Laser Eye Surgery Experiences

[Nekonaruto]

I came in here expecting something like this:

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0...lops_super.jpg

[Clash Perez]

Canadian military won't let you join with your current eyesight? I joined the American military with -6 in one eye, and -7 in the other. Odd. You might want to check with the recruiters before you jump right into it; I know in the US, there are certain restrictions for those who have had refractive eye surgeries.

I had PRK (through the military) about three or four years ago. I don't regret it, although the procedure was definitely strange, and the recovery time was considerable compared to LASIK.

I definitely suggest the eye drops in the fridge trick. It's a pretty fair amount of pain the first day or two, but it begins to abate after that.

Also, if you have PRK, set yourself up with something to do for a few days that doesn't include your eyes. I was bored out of my mind because I didn't prepare sufficiently.

[aduidarnenye]

Canadian military won't let you join with your current eyesight? I joined the American military with -6 in one eye, and -7 in the other. Odd. You might want to check with the recruiters before you jump right into it; I know in the US, there are certain restrictions for those who have had refractive eye surgeries.

I had PRK (through the military) about three or four years ago. I don't regret it, although the procedure was definitely strange, and the recovery time was considerable compared to LASIK.

I definitely suggest the eye drops in the fridge trick. It's a pretty fair amount of pain the first day or two, but it begins to abate after that.

Also, if you have PRK, set yourself up with something to do for a few days that doesn't include your eyes. I was bored out of my mind because I didn't prepare sufficiently.

Well, it's good to learn that if Canada and the US ever had a war our small, under-equipped military would be offset by blind Yankee soldiers! A fighting chance!

I talked to the recruiter medical guy yesterday and I meet the vision requirement for the trade I'm applying to, which is MARS officer in the navy, at a V4, but I think it would be much easier to go through basic training without having to worry about contact lenses or glasses. And life in general too.

People who get laser eye surgery can join the military, and in fact they recommend it for people who don't meet vision requirements, but they are blocked from being pilots and some combat trades if they get LASIK. They can get PRK and still be pilots or those few combat trades. Personally, I don't have any interest in becoming a pilot or any combat trade, I want to be a bridge officer on a ship.




What happens if you do LASIK and want to go swimming later (not right away, after healing)? Can you open your eyes under water or is that not recommended?

What does having that eye flap thingy mean in terms of limitations in future endeavours (outside of the military)?

[Eversor]

I got PRK done about a year ago and it was one of the best things I ever did. The first week will suck, especially if you are around smoke and/or pet dander. Mainly cause for the first week, they had me wear some sort of contacts that were like a bandage to protect while the eye heals. The contacts are clear but they are worse than normal contacts for getting stuff on them and you cant take them off. But after they are removed by the Lasik doctor, you will be amazed at how well you feel.

As for the actual surgery itself, imagine something like the setup from Clockwork Orange to hold your eyes open. They only did one at a time so its not like you have both eyes open the whole time. They have a nurse lubricating your eye with drops the whole time, and it doesnt hurt at all. Just got the small annoyance of a bright green light in your eye and not able to blink for a few seconds.

If you have bad eyes, you should put some serious thought into Lasik/PRK.

[Baolin]

My prescription was very similar to yours (bad astigmatism and all) and I just had the surgery a month and a half ago at age 25. Day after was 20/20 vision and haven't had any fluctuations. My advice would be to find a good opthalmologist in your area and go to them rather than one of the LASIK factory places. It will cost more, but at the same point its your eyes and you only want to do it once with the possibility of maybe needing an enhancement.

To answer some of the questions/comments as the surgery is still fresh on my mind :
-Yes, they do suction your eye before making the incision for obvious reasons. However, it's not like they suction it out of the socket or anything like that. They do just enough to keep you from moving your eye while cutting. For me, they used a topical numbing drop and if you have any discomfort when they are putting the suction on (worst part of procedure btw), ask the doctor to add more drops.

-(wavefront lasik) The laser used works off a topological map of your eye that they create a grid out of when performing the surgery. If you move your eye slightly, the grid moves with it and therefore the laser moves as well to avoid errors. If your eye moves outside the grid, the laser automatically shuts off.

-The whole scratching your eyes thing is valid for the first week or two as you don't want to dislodge the corneal flap while its healing. The doctor told me not to touch my eyes for the first week. After the 1 week checkup, he said everything was healing nicely and that I could rub without worrying about messing anything up.

-As for swimming, for me the timetable was 1 month until I could swim. Again this has to do with the healing process, and I think it was more related to not wanting the chemicals to get behind the flap than anything else. After one month, I'm good to swim all I want now though.

Only other opinion I can offer is that if the doctor you choose offers it, get the Bladeless Lasik where they use a second laser to make the incision rather than a microkeratome (blade). The incision made is supposedly much more precise and is supposed to cut down on the negative side effects that can come from creating the flap. Either way you don't actually see the blade or laser when making the incision because your vision goes black after they create the suction on your eye. As others have said, it can be a very creepy/uncomfortable feeling, or atleast was for me. You can ask the doctor prior to surgery for a prescription for valium or something similar if you think you will be uneasy on the day of surgery.

[Dantrag]

Got mine done at 23, 25 almost 26 now, my prescription was something like -5.7 and -4.8. My right eye has/had an astigmatism. I got what they called "wave" length lasik or something. I've 20/20 since. Took about a day to recover from the blurriness. Shit freaked me out on the first day though...

[kuronosan]

Did you guys finance this or something? How did you have $4000 just lying around?

[Mabubeezareel]

Some people, you know, actually SAVE their money to spend it on large purchases that they can afford to pay for without credit. By the time I was 20, I had close to $20k in the bank from working two jobs. Stop being lazy and spending all your money on hookers and booze.

[kuronosan]

Yes, because asking if you financed it means I don't know how to save money.

[Baolin]

The total cost on mine was $2750 per eye and Vision Service Plan offered a 15% discount but only if you paid up front and didn't finance it (not sure why but that's what I was told). Either way, money saved with 15% discount paying up front was more than what I would have saved doing the 0% financing over the course of 12 months and letting my money sit in a bank account collecting interest.

[Darkanaseur]

Wow those prices seem crazy, seem a lot cheaper in the UK, been thinking about doing it myself, just worried dry eye might be the most uncomfortable thing ever :<

[aduidarnenye]

Did you guys finance this or something? How did you have $4000 just lying around?

The cheapest Lasik places do it for CAD $490 an eye here, so less than a thousand total. I'm not sure how much mine will cost, probably more than that because of the astigmatism. I'm also not getting it done at Lasik too.

[viperlasson]

I use contact lenses myself, but my mom got the treatment done a couple years ago. She said it was one of the best things she's ever done. Only side effect was that she has/had dry eyes since the treatment and uses eye drops often now.

[Clash Perez]

Well, it's good to learn that if Canada and the US ever had a war our small, under-equipped military would be offset by blind Yankee soldiers! A fighting chance!

I talked to the recruiter medical guy yesterday and I meet the vision requirement for the trade I'm applying to, which is MARS officer in the navy, at a V4, but I think it would be much easier to go through basic training without having to worry about contact lenses or glasses. And life in general too.

People who get laser eye surgery can join the military, and in fact they recommend it for people who don't meet vision requirements, but they are blocked from being pilots and some combat trades if they get LASIK. They can get PRK and still be pilots or those few combat trades. Personally, I don't have any interest in becoming a pilot or any combat trade, I want to be a bridge officer on a ship.




What happens if you do LASIK and want to go swimming later (not right away, after healing)? Can you open your eyes under water or is that not recommended?

What does having that eye flap thingy mean in terms of limitations in future endeavours (outside of the military)?

The biggest advantage of PRK over LASIK is the complete healing of the eye. Due to the process by which LASIK works, the eye will never fully heal.

Long version:

Spoiler: show

The part of the eye addressed by both techniques are two basic layers: the epithelium, and the stroma.

Epithelium: Soft, mushy outer layer that is composed of cells which regenerate, and provide a layer of protection for the stroma below.

Stroma: Layer of rigid transparent cells, which form the 'lens' of the eye. The stroma does not regenerate, which is why both PRK and LASIK are long-term solutions for correction of vision; the laser reshapes the stroma to provide a more perfect lens.

PRK scrubs off the epithelium, exposing the stroma, which is then reshaped. Over the course of the next several days, the epithelium grows over the stroma and eventually returns to normal.

LASIK uses a method (typically a laser or a razor) to remove the top layer of the stroma, leaving a small strip of epithelium connecting the flap and the rest of the eye. This flap is flipped back, and the stroma is reshaped. The flap is then put back into its original position. LASIK's recovery time is reduced because the only part of the eye which needs to heal is the doughnut-shaped ring around the outside. However, stroma never heals and can potentially become a liability in the future.

tl;dr: PRK heals completely but requires more recovery time. LASIK allows for quick but incomplete healing.

I was lucky enough to have the military pay for my surgery. I didn't spend a dime. I was considered a good candidate since I was a nuclear operator at the time.

It's easy for me to say this since I didn't actually spend any money, but I wouldn't skimp on something as important as my vision. Make sure you find a reputable place.

[kuronosan]

I don't understand why people would go for LASIK if PRK is so much better.

I'm already considering PRK for myself. How much should I expect to spend, as a range?

[Clash Perez]

I don't understand why people would go for LASIK if PRK is so much better.

I'm already considering PRK for myself. How much should I expect to spend, as a range?

It's really about the recovery time. I've known people who have driven home after LASIK, although it's not recommended. With PRK, one's eyes take much longer to recover. My vision took about a month to clear up to 20/20; things were pretty fuzzy the first couple of weeks, and slowly improved. The pain is no joke, either. They gave anesthetizing drops which helped considerably, you're supposed to use them as infrequently as you can stand. I made it through the first day without them, but after that I used the maximum dosage permissible on the prescription label.

[Cesaria]

HOLY FUCK, WHAT? If you're serious about them sucking your eyeball then fuck that shit, I'd rather go blind><;

Yep I'm in this camp. I only do ikky stuff if I can close my eyes and pretend it's not happening - hence I'll deal with glasses and contacts tyvm (I'm a wimp)

[ikethegreat]

Did you guys finance this or something? How did you have $4000 just lying around?

I saved up the money just for the surgery ahead of time. Gave me plenty of time to think it over.

I don't understand why people would go for LASIK if PRK is so much better.
I'm already considering PRK for myself. How much should I expect to spend, as a range?

Who says PRK is so much better? My eyesight was horrible and now I have 20/20 and 20/15. It doesn't get much better then that. Plus there is no pain and minimal recovery time. If anything, I'd say Lasik is the better of the two options.

[Dense]

I did Lasik 10 years ago, and it's still one of the best decisions I've taken.

I had -8.50 and -8.75 with an astigmatism.

I had abused my eyes with contacts for 5-6 years previous to the surgery, lots of late nights, lots of infections etc. The surgery did make my eyes even drier, but with the drops I managed well enough. I finished with perfect sight, and only in the last year or so my astigmatism has started to affect the vision in one of my eyes. I still see with precision, and even better than most of the rest of my friends that have never had glasses/contacts...