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Lasik?


Darth Groovy

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Little know fact, Groovy wears glasses. Not by choice. I have had to wear glasses since I was about 12. Through most of high school and up until my mid to late 20's I wore contact lenses.

 

Even when I wear the infamous Darth Maul costume, those yellow/red fire eyes are in fact...perscription lenses.

 

About 70% of the time, I just don't wear my glasses until I get horrible head aches, or just can't see.

 

My dream is to be able to wake up in the morning and be able to see across the room without having to put my glasses on. It is not so much that I look so bad in glasses, I just hate the way they feel on my face. Contacts....well they are an all together seperate hassle wich on occasion has cuased some minor eye infections from time to time.

 

I been reading up on Lasik surgery for a while. I know a few people that have had it done, and my insurance will actually cover a large chunk of the process.

 

I am just looking for some feedback from anyone here who has either had it done, or know somebody that has had it done.

 

I want to do this soon, but I don't want to just JUMP into this without careful research.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Groovy :cool:

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Oh come on Grooves, glasses aren't that bad :p

 

Contacts I've never tried, but I wear glasses. I've had them since I was about 4... course my eyesight got better to the point where they're only reading glasses now... but still.

 

I would personally advise against getting any surgery that is not for life threatening conditions... :(

 

Nevertheless, here are informational sites...

 

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/LASIK/default.htm

 

http://www.lasikeyesurgery.com/

 

http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/

 

Hope that helps your decision :)

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i got lasik. it wasnt that bad......kinda

i kinda squirmed a bit when the laser thingy was slowy coming down on my eye, and i had to keep looking at this red dot to make sure my eyes were staying still, then they cut a small flap in my cornea and then the laser starte reshaping the back of my retina. you cant see the laser but you can hear it and smell it burning the stuff, it's like when you burn hair.

then afterwards you only have to wear sunglasses for that day, then you can see results the next day, but you have to wear these protective goggle thingies whlie you sleep for a month and do constant eye drops for a while too.

you ever see "minority report" where that doctor puts that thing in tom cruise's eyes to keep them open? they have something like that they use too.

 

but if you can get through that then it should be alright. just make sure to take care of your eyes after cause they can go bad again.

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i cant wera contacts or get eye surgery...i got some stigmatism or something like of the sort...and that means im slightly cross-eyed! so yay for the four-eyed-cross-eyed kids!

 

but i would get it if i could..so get it done for the both of us grooves...

 

hey does this mean you'll MIA from the forums for a wee bit?

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I've had Lasek done.

 

I went for lasik, but it turned out my pupils were too big (why i always have my eyes shut if flash photography :D ) so i ended up having lasek... which is the more oldfashioned, more painful version.

 

(Lasik = cut a flap, do changes under it, replace flap. Heals quicker and can do both eyes at once).

(Lasek = scrape a layer off the top of the eye. Heals slower, hurts more and had one eye at a time done 2 weeks apart).

 

I got mine for £1000 an eye on interest free credit (£180 or so a month for a year) abnd think it was well worth it (cheaper than a car and lasts longer).

 

There was one point where they took out the protective contact lense to soon and for about 10 minutes it was the most painful thing i have EVER experienced... but that wouldn't apply to lasik.

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As for the benefit/long term effects, i guess they are the same for both, so here are a few impressions:

 

The first time i got glasses i was blown away by the clarity, then the amazement quickly wore off. The first time i moved up to contact lenses the same happened. When my eyes healed i was blown away by the clarity, but again, you soon forget about it and it just becomes normal.

 

It is nice to not have to worry about the hassle of contact lenses, remembering to take them out, cleaning them, working out how many hours you can wear them etc. But i think contact tech has improved a bit in these respects since i had them.

 

My eyesight in one eye is now perfect 20-20. The other eye is very close. Be aware that they can't guarantee the accuracy, as the decision of what to do is a bit of an educated guess by the doctor, though some companies will give "top up" operations if the results aren't satisfactory (some may charge for this).

 

My eyes do seem to get a little dry in summer, though i do get hayfever. Not sure if this is lasek/lasik related. I just use a few eyedrops if needed.

 

I do have a slight "halo effect" around lights at night (think lensflare) but it isn't too bad.. not really any worse than i used to get with glasses, not enough to stop me drivig at night. Some people have had it worse though i think.

 

Apparently my eyesight SHOULD stay constant now until i get to 45 ish, when a different effect kicks in that makes older people long sighted (need reading glasses)... but that would happen anyway, so at least i won't be BOTH short and long sighted when i am old. Of course, it hasn't been around that long, so there are no definates about long term effects.

 

As with any operation, there is always a tiny risk it could go wrong... you could always have the eyes done one at a time incase one goes wrong.

 

-------

 

Overall, even with a couple of minor drawbacks (dry eyes, lensflare) and with the fact that i now take it totally for granted, I still think it was well worth doing and a bargain for the price.

And in theory lasik is a lot easier and less painful than what i had...

 

If you have any specific question then ask away, though i can't guarantee the results would be the same with your eyes/lasik.

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Well, I don't know about you, but this 'hoodian here is one sharp-lookin' hunk of swampie with his glasses on. :p

 

I've had to wear glasses ever since I was 15 or so, after I noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult to read what my high school teachers put on the whiteboard and overhead projector. They felt uncomfortable to me at first as well, but I got used to them before long. Since then, it feels strange when I'm not wearing glasses.

 

I'm skeptical concerning corrective eye surgery. It sounds all well and good, but the consequences of a botched job frightens me. Better to wear glasses that give you close to 20/20 vision than permanent damage to the eye. It's up to you of course, but that's my two cents.

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Originally posted by Neverhoodian

I'm skeptical concerning corrective eye surgery. It sounds all well and good, but the consequences of a botched job frightens me. Better to wear glasses that give you close to 20/20 vision than permanent damage to the eye. It's up to you of course, but that's my two cents.

 

the chances of going blind or something after lasik is really slim to none. Maybe if you wiggle alot and jump out of your seat while the laser is working on your eye then, yea something might go wrong, but that's highly unlikely.

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Well, Groovy, my vision is baaad without glasses or contacts. I hate having to wear my glasses so mostly I go with contacts, but ever since I couldn't see well I wake up most mornings and wish that I could look out the window and actually make things out, so I've checked on the Lasik surgery quite a bit. I know that my orthodontist (yes, I wear glasses and braces. shut up. :o) has had the surgery done. He's got no regrets; it worked out perfectly, and he sees great now.

 

The way I've heard it, Canada has some really nice places to get it done. However, my orthodontist had his done in Boise, Idaho. The place that I had checke on was Coal Harbor Eye Centre. It's in Vancouver and the site explains a lot about the procedure, so even if you don't want to go to Canada to get it done, you can find out more about it at that link. I don't know how much research you've done but the actual procedure is incredibly short, and the recovery time is not very long either.

 

I hope this helps, and if you do go ahead and go for it, please let us know how it goes, and what facility you use. :)

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i like glasses and contacts. XD contacts are the best though. not the stupid **** you have to clean. i get the disposable ones that only last a day. very easy to put them in and take them out..i need to get more though i've been too long without them...planning on going for an eye exam next week and getting a month or so worth of them. (wish i had eye insurance.grrr)

 

i would HATE to have lasik/lasek done w/my eyes. it just creeps me out. especially if your eyes get FUBAR from it...not worth any risk, imo. since it's permanent.

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A lot of people don't like glasses (not on other people, but to wear them, themselves). I need them to drive. Tried contacts for awhile (hard contacts, ugh, that was horrible, couldn't stand them) but now I don't care and just go with glasses (which are cheaper for me than contacts, and a lot less hassle).

 

When I heard about laser eye surgery I also heard about the potential for it to screw up your vision permanently, so I figured "I'll wait a few years/decades and maybe it will improve." In that time I have gotten used to glasses and I don't really bother with it much.

 

Some have suggested I try soft contacts, but I guess I'm lazy. ; )

 

 

 

Good luck though!

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Originally posted by Kurgan

 

When I heard about laser eye surgery I also heard about the potential for it to screw up your vision permanently, so I figured "I'll wait a few years/decades and maybe it will improve."

 

lasik's pretty safe now. the only thing you need to worry about afterwards is constantly putting these eyedrops in your eyes otherwise they'll crust over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

j/k

:D

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When I heard about laser eye surgery I also heard about the potential for it to screw up your vision permanently, so I figured "I'll wait a few years/decades and maybe it will improve." In that time I have gotten used to glasses and I don't really bother with it much.

Yeah, the fact that there is even a slim possibility of it messing up totally was enough to make me want to wait. I don't mind wearing contacts and glasses aren't nearly as bad as they used to seem. :) So, for you, Groovy, I think that it depends on how bad you really want it and if that small risk seems like to much to you.

 

Some have suggested I try soft contacts, but I guess I'm lazy. ; )

Soft contacts ROCK!!! :thumbsup::D

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I am considering getting laser eye surgery, but I am choosing to hold off until they make more improvements on it. Just a few years ago, they literally made cuts...but now they use a safer laser. How much safer will it become in a few more years? :)

 

 

So I'm holding off for awhile. Thankfully, I don't have headaches when I don't wear glasses. I ONLY wear glasses when I "must" read something from a distance. IE...watching a movie, traveling somewhere new, etc...

 

I can drive without glasses as long as I know where I am (can't read street signs from afar, just when I get closer).

 

 

and I've never been in an accident either :p

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Yeah, the fact that there is even a slim possibility of it messing up totally was enough to make me want to wait.

 

it's pretty safe now, but of course there might be a small risk. there's risks in everything you do. everyday you walk outside your house, you're taking a risk of getting hit by a car or something. when you go to the dentist, you're risking your teeth getting some type of damage. any type of surgery there's bound to be some risks, but it's pretty safe now, so the chances of going blind after like flanders or something is slim to none.

 

Just a few years ago, they literally made cuts

 

they still do make cuts. but it's ok....cause they numb your eyes so you dont feel it. you only see the machine slowly lower itself onto your eye, but the whole thing's not that bad. its only 15 min long, the whole surgery. actually less time for the lasers. most of it is setting up your eyes.

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