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[j0hnnix]

I have finally decided to make the jump and get the surgery, I am scheduled 7-24. While my prescription is not horrible -1.75R and -2.00L with astigmatism the doctor during my consultation and scheduling had mentioned due to my prescription he doesn't see me spending more then 10-15Mins(Max) in the chair. My only concern is since I'm 44 he had mentioned my near vision will degrade over time due to my age. There is some older threads but the technology looks to have changed a lot since 2008 - 2016, So , I am wondering how was everyone's experience who have done it and has their vision maintained the same or better after it and how has it affected your near vision, any haloing , dryness? I am planning to take half day to do the surgery , nap for a few hours and work the rest of the night. He also dropped the bomb that the next day I can drive with sunglasses for the post-op, which was like whoa for me.. thinking id been down for a few days.

 

[sono]

Interested in replies too. Considered this a few times but never pressed the doit button.

 

[Connificent]

Im at +4

 

[Mistake]

From what I read, the technology has improved a lot, but some people need to go for a second round over time. It's all a matter of luck. Screw ups can happen as well, so make sure whoever you're seeing has a good track record.

 

[j0hnnix]

From what I read, the technology has improved a lot, but some people need to go for a second round over time. It's all a matter of luck. Screw ups can happen as well, so make sure whoever you're seeing has a good track record.

Definitely made sure of that. The current location is at 4.9 but more so the surgeon has over 158k procedures completed. The initial meet was comforting , and quick they didn't sugar coat anything and had answered all my questions I had. What finally got me over the edge is me being tired of switching glasses and poking my eyes with contacts and lately my contacts are hit or miss plus the cost has gone up because I'm chasing comfort.

 

[j0hnnix]

Interested in replies too. Considered this a few times but never pressed the doit button.

I've been on the boat for 7 years. I went to my fiance's friends birthday party and they spoke highly and have had done it a long time ago one did smile which is for lesser prescription and non astig but she was really happy. Her other friend had it done 10 years ago and was just saying go do it , everything is more advanced and stop thinking about it lol. He was very pleased he did mention the first night was very uncomfortable for him but the next day after a good sleep he felt much better but had already walked out the surgery seeing better.

 

[Haemi]

Did it a year ago and don't regret it. Had -2.5 on both eyes. Now i see mostly perfect. Right eye is perfect but the left one takes longer to get better. Had dry eyes after surgery and that went also mostly away. The surgery was done in 5-10 minutes and was not that bad. You will directly see much better but bright lights will hurt your eyes for a few weeks. About 1-2 hours after the surgery your eyes will hurt a lot with watery eyes and itching for about 4 hours. Take a nap or go to sleep and you probably won't notice this phase.

 

[T.v]

Had it done fifteen years ago now. Went for it as soon as I could when my eyesight stabilized. Never regretted it. The procedure was very quick and easy and the recovery wasn't too bad. Mostly a ton of eyedrops. I hear that with the more modern techniques the recovery has been cut short significantly. I do get some halo'ing at night when my eyes are tired but nothing that would keep me from doing it again in a heartbeat. Apparently this is a side effect more common than they tell you. But again, this was fifteen years ago.

 

[Vyse]

I've tried twice and was told that I would have to start wearing reading glasses. I'm nearsighted. Since I spend most of my time reading, didn't seem like a good payoff. I wear glasses to drive, at the movies and sports.

Been a while since I have checked. Maybe I will go again.

 

[daffyduck]

Don't work the day of.

As for needing reading glasses, or the possibility thereof, that could happen even without lasik.
And even if you do, it's a small price to pay to be rid of needing lenses "full time".

 

[Beretta]

I can't speak for myself but just from a few friends, both had different experiences with it. One had to go back and do it again after a few years and the other has had his all good for over a decade. I don't know if it depends on your eyes, I am obviously not an expert. I guess you're taking a chance on length of time.

 

[Revolutionary]

Keep in mind that there is a failure/complication rate and that even though it is a small percentage (according to Lasik, at least), it is apparently horrible for those that are affected. People have commited suicide due to complications, so yeah... I know this isn't probably what you want to hear but it's best to know everything going in because I doubt your doctor will mention it.

'I can't take it anymore': Man, 26, Dies by Suicide After LASIK Complications, Parents Say

Ryan Kingerski died after suffering debilitating vision problems from surgery to correct his vision, his family says. What to know about LASIK's risks and long-term side effects.

www.today.com

 

[Gp1]

At the end of last year I had already completed all the necessary exams (corneal tomography, etc) and test for the surgery and all that I had to do was to set a date.

The doctor even recommended a more "precise" laser because my cornea is at the limit of its thickness for the surgery (so he has to get it right on the first pass) + the method to get the eyes lens out of the way would have to be the one where you "scratch it" and wait for the body to heal it naturally, which has a way worse post operatory than simply cutting the lenses like the "normal" Lasik (i don't know the exact medical term in English).

Since I'm approaching 40, the doctor expected I could go a few years without glasses...

Then the beginning of the year I ended up fracturing two ribs in Jiu-Jitsu, so 3-4 months of down time + some life things and now I'm already starting to feel the need for prescription glasses for reading.
In other words i'll keep my glasses :/

 

[Haemi]

Keep in mind that there is a failure/complication rate and that even though it is a small percentage (according to Lasik, at least), it is apparently horrible for those that are affected. People have commited suicide due to complications, so yeah... I know this isn't probably what you want to hear but it's best to know everything going in because I doubt your doctor will mention it.

'I can't take it anymore': Man, 26, Dies by Suicide After LASIK Complications, Parents Say

Ryan Kingerski died after suffering debilitating vision problems from surgery to correct his vision, his family says. What to know about LASIK's risks and long-term side effects.

www.today.com

Thats true. Would not recommend doing it, when your cornea is very thin or your eyes are very bad. When your eyes are very bad, they will need to take quite a lot off of your cornea. With a thin cornea, the risk is higher that your eyes might get bad again or other complications like holes in the flap or the flap becoming "wavy". Don't do it if you have already very dry eyes. I've read about people where the eyelids got stuck on the eyeball because of the very dry eyes they got after surgery. There is also always the risk for an infection.

There is also a more expensive alternative: A lense that gets placed between the cornea and the eyes lense. They only do a tiny cut in your eyeball to place it. It is reversable and the lense can be replaced with a stronger one if needed.

 

[Avid Reading Horse]

I'm the same age as you now, but got Lasik about 8 years ago. Eyes were very dry after. Still decently dry to this day. Less of an issue but still noticeable. Night halos are kind of bad as well. To be fair they were present beforehand. And I was actually very confused when I learned that some people don't see them at all. I never liked wearing contacts. I think my eyes may have been on the dryer side to begin with and that was part of the problem. I never really put it together. Lasik doc said "tear film looks good" so I assumed I was fairly normal. Doc was a bit of a twat overall, kinda wish I had gone with a smaller outfit instead of a larger Lasik factory. But the Lasik factory had the latest (at the time) wave-front guided whatever tech.

I also would say my eyes get more strained from screen time than they ever did with my glasses.

That being said, the no glasses life is pretty sweet. Wearing glasses really sucked. I'd say if you were to offer me an undo button, 60% chance I'd take it. I think I had a below average outcome, or maybe I'm just really picky. Either way, I'm glad enough I didn't develop any suicidal eye pain. That shit sounds rough.

As for needing reading glasses... Yeah that's hitting me. Large-ish print on the Kindle gets me by for now. Reading the 'fine print' on an aspirin bottle is pretty rough at this point. I need to hold something about 15 inches away at the moment for it to become clear. But I figure the bifocal life was going to come for me if I didn't do Lasik so whatever.

edit: Was always in the -3.5 to -4.25 range depending on the year and the eye, with astigmatism, I forget the rough prescription for that, but it wasn't crazy.

 

[demigod]

Had mine done in 2004, back then it was like $500 per eye. Room was cold AF, wish they would've told me. It took me a full day to recover back then, i don't suggest you going back to work same day.

I try not to stare at things for too long in public because it seems that I developed a "lazy eye" after surgery. It took years for that halo effect to go away but it didn't bother me much. I rarely wore glasses too, so not having to touch them again was godsend.

 

[Trunx81]

I considered it, as I have -6 and -5, but I heard that your night vision gets worse a bit, so I decided to stick with glasses. I can see great in dark enviroments, especially when driving, and I don´t want to hurt this superpower.

My wife just got a lense replacement and it´s impressive how her eyes have improved. "Why didn´t you tell me how grey I´ve become?!"

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

I'm kinda on the fence as well. About OP's age. Near vision is still pretty good and my myopia isn't actually that bad. It's the irregular astigmatism that complicates my vision so much. I have it in both my eyes and the axis is pretty much opposite between the two eyes, so I get blurry vision and doubling of lines in different directions and it's very tiring for reading and other stuff.
I'm just very scared of the possible bad outcomes. Truth be told, every person I know who had refractive eye surgery is very happy and would do it again. The horror stories I know all came from the internet.

 

[GymWolf]

I did mine more than 20 years ago when i was not even 20 and i still see like a hawk, i probably lost something but when you still see 4 levels of small letters over 20\20 in the test, you can't really complain, it's probably more than 98% of world population.

The worst thing were the 3-4 days after the surgery, if nothing changed in 20 years you are gonna feel like you have sand in your eyes and you can't watch tv or monitor or sun.

I think i payed 450 euros per eye or slightly less.

Edit: i'm reading people saying don't do the surgery if you have super bad eyes or dry eyes, i had none of that, my myopia was pretty low and i have very teary eyes by default.

 

[DeceptiveAlarm]

I did mine around 10years ago. I was on vacation and lost my glasses in the ocean first day. Scheduled the surgery soon as I got home. I only had to do it once I know some people it doesn't take first time. It was the best decision I ever made. I still see perfect.

 

[j0hnnix]

I have read about the suicides, horrible situation. The haloing which honestly has occurred randomly when i wake up at night and look at a light immediately, more the fear of it staying around can be rough to manage.

While my prescriptions is not near as bad as others, but the doc did mention i have very thick corneal and immediately said that's perfect candidate for Lasik.

 

[AJUMP23]

I have been told I am eligible. But I don't want to mess with my eyes. Even though I have to raise my glasses to read closely now.

 

[Kenpachii]

Thats true. Would not recommend doing it, when your cornea is very thin or your eyes are very bad. When your eyes are very bad, they will need to take quite a lot off of your cornea. With a thin cornea, the risk is higher that your eyes might get bad again or other complications like holes in the flap or the flap becoming "wavy". Don't do it if you have already very dry eyes. I've read about people where the eyelids got stuck on the eyeball because of the very dry eyes they got after surgery. There is also always the risk for an infection.

There is also a more expensive alternative: A lense that gets placed between the cornea and the eyes lense. They only do a tiny cut in your eyeball to place it. It is reversable and the lense can be replaced with a stronger one if needed.

My dad of 70 did the second one where they take out of the lens and replace it, his eye vision went from bad his entire life to super clear. He totally loved it.

 

[p_xavier]

I got blind one eye from it.

 

[darrylgorn]

OP, I had it done last September.

I'm also 44 with similar magnification prior to the operation.

If you have any specific questions, you can always reach out but I can at least assure you that my operation went well and recovery was fairly quick.

The main annoyance will be lubrication along with adapting to the 'feel' of your new eyesight. Generally speaking you should have greater clarity but at your age, you might need to get used to presbyopia, which will basically flip your problem from near sightedness to far sightedness.

Even still, it's much better to have the latter and the amount of new freedom you are going to experience is a total game changer for your life.

 

[Kilau]

I've really wanted to get Lasik. My eyes are terrible but then I've seen that video with eye doctor after eye doctor saying they would never get it or condone family getting it and makes me wonder.

 

[Dacvak]

I look too good in glasses. Wouldn't want to lose my "hot librarian" look.

 

[p_xavier]

I've really wanted to get Lasik. My eyes are terrible but then I've seen that video with eye doctor after eye doctor saying they would never get it or condone family getting it and makes me wonder.

I had gotten the surgery after my motorbike accident cause it was due to bad vision (and many other surgeries). For nearly a month both eyes were legally blind, I was freaking out. Got another surgery and got my left eye to -1.0 and right eye never recovered even with many many more surgeries.

 

[ADiTAR]

10-15 min? I have a friend who had glasses since he was like 10, and he was in and out in 2 min. He loves it.

But yeah, you do have to wonder why eye doctors say no...

 

[j0hnnix]

10-15 min? I have a friend who had glasses since he was like 10, and he was in and out in 2 min. He loves it.

But yeah, you do have to wonder why eye doctors say no...

I am sure thats a rough number they provided.. but he had mentioned 10 seconds at most per eye.. so I assume the 10-15min is arrival , prep and hoping i dont run into a door cause i cant see.

 

[Valonquar]

I had Lasik 15 years ago and highly recommend it if you are a canidate and hate glasses\contacts. Night & day difference with no negative side effects other than the first 2 days of general discomfort that I mostly slept through.

 

[Dynomite]

I got lasik maybe 10 years ago. One of the best decisions I could have made. My vision has degraded some, but still much better than when I didnt wear glasses. I should have a "warranty" so I could make a follow up appointment to get another procedure, but I am too lazy.

And I strongly doubt you will be able to work later that day. I couldnt see well at all until the next day, and I needed to wear shades.

 

[Hugare]

I had -6.5/-7, and now my vision is (almost) perfect. I say almost cause it's been almost 10 years since then, and now I have -1 or so.

I went through SMILE back in 2016, and I would highly recommend you to look for this method, even if it might be way pricier.

Compared to PRK/LASIC, Its a game changer. It almost doesnt hurt your eyes. The cut size is crazy small.

One day later and my vision was perfect. Didnt have to use any medication, nothing. Miraculous stuff.

 

[Nydius]

My only concern is since I'm 44 he had mentioned my near vision will degrade over time due to my age.

I'm 48 and have been wearing glasses since I was 7. My last exam wasn't too terribly far off from yours (-1.6L, -1.9R, also with astigmatism). I mentioned LASIK in passing regarding being tired of glasses and my ophthalmologist said he wouldn't recommend it at my age. Paraphrasing him heavily but his reasoning was that I'd only get a "few good years of quality vision" before age deterioration reached a point where I'd need daily glasses once again. His best estimate was between maybe 4-6 years, 8 if I was "exceedingly fortunate". As such he didn't think it was worth the expense.

This comment he said I remember verbatim because I felt kinda offended by it (): "If you were 28, I'd set you up for an appointment next week."

 

[DreamcastSkies]

Let me know what you think of it. My eyes could benefit from it but I'm worried of complications and/or problems arising from it down the road.

 

[Nocty]

I had a friend that got it done and ended up having to have it done 2 times, something to do with poor vision at night that just got worse and worse over time to the point where he couldn't drive at night and said it was like wearing sunglasses all the time. I'd rather not..

 

[j0hnnix]

I'm 48 and have been wearing glasses since I was 7. My last exam wasn't too terribly far off from yours (-1.6L, -1.9R, also with astigmatism). I mentioned LASIK in passing regarding being tired of glasses and my ophthalmologist said he wouldn't recommend it at my age. Paraphrasing him heavily but his reasoning was that I'd only get a "few good years of quality vision" before age deterioration reached a point where I'd need daily glasses once again. His best estimate was between maybe 4-6 years, 8 if I was "exceedingly fortunate". As such he didn't think it was worth the expense.

This comment he said I remember verbatim because I felt kinda offended by it (): "If you were 28, I'd set you up for an appointment next week."

That's definitely my worry as well. I'm in IT and I'm in front of a PC 90% of my day/night.. seeing far away would be a blessing but I am weighing the "joy of seeing movies without having to pick contacts over glasses for 3D, and just being out and about without glasses getting in my way doing more extensive work around the house, outdoors. If the reading glasses comes at 50 , which is what my doc said would more than likely happen with or without lasik I ended up saying fuck it. Lol

I had a friend that got it done and ended up having to have it done 2 times, something to do with poor vision at night that just got worse and worse over time to the point where he couldn't drive at night and said it was like wearing sunglasses all the time. I'd rather not..

Ouch, I've read some of these stories as well on Reddit. Haloing can be bad , some fog. My gf Brother had it done 6 years ago and he mentioned it was a pain first month but he is really good now and would do it again. I'm not going to lie it's borderline rolling dice.