[AjzRide]

I had mine done about 14 months, and it is the best money I have ever spent. I had -1.75 prescription before, and now I have 20/15. I chose to have mine done in Atlanta at one of the big Lasik institutes rather than having it done locally. The guys at work said I was nuts going to the cheaper place, but the truth is, they are super efficient, and it went like clock work. I would definitely recommend one of the high volume places. I paid about $3500 to have both eyes done BTW.

[xtac]

The question than remains who is the best doctor? not easy to find

[Blake]

Originally Posted by xtac

The question than remains who is the best doctor? not easy to find

find a bigger practice that specializes in lasik. they will have the most experience. a lot of docs, at least here, that specialize in lasik do dozens of procedures every week. most of the time, it's comparing apples to apples. they all do the same thing with relatively the same equipment. ask locally who a good doc is.

[ideliver]

Do not do on the cheap...you do not want your operation done by the lowest bidder...make appointments with at least 3 refractive surgeons and LISTEN to what the have to say...this is not monkey surgery (an operation so simple that a monkey could do it)....and find the right fit for you...

[LACSTER]

I had it done back 2006 and it was the best mod I've ever done! Had it done by Nuvision in Arcadia and ran me about $4000. Flex Spending Account from work FTW!

[xtac]

yeah i so want to do it, definitely going to do some research. Tons of it. Probably end up seeing 5 doctors

[Saigon]

my optometrist told me not to do it, she said i would have to keep going back for "touch-ups" and that my eyes are still developing. Since my vision gets worse every year by avg -.20 she suggests that I wait until it doesn't change for at least 3 years. Then again, she's vietnamese and on bolsa & magnolia so I don't know if I can trust her suggestion, maybe she was trying to keep me as a customer...

[UncleWede]

Most lasik surgeons won't do it unless your vision is stable for three years. If they do, go to another surgeon.

[Njave]

Originally Posted by AjzRide

I had mine done about 14 months, and it is the best money I have ever spent. I had -1.75 prescription before, and now I have 20/15. I chose to have mine done in Atlanta at one of the big Lasik institutes rather than having it done locally. The guys at work said I was nuts going to the cheaper place, but the truth is, they are super efficient, and it went like clock work. I would definitely recommend one of the high volume places. I paid about $3500 to have both eyes done BTW.

Great information! I was wondering what and how for some time. I wear contact lenses for some 8 years now. And I'm kinda getting sick and tired of the daily routine, getting the glasses, then getting the contacts in. Right now my left eye is so irritated for some reason, that I will probably have to remove the contacts, clean them, clean the eye, and put them back again, which proves to be nerve wrecking every time it happens.

How did the post operation procedure go? Any special drops, glasses, or something else was needed for you to keep the eye's health after the surgery? Or did you come home at the evening, go to bed and just wake up the next morning, with perfect vision? :P

[xtac]

i was not aware you had to wait till your vision was stable, mine changes every yr.

[742]

Originally Posted by MadDog

OK, I'll be the dissenter. Go here: lasik disaster

+1.

A 1% risk of serious complications sounds good as a sound bite, but it is in fact very bad odds when dealing with your vision.

[LTO]

i'm an optometrist and you definitely should wait until your prescription is stable before you get lasik. otherwise, you'll either need touch-ups or a lighter glasses prescription again. your vision should stabilize around your mid-20's. also, it is not always permanent. there could be some regression around the 5 year mark or so. i've seen some people post lasik that are still 20/20 after 10 years, and some that are getting near-sighted again 3-4 years later. i had lasik on 2006 and a touch-up in 2007 and now i'm about a -0.50. so i'm just one of those cases who's eyes like to be near-sighted. i was about a -6.75 w/ -1.25 cyl before my first procedure. so if you have a high prescription like that, i still recommend it. i'm still happy even though i'm not 20/15 anymore. but definitely stay away from the cheap places.

[xtac]

Originally Posted by LTO

i'm an optometrist and you definitely should wait until your prescription is stable before you get lasik. otherwise, you'll either need touch-ups or a lighter glasses prescription again. your vision should stabilize around your mid-20's. also, it is not always permanent. there could be some regression around the 5 year mark or so. i've seen some people post lasik that are still 20/20 after 10 years, and some that are getting near-sighted again 3-4 years later. i had lasik on 2006 and a touch-up in 2007 and now i'm about a -0.50. so i'm just one of those cases who's eyes like to be near-sighted. i was about a -6.75 w/ -1.25 cyl before my first procedure. so if you have a high prescription like that, i still recommend it. i'm still happy even though i'm not 20/15 anymore. but definitely stay away from the cheap places.

I'm 24, and I hope it stablizes, but I don't know if it will, I spend most of my days looking at a computer. My vision has gotten real bad in the last 7 yrs.

[Nixon]

Originally Posted by number335

Don't cheap out when getting a qualified person who knows what they are doing. From my understanding, any eye docter can get a laser machine and do the surgery. Do research and find out how much experience your docter has with lasik.

Actually, ANY doctor can buy or rent time on a laser machine and do the surgery. That includes many dentists, chiropractors, etc...

[Cab5er]

Do it. Its awesome

[AjzRide]

Post surgery is pretty simple. Sleep with an eye protector on at night so you don't accidentally rub them in your sleep (this could lift the flap before it heals) and put two sets of drops in (Anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial) 3 times a day for ten days. You also may suffer from some dryness or itchiness for the first two weeks, you will have drops for those as well. For the first week or so, I also had problems with double vision for the first 15-20 minutes after I woke up.

[ToothDoc]

I've got an optometrist buddy and he recently went to some lasik convention. During the convention, they did an informal survey of sorts where they asked over a thousand opthalmologists if they had lasik done on their eyes. LESS than 1% had it done to themselves. Doesn't that statistic make you wonder why you should do it?

I, for one, was recommended by my patients (eye docs) and family (eye docs) who all told me NOT to do it. I can't risk hurting my eyesight in my line of business. If you are in a similar situation where you NEED to see, stick with your contacts or glasses.

[Accord]

Originally Posted by ToothDoc

I've got an optometrist buddy and he recently went to some lasik convention. During the convention, they did an informal survey of sorts where they asked over a thousand opthalmologists if they had lasik done on their eyes. LESS than 1% had it done to themselves. Doesn't that statistic make you wonder why you should do it?

I, for one, was recommended by my patients (eye docs) and family (eye docs) who all told me NOT to do it. I can't risk hurting my eyesight in my line of business. If you are in a similar situation where you NEED to see, stick with your contacts or glasses.

I'm sorry, but you're just wrong. How many tens of thousands of military pilots, soldiers, Marines, etc. have successfully gotten LASIK or PRK? The last thing the government wants to do is subject them to something which will make us combat ineffective and non-deployable.

I am in a profession where someones eyesight won't just result in messing up someones mouth, but will cost a lot of people their lives. I need my eyes to spot IED wire trails in a road we're traveling on 100m ahead, I need my eyes to spot muzzle flashes from enemy AK47's at 800m, I need my eyes to be able to see that the person two football fields away is a women holding a basket instead of an enemy insurgeny holding an RPG, I need my eyes to stay alive and keep my Marines alive.

I don't care if the people who told you not to get it done are doctors, if they were good doctors they would tell you to do your research, get consultations with the best in the business, and see if you're a good candidate for the surgery or not. If you have a good surgeon, he will easily turn down the money and disqualify you if he thinks there is even a chance of the surgery not being completely successful. I had PRK done last year and my vision is now 20/10 in both eyes and in 3 months I am going on my second combat deployment to Afghanistan.

The recovery period for PRK is absolutely brutal, the pain is more intense than anything i've ever felt on earth and it lasts about 5 days and will make any grown tough guy come to his knees, but if you're in a field where not just having good eyesight matters but having DURABLE eyes matter, then you absolutely need to get PRK and not LASIK. You deploy to Afghanistan with LASIK and you're going to have eye infections among other serious complications, PRK is a must because there is no flap created in the eye. Yes, the flap heals with LASIK but it is never as strong as it originally once was.

[xtac]

Originally Posted by Accord

I'm sorry, but you're just wrong. How many tens of thousands of military pilots, soldiers, Marines, etc. have successfully gotten LASIK or PRK? The last thing the government wants to do is subject them to something which will make us combat ineffective and non-deployable.

I am in a profession where someones eyesight won't just result in messing up someones mouth, but will cost a lot of people their lives. I need my eyes to spot IED wire trails in a road we're traveling on 100m ahead, I need my eyes to spot muzzle flashes from enemy AK47's at 800m, I need my eyes to be able to see that the person two football fields away is a women holding a basket instead of an enemy insurgeny holding an RPG, I need my eyes to stay alive and keep my Marines alive.

I don't care if the people who told you not to get it done are doctors, if they were good doctors they would tell you to do your research, get consultations with the best in the business, and see if you're a good candidate for the surgery or not. If you have a good surgeon, he will easily turn down the money and disqualify you if he thinks there is even a chance of the surgery not being completely successful. I had PRK done last year and my vision is now 20/10 in both eyes and in 3 months I am going on my second combat deployment to Afghanistan.

The recovery period for PRK is absolutely brutal, the pain is more intense than anything i've ever felt on earth and it lasts about 5 days and will make any grown tough guy come to his knees, but if you're in a field where not just having good eyesight matters but having DURABLE eyes matter, then you absolutely need to get PRK and not LASIK. You deploy to Afghanistan with LASIK and you're going to have eye infections among other serious complications, PRK is a must because there is no flap created in the eye. Yes, the flap heals with LASIK but it is never as strong as it originally once was.

Interesting, however I think your eye sight is just as important as anyones is . I haven't done the reading on prk but why is it this something not by most people? Is prk used in a different situation, or is it customer preferred, or what?

[742]

Originally Posted by Accord

I'm sorry, but you're just wrong. How many tens of thousands of military pilots, soldiers, Marines, etc. have successfully gotten LASIK or PRK? ....

I make my living as a pilot. One friend of mine had LASIK and got great results.

Another one will never fly again. Ever.

Roll the dice.

[TSM330i]

My wife got it at Kremer Laser Eye in KOP. They pioneered many of the methods used (her surgeon has perfomed over 20,000 surgeries!).
She LOVES it! She can see perfectly and has no issues at all. They are expensive $6k, but totally worth it. I would never go to the cheap places. These are you eyes.

[AjzRide]

For PRK they don't cut a flap on your eye, they scrub the top layer off, and let it regrow. Mostly this is used on people whose top layer is too thin to create a flap in, but as was said above, you could request it if you were going into harsh conditions and were worried about the strength of your eye. My mother had and it, and yes, she was in severe pain for about ten days.