Lasik

Cherokeekid88

Cherokeekid88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Location
High Point, NC
Who here has done it and would you do it again? I have been wearing contacts for the last 20 years or so and wear glasses occasionally, but have recently started wearing my glasses more due to allergies and a couple eye floaters. Contacts just seem to dry my eyes out really bad even when using drops and I have really thought about doing Lasik. My boss had it done about 10 years ago and he said his only regret was he wish he'd done it sooner.
 
I had it done in ‘23.

I couldn’t stand contacts anymore. My distance vision was terrible so shooting and driving were requiring glasses.

After surgery there is a couple of days of sandy feeling eyes, just do the drops they give you.

As to my thoughts, it made my vision multiples better from 3’ out. I can spot a buzzard in the clouds and other people tell me they can’t see it. My reading vision is worse. It shifts all of your range towards the direction your going.

I must have readers on when reading, welding, anything up close where before I was fine without.

When I am very tired my driving vision gets a little reversed. Especially at night, like if I have driven for a few hours.
 
Yes and yes. Mine were done nearly 30 years ago. Later in life when cataracts develop they can use your LASIK numbers to improve your vision post that surgery as well. If they could only solve the reading glasses issue. I’ve got 20 pairs of readers all over the place. Lol
 
Everyone I know that has "normal" eyes and are just myopic that has has LASIK has loved the results and said same as before, only regret being not done sooner.
If your situation is more complex than typical myopia then LASIK may not be the right/best option, or even an option at all (it wasn't for me).

Once you get old and lose accommodation (can't see near anymore/have a single plane of focus) then the IOL surgery that is common for cateracts (but not necessary, anyone can get it but then insurance won't pay) that put you at perfect focus at a single depth.
My situation is... complex... but I just did that 6 months ago I love it
 
I had lasik done in 07. Zero regrets. Went from like 20/200 to 20/20. No issues with near or far vision for almost 20yrs after, but it started getting a little fuzzy at distance last year.

Duane
 
2009, no regerts.

Duke Eye
 
I wish you could do it for, old age, vision. I'd go tomorrow.

Wife did hers many years ago. It's been great. She still sees great up close, but now has glasses for distance and night driving.
 
I did normal lasik and it was great than 18 years later my eyes started ti have issues and I did PRK or whatever the other version is and it was the worst experience I ever had. Took almost 3 months for my eyes to be normal and no i need reading glasses.

Don't do PRK
 
I just did mine a few months back (just cleared my final checkup). It's been great so far. As folks have said, the recovery is minimal. The consult was well worth the price of admission. My contact prescription was getting dated. So, I did the appointment on a whim.

The doc actually down sold me on the procedure. He recommended only doing my right dominant eye. My left was still 20/25 and had good close vision. He did my right eye to 20/15. The two balance perfectly and my night driving is great. No readers and no contacts.
 
Had mine done back in ‘98. Best money I had ever spent at the time. Still no issues with seeing a distance. I do use readers, but knew that was coming and I can deal with that.
That procedure was only trumped by my new hip, which will be one year on Tuesday. It gave me my physical life back and would highly recommend that to anyone.
 
I've been thinking about it even more. One of the things that is holding me back is I have a few eye floaters that drive me crazy already and I have read that LASIK can make them worse, or I guess really, you just notice them more. I'm looking at prices right around $4k or so for both eyes?

Contacts are nice, but they have really started drying my eyes out after wearing them for more that half a day or so. I even switched my contacts to the most hydrating ones ad they still dry my eyes out by dinner time.

My brother and I have seriously thought about going and do this together. we both have very similar vision.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
I've been thinking about it even more. One of the things that is holding me back is I have a few eye floaters that drive me crazy already and I have read that LASIK can make them worse, or I guess really, you just notice them more. I'm looking at prices right around $4k or so for both eyes?

Contacts are nice, but they have really started drying my eyes out after wearing them for more that half a day or so. I even switched my contacts to the most hydrating ones ad they still dry my eyes out by dinner time.

My brother and I have seriously thought about going and do this together. we both have very similar vision.
Click to expand...
Before you give up on contacts, try a different solution for a few weeks. I have 2 week contacts and had been using Alcon Opti-free in various versions for over 25 years. By the two-week mark, my contacts almost always felt very ready to be swapped, sometimes even by 10 days. Through the years I had tried a couple different Bausch and Lomb solutions, and it was no better, some even worse. A few years ago I ended up with a bottle of Goodsense solution and I have almost zero issues with dry eyes and drying out contacts. Additionally, I am able to wear my contacts for 3-4 weeks without issue, and have had a few pairs that still felt good after a month. Not only do they feel better, it is saving me money. I also wear mine from when I wake up until the moment I go to bed, so 16+hrs most days.
 
i got mine done back in March at Lorie Travers in Raleigh. Itll be the wildest 10 min of your life but its definitely worth it.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Before you give up on contacts, try a different solution for a few weeks. I have 2 week contacts and had been using Alcon Opti-free in various versions for over 25 years. By the two-week mark, my contacts almost always felt very ready to be swapped, sometimes even by 10 days. Through the years I had tried a couple different Bausch and Lomb solutions, and it was no better, some even worse. A few years ago I ended up with a bottle of Goodsense solution and I have almost zero issues with dry eyes and drying out contacts. Additionally, I am able to wear my contacts for 3-4 weeks without issue, and have had a few pairs that still felt good after a month. Not only do they feel better, it is saving me money. I also wear mine from when I wake up until the moment I go to bed, so 16+hrs most days.
Click to expand...
I typically use BioTrue. I guess I've always felt like it was good enough, but by the end of the day, my eyes are dried out, eye strain, and feel like I would be on the verge of getting a headache, get home and throw my glasses on. Problem now is, I think my glasses are off either in the PD or prescription or something, because I just feel like I see weird through them. I ordered them through Warby Parker because at the time, I didn't wear them but in the mornings and at night, but now I am pretty much a full time glasses wearer because I'm always afraid of my eyes drying out and getting the whole eye strain thing. I need to take the time to go order another pair of glasses from my eye doc and make sure they are right.
 
Do it. /end thread

I did it about 2 years go, $4600 all in. Worth every penny and I dang sure should have done it sooner. I was having similar issues with my contacts and mostly wore glasses. Got tired of the glasses. Came out the other side with 20/15.

Edited to add: I have some eye floaters, but no did not notice any difference before vs after LASIK on their occurrence in my vision. I think that makes sense since they’re just loose proteins floating around inside your eye. LASIK has no effect on the ‘inside’ of your eye, it just reshapes the outer lens to properly focus light to the optical nerve.
 
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Quit writing about it and just do it. 17 years in myself no regerts.
 
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