I just did Lasik

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Truant

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What a weird experience.

While completely painless, I was not prepared for the mindbending experience of a person literally moving the top of my cornea around while I'm completely unable to blink or or close my eyes. It felt like I was was looking around, yet both my head and eyeballs were completely still.

Very interesting stuff. Didn't feel any burning or itching afterwards either, but I expected no less from a $4500 procedure (Norway is super expensive).

I can finally browse GAF from my comfy couch without using my $10 serial-child-rapist-glasses. The only downside is that everyone suddenly has disgusting skin.
 
I've always wondered. I know that they use a speculum to keep the eye lids open, but does it also stop your entire eyeball from moving too? I feel if I were to get my vision corrected I'd involuntarily begin moving my eye around sporadically (Can't keep so much as my leg still without getting the urge to shake it) and, yeah, that would undoubtedly fuck things up in the operation. Do they have a way of keeping your eyeballs on lockdown, and if so with what?
 
Nice, did it nearly a decade ago and never looked back. It cost $4000 Canadian back then.
After about a week or two I stopped using the eye drops and never needed them again. Try not to become reliant on them
 
I was planning on getting it done myself. Those plans changed after talking to some patients at my pharmacy that had it done.

Sucks, because I would really love to drop contacts and glasses for good but that lingering "what-if" is always in back of my mind.
 
You couldn't pay me enough to do Lasik. The horror stories are, well, horrifying. Even just the potential dry eyes side effect sounds nasty.
Maybe in another twenty years.
 
thecosmicfly said:
I've always wondered. I know that they use a speculum to keep the eye lids open, but does it also stop your entire eyeball from moving too? I feel if I were to get my vision corrected I'd involuntarily begin moving my eye around sporadically (Can't keep so much as my leg still without getting the urge to shake it) and, yeah, that would undoubtedly fuck things up in the operation. Do they have a way of keeping your eyeballs on lockdown, and if so with what?
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My procedure was two part. The first part is the actual laser cutting, and you can't move your eyeball during this. What they do is place a small rubber ring on your eyeball (you can't feel it) and the laser is pressed down on top of this ring to lock your eyeball in place. You actually feel the pressure here, but there's no pain. Trust me, there's no chance in hell you could move your eyeball. I guess some people can find it a bit uncomfortable, but it was over so fast that I didn't really get to think about it.

The other laser wast there to fasten the cornea flap. It took two seconds and that's the part that produces the infamous Lasik "smell". It smells a bit like burnt hair, not sure if it was from the laser or my cornea. Here the surgeon held my head in place and I wast told to focus on a green dot of light right above my eye. I didn't really feel that I could or should move my eye at this point, it was pretty easy keeping it in place.

I just want to stress that you can't feel the stuff they're doing to your eyeball. I know a lot of people freak out when it comes to eyeball stuff, but you're so numbed by the anesthesia that it doesn't matter.
 
I got lasik a while ago. You can also smell your eyeball burning when they do it. :)

For me it felt like I had sand in my eyes for the first night and they were constantly watering like a motherfucker, but by the next day it wasn't too bad. I had frequently very dry eyes over the next year.
 
SapientWolf said:
Any night vision problems?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it takes a few days for your night vision to adjust. Right now my biggest issue is reading black text on a white screen. My doctor told me this was due to my cornea being inflamed after the surgery, and should go away after a day or two.

Not feeling the need to use eye drops as much as I feared. I do them a few times a day.

Patrick Bateman said:
What was your diagnosis OP?
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Mild to moderate near-sighted, plus I had displaced corneas (I just realized I don't know the english term for this, let me know if that just sounded like bullshit). I probably could have started using contacts, but I have the money and I wanted something more permanent.
 
How long does it last though? And how effective? I only want to do it if I have perfect vision till I'm old, and I mean 20/20 or whatever those numbers are for 100% vision.
 
I did it back in September, greatest decision I've ever made.

Only drawback is that my eyes still dry out relatively quickly so I have to use eye drops once a day, but that's more than worth not having to use glasses anymore.
 
TheRedSnifit said:
I did it back in September, greatest decision I've ever made.

Only drawback is that my eyes still dry out relatively quickly so I have to use eye drops once a day, but that's more than worth not having to use glasses anymore.
Click to expand...

How long did it take you heal? Lights look a bit washed out and overly bright to me right now. It's like somebody turned on Bloom. I feel like I'm in a Bethesda game.
 
Truant said:
I just want to stress that you can't feel the stuff they're doing to your eyeball. I know a lot of people freak out when it comes to eyeball stuff, but you're so numbed by the anesthesia that it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

They used anesthetics for you? Only gave me valium :P

I could feel them brushing over my eye with the moistener, but I didn't have any pain during the procedure itself. I assume that the process wrecks your nerves. I still panicked like a motherfucker though, they had to give me a stress ball after the first eye.
 
TheRedSnifit said:
They used anesthetics for you? Only have me valium :P

I could feel them brushing over my eye with the moistener, but I didn't have any pain during the procedure itself. I assume that the process wrecks your nerves. I still panicked like a motherfucker though, they has to give me a stress ball after the first eye.
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Where was this? Eastern europe?

Anyway, that sounds ballsy. I actually had the nurse douse me a second time, just in case the first drops had worn off. My girlfriend did Lasik a few years ago. She has severe eyeball phobia, and they had to give her like two valium before she would even enter the operating room.
 
As someone who had LASEK, not using glasses is great. Now, I fully suggest avoiding looking at any monitors or TV screens for a few weeks, as the healing process will be less frustrating and less irritating.
 
Truant said:
How long did it take you heal? Lights look a bit washed out and overly bright to me right now. It's like somebody turned on Bloom. I feel like I'm in a Bethesda game.
Click to expand...

I don't really remember having any issues with lights looking washed out specifically. I think I was pretty fully recovered from everything within a month.

My biggest problem was that the eye drops they gave me were to weak, and would just evaporate after I put them in my eye. And this was right after the procedure when my eyes dried out really fast. It legitimately felt like somebody threw acid in my face after a couple of days. I strongly suggest getting Systane Ultra.
 
I did it 4 years ago. It was uncomfortable as fuck, but painless. I had dry eyes for a while. Not anymore.

I too heard the horror stories and almost gave up. Glad i didn't. Totally worth it in my case. The next day after the surgery i probably had this foolish expression on my face seeing the world in HD for the first time in 20 years.
 
Congratulations, I went for a consultation earlier this year and was told I'm not quite suitable due to one of my corneas. Need to go for a follow-up next year

I really have come to hate wearing glasses over the last 20+ years, but due to my slightly odd level of astigmatism, I could never find any contacts that didn't move about and feel like my eyes were full of sand, so I'm currently stuck with specs
 
how long until OP's eyes crust over?

tumblr_njo8s7xu1D1r74y33o1_500.gif
 
Truant said:
My procedure was two part. The first part is the actual laser cutting, and you can't move your eyeball during this. What they do is place a small rubber ring on your eyeball (you can't feel it) and the laser is pressed down on top of this ring to lock your eyeball in place. You actually feel the pressure here, but there's no pain. Trust me, there's no chance in hell you could move your eyeball. I guess some people can find it a bit uncomfortable, but it was over so fast that I didn't really get to think about it.

The other laser wast there to fasten the cornea flap. It took two seconds and that's the part that produces the infamous Lasik "smell". It smells a bit like burnt hair, not sure if it was from the laser or my cornea. Here the surgeon held my head in place and I wast told to focus on a green dot of light right above my eye. I didn't really feel that I could or should move my eye at this point, it was pretty easy keeping it in place.

I just want to stress that you can't feel the stuff they're doing to your eyeball. I know a lot of people freak out when it comes to eyeball stuff, but you're so numbed by the anesthesia that it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

Huh, that's fascinating to hear about the actual laser portion of the operation. Glad to know that's it's a lot more secure and thorough than "Just look straight and don't blink please".

The pain aspect is definitely something I would assume is a non-factor. The only real concern would be the "feel" of it. But as someone who's been fully awake when having their wisdom tooth taken out (Which, again, was completely painless, but you could still sense the feeling of someone sawing into your gums and cracking your tooth into sections for 10-20 mins ugh fuck that noise) and from the way you've described it Lasik sounds much better than that any day of the week.
 
Truant said:
Where was this? Eastern europe?

Anyway, that sounds ballsy. I actually had the nurse douse me a second time, just in case the first drops had worn off. My girlfriend did Lasik a few years ago. She has severe eyeball phobia, and they had to give her like two valium before she would even enter the operating room.
Click to expand...

The backwater town of Toledo, Ohio :P
 
I did it 12 years ago - I'm now recently back to wearing glasses (just a degree), but I'm having other issues - I have lots of eye floaters and I'm overly sensitive to lights at night. I'm sure Lasik has improved considerably since then, but just to warn you that there are issues that may crop up later on.
 
Only one of my eyes is actually bad (-1.5). The other eye can compensate but varies itself between 0 and -0.5 (weird i know).

Is it half price for only one eye? :D
 
I had it done here in the UK about 10 years ago, can't remember whether I had LASEK or LASIK but my experience was the same as OP so probably that. I still have perfect vision at 44 years old, however I do start to feel tired staring at a screen all day in the office now. I had no problem with night vision, I has astigmatism in both eyes which was corrected by the procedure. I paid around £1200 in total which I feel, 10 years later was great value.
 
Pete the Ferret said:
I had it done here in the UK about 10 years ago, can't remember whether I had LASEK or LASIK but my experience was the same as OP so probably that. I still have perfect vision at 44 years old, however I do start to feel tired staring at a screen all day in the office now. I had no problem with night vision, I has astigmatism in both eyes which was corrected by the procedure. I paid around £1200 in total which I feel, 10 years later was great value.
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Bro you need reading glasses for your monitor. +1.5dpt should do

Welcome to presbyopia ;)
 
I got a relex smile procedure done 9 months ago. Also the best decision of my life!
Entire procedure was painless.

Cost me what equals 5k USD, Denmark is expensive yo.

There's a video of the procedure here(Warning: Not for the faint of heart):
https://youtu.be/L41-CqynUHE


It's a different approach than Lasik. Less invasive, and less post-op side effects. Oh and no burning smell or flap being created!
 
I had it done 3 years ago. It wasnt bad but that burning smell was not pleasant. And the day before I was going to get it done, there was a tv show about a guy who had it done and got super sensitive to light and basically had to stay in a dark room all the time.
 
I considered doing it myself, but it was extremely expensive at the time, something like £3-5000 per eye about 10 years ago. I assume it gets more expensive depending on your eyesight strength.
My contact lenses are at -5.75 and -6.25, so I'm essentially blind as a bat. One of my glasses lenses is like the bottom of a jam jar.
 
Had it done about 3 years ago. One of the best decisions I've made in my life. Been 20/15 since then.

Feels amazing to wake up with perfect vision everyday and not have to wear glasses or mess with contacts.

I healed up very quickly and only used drops for a few weeks after the procedure. No nighttime or dryness issues.
 
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