Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge lasik for eye's

just wondering if any of ya'll have had this done?? i am considering it as i am soooo tired of wearing these specticles!!!! i am one of those people that didnt wear classes untill after 40 and i hate them!!!! they are talking about fixing one eye to see far and the other to see near, its called mono vision?? so has anybody had it done and if so what are your thoughts...happy or not and how did the procedure go for you??? i am loseing sleep over this decision hahahahahaha

Hey Newt, i've pondered that too. I've been "lucky" enough though to be 4-eyed since about 7 years old, and my eyes are getting better with age (apparently near-sighted peoples' eyes slowly move toward 20/20 over their lifetime). My only concern is that I get it done, and in 10-15 years need glasses again as my eyes age. I'd like to hear from someone who's had it done 10 or so years ago and if they're now having vision problems that would require going back to glasses (if so, what's the point?)

I have the same condition, can not remember the term for it but am still wearing bifocal safety glasses, supplied by employer. my brother in law had that done and likes it. He said it didn't take long to get used to it but at night when he gets tired the eyes get really tired. wish I could help more good luck with your decision.

mike

A good friend of mine had lasik surgery a year or so ago. It really messed up his night time vision particually his depth perception. He still has to wear his glasses at night time. And if hes riding his bike he always makes sure he gets home before the sun goes down. He never used to be that way before the lasik. Not trying to put you off or anything, his condition may be an isolated case.

My wife wears glasses and when ever we talk about her possibly having the surgery. We always come to the same conclusion. Why mess with something that works. Sure, wearing glasses can be inconveinent but you will only have one set off eyes. If they mess up there is no going back.

Tough decision, wish you luck.

Newt, had it done about 3 years ago, do it and don't look back. I have 20/20 in both eyes, you can see better as soon as you get it done, within 2-3 weeks your vision is as good as it will get. should be no worse than 20/30. About 6 months for the night time sparkles to go away. Now the bad news, if you are wearing bifocals you will still need reading glasses, but that is easy to live with......

jeff

Newt,

I'm not sure what your condition is but from your post (wearing glasses after 40 and your mention of Lasik surgery) I would guess it is Presbyopia.

If so, I recently read an article on a new treatment that's going through the FDA process which may (or may not, depending on the final results) rectify this condition entirely (or at leat almost).

I only mention this because if this methodology proves to have merit, then it may be worth your while to hold off on the Lasik surgery for a while.

I'll see if I can locate the article again.

Newt, I've thought of this myself.
I did some floor work for the Rand Eye Institute, one of the biggest in South Florida and found out something interesting.

Dr Rand wears glasses.
So does his wife.

I had mine done about 3 years ago and love it 20/20 now,before I was almost blind with my glasses off and I always had about 3 pair laying around just in case I lost one.
The surgery is painless and only takes a few minutes to do both eyes,only problem I have is the feeling of glasses still on my face but after wearing them for 32 years its hard to think they are gone

A family friend and a conductor on the train I used to take to work both had that done. Both ended up bat blind.

Newt I had it done almost eight years ago now apparently by one of the best guys in the world. I wore glasses from the age of 11 to 30. Couldn't see past the first foot of space in front of me before. Next morning after I had 20/20. Just in the last year I've noticed a degradation of my sight again and have started thinking about going for a touch up.

From what I was told, they can't fix the need to wear reading glasses. That has something to do with the eye muscles and not to do with the shape of the eye. My advice would be to do your research and never, ever pick the cheapest one. You get what you pay for.

Eye surgery? Heck I'm still waiting for my new teeth ..... Moderators please we need a toothless smiley.

Quote:

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Heck I'm still waiting for my new teeth

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No need to have your teeth done. Imigrate to England and you will fit right in

You know, you Brits really do have bad teeth. Oh, hang on....thats me.

I have also considered this, as I need 1 pair of glasses to read, and another to drive/ride.

A friend asked his eye doctor about it and was told there are no studies available regarding the long-term effects as it hasn't been around long enough yet...

As much as I hate fumbling between 2 pairs of glasses, I can't "see" taking the risk. For all I know, it has the same validity as those pads that suck the toxins out of your feet.........

Lasik on it's own is often a great way to go, however, what you want is the tricky part - a repair for presbyopia -

as you mentioned, they slice one eye for distance, and the other for fine print.

I was told by one doctor some tolerate this dual vision repair well, and for others the result is intolerable. I don't recall the ratios off hand.

I've been considering taking care of the distance part with Lasik, and keeping glasses for reading only. Not sure if they do that though.

I think I'd lean toward having it done in a university hospital setting, as opposed to a drive through doctor, in hopes the university doctor may have in-house colleagues looking over their shoulder, & may talk me out of it if it didn't look right for me, as opposed to fattening a wallet at the expense of my sight.

A buddy was one of the unluckies - he was in for a 20/20 type slice, but he got cut wrong in one eye, and had to wait 'till the bad eye healed to get cut again.

I love the thought of the result. Hate the thought of the surgery. I do not even wear contacts, because I cannot stand the thought of putting my finger in my eye. My mother taught me better.

I have known several folks who have had it and loved it. I also have known a couple that got implants when they had cataracts removed.

I will put up with glasses, I have worn them so long now, I only really notice when I have mis-layed them and can't find them.

i am being told there is something new right aound the corner?? something with sound waves to reshape the eye?? anybody hear anything about this???

I had my eyes done about 7 years ago and reget not having it done sooner. Was worth every penny spent. I have not had any problems and my vision has not deteriorated any since the surgery. Do it and enjoy the freedom!

I have worn glasses since I was 7, for about 15 years I wore contacts till I got to the stage when I needed bifocals to read. Much as I dislike glasses I know exactly what I will see when I awake each AM. Till I have a problem I do not anticipate letting anyone shoot a laser beam into my eyeball!

I was gonna get it 2 years ago, but I got the Thruxton instead. Paid that off and was gonna get it this year, but got another bike instead. Maybe next year if I don't get another bike.

I would love to have it done. I know several people that had it done and love it but I'll still need the reading glasses but it would be nice to be able to ride without prescriptions.

Lets see..................Shoot a laser beam into my eyes or buy a motorcycle???????????

you can tell where my priorities are

This year is the 10th anniversary of my lasik procedures. I had mine done at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear which, at the time was one of two places in Boston that had the equipment. Because it was so new at the time, I went through extensive testing for weeks prior to having the first eye done. The day after the left eye was lasered, the vison in that eye was 20-15. Two weeks later the second eye was done, and it tested 20-25. I was so thrilled by having the best vision of my entire life, I didn't notice the difference. Doc said that the difference is really so slight and that my brain actually averaged out both eyes...

History: I'd been wearing glasses since 2nd grade. Every time I got a stronger prescription, it seemed that within 2-3 weeks, my vision was blurred again which I lived with till the following year's exam. This pattern followed me through high school + 5 years till I tried contacts. They were great because I could actually see much better. Things were 1:1 as opposed to everything being smaller in scale with my thick glasses plus things straight appeared curved at the edges due to the curvature of the lenses. Ever notice how when looking into peoples eyes who have thick glasses that their eyes seem so small and that you can see their temples through the lenses instead of matching the size of their face? That was me because my eyesight was so horrible...

Anyway, I wore contacts for about 17-18 years. The good- I could see great, and my prescription stayed pretty much the same, just one increase. The bad- I started ruining my eyes due to over-wearing. I'd wear the same pair continuosly for weeks at a time instead of throwing them away every week for a fresh pair. Result- I was depriving my eyes of oxygen wearing clogged lenses which I didn't realize at the time. Had I continued to do this, the veins in my eyes would've grown "fat" in order to get the oxygen they needed, thus leading to eventual blindness...

At that point, not having wore glasses for almost 20 years, it was inconceivable to go back considering the poor vision I had with them in the first place. And yes, lasik was in its infancy then, but I felt it was my only recourse for quality of life...

Today- Again, almost 10 years later, and I've had minimal degradation of my vision. I recently tested 20-30 average. I have a pair of prescription glasses that I'll wear very occasionally like during a movie at a theater or a concert or driving very late at night because it seems that in those situations the little extra sharpness helps. But, most of the time, especially in bright daylight, my vision is still excellent. I also need reading glasses, mostly towards the end of the day when my eyes have tired. But, I knew that would happen getting older even with the lasik. I believe that's a small price to pay, to put on a pair of glasses to read the evening newspaper. I'd most certainly need reading vision help without the lasik anyway...

BTW, I'm 52 years old. Also, I've kept up reading about lasik treatments over the years and it appears that they've refined it considerably with much more confidence. They're doing both eyes at the same time now, and patients are walking out minutes later seeing perfectly (I had to wear a patch for 12 hours before seeing the results). And, they're able to correct for astigmatism now, which they could'nt do for me 10 years ago. BTW, I still have astigmatism, but the combination of excellent vision and learning how to deal with the astigmatism was/is such an overall improvement...

Bottom line- lasik improved my quality of life for the past 10 years, and I have no doubt that it'll continue for the rest of my life...

I just had to start wearing glasses for reading now in my mid 40'S. If my eyes get worse I would consider one of them prescription windshields