As some of you know, I was scheduled to have LASIK three years ago. I’m one of those people who can’t stand wearing glasses, I put my contacts in the instant I get up in the morning. I don’t feel awake until they’re in. I used to wear extended wear contacts, which was wonderful, but because I am high risk for corneal ulcers my eye doctor won’t prescribe them anymore.
Anyway, when I went in for the final pre-op appointment, the eye surgeon told me I couldn’t have the procedure, because of a combination of high correction and extremely large pupils.
In the mail yesterday was an envelope from my eye doctor. Along with the notice of my next appointment he included a brochure on therapeutic contact lenses that you wear at night which re-shape your cornea so you don't have to wear them all day. Wear them for 6-8 hours and have good vision all 24. Wake up able to see!
Fine print: they only work for corrections up to -6.0. My correction is -9.5.
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
I'm sorry. Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
I'm sorry - I can't stand contacts, so that leaves me with glasses.
But I'm debating laser surgery and how badly I dislike my glasses.
-Trevor
Posted by BlueJacsFan (Member # 6590) on :
I feel your pain. I'm in much the same boat, but for a different reason. I was going to have LASIK done about 3 years ago as well, but in the preliminary testing, they discovered that my cornea wasn't thick enough for the amount of correction that was needed. At that time, my eye-doctor started teasing me with some new contacts that they insert in your eyes. It sounded cool and all, but the FDA hadn't approved the process yet.
I have a mild astigmatism on top of a pretty strong prescription (correction is in the same -9 - -10 range as yours). As a result, I have to wear Toric lenses which are weighted so they stay in the same position all the time. Once they dry out a bit, they like to start rolling and I can't see squat. They leave me frequently sticking my finger in my eyes to adjust them.
I'm pretty bad with the contacts anyway. I hate taking them out all the time, and will sometimes leave them in for a week at a time, but then once I do take them out, I'll leave them out and wear glasses for a full day in an effort to let me eyes breathe a bit.
I keep hoping they come up with something that will correct my vision permanently that doesn't involve slicing up my eyes.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*pat pat*
Um, I would be interested in hearing more about these cornea-reshaping lenses . . . *ducks*
I've heard too much about the not-rare-enough bad outcomes with LASIK to be comfortable with trying it.
quote: I'm pretty bad with the contacts anyway. I hate taking them out all the time, and will sometimes leave them in for a week at a time, but then once I do take them out, I'll leave them out and wear glasses for a full day in an effort to let me eyes breathe a bit.
I keep hoping they come up with something that will correct my vision permanently that doesn't involve slicing up my eyes.
O_o You're not me, are you? Because I could have written that.
[ July 12, 2004, 10:57 AM: Message edited by: rivka ]
Posted by Olivetta (Member # 6456) on :
Yeah, me too. My prescription is in the -12 to -14 range. I could have LASIK, but I'd still be a -6 or so, so why bother?
I have congenital cateracts (very small at this point) so internal contact lenses seem like a bad idea, since they'll have to take out my natural lenses eventually. They do the internal contact lens thing in Canada-- my brother had his surgery when he was relocating ro Alaska.
Also, there is a new thing where they actually replace your lens with a corrective one. That's what I'l do eventually, I guess. My doc suggested I wait until they've done a few hundred thousand of them first.
It is annoying. You hear about all these neat things, but they only work for people who barely need glasses anyway. I feel your pain.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Thanks. Does it it help at all if I mention that if -6.00 is the cutoff, I just barely make it, and probably won't in a couple years?
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Is it possible he thinks it could help you even if your prescription is worse than the normal cutoff? Why not call and ask?
I'm having a miserable eye day myself. I think my eyes got sunburned yesterday at a dog show even though I stayed in the shade. They are all bloodshot and I have a sty, and its hurting.
AJ
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
No, I'm pretty sure he just had his staff stick a brochure in with all the appointment notices.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
aww well I could hope.
*hugs*
AJ<--- who is wearing loathesome glasses today
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I could have it! I could have it!
My lowest right now is still -4.25.
Though, I feel your pain with the Toric lenses, those are what I wear. And they don't make them like the other cool kinds that you can wear for extended periods of time.
Dana, are you sure your eye doctor doesn't know mine? 'Cause whenever I see him and he does the peripheral vision thing and tells me how many fingers is he holding up, he does one of two things:
Waggles them all. (jerk)
And this conversation:
"How many fingers am I holding up?" "One. And it isn't the index finger! You're flipping me off! You can't DO that!"
He thinks it's soooooooooo funny.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
dkw - So, with the current LASIK techonology, you still can't have it done? I had my eyes done last year and I have very large pupils and had a moderate-high correction factor (-6.5 to -7.25).
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I wear my glasses every day, and I'm not sure why. I used to wear contacts until I got the current Lisa Loeb glasses, but I like these better. It means I can stretch out on the couch and not have to get up to take out the contacts before falling asleep.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Nope.
Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
*wonders if there's anything that can be done to help his eyesight*
I probably wouldn't be a good candidate for Lasik, either. It might work for my left eye, but my right eye is much worse. The right eye is so bad that in order to read this post using my right eye, I have to get so close to the monitor that my hair is touching the glass. Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
With or without your glasses Derrell? Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
Without, but it's not much better with. With my glasses on, I can read this post with my right eye from about 5 inches away from the monitor. Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
Hey, who put that wall there? Ow, I ran into it again. Whoever put that wall in front of me is in big trouble, if I can find you, that is. Having lousy eyesight stinks.
[ July 12, 2004, 06:25 PM: Message edited by: Derrell ]
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Dana, have you checked on LASIK lately? I know they've increased the pupil size and the prescription it can correct in the last 3 years.
I don't how much of either, because I already had the surgery. But I had a friend who could get last year who couldn't 4 years ago.
It's worth checking out...
Dagonee
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Hmmm. The surgeon said he was keeping my name on a list of people to contact when/if the technology improved enough that I could have it.
It probably wouldn't hurt to call him, I suppose.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Or someone else. He might not want to invest in the new lasers yet, and someone else might have already.
Good luck. It was a life-altering event for me.
Dagonee
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
My husband wants to get LASIK someday. What are the not-rare-enough bad outcomes?
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
ludosti, How did your eyes turn out...my eyes are around the same as yours...and I have been thinking about the lasik. Though, I would likely have to wait a few years...I think my eyes have gotten a bit worse in the last few years, and they like to make sure you have stabalised first.
Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
ludosti, where did you have the surgery done?
Does anyone know a good source for informatiobn on lasik and other options for vision correction?
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
I'm lucky, I have perfect vision. I close my eyes and I see dkw.
Perfect.
<---- me realizing I should've knocked first!
[ July 12, 2004, 08:55 PM: Message edited by: Bob_Scopatz ]
Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :
Does anyone know of someone who has had a corneal biopsy and then had LASIK done? Or if that is safe? Frankly, it makes me nervous. Not that I have the money at present anyway.
Most of the time I am satisfied with my contacts, but they make halos around light sources, are sometimes painful, and can be hard to get out.
Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
I just hope my eyes don't get any worse, especially the right one. My lenses are already pretty thick. At Lenscrafters, they told me that if I wanted to get those featherweight lenses it would cost $300 for the lenses alone. Then I'd still have to buy the eyeglass frames.
Alright, who keeps putting that wall in front of me. Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Lupus - I had mild astigmitism in both eyes that they also took care of at the same time. They turned out well. One eye is 20/20 and the other is 20/15. I do get halos from lights (like when I drive at night), but I had that before the surgery (so it doesn't bug me). They've said that the halos might clear up if I lived somewhere where it wasn't so dry (as it is, I have permanent punctal plugs because of the pre-existing dry eye). Apparently dry eye contributes to halos.
Derrell - I had it done at Laser Vision Institute (it's in Phoenix at Thomas and about 40th St.). My mother-in-law had had it done at their office up in Seattle and arranged to get my suregery done at the same price she had hers done (which was a GREAT deal). There are TONS of different places that offer LASIK, some of which are reputable, others aren't. For starters I'd talk to whomever you get your glasses from. I can understand the pain of trying to buy glasses. Even when I'd buy the midweight lenses (not the super light ones), I'd end up spending about $200 (stupid "high power" chargess). But glasses were uncomfortable for me, so I'd usually wear contacts (I started wearing them when I was 10).
[ July 12, 2004, 09:29 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by Beaver Dick Leigh (Member # 2174) on :
Quit yer whinin'. I could punch ya in the eye, think that'd make it better? Ya know, the best treatment for eyes is to splash a little water in 'em that's been set out under moonlight.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote: What are the not-rare-enough bad outcomes?
IIRC, the main potential problems are:
Overcorrection -- you end up needing glasses/contacts for FARsightedness
Undercorrection -- improved vision, but still need glasses/contact (can sometimes be improved by a second surgery -- ka-CHING!)
Halos and other vision disturbances, sometimes so bad that they occlude large parts of the vision field
Perpetually dry eyes, which need to be treated with eye drops anywhere from several times a day to several times an hour
Some links: One, Two, Three, Four Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :
I love my contacts. I'd like perfect vision through surgery, but it's definitely full of its own problems. And my prescription is too high. Contacts are -7.5 and -10 and they still get a tiny bit worse from year to year. I'm trying monthlys, but I think I'm going back to my normal year-long contacts. I was much better about cleaning the yearlies so they kept much better than these do.
Glasses are a pain, though. They pinch my nose to give it funny indentations, and they hurt my ears. I get horrible peripheral vision and friends comment about how thick they are. I have to wear them to read books at night, though, after I take out my contacts. Somewhere around the -7 range is when you start having trouble reading w/o corrected vision. Only one word is in focus and the rest is blurred. Yuck.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Reading is the one thing I can do without my glasses on or contacts in.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote: Somewhere around the -7 range is when you start having trouble reading w/o corrected vision. Only one word is in focus and the rest is blurred. Yuck.
Huh. My prescription is -5.00 in one eye and -6.00 in the other. Until a few years ago, it was -4.00 and -5.00.
I haven't been able to read (not without great discomfort and a LOT of squinting) since I first had glasses (-2.50 and -2.75, IIRC). Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
That's odd. Mine are -4 and -4.25 and I can read just fine.
Wierdo.
Posted by AmkaProblemka (Member # 6495) on :
dana,
There is an alternative for folks like you and I. I also have a high correction, -10 and -10.5, but instead of a large pupil, I have a steep cornea. They don't make extended wear contacts that fit me. Only recently did they start making the disposable ones. Either way, I'm limited to 10 hours a day in my contacts because I wore them too much.
Phakic Intraocular Lenses. They are very similar, and of the same material (silicon) as the lenses they use for those who have cataracts. But the doctors don't remove the natural lense. The good news: We are in the low range for this procedure. It is designed for people like us.
I have -1.50 and -1.75 and feel blind as a bat. Legally not allowed to drive without glasses.
I love my contacts - they're the "wear for a month without taking out, then throw" kind. You sleep in them, the works. And because they're more air-porus than normal contacts, your eyes are actually healthier than the ones that you take out at night. I'm toric too, but for some reason these just work like a charm. Most of the time I barely know I'm wearing them...
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
You can wear those and you're toric?!!?
What brand are they?
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Oh..
And does anybody else ever fall asleep with their contacts in, forget, wake up, and think for a moment: "I CAN SEE! It's a MIRACLE!"
...and then remember that you didn't take out your contacts.
Such a downer.
Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :
Well, I've been sleeping with my glasses on at night so often that sometimes when I wake up and things look all blurry I think something is wrong.
Oh, and this thread is making my eyes hurt.
I'm about -9 in both eyes and I'm too chicken to look into lasik right now.
Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :
quote:Somewhere around the -7 range is when you start having trouble reading w/o corrected vision. Only one word is in focus and the rest is blurred. Yuck.
YMMV =)
It sucked when I started having to wear glasses to read at night. I used to feel that I could read wonderfully without corrected vision. Everything was in perfect focus, and I was holding the book at a comfortable distance (5 inches maybe?). Sigh.
Posted by Troubadour (Member # 83) on :
Mack - Bausch & Lomb Purevision. Not sure how bad my toric is, but I've got it both eyes and these little babies work like a charm. Personally I don't understand it, since these are an off-the-shelf pre-boxed variety of lens, but in the past I've had to have something a little more specific.
But hey, I'm happy with it. Tho I'd love to get LASIK one day. Despite a close friend's problem - when she got hers done they nicked a blood vessel and she spend about a week looking like an extra from Buffy with one eye completely and utterly full of blood. Very freaky looking.
Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :
Mack, I wish that did happen. My lenses get coated with protein if I sleep in them for even an hour.
Also, what's "toric"?
Posted by BlueJacsFan (Member # 6590) on :
Toric lenses correct for astigmatism, and are weighted so they stay in the same position on the eye. See here for more info.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I didn't think it was worth starting a new thread for laser correction. But I've recently starting giving thought about getting it done.
I'm around -6, and I don't think I have astigmatism, I need to talk to my eye doctor (need to get my yearly checkup too). I'm just sick of glasses, and I'd like to be able to go swimming without contacts.
But the horror stories I've read scare the crap out of me, and I don't necessarily think the risks are worth it. Does anyone have any horror stories? or has everyone with the surgery been satisfied? What did you have? Lasik? Laesk? the other variants?
etc etc.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I am looking at HD LASIK now. No knife involved at all, it is all done with lasers, even the first cut.
98% of the complications involve the first cut becoming infected, and with no blade involved in this procedure it has an even lower complication rate.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I've been thinking about this. My correction is only -2.5, but I have astigmatism as well. Can LASIK correct astigmatism? If it doesn't, I shouldn't bother - my is extreme enough that I can't drive without correction.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I'll be getting the cataract surgery, personally.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I think the current lasik technology can correct mild astigatism. But that's just off the top of my head.
I had it done 8 years ago, and my vision is still a hair better than 20/20.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
I had my yearly appt at the eye doctor last week... Since I moved to a new area, it was with a new eye doctor. For about 15ish years, I've been wearing toric contact lenses. This guy (who's now somewhat of my hero) comes in with some freebee contacts and asks me to try them out. He did the math and taking out the toric adjustment - that's what my script would be. Popped those babies in and had 20/20 in one eye and 20/15 in the other. I guess sometimes just the contact itself can help correct a mild astigmatism. The best part? The contacts are 1/2 the price. Nice.
Just thought I'd throw that tidbit out there...
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote: Somewhere around the -7 range is when you start having trouble reading w/o corrected vision. Only one word is in focus and the rest is blurred. Yuck.
Huh. My prescription is -5.00 in one eye and -6.00 in the other. Until a few years ago, it was -4.00 and -5.00.
I haven't been able to read (not without great discomfort and a LOT of squinting) since I first had glasses (-2.50 and -2.75, IIRC).
One of the prerequisites, at least when I got it done 3 years ago was that your prescription needs to stay constant for 1-2 years. I think you should still be within limits. Also remember Lasik does not remove the need for glasses ever again, your corneas still harden and thus reading glasses may be inevitable.
Apparently there have been some leaps and strides into fixing that problem too however. My own father got special lasik done, (we went in at the same time) where one eye was done to see far off objects and the other to view things close up. Sort of like laser bifocals. For the first few weeks he was thinking, "Oh God what have I done to my eyes!" but eventually his brain adjusted to the new format and now he swears by it.
Good luck in getting it done! I think its quite safe now and very worth it. They don't even have to use knives anymore at the beginning of the procedure.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I had Lasik about 7 years ago now, and still have better than 20/20 vision. I love it. I wore glasses since first grade, the surgery was without a doubt the best thing I've ever done for myself.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Did you have astigmatism, ElJay?
I have contacts, but I rarely wear them because they don't do a very good job of correcting my astigmatism. I'm a little afraid that if I got Lasik, it would be like wearing my contacts all of the time.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I had horrible astigmatism, and the Lasik corrected it well. Much better than contacts - even the special ones for astigmatism.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote: Somewhere around the -7 range is when you start having trouble reading w/o corrected vision. Only one word is in focus and the rest is blurred. Yuck.
Huh. My prescription is -5.00 in one eye and -6.00 in the other. Until a few years ago, it was -4.00 and -5.00.
I haven't been able to read (not without great discomfort and a LOT of squinting) since I first had glasses (-2.50 and -2.75, IIRC).
One of the prerequisites, at least when I got it done 3 years ago was that your prescription needs to stay constant for 1-2 years. I think you should still be within limits. Also remember Lasik does not remove the need for glasses ever again, your corneas still harden and thus reading glasses may be inevitable.
Apparently there have been some leaps and strides into fixing that problem too however. My own father got special lasik done, (we went in at the same time) where one eye was done to see far off objects and the other to view things close up. Sort of like laser bifocals. For the first few weeks he was thinking, "Oh God what have I done to my eyes!" but eventually his brain adjusted to the new format and now he swears by it.
Good luck in getting it done! I think its quite safe now and very worth it. They don't even have to use knives anymore at the beginning of the procedure.
O_o
I wasn't talking about getting LASIK -- I am too concerned about potential problems. I was talking about not being able to read without my contacts (or glasses). Interestingly, my oldest, whose prescription is virtually identical to mine at her age, only wears her glasses in class. Not to read books, or much of anything else.
And these days I have 30-day lenses, and I'm pretty happy with those. A lot can change in 3 years. Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I had Lasik done about 3-4 years ago (it's horrible I can't remember which year I had it done). I didn't have any problems after the surgery and my vision is still 20/15 and 20/20. I had mild astigmatism which it supposedly corrected (it was so mild, I didn't really even notice it). The only vision problem I have is halos at night (but I had that before and it's supposedly caused by my dry eye, even though I have punctal plugs).
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
You had it done in 2003. At least according to your post on the previous page of this thread.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
Has anyone besides me had RK? (radial keratotomy) I like the results of my RK. It's cheaper than Lasers, and my vision is, if anything, better now than when i had it done about 12 years ago.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
quote:Originally posted by dkw: You had it done in 2003. At least according to your post on the previous page of this thread.
Ahahaha! Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
I've been wanting to get corrective surgery ever since I first heard about it. My mom worked as a nurse for several years at an office that did RK surgeries, and she assisted in them twice a week. But then LASIK came out and people stopped talking about RK.
My brother had LASIK (it was paid for as a college graduation present from my parents) about 6 years ago and hasn't had a problem. In fact, we discovered that his contacts greatly aggravated his allergies, so much so that, nowadays, he hardly notices when he reacts to pollen.
My parents gave me some money at graduation that was intended to go toward LASIK, but a week later they asked me for money to help pay for my summer grad school classes. I had to give them back the gift money, and then some more.
Anyway, I did the switch from hard contact lenses to soft just about a year and a half ago. Since then, my eyes have stabilized to be at -4.0 (both of them!) with a slight bit of astigmatism, and my eye doctor has since referred me to a LASIK surgeon. Now I just need to find the money.
Maybe I'll go ask mom and dad.... Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
My prescription has changed just a little bit in the last couple years. Well actually, it's been the same for the last two years, but I need to go back I think and get it changed again. The doctor last time I went said it hadn't quite changed enough for me to get a better prescription, but I know I can't see as well as I could two years ago.
Everyone on here seems to have had wonderful experiences with LASIK, but the potential complications are just scary beyond reckoning. Can I ask, to those of you who had it done, what went through your head when you weighed the potential risks and benefits? I know it gets safer every year, and they develop new technologies and lasers every year for it, so I wonder if waiting is better.
Though I did read one study that said vision problems as a result of contact lenses will happen to 1 out of 100 users, but that problems with laser eye surgery would happen to 1 out of 10,000 users, so maybe by sticking with contacts I'm already picking the riskier choice.
Did anyone have anything other than LASIK done? like LASEK (the newer one) or the other options? And really, no one has any complaints about it?
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Well, I had lens replacement because of cataracts. Couldn't do LASIK or any of the other things, for various reasons.
Despite being 30 years younger than the average cataract patient (and certain naughty jokes that become redundant very quickly) I'm very happy with the outcome. I have to use reading glasses to, well, read and write in the computer and stuff, but I can read some of the 20/20 line without any correction (great when you consider I was 20/40 with the best correction they could give me before-- barely good enough to keep my license).
Not that many here will be facing that sort of thing, but I thought I'd offer the story, just in case.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I think that most of the risks boil down to the doctor/facility doing your procedure and your dedication to your own health (in doing the follow up stuff required). Since I was dedicated to my health and the doctor and facility were well-qualified and had a good track record, for me the large benefits outweigh the small risk. Sure it was scary as hell during the actual procedure, but I'm still glad I went through it (and I loved that they had stuffed a stuffed animal for me to hold during the procedure - I probably mauled the poor thing). I honestly have no complaints about it. It's one of the best things I've ever done!
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
I wear bifocals.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
There's now Crystalens which eliminates the need for any kind of glasses after cataract surgery. With it, a person has perfect vision all the time. Its success rate is at 98%+. Which doesn't help Olivet unfortunately, but I'm hoping it arrives in Sri Lanka soon enough for me.
I'm not as young as Olivet, but I'm still unusually young for having cataracts, as is my sister and my brother. We're just a weird family. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I think my dad got those with his recent cataract surgeries.
ludosti, while that may well reduce the risk of such complications as infection, I'm fairly certain the statistics indicate that it does not much reduce the risk of such things as over/undercorrection, halos and other artifacts in the visual field, and gradual change in eyesight after the procedure.
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Does it it help at all if I mention that if -6.00 is the cutoff, I just barely make it, and probably won't in a couple years?
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I had my eyes done last year and I have very large pupils and had a moderate-high correction factor (-6.5 to -7.25).
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