Lasek laser eye surgery

[NorthEast]

Took the plunge to get laser eye surgery done to improve my quality of life and hunting. My eyes started hating contacts and I can't stand glasses. I hated having to carry around my glasses and contact solution everywhere. Early mornings in the tree stand were a hassle with the contacts. Once I'm fulling recovered it will be one less thing to worry about in the back country.

I had to have LasEk rather than lasik because I have a slightly thinner cornea. So far the recovery has been horrible. I am on day 9 of the first eye. You need to keep a bandage contact lens on for the first 1-2 weeks while it heals. I'm doing the next eye this Friday.

Anyone else have this done?

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

What problems did you start having with contacts? I'm curious because I'm going on 13 years wearing them and I'm starting to have issues with my eyes drying out.... Especially in the morning when I wake up. I need to get to an eye doc and am considering going lasik if that's what they recommend. Contacts are a pita!

 

[BroodBuster]

It'll be two years this June for me and I couldn't be happier. I still carry eye drops though. Apparently my dry eyes weren't all about the contacts.

It sucked for about two hours after the surgery but I was fine the next morning and went for a hike.

I was teaching a class when one contact tore and got embedded in the back of one eye. Spent the day in front of the class half blind and crying out of one eye. I was done with contacts and got the surgery two days later. One of the great investments I have ever made!

 

[NorthEast]

What problems did you start having with contacts? I'm curious because I'm going on 13 years wearing them and I'm starting to have issues with my eyes drying out.... Especially in the morning when I wake up. I need to get to an eye doc and am considering going lasik if that's what they recommend. Contacts are a pita!

I started to have dry eye only a few hours into wearing them. I tried different brands and my eyes would just get irritated. Wearing the contacts at night was just uncomfortable.

Reason my recovery has been so hard is because LasEk is a different procedure than lasik, but actually carries less risk, allegedly. Last eye surgery is actually much safer than daily contact wear.

 

[weaver]

Did lasik back in 08. Best money I ever spent

 

[squeekieslayer]

Last eye surgery is actually much safer than daily contact wear.

I assume you mean laser... But I would be interested in seeing any literature that shows this to be true.

 

[NorthEast]

Yes laser haha. I don't have any particular research other than the 3 surgeons I talked. My surgeon is the staff surgeon at mass eye and ear in Boston and told me he has never seen anyone go blind from Laser, but sees people go blind weekly from contact infections.

 

[squeekieslayer]

Nothing against your surgeon, but many many studies have proven otherwise. I am all for laser surgery of all kinds. I have never seen anyone "go blind" but do rarely see Complications from lasik. Also, the key is PROPER contact lens care.

Again, i am all in when it comes to laser... But ophthalmologists love to use llanguage like that to sell lasik. It is a great great procedure for many people, i just don't want people that are bad candidates to get the wrong idea about contact lens use.

Get lasik, but if you cant, take care of your contants properly and they will take care of you.

 

[5MilesBack]

I wore contacts for 18 years (gas perms). Absolutely loved the crystal clear 20/15 vision I had with those. But my eyes kept getting worse until the lenses were so thick that they'd start popping out all the time when I blinked. I was alone in BC in the middle of a river fly fishing when one popped out. I couldn't do anything at that point except drive home (1400 miles at the time) and order a new one. Got Lasik soon after, that was 1999. I'm back to wearing soft contacts now as my eyes continued to change after the Lasik. Still don't regret it though, I was blind as a bat before Lasik. Now I'm just mostly blind without the contacts.

 

[NorthEast]

Nothing against your surgeon, but many many studies have proven otherwise. I am all for laser surgery of all kinds. I have never seen anyone "go blind" but do rarely see Complications from lasik. Also, the key is PROPER contact lens care.

Again, i am all in when it comes to laser... But ophthalmologists love to use llanguage like that to sell lasik. It is a great great procedure for many people, i just don't want people that are bad candidates to get the wrong idea about contact lens use.


Get lasik, but if you cant, take care of your contants properly and they will take care of you.

Agreed, and I should have been more clear. His explanation was very very similar to this, especially about proper lens care.

 

[luke moffat]

Best money on optics I ever spent!!!

Had mine done in spring of 2011. Only regret is I didn't get it done sooner.

 

[KMT]

I got lasek in 2003 and was riding dirt bikes the next day. Like Luke, my only egret was not doing it sooner.

 

[aboltlrhunter]

I've been wanting to get lasik for a long time now as I also cannot wear contacts for too long before my eyes start bugging me. I just need to pull the trigger and do it, i know I will wished I would have sooner.

 

[wyosteve]

Had both eyes done in 1997 and have been 20/15 and 20/20 ever since. Was around 20/600 before. But as someone referenced, make sure you are a good candidate to start with.

 

[Daniel_M]

X2. As a candidate with 20/400 vision I had it done in June 2011, best money ever spent for enjoying the outdoors. All the BS associated with glasses, contacts in the woods.

 

[jlsteel]

I have had it for about 1 year now. Like you I did it mainly for hunting. Took me about 3 months to heal completely where I didn't get really dry eyes.

 

[MuleyFever]

Dont want to hijack but for those of you that may not be candidates for laser correction you may want to look into ICL implants. My wife could not get laser so she went the ICL route. It is more expensive though. Unfortunately for her about 6 months later she had a detached cornea and ended up with a buckle around her eye that permanently changed her vision. Eventually she may have the ICL replaced to correct for the effect of the buckle.

 

[Adam B]

I had PRK done on my eyes DR say for me it was better then lasik because they don't cut the flap in you eye to do surgery he said if I should hit my eye the flap could come back open. Opening morning of deer season climbing stand in dark little limb hit me right in eye probably would of popped open. Had my surgery in 2011 the 1st month was real bad for me with dry eyes and pain. But after that I had 20/20 vision and last month had another eye appointment still got 20/20 and Dr could not tell I had surgery with prk there is no scaring on eyes. But yeah its the best money I ever spent on hunting and wish I would of done it sooner.

 

[SDC]

Best money my wife and I ever spent. She was 20/200- (legally blind) without her glasses when we met. If we were laying on the couch and I put her glasses on the coffee table, I'd have to get them for her; she couldn't see them at 4' distance. From a self-defense standpoint, she was dead if she lost or broke her glasses.

She walked into the office for the surgery at 20/200-, and within an hour (after consultations and on the day of the surgery) walked out at 20/25. Within a month, it had healed to 20/20. That was several years back, and we'd do it all over again tomorrow.

 

[Obi-wanshinobi]

It's good to hear of the success stories. I haven't taken the plunge yet but may do so soon. My eyes are so bad that I shouldn't even drive without my glasses according to the optometrist.