Topic: I'm excited, yet nervous. Going under the knife, er laser on Friday...

[GroovieGhoulie]

On Friday I'm getting LASIK surgery.  I'm excited that I can finally do away with glasses, but kinda nervous too.

No more awkwardness putting on a full-face.  A wider selection of goggles and sunglasses that don't have to be prescription.

This is gonna be teh awesomez!!!

[kslrr]

You will not regret it.  I had it done 1 1/2 years ago.  I love waking up in the morning and seeing clearly!  Not to mention that I can now wear cool looking sunglasses with out spending a fortune for a perscription.

The procedure is quick.  You will be out of there in no time.
I wish you well and a speedy recovery.

[Rocking-M]

I've thought about it for years but,
I wear soft contacts and believe it our not.
They do protect the eye some from chips and what not.
I hate to wear goggles or face shield when cutting and
since it is saw chips that I am occasionally hit with it
never has bother me. Except on time when a spring
limb snapped and jambed a small limb into my cheek
below my eye. As I told my oldest son who has
had body piercings done. If you wait long enough
and live long enough you'll get your share of
body piercings without having to pay for it.

But back to lasics, let us know how it turns out. I still think about it.

[Bob Wessner]

As an eye glass wearer all my life, I've thought about this, but never took any action on it. Have a question though, once you get it, what happens later in life with the inevitable changes that take place with your vision? Do you get re-LASIK'd or have to resort to glasses anyway??

[kslrr]

As far as I understand it, for someone my age (46), the eyes are no longer changing shape.  The lens however does get stiff.  I need to use reading glasses.

[Uncle Ernie]

Just wait Pal- when your lenses are the only thing that gets stiff, you won't even think about reading glasses. Give it another couple of years.

[ProTeal55]

I have had a few friends have this done and they ALL say they should of done it sooner..

[kslrr]

Thanks Ernie, just needed one more thing to remind me how OLD I am getting!

[GroovieGhoulie]

As an eye glass wearer all my life, I've thought about this, but never took any action on it. Have a question though, once you get it, what happens later in life with the inevitable changes that take place with your vision? Do you get re-LASIK'd or have to resort to glasses anyway??

As kslrr said, your eyes stabilize in your early 20s and don't get "worse" barring some weird, statistically rare event.  However, the lens hardens and you can't focus up close.  My dad was born with 20/15 vision in each eye, which he still has, except now, he wears reading glasses.  Most people need reading glasses as they get older, and I'm OK with that.

Plus the place I'm going to has a lifetime warranty.  If I ever need to have my eyes "tweaked" down the road, it's free.

[GroovieGhoulie]

I have had a few friends have this done and they ALL say they should of done it sooner..

I got looked at in 2001 or 2002.  I wasn't a good candidate then because the technology wasn't good enough to work on my eyes.  My pupils opened up too wide.  They said to check back in a few years.

So here it is, six years later, and I AM a good candidate because the technology has progressed amazingly since then, I go in Friday, they fire laser beams into my eyes and Bob's yer uncle.

[medic09]

I watched my wife's procedure. It was very cool.  She thought so too.

[tsflstb]

Had it done back in January.  I'm having some issues with my left eye once in a while.  I don't know if that "flap" thing they cut has healed correctly.  I'll find out tomorrow.

I'm showing up drunk if they have to do it again.

[74cb750]

My sister had it done because
seriously, she could not get glasses any thicker
Now she sees perfectly.
She had it done in Canada 3 years ago for $999.00
Maybe I should do it.
peace and relax,
michel

[STL Hawkeye]

Good Decision Ghoulie -
I had it done in 1997 when I was 34.  At the time I was very very nearsighted.  Could not drive without contacts or glasses.  After I had it done, I was 20/15 in both eyes for several years.  The only negative was that I lost some amount of night vision.  They say this is common if there is a considerable amount of correction to be done.  I could still drive and everything.  Even with the loss of some night vision, It was still well worth it.

My eyesight has regressed a little since then to the point that I needed to purchase glasses last year to see well at a distance.  However, they say that it is natural to still lose some vision as you age, as you normally would be prone to do anyway.  The good news is that I can have it done again in the future, when my vision stabilizes. 

Nothing like waking up and reading seeing the alarm clock clearly the first morning after
Good Luck!

[Jeb]

You're going to love it.  The only bad part for me is that when I get out the shower I see this fat old man in the mirror where I used to see just a blur. 

[medic09]

Had it done back in January.  I'm having some issues with my left eye once in a while.  I don't know if that "flap" thing they cut has healed correctly.  I'll find out tomorrow.

I'm showing up drunk if they have to do it again.

My wife had trouble with one eye.  The treating physician wanted to give it a few months to heal as much as it might, to determine if there was really a problem.  Sure enough, he re-did that eye after about 6 months.  Within days she was problem free, and is really glad she did the surgery.

Don't be deterred if they have to do a correction.  A certain percentage of patients run into that.

[DammitDan]

I had mine done in June of 2005.  Best thing I ever did!

The procedure doesn't hurt...  It's just "uncomfortable".  But I've got lazy eyes, so having them held open for so long (15 minutes or so) was kinda fatiguing.  The surgery itself was super quick, and once I was in the chair, it was over in less than 5 minutes.

I went from a 6.8 in my right eye and a 8.2 in my left eye down to 20/15 in the right and 20/25 in the left.  You'll see...  As soon as you walk out of the surgery room you'll notice a drastic difference!  When I woke up the next morning and could see the alarm clock...  man.   

[Uncle Ernie]

I got to wondering if any of you guys are sorry you can see things better; your crummy paint job,  how ugly you REALLY are while shaving - stuff like that?

[GroovieGhoulie]

Back from the follow-up.  Had the surgery earlier this morning.

Anyway, eyes have been clearing up all day, should get better tomorrow. Had the follow-up about six hours after the surgery. Corneal flap sat right back down with no problems. Saw about 20/35 already, which the doctor said is awesome considering how swollen and irritated my cornea still was, and how it was so soon after surgery. He said that while they cannot guarantee results, he wouldn't doubt me having better than 20/20 by tomorrow morning.

I'm VERY stoked. Only issue is my eyes are dry as sh*t, so I'm putting drops in often.

[cafe75-550]

Glad to hear everything went well! I had mine done a year and a half ago. Just keep up with the drops, and don't worry too much about the "halo's" and glare for a little bit. Mine took a few weeks before my night vision was back to normal. But once everything stabilized I started testing at 20/15. Good luck! 

[kslrr]

Alright! Welcome to the world of the seeing!  You will be amazed every day as your sight improves!