Is it worth looking into Laser Eye Surgery?
wahwah
I have been considering doing Laser / Lasik Eye surgery for a while. I finally a visited a doctor last week - and she said it is possible but also give me the disclaimer that ~ 5% of the cases do not work out as expected - results can vary from complete improvement to no improvement to poorer eyesight to blindness.
Ofcourse that put me off. But the more I think about it - I really have not met anyone so far who has had an unsuscessfull surgery. I want to know if there are any of you out there who know anyone whose eye surgery was not successful. If possible I would also like to talk these people over the phone to get a first hand idea of their experience. If the phone call is not possible - thats fine but it will still be good to know of cases where the surgery did not work out.
Answer
Your best first step is to research the technology and the doctors. You seem to have started that. Excellent!
One thing to consider is your age. If you are a teen, then your eyes are still changing and you should wait until they stabilize. You don't want to have a series of LASIKs, do you? Yeah, they give you a Valium to calm you down, but it is only a minimal dose and really isn't worth it. :-)
If you are in your 40s or later, then be aware that while LASIK will fix or dramatically improve ordinary (far) vision, but you will need reading glasses. You would eventually anyway, but with LASIK it is like an ON-OFF switch. Some doctors will tell you this up front, others won't mention it. Some other doctors when asked, will say "Well, not necessarily" which implies that this is rare. It isn't; it is the norm if you are of that age. Ask several doctors and see. Google it. Research it. But don't consider this a negative; it was going to happen anyway and requiring glasses only when reading is much better than requiring glasses for everything!
Some clinics have free seminars about LASIK. These are fine, although they are really captive audience commercials, but there is no substitute for talking to the doctor that will perform the surgery directly. Not a collegue. Not an associate. The actual surgeon. If you cannot do this, strike that one from your list. Fast.
The most important thing is to NOT BE CHEAP! Don't call 1-800-BLIND-ME and get it for $75/eye! Find a doctor (not merely a clinic that has doctors) and talk to him/her. Find out how many LASIKs s/he has performed. How long has s/he been doing them. What other kinds of eye surgery does s/he do? What kind of laser machine (e.g. Excimer)? Grill them.
And yes, there are sometimes failures. One friend of mine went to the $300/eye clinic (this was about 6 years ago when that was considered very cheap) and now she will never see properly again. It is so bad that she is afraid to even to go one of those doctors that "cleans up" after other doctor's mistakes. Sad. But you pay for what you get. Unfortunately, the reverse "you get what you pay for" just isn't true. It is still doctor's fault, but she will have to live with the results forever.
My own surgery was a 1 in a 1000 situation, where the entire epitheleum (sp?) sloughed off. But my doctor stayed the course and everything is fine. I would do it again.
Yes, he is one of the more expensive ones, but his technical expertise and professionalism made it worth the extra money. And years later, he did my cataract surgery. That is how impressed I was and how willing I was to give him another shot at my eyes. Can't see that happening (no pun) at a cheap clinic.
Finally (at last, you say!), remember that these are your eyes! Trust no one. Assume the worst. YOU take the responsibility of doing the research and when you commit and have it done, FOLLOW UP with all of the doctor's instructions.
Good luck!
Your best first step is to research the technology and the doctors. You seem to have started that. Excellent!
One thing to consider is your age. If you are a teen, then your eyes are still changing and you should wait until they stabilize. You don't want to have a series of LASIKs, do you? Yeah, they give you a Valium to calm you down, but it is only a minimal dose and really isn't worth it. :-)
If you are in your 40s or later, then be aware that while LASIK will fix or dramatically improve ordinary (far) vision, but you will need reading glasses. You would eventually anyway, but with LASIK it is like an ON-OFF switch. Some doctors will tell you this up front, others won't mention it. Some other doctors when asked, will say "Well, not necessarily" which implies that this is rare. It isn't; it is the norm if you are of that age. Ask several doctors and see. Google it. Research it. But don't consider this a negative; it was going to happen anyway and requiring glasses only when reading is much better than requiring glasses for everything!
Some clinics have free seminars about LASIK. These are fine, although they are really captive audience commercials, but there is no substitute for talking to the doctor that will perform the surgery directly. Not a collegue. Not an associate. The actual surgeon. If you cannot do this, strike that one from your list. Fast.
The most important thing is to NOT BE CHEAP! Don't call 1-800-BLIND-ME and get it for $75/eye! Find a doctor (not merely a clinic that has doctors) and talk to him/her. Find out how many LASIKs s/he has performed. How long has s/he been doing them. What other kinds of eye surgery does s/he do? What kind of laser machine (e.g. Excimer)? Grill them.
And yes, there are sometimes failures. One friend of mine went to the $300/eye clinic (this was about 6 years ago when that was considered very cheap) and now she will never see properly again. It is so bad that she is afraid to even to go one of those doctors that "cleans up" after other doctor's mistakes. Sad. But you pay for what you get. Unfortunately, the reverse "you get what you pay for" just isn't true. It is still doctor's fault, but she will have to live with the results forever.
My own surgery was a 1 in a 1000 situation, where the entire epitheleum (sp?) sloughed off. But my doctor stayed the course and everything is fine. I would do it again.
Yes, he is one of the more expensive ones, but his technical expertise and professionalism made it worth the extra money. And years later, he did my cataract surgery. That is how impressed I was and how willing I was to give him another shot at my eyes. Can't see that happening (no pun) at a cheap clinic.
Finally (at last, you say!), remember that these are your eyes! Trust no one. Assume the worst. YOU take the responsibility of doing the research and when you commit and have it done, FOLLOW UP with all of the doctor's instructions.
Good luck!
What happens when you get lasik eye surgery?
chocolatel
Like what do they do? Do they put a lazer up to your eye or what? What happens if you blink during the process? What if you move your head? I need answers!
Answer
I had Lasik 5 yrs ago. They put numbing drops in your eye first, then when they are working you lay down under the laser machine and they place a clamp on you eye to keep it open, it looks like a reverse eye lash curler. Then the Dr. cuts a flap on the cornea and lays it back, next he tells you to look at the red blinking light- this is when the laser starts its job and makes small incisions to let more refractive light into your eye. It takes from 30-60 seconds depending on your correction. Last the Dr. replaces the flap, queeges the flap flat so it reattaches, and WHOLA, you have 20/20. I did have to go back a year later because one eye needed a enhancement.
After care you go home sleep for 4 hrs, they want your eyes closed to start to heal. you wear protective shields in the shower and when you sleep for 10 days. Eye drops and lubrication daily for a couple of weeks. It was the best money I ever spent. Had glasses from child hood.
I had Lasik 5 yrs ago. They put numbing drops in your eye first, then when they are working you lay down under the laser machine and they place a clamp on you eye to keep it open, it looks like a reverse eye lash curler. Then the Dr. cuts a flap on the cornea and lays it back, next he tells you to look at the red blinking light- this is when the laser starts its job and makes small incisions to let more refractive light into your eye. It takes from 30-60 seconds depending on your correction. Last the Dr. replaces the flap, queeges the flap flat so it reattaches, and WHOLA, you have 20/20. I did have to go back a year later because one eye needed a enhancement.
After care you go home sleep for 4 hrs, they want your eyes closed to start to heal. you wear protective shields in the shower and when you sleep for 10 days. Eye drops and lubrication daily for a couple of weeks. It was the best money I ever spent. Had glasses from child hood.
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Title Post: Is it worth looking into Laser Eye Surgery?
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Rating: 98% based on 3217 ratings. 4,8 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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