Eyeballs and lasik... have you had it done?

I think I know where I'm spending my mod money for 2018 - on modding myself! I've been a life-long glasses/contacts wearer and have watched the evolution of Lasik for 20 years hoping one day I would get it done. Now seems to be the right time...

My contact Rx isn't too bad, -4 in each eye with a very slight astigmatism in my left eye. My corneas are just under 500 microns thick and one consult says PRK and the other says there's plenty of room for Lasik. I've got a 3rd consult this week and will then go sit down with my eye doctor and discuss the three options and make a decision. Picking a doctor seems to be the toughest decision in all of this; I do have a good idea who to stay away from.

Frankly, I'm super excited about the prospect of ditching glasses. I spend a great deal of time trail running and mountain biking here in humid north GA and I'm just damn tired of dealing with prescription oakleys fogging up and bouncing around on my head. I'm perfectly fine wearing readers when needed but if I could get corrected to 20/20 or better, I'd be stoked.

What's been your experience? If you're in the Atlanta area and had it done, who was your Dr.?

Mike

 

I had Lasik in 2010.. Despite that fact I now wear glasses again... ZERO regrets.

I was +6 in my right and +7 in my left, with an astigmatism in both. Wore glasses since I was 6 months old. Went in for Lasik at 4pm, came home, passed out with meds, woke up and laughed my ass off as I could see everything with 20 20 vision. For weeks life was so fucking weird, simple things were awesome!

So fast forward 24 months, my eyesight deteriorated enough that life is more comfortable in glasses but... If I'm working out or at the beach or something, I can easily go without them. I think my deterioration was because a) I was right on the edge of what could be corrected , b) getting old.

Fwiw, I can t have Lasik again but could have PRK... Not interested in that at all. The overnight fix of Lasik is awesome, PRK sounds like a major pain in n in the stones.

All in all, best mod you'll ever do, it will transform your life in really simple ways. Pm me for more info if you like

 

2 of my co-workers had lasik, said they would do it again in a heartbeat, no issues.

 

I had PRK in 2008, best decision I ever made for my eyes. I had been told my my eye doctor that I could not have Lasik because I had an astigmatism in both eyes, but he does not do Lasik surgery. I could have done either Lasik or PRK, doctor that did the surgery told me that the PRK would work better for me because of the astigmatism and the fact that at the time I was a Security Officer working in a hospital. He said that PRK was a better option for Security and Police, since there is no flap. Yes, the recovery time is longer, a week vs a day, but I could see better the day of surgery. I would go back in a heart beat to do it again, if I ever needed to. Last year I had to get another pair of glasses to wear at night when I drive, it is not a bad enough change that would warrant me going back to a touch up from PRK. If it get worse then I will.

 

I had lasik done about 4 years ago. I was -4 in both eyes and had wore contacts/glasses since I was really young. After the surgery on the way home I opened my eyes a little and could read the license plate on the car in front of me. I knew it worked. My only problem now is at night, It’s hardly see the guide on the tv and driving is not the best. I contacted the doctor about it and was promised it would get better. Well, 4 years later it hasn’t and I’m ok with it. I just throw some reading glasses on at night when needed.

Had mine done at the LASIK Vision Institute here in Charlotte. Although, everything went fine, I felt like I was just a number as there was at least 15 other people there and they were just lining us up. No one on one with the doc the day of because he was just doing one after the other. Made me nervous.

 

-5.25 in both eyes prior to LASIK in 2007. I have no regrets and still see 20/20 out of both eyes. No halos or other common side effects. I'm not sure how the process has changed in the last ten years, but for me, the momentary discomfort of surgery was well worth a lifetime of being able to see as soon as I wake up and not having to screw with contacts or glasses inside a mask at work.

 

Great feedback. Thanks.

I have strongly considered PRK due to the natural re-growth of the epithelium covering the cornea but, the longer recovery time seems like a drag...

 

they f-ed up on my brother
went blind in one eye.

keep That in mind!

 

Oh man, I hate to hear that. Did his surgery just not go well? Any specifics you can provide?

 

I had -6.75 in both eyes with an astigmatism in both eyes as well prior. I had mine done in 2008 and I still have 20/15 vision.

I had mine done at Berkeley Eye Center in The Woodlands Texas and get lifetime touch ups if I ever need it.

I have a very slight haloing effect on the highway street lights at night but nothing that I would consider annoying or bothersome.

I would do it again in a heartbeat and we are currently saving to get my wife done in the future.

 

I had PRK done about 10 or 11 years ago. It was a pain in the ass but I have no regrets, my vision is still perfect. lasik is much easier and less painful but it wasn't an option for me.

 

I had PRK done about 10 years ago. I wanted LASIK due to the quickness of seeing better and healing, etc. Unfortunately, my eyes were too dry and PRK was the preferred option. I also opted for monovision which has kept me from needing readers until now. My experience was not the best - after the procedure I had ghosting and starbursts for about a year. I was beginning to think this is how life would be but things gradually got better and now I have no issues. It takes time for the epithelium to heal and mine actually overlapped which caused some of the problems and all that could be done was let it wear naturally with blinking of my eyes. My doctor was/is considered one of the best around here (southeast VA). He treats other doctors that do eye surgeries. All in all, I would do it again though. My distance vision is about 20/30 which is fine for me. I do need glasses at night for driving in unfamiliar areas due to not always being able to read the street signs as clearly as I would like. I'm sure that technology has improved as well since mine were done. Best wishes!

 

I had Lasik back in 2013. I was around -8 I believe with astigmatism. No regrets. I spend a lot of time outdoors, backpacking and camping, etc. Having to mess with contacts in those situations sucks. The one negative I've noticed is it seems my night vision isn't as good as it was before Lasik.

 

I had LASIK done four years ago and I absolutely love it. It was a cattle call type situation (line em up and get em done) and my eyes felt took a couple days to heal, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Best money I have ever spent, I have 20/15 vision with very little of the negative after effects. After spending most of my life in glasses or contacts, the little things absolutely make you smile. Sports, swimming, TV in bed...Highly recommended!

 

My sister, wife and myself all had Lasik. She had a bad astigmatism and after, perfect vision. I had min when I was 22 and I'll be 40 next year. My vision is hasn't changed in all those years either. The best part was being able to Scuba, camp and not have to spend money on contact stuff. Probably the best money I've ever spent on myself. I used Dr booth in North Texas.

 

I was as blind as the proverbial bat when I had it done. Ended up with 20/15 in both eyes! At first I saw a bit of starburst off lights at night. Nothing too extreme but it eventually went away or my brain adapted. Years later I had a cataract so had a bionic eye (plastic lens) put in. Still have excellent vision but I do have to wear readers as we all eventually do.

 

I had mine done in June. Wore glasses since I was 11 and I opted to spend more to go with custom iLasik - they do more measurements of your eyes so there's a better chance of getting better vision. When the surgery was done, I could see perfectly. Then about 2 minutes later, my eyes teared up and swelled a bit. My vision in my right eye was blurry the next day but after the swelling went down, my vision is perfect.
My night vision is good but low light kinda sucks and messes with my vision. Makes it hard to read a menu in some restaurants. I do have readers but they are the 1.0 and I RARELY use them. I'll put them on for wiring and stuff like that. My eyes do tend to get dry at night but I'd definitely do the surgery again.

 

My wife had one eye done for nearsighted and one done for farsighted. Brain figures it out. She loves it. $4,000 with lifetime guarantee LASIK. Peace and good luck. D

 

All great feed back. Thanks guys.

 

Hands down the best thing I've ever done.

 

My brother & I are not close.. so I don't know the specifics.

I think the risk is low enough but.. obviously there are failures.

good luck with your decision bud.

 

Im very curious of this also. Is $4k the average going rate for both eyes?

I cant help but think of the episode of King of Queens when Doug bought the discounted Lasik deal. That generations Groupon if you will. That show still cracks me up.

 

I paid ~4k when I had it done in 2009.
Discount eye Dr isn't really something I'd reccomend... when it's your eyes and you only get the set you have, I'd pay the guy who's done it 100k times and can charge a premium because he doesn't screw it up. Just my opinion

 

I totally agree. thats why that episode is hilarious to me haha

 

The two places I’ve had consults were $4200 and $3600. One place has done over 90,000 lasik surgeries!

 

Definitely need to get it done. My job keeps me outside a good chunk of the year, oftentimes in conditions that include wind and blowing dirt so I have to keep sunglasses on because of contacts. LASIK would make my life a lot easier.

 

Man, all you guys make me want to shove lasers in my eyes. Looks like I'll be calling my insurance later this week! haha I got offered lasik through my insurance and didn't take it at the time because I had heard horror stories. But I want to see mas better!
¡Necesito una mejor visión!

 

I had CustomVue PRK done about 8 years ago. Recovery kinda sucked but I'd do it again in a second. Wearing glasses or contacts is no way to go through life.

 

Thanks for all of the great feedback. I’m stoked to get this in the calendar ASAP!