I’m to the point where I’m due for some new glasses. And every time that happens, I start thinking about Lasik. Obviously I haven’t done it, but I’m more and more interested.
I have worn glasses or contacts since I was about 10 years old. Haven’t really worn contacts in ages.
I have a bunch of correction in my lenses and I have astigmatism.
How was the experience? How was your vision after? Have you had any slippage where you now have to wear glasses? Any insight would be great.
I haven’t personally, but my wife had Lasik 2-3 years ago. It’s still fairly fresh so she hasn’t had any, she said she’ll do it again in a heartbeat. One of the best decisions she’s ever made.
They don’t tell you about the smell of the laser burning your eye haha, but after 5 years I have no complaints.
Get an afternoon appointment because the first few hours are rough and you can hopefully sleep off the rest of the uncomfortableness. Woke up the next day with 20/20 vision, and just a little irritating. 2 days after felt completely fine.
I got it about 8-9 years ago and can say without a doubt that it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Vision is still perfect (I’m 38yrs old), the procedure and recovery were painless, and actually a somewhat cool/interesting experience. Looking directly into that laser was just really cool, like what I imagine tripping on acid is like in a bad 70’s cartoon. I kinda wish I was high for it, it was so cool and beautiful. Quality of life improvements through the roof.
I had it done 20 years ago. Easy peasy, and they DID tell me about the smell. It was fading so I went back in and got a tune up a few years ago. I had a lot of astigmatism so I was also concerned but it was great both times. The tune up was only one eye (called mono-vision) since I’m 54 and my near vision is still great and doc didn’t want to screw it up.
My only advice is to get multiple consultations before committing to an office. My wife went to three separate practices. One said she could absolutely get it and the other two said that the way her eye was shaped that if anyone performed lasik on her it could cause irreversible damage. Guess which practice took the least amount of time doing examinations/testing?
I got it done in 2001 when I was 44 yrs old. It was fabulous. I could see a fly on a pig’s ass at 400 yds. Sadly I aged and so did my eyes and it wore off after about 14 years. I went back to glasses and have been unhappy ever since as they are nowhere near as good. I recommend LASIK without reservation.
I was legally blind without contacts/glasses and couldn’t make out a number just colors on my alarm clock on my bedside table. Got lasik the in 2005, the next morning I could easily read the alarm clock and the day after that could read the bottom line on ESPN from across the room no problem. Best investment I’ve ever made.
1000% do it. I did it 4-5 years ago and its one of the best decisions I ever made. I would recommend as late of an appointment in the afternoon as possible. Since you cant keep your eyes open for several hours afterwards your just going to want to go to bed and then wake up with life-changing vision. Good luck!
I got it in 2001 and still have 20/20 vision though my doc says I might be slipping a bit. Even after all this time, on occasion I wake up in the morning and can’t believe how well I can see.
I did have really bad dry eyes for about 6 weeks afterwards which was annoying and then a real problem when I ran out of the drops and couldn’t find replacements (I was out of the country). But that got better and I have had zero problems ever since.
I got it done probably 15 years ago. Vision started getting worse about 2 years ago and i have gone back to glasses. I would still do it again because the 13 years i had of not having to take out contacts every night was glorious.
I have referred many patients to have Lasik performed and have yet to have one that has regretted their decision. There are of course some side effects but most will agree the clear vision heavily outweighs these symptoms. The first aspect I always look at and emphasize with patients is age. If you are near 40 years or older and are nearsighted (can’t see far away without correction) but you take off glasses or contacts to read or do near work, this will start to change with each passing year and become more difficult (i.e., bifocals, reading glasses, etc.). Someone who has been nearsighted their whole life and has worn glasses or contacts for years gets Lasik done and all of a sudden have clear vision at a distance, but might notice their near vision is changing and becoming more difficult. So, it is a bit of a trade-off when it comes to switching out needing help for distance or near. Depending on your age. There are some exceptions depending on the person but basically, if you are under 40 years old this doesn’t apply as you will have clear vision at both near and far away. For patients that are say over 40, they might do what is called monovision, where they correct one eye for distance and one eye is corrected to see up close. This has a lot more nuance to it and should be tried with contacts before actually getting Lasik done, to make sure this adjustment will work for the individual. (All of this varies as far as how much past 40 the patient is, but the further past then the more noticeable the near vision struggle will be). I definitely recommend asking your eye doctor for further information on this, as they would have your exact readings and current prescription.
The main side effect that is noticed after Lasik is your eyes feeling a little drier than they would before your surgery. This of course ranges in severity depending on the patient, and some, unfortunately, have had extreme bouts of dryness and pain where it affects their daily lives. I have not had this in my experience but there have been cases and articles written of such extreme cases. For the majority of patients, artificial tears and other treatment options are plenty and help alleviate the dryness symptoms.
Also with Lasik, there is always a chance when the individual heals over time, some of the prescription could return and in those cases, a touch-up procedure is then an option where they do Lasik again to help correct the leftover prescription.
A lot of information and input goes into deciding if Lasik is right for you. I always recommend getting a consultation from a surgeon at their office, as most are free to do, and they will perform all the measurements and give you the prices to help best make your decision. Rough estimate on prices in my area range from about $1500-$2500 per eye. Just depends on the surgeon. Flex or HAS accounts can be used towards the procedure which is an added bonus if you have those accounts.
All in all, I absolutely recommend Lasik and at the least going to a consultation to find out even more information and help make the best decision for you!
Both my wife and I got Lasik at Whiting Clinic 5-6 years ago. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. They do a great job there. Got mine done late morning, took a nap at home after for a couple hours in the dark to let the eyes rest and was at a meeting for my daughter’s preschool enrollment that evening.
#1 suggestions is get a nice, soft blindfold to bring with for afterwards. The first 10 minutes after you leave the clinic it seems like you’ll have zero side effects, but the sunlight starts to make things uncomfortable very quickly. Wear the blindfold in the car home, then immediately take a nap. You’ll be right as rain.
I went to Whiting to get the free consult. Told me at ~24yo I had a degenerative eye disease that’s been likely getting worse since I was ~18yo. Went from hoping to get Lasik, to hoping I don’t need a cornea transplant in the future. Low key, kinda shitty.