Great news. This December will be 13 years for me. No hyperbole but it's a life-changing procedure! Only negative is more light sensitivity, especially when driving. I have to wear sunglasses.
I just did Lasik
- Thread starter Truant
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Great news. This December will be 13 years for me. No hyperbole but it's a life-changing procedure! Only negative is more light sensitivity, especially when driving. I have to wear sunglasses.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
Just had my post-op, I already have better than 20/20 vision according to the doctor, said he's never seen a day 1 recovery go this well
can't recommend this highly enough to anyone considering this
can't recommend this highly enough to anyone considering this
Murder. She Wrote
Member
I really want this, but I also like the way I look with glasses 
GodParticle
Member
I had it done 9 years ago and have had miserable dry eyes ever since. Not to mention that my vision has regressed since. Pretty much everyone I know who's had it has needed to have it done again. I know I sure won't
Sorry but I laughed way too hard at this... also thinking about doing it. Hope your eyes heal well OP!
Adam_Roman
Member
You could always wear glasses with just plain plastic lenses.
D
Deleted member 245925
Unconfirmed Member
Wow, that's super cheap. Here in Austria, SMILE is around 2400 per eye and health insurance usually doesn't cover anything because it's not a medically necessary procedure. Still worth it I guess.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
better yet, glasses with no lenses
DiipuSurotu
Banned
The public health insurance in France also doesn't cover this (aside from the initial appointment since it was for a checkup/opinion), but private sector employees are sometimes entitled to secondary health insurances that may or may not cover this kind of procedures. I think I was reimbursed something like ~200€ out of these 2500€.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
It makes sense for insurance no to cover it, as much I didn't want to pay for the procedure, I can't argue that ultimately it is cosmetic. I still could've continued living my life with glasses/contacts
GoldenEye 007
Member
I'd really like to consider it. I'm blind as a bat without glasses - something like -3.5-4 in each eye. So it'll be expensive.
Have to look at insurance options, or just putting in a bunch of money tax free into a flexible spending account to take out a bulk of the cost. Maybe later this year or next after my wedding.
Have to look at insurance options, or just putting in a bunch of money tax free into a flexible spending account to take out a bulk of the cost. Maybe later this year or next after my wedding.
Mikey Jr.
Member
Cost me 6k, and that was the boss of the place who did it. If I let someone else do it, it would have been 5k.
Where is 10k coming from?
I feel ya, I'm at -7.75 on both. Feels bad man.
Broke my glasses.
I'm starting to feel like going into debt for the surgery is a better investment than the crazy shit I pay for a new pair every couple years.
You should join us in the -11 club, eagle eye.
I'm starting to feel like going into debt for the surgery is a better investment than the crazy shit I pay for a new pair every couple years.
You should join us in the -11 club, eagle eye.
mordecaii83
Member
Considering getting this done instead of shelling out for an eye exam and contacts every year. I think my insurance pays for part of it as well. Any recommendation for which procedure is safest/most effective?
Zantetsuken
Member
I'm in my thirties and I have been wearing glasses since I was about 6 or 7. If I could afford it I would love to have LASIK.
I had LASIK surgery in 2000.
Six months ago I noticed my vision was getting a bit worse, so I went to an optometrist.
Turns out I have a gradual degradation of the cornea, and I need a cross-link surgery in one eye. The doc says it's most likely due to rubbing my eyes. My operation is tomorrow, and I'm a bit stressed out.
The degradation I have has to be corrected, or else it'll keep getting worse. Glasses don't help, I'd need to wear glass contacts, which I don't want to do.
So I'll be getting laser surgery as well as the cross linking, to improve the vision in that eye.
I hope it goes well.
If you get laser surgery, don't rub your eyes, like ever.
Six months ago I noticed my vision was getting a bit worse, so I went to an optometrist.
Turns out I have a gradual degradation of the cornea, and I need a cross-link surgery in one eye. The doc says it's most likely due to rubbing my eyes. My operation is tomorrow, and I'm a bit stressed out.
The degradation I have has to be corrected, or else it'll keep getting worse. Glasses don't help, I'd need to wear glass contacts, which I don't want to do.
So I'll be getting laser surgery as well as the cross linking, to improve the vision in that eye.
I hope it goes well.
If you get laser surgery, don't rub your eyes, like ever.
Zantetsuken
Member
I have a habit of doing this when I wake up. I may be in trouble.
If you never got laser I don't know if it's an issue.
My dry eyes were addressed with Restasis. The Starburst/halo thing is real but you kinda just get used to it. The halos were really bad at first. It was like everything had motion blur at night.
DirgeExtinction
Member
I believe my gf has astigmatism. I'm not 100% sure. But apparently her eyesight is getting worse every year.
I've mentioned LASIK, but she says it's too expensive for her and she thinks it might not help.
I've mentioned LASIK, but she says it's too expensive for her and she thinks it might not help.
20/20 vision. I can hardly believe it 
Yesterday was very uncomfortable, those anaesthetic drops were a life saver. Today is a lot better though. Now just need to be careful for the next couple of weeks and keep up with my prescribed drops.
Slight fuzziness around bright lights, I guess that's what they call starburst? It's not bad enough to be irritating though (in fact it's kinda cool). Vision should also continue to improve for the next couple days apparently.
Got some beautiful bruises around the whites of my eyes as well
but they will fade.
Very happy with the results
Yesterday was very uncomfortable, those anaesthetic drops were a life saver. Today is a lot better though. Now just need to be careful for the next couple of weeks and keep up with my prescribed drops.
Slight fuzziness around bright lights, I guess that's what they call starburst? It's not bad enough to be irritating though (in fact it's kinda cool). Vision should also continue to improve for the next couple days apparently.
Got some beautiful bruises around the whites of my eyes as well
but they will fade.Very happy with the results
D
Deleted member 245925
Unconfirmed Member
Oh, okay, that makes sense. I'm working at a university so we definitely don't have secondary health insurance.
I have absolutely no problem with health insurance not covering it. As you said, it's basically cosmetic surgery.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
20/20 vision. I can hardly believe it
Yesterday was very uncomfortable, those anaesthetic drops were a life saver. Today is a lot better though. Now just need to be careful for the next couple of weeks and keep up with my prescribed drops.
Slight fuzziness around bright lights, I guess that's what they call starburst? It's not bad enough to be irritating though (in fact it's kinda cool). Vision should also continue to improve for the next couple days apparently.
Got some beautiful bruises around the whites of my eyes as well
Very happy with the results
How many drops are you using and how often?
Exocin (antibiotic) 4 times a day
Vistamethasone (antibiotic) 6 times a day
Refresh (fake tears?) 4 times a day
Taking those for a week. I also had proxymetacaine (anaesthetic) just for the day of the surgery (had a lot of stinging so used this 4 or 5 times).
I remember being more worried about the eye drops than the surgery, but you get used to them quickly when you're taking this many
Bruce Springsteen
Member
Exocin (antibiotic) 4 times a day
Vistamethasone (antibiotic) 6 times a day
Refresh (fake tears?) 4 times a day
Taking those for a week. I also had proxymetacaine (anaesthetic) just for the day of the surgery (had a lot of stinging so used this 4 or 5 times).
I remember being more worried about the eye drops than the surgery, but you get used to them quickly when you're taking this many
So mine is a mix of the antibiotic/steroid which I take 4x a day, until it runs out (so about a week). Then the lubrication (fake tears) every 2-3 hours for a couple months, which is what they suggest
I've been using the computer a lot for work since I had the procedure done on Friday, which they said it no problem, but I still wonder if I'm putting too much strain on it so soon
Lights and Waves
Member
Been a few days now since my procedure. Aside from my eyes having some bloody spots, I have zero discomfort and I feel like a new person.
I can't believe I waited this long to get LASIK. Truly a life-changing decision. I couldn't be happier.
Also, wearing sunglasses is awesome. I went to Sunglasses Hut and had a field day trying them on. Think I might treat myself to a new pair of Ray Bans to celebrate 😎
I can't believe I waited this long to get LASIK. Truly a life-changing decision. I couldn't be happier.
Also, wearing sunglasses is awesome. I went to Sunglasses Hut and had a field day trying them on. Think I might treat myself to a new pair of Ray Bans to celebrate 😎
That was exactly what I did.. lol.
I actually got the Ray-Bans when I decided to continue wearing contacts, but in less than a year I was noticing the flaws of contacts and decided to go "best of both worlds" and got Lasik. That was.. I guess about three and a half years ago now.
It's still holding up. I haven't gone to the optometrist this year to see where I'm at. I did go on a fishing trip a couple months ago, and at one point the boat driver was asking us to keep an eye out for a marker on the water, which was little more than a piece of rebar sticking up out of the water about eight inches. I spotted it and one of the other guys (a minute later as we got closer to it) said "How the fuck could you see that?!?" So I guess it's still holding up nicely.. lol.
This came up in another thread recently, but the folks in this one will get a kick out of this. We heard an ad come on the radio (actually on that same fishing trip) advertising a cheap Lasik service for only $200 per eye. And the best part was the "small print" at the end saying "Results may vary". Like, WTF? Results may VARY?!? Of all the things you don't want to vary, fucking eye surgery is right at the top of the list. Me and my boss just looked at each other and shook our heads (we've both had it done).
I didn't shop around for a good price on Lasik... I shopped around for a good surgeon. The price was irrelevant as far as I was concerned. I ended up paying ten times what that radio ad was advertising, it was about $2200 per eye. And worth every penny, I don't regret that expenditure for a second. Don't skimp out on shit that affects your body.
Forsaken82
Member
It isn't permanent. It's a stop gap. It fixes your current problem, but your eyes will continue to age. 10-15 years down the road you'll need glasses again. It isn't like it prevents your eyes from getting worse forever.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
How many times a day are you guys using the lubricant, fake tears? The surgery was only a couple days ago I feel like I've been using it a lot maybe I'm using it too much but obviously using it too much isn't going to hurt
I got cross linking + laser surgery about 10 hours ago, and been using fake tears every hour, along with another prescription drop I need to use.
I'm fucking hurting right now.
David H Wong
Banned
My surgery was last Thursday, my doctor actually told me to use the lubricating tears every 20 minutes. And if you work on a computer all day, boy, you'll need them that often. I still had irritation at the end of my first full day (that is, the next day).
Otherwise, four days later the only lingering effects are the little bit of light sensitivity and one eye isn't quite as sharp as the other (still healing, I assume - still came out 20/20 on the eye exam).
Had contacts for 20 years and finally decided that was enough. I didn't expect to be able to smell my eyeball burning when they fired the laser but maybe it's better they didn't tell me that ahead of time.
Dry eyes was about 6 months then got a lot better. The super bright lights, like when driving at night from on coming traffic, took also about 6 months to go away. Everything has been almost perfect since then. Only issue is my eyes are a bit sensitive to the sun, but honestly it was even worse when I wore contacts.
Honestly I think the dry eye thing has a lot more to do with people wearing contacts for so many years. I wore them for 9 years and it became harder and harder to wear them as they were destroying my eyes. Combine that with staring at a TV/ monitor/ phone for hours, plus lack of sleep. All of that is what I think contributed to it.
I used it a ton the first 6 months, especially the first month or so . Like maybe 7-8 times a day, if not more. Of course I was an idiot and two days after the surgery, spent hours playing PC games. I dont think its gonna do anything bad if you use a lot. I think my Dr. said to use as much as I needed too.
Here's a few more tips for new Lasik people:
Use F.lux for your monitor. This helps a ton!:
https://justgetflux.com/
Invest in some Gunnars. I dont use these anymore, simply because I dont need to. But for the first year after Lasik, I couldn't watch TV, PC, Game without them! For some reason they also made games look better. They also make you look like your from Persona 4!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DUQU0A/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Dont use clear eyes or any of that other crap. Very bad for your eyes. Use Refresh tears, or any other artificial tears.
Invest in some good sunglasses and keep some cheap ones every where, in case you need some, especially in your car.
My Dr. said to take fish oil pills. Supposed to help with dry eyes. I gave up after 3 weeks. I hate fish taste. But hey, if it helps, then take em!
I only used them a couple of times on the day of surgery, but saw my doctor again and he said 4 times a day so I've been doing that.
They told me "you will smell some burning but it's just the laser". Yeah sure it is
tbh I thought that was the least bad part of the surgery. The thing that grips onto your eyeball though... 😱Haha, I've done this a couple of times already.
Also went to take out my contacts last night. Luckily I stopped myself in time :|
rockinreelin
Member
Had no idea something like relex smile existed and there is a clinic here in LA that offers it. Guess now would be a good time to schedule a consult and see what the doctor says.
Valkerionseven
Member
Random questions now that I'm starting to actually consider this in the next year or so...
Can/should you still rinse out your eyes with water when say dust or something is in there.
I live near a very active volcano and there is a lot of ash in general, is there any warnings about protecting your eyes from dust and what not explicitly after surgery/how long.
Can/should you still rinse out your eyes with water when say dust or something is in there.
I live near a very active volcano and there is a lot of ash in general, is there any warnings about protecting your eyes from dust and what not explicitly after surgery/how long.
I have to avoid getting my eyes wet for a week, but I guess you could wash them out with eye drops.
I was also advised not to touch/rub them at all and to avoid smokey environments.
Valkerionseven
Member
How long? I'm not much for rubbing my eyes all the time only when I have to obviously but the smokey areas might be an issue in Japan where seemingly 95% of the population smokes at all times lol. I think I could avoid the ash well enough usually
1 week. Most things (except stuff like contact sports) are fine after 1 week, I think.
Don't take my word for it though, I'm sure every place has its own recommendations and your local doctor/optician/LASIK consultant would be able to better advise you. When I started thinking about this I went for a (free) consultation that pretty well covered everything I needed to know.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
I do a lot of reading for my work, am I straining my eyes too much this soon after the surgery?
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