and posted a few interesting updates about it in his blog (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=ig&q=lasik+site%3Aextempore.li vejournal.com).

Ringo_Mojo

06-20-2005, 07:42 PM

[ QUOTE ]
my only advice is to make sure you get the absolute best and most reputable dr. no matter how much it costs.

i think i did, and the cost is looking at like 3.5-5k for both eyes. is this reasonable?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats about what i paid, I got all the bells and whistles from the most experienced doctor in town. My vision was like 20/12 imediatly after the surgery, but now its stabilized at a little better then 20/20. Best money I've ever spent.

And like others said, do your homework and don't skimp (Sounds like you're already doing that), your eyesight isn't something to mess around with and try to save a few bucks.

sublime

06-20-2005, 07:54 PM

after reading some of the stuff paul and his fans had to say, i suppouse i am gald i am going to see this expensive Dr. apparently he turns down 4/10 peeps that go see him, so hes not some cut happy fcuker.

Kevin

06-20-2005, 11:57 PM

Friend of mine had it done 2 weeks ago at TLC (they did Tiger Woods). It was $2300 per eye.

Derek in NYC

06-21-2005, 12:09 AM

I had it done in 2001 and have no regrets. Talk to your doctor about the new Wavefront machine (which did not exist when I had my surgery). Also, if you want to hear horror stories, make sure to surf here. (www.surgicaleyes.com) At least you'll be fully informed.

Reef

06-21-2005, 12:49 AM

my step dad got it last year. Has 20/20 approx. now. No bad side effects.

Voltron87

06-21-2005, 12:58 AM

I'm interested in this. I have slight astigmatism (my eye doctor told me, so i know its true, just not what it means). the last couple years when it gets late at nightmy vision starts to get blurry and fuzzy (I wear contacts).

What is the rate of accidents? I mean, come on, it's LASERS IN YOUR EYES! I get the impression that it hurts pretty bad for a while, but thats not too big a price.

lordfoo

06-21-2005, 03:11 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I have slight astigmatism (my eye doctor told me, so i know its true, just not what it means).

[/ QUOTE ]

Astigmatism means that your eye's magnification in one direction is different than the magnification in the other direction (vertical vs. horizontal). This is caused by a difference in curvature in each direction.

Biloxi

06-21-2005, 03:27 AM

Im gonna get it done as soon as I get enough spare cash.

I heard Kathy Griffin went blind in one eye.. thats only bad story

Victor

06-21-2005, 03:27 AM

[ QUOTE ]
my only advice is to make sure you get the absolute best and most reputable dr. no matter how much it costs.

i think i did, and the cost is looking at like 3.5-5k for both eyes. is this reasonable?

[/ QUOTE ]

thats the range. i paid 4500. the regular option was 3500 but i went ahead and got their advanced version. i think it was more precise and made seeing at night better. i dunno. they said it was better so i paid the extra grand.

i went to the same people who did tiger woods and a bunch of other athletes. if there is a division in your city then i recommend them. tlc laser eye centers (http://www.tlcvision.com/why_choose_tlc/famous_people/default.asp?load=tiger)

this was the first and most satisfying thing i spent any of my poker money on.

good luck to you.

icepick

06-21-2005, 10:10 AM

I had PRK correction done in January. Best $3749 I ever spent.

The 1.5 days of agonizing pain was tempered with vicoden, and it took about 2 months for me to settle down to 20/20, and since then, it's been amazingly good.

jason_t

07-25-2005, 12:25 AM

Bump. I wanted to post a thread about this but found this one. Has anyone had a bad experience with this or knows someone who had a bad experience with this? It sounds too good to be true.

HDPM

07-25-2005, 12:55 AM

There have been threads other than this one and there were some negative things posted. Many positives tho.

FWIW I have thought about it for a while. So recently I called up a place that has a great reputation for laser eye surgery. They do a lot of complicated cases I think and get referrals from a lot of places on problem situations etc.... Know somebody who had it done there and is thrilled with the results. Spoke with a knowledgeable nurse there. After the conversation I really don't think I will ever get it done. Only if necessary to see. I am tired of my glasses, but the more I find out the less I am willing to take the risk. And that is the risk when done on the best equipment by the best surgeons. The risks for something really horrible are pretty small, but I would need just about zero risk of even something less than catastrophic and a near guarantee of 20/20 or better to make it worth it for me. And there is not such a guarantee. It would be so nice to have clear vision without glasses, but I doubt I will ever do lasik. I decided against even booking an initial exam right now because I just don't see myself going through with it.

theBruiser500

07-25-2005, 01:09 AM

i'm very curious about lasik too. my eye site is not so bad but i still wear glasses for tv and blackboards etc. and my glasses are unbeliavable annoying. one concern is... lasik is a new techonology so couldn't a lot of problems with it start popping up some years down the line, maybe the surgeory fixes the eye for now but then later on in life your vision gets worse and this won't become apparent for some years.

there was a web page that said that out of 1500 doctors that perform lasik surgeory that have glasses or contacts only 20% of them have gotten lasik themselves. that is alarming.

this is a silly quesitno but is it done while you're awake? what if you move when they are pointing lasers in your eyes, how long do your eyes hurt for after the surgoery?

theBruiser500

07-25-2005, 01:17 AM

"A numbing drop will be placed in your eye, the area around your eye will be cleaned, and an instrument called a lid speculum will be used to hold your eyelids open. A ring will be placed on your eye and very high pressures will be applied to create suction to the cornea. Your vision will dim while the suction ring is on and you may feel the pressure and experience some discomfort during this part of the procedure. The microkeratome, a cutting instrument, is attached to the suction ring. Your doctor will use the blade of the microkeratome to cut a flap in your cornea.

The microkeratome and the suction ring are then removed. You will be able to see, but you will experience fluctuating degrees of blurred vision during the rest of the procedure. The doctor will then lift the flap and fold it back on its hinge, and dry the exposed tissue.

The laser will be positioned over your eye and you will be asked to stare at a light. This is not the laser used to remove tissue from the cornea. This light is to help you keep your eye fixed on one spot once the laser comes on. NOTE: If you cannot stare at a fixed object for at least 60 seconds, you may not be a good candidate for this surgery."

this makes me very queasy just reading it

jason_t

07-25-2005, 01:19 AM

[ QUOTE ]
"A numbing drop will be placed in your eye, the area around your eye will be cleaned, and an instrument called a lid speculum will be used to hold your eyelids open. A ring will be placed on your eye and very high pressures will be applied to create suction to the cornea. Your vision will dim while the suction ring is on and you may feel the pressure and experience some discomfort during this part of the procedure. The microkeratome, a cutting instrument, is attached to the suction ring. Your doctor will use the blade of the microkeratome to cut a flap in your cornea.

The microkeratome and the suction ring are then removed. You will be able to see, but you will experience fluctuating degrees of blurred vision during the rest of the procedure. The doctor will then lift the flap and fold it back on its hinge, and dry the exposed tissue.

The laser will be positioned over your eye and you will be asked to stare at a light. This is not the laser used to remove tissue from the cornea. This light is to help you keep your eye fixed on one spot once the laser comes on. NOTE: If you cannot stare at a fixed object for at least 60 seconds, you may not be a good candidate for this surgery."

this makes me very queasy just reading it

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow. I might just stick to contacts.

theBruiser500

07-25-2005, 01:25 AM

videohttp://www.tlcvision.com/am_i_a_candidate/video_link/

bennyk

07-25-2005, 02:32 AM

[ QUOTE ]

this is a silly quesitno but is it done while you're awake? what if you move when they are pointing lasers in your eyes, how long do your eyes hurt for after the surgoery?

[/ QUOTE ]

I had laser eye surgery (not lasik) and they used a glass lens pressed against my eye to hold it in place. I was fully conscious, and didn't get any local for it, but i couldn't have moved my eye even if i hadn't been petrified to try.

FWIW, the only complete anesthetic for eye surgeries is called a "neural block" and it consists of the doctor injecting your optic nerve through your eye socket. this causes your eye to lose vision for over 24 hours. I opted against this for obvious reasons.
bk