corrective eye surgery (one more question)

jbell

jbell

Gunny Sergeant
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    • Jan 16, 2010
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    Jasper Arkansas
    #1
    I am looking into having my vision corrected. I am sick of having to use glasses, but more importantly having sub par vision and owning top end optics. So I dont know much about the procedures avaliable but have been doing research on them. I have talked to my doctor a little about it but am looking for some real time feed back from shooters. So what did you have done, what were the results and would you recommend it? Also if anyone who lives in Maine has a surgeon they would recommend I would appreciate that as well. I think I would rather have my vision corrected than another Bender for now.

    <span style="color: #CC0000">So I had my evaluation today and I am a candidate for corrective surgery. However I have just thought of something else. I am going to be wearing saftey glasses of some sort whial doing most activities even if they are not prescription. I am a diesel mechanic and will be wearing them all day at work, I will be wearing them when shooting and mountain biking more than likely (even more so after spending 4K to have tmy eyes fixed). So the only place I will not have to wear glasses is at home and when doing PT. My question is considering this would the surgery be worth it? I will not be able to see any better than I do now with glasses, so... What are your thoughts (people who have been there and decided to do it)? </span>
     
    #2
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    I had the surgery done in April 2007 and can honestly say it was the best thing I did that year. I had very bad vision like -4.5 (I think that's how it is said, been a while) correction in both eyes. The military gave me the surgery while I was on active duty (fort hood has a great program). It was a 3 month process. I had to come and get my eyes tested every two weeks and had wear glasses instead of contacts for a month prior to the surgery. The type I got was PRK. They buffed off my cornea and then zapped my eyes. It smelled like singed hair during the process. Each eye took about 50 secs under the lazer (felt like an eternity. I always say that the corrective surgery was the best thing the army ever did for me, well besides giving me self discipline. I could instantly see great the first day. When I woke up the next day my vision was blurry and I was very light sensitive. I got a few days off from duty because of the surgery and had a profile that allowed me to wear shades when outside for 90 days because of how light sensitive I was. I came out with 20/20 in one eye and 20/15 in the other. It was a great new sense of freedom because I was tethered to contacts/glasses since I was 10 or so. I love it and was able to score better on my rifle and pistol qualifications also.

    My mother got lasik and said she loved it. She had some kind of special setup where one eye is for long range and the other is for short range viewing. I cant remember the specifics of her surgery sorry. It cost here about $4k I think. It could be cheaper now. She got the surgery when she was like forty or so. So its not just for young folks.

    I haven't noticed a drop in vision clarity during the daytime but I have halos or ring around light sources in the dark. I only really notice those when I am driving though. Using illuminated optics or holo sight weren't affected after the surgery so that was a plus.

    I hope this helps but it is best to consult a doctor that is well versed in the surgery options (for obvious reasons) "its all fun and games until someone loses an eye"

    John
     
    #4
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    i had lasik done 6 years ago, im 30 now and see no drop in quality of sight. it was by far and away some of the best money iv ever spent.I experienced some halo effect at night around bright objects especially road signs but that went away after a few months.Im in the military and shoot and use optics alot and its such a freedom from contacts or glasses.
     
    #6
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    I am also interested in this. I am 55, and I have a minor cataract in one eye. My eye doctor said that when it is ready to be removed, that I can get lasik or some similiar surgery to correct it.

    Has anybody had this done for cataracts?

    I feel blessed in that I had great vision till I was 48 or 49. Then I got up one morning and had to start wearing readers. It really puts a bite into using scopes and open sites. Especially hard to see open sites on a handgun!
     
    #8
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jbell</div><div class="ubbcode-body">John how long ago did your mother have hers done, and has she noticed any drop in vision? </div></div>

    She got it done about 5+ years ago. She has not noticed a drop in clarity of vision.
     
    #9
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    I had lasik about three years ago. My vision was bad - about 20/600 or something and now it's 20/20. No problems except a little dryness the first year. My wife had it done and has 20/15 vision a year after. If you look into lasik find a place that offers "custom" or wavefront lasik which should reduce the chance of halos. That's what I had done and I don't have any trouble at night.
     
    #11
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    I had Lasik (PRK) in August 2008 at Lasik Plus Vision Centers. I was 20/200 before with astigmatism in my right eye. I always wore glasses since I could not put in contacts. It was a very fast procedure…like 12 minutes per eye. Now I’m 20/10 in both eyes. It is defiantly worth it. My only advice would be to do your research and go to a surgeon with a proven track record. Don’t try and cheap out at some discount place. You only have one set of eyes. I would do it again…its one of the best investments I’ve made and has helped out quite a bit with all activities, especially shooting.
     
    #12
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    Im not going to cost shop on this one. I am looking forward to getting out of the glasses, they suck. I was running this morning about 0430 along the ocean here in Maine and the fog was very thick, so my glasses were covered. I felt like I was going so slow b/c I was having to constantly wype the damn things off. Also when it is close to or below 0 in the winter they fog up fast with your breath!
     
    #13
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    I had lasix surgery and for about 6-7 months my eyes was very very dry ( which is one of the warned side effects ) and my vision would go blurry due to be dry. i kept drops to moisten my eye as needed. but one day is was like a switch was flipped. my vision is amazing now. the dr told me the tear ducts had closed up during the procedure and so on... my only regret at this point is i waited so long to have it done.... 3 years after the surgery i am as happy as can be
     
    #14
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    I just had the all laser custom LASIK done 3 weeks ago. It was great! I had bad astigmatism in my right eye, and wore a toric lense to correct it. When I leaned my head a little to shoot a rifle, the lense would self level and mess up my vision correction. That is not a problem any more, I had 20/20 the next day and I was told when my eyes healed up some more it would get even better.
     
    #15
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    Wavefront Lasik is what I had done. Best money I have ever spent. Double period. I was so flippin blind that it was a safety issue - if I was up river or in the field and lost my glasses I would never get home.
    Found a guy that was part of the clinical trials and had done a LOT of them. Ask questions like; What is your rate of complications? How many have you done? If I need an adjustment is it part of the up front cost or will that be an additional fee? (Where I got it done the practice will do a follow up procedure at no cost) Where did you get your eyes done?

    Don't go cheap. Really? Spend $2-$3K on a scope and you are going to scrimp on optics you use every day/all day?

    I had my right eye fully corrected (dominant eye) and my left eye 'partially' corrected (for up close vision) in order to delay any kind of reading glasses situation and to allow me to continue to have excellent up close vision for tying flies 'n such. It took a while to get used to the differences in the eyes but it has been quite usefull.
    I wear safety glasses now when I am busting brush. That was a little wierd, but going through the thick stuff and getting a stick in my eye is not something that was part of my experience since I was 6 years old...
    I still reach to take my glasses on or off sometimes when I'm not thinking about it - even 5 years on.
    My night vision has not improved with the procedure - that is something to ask about.

    Flax seed oil will help with the dryness.

    It is kinda cool to wake up and be able to see your spouse.
     
    #17
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    I had PRK(different than Lasik) done in early 2001 at Balboa NMC. The Navy paid for it and did the procedure. I'm so glad to be out of contacts and I haven't had any ill effects even though I lost my steroid drops in a car accident a couple wks after surgery. Oh, and FUCK California....

    PRK is more permanent. With Lasik, your epiphelia is cut and folded back, the procedure is done and your epiphelia heals once it is "back in place". With PRK(painful), your epiphelia is either brushed or scraped off, the procedure is done, and then you wear a bandage contact while your eye repairs itself. If anyone is considering going SF, DON'T GET LASIK! It will disqualify you.

    I could actually smell my cornea burning while some of it was removed with a laser. After the procedure(which was painless), I could see really well. 1/2hr later I was miserable. I thought I was a pretty BAMF, but eye pain made a little bitch of me and I took Percocet for the first time....

    Today my vision is still 20/12 and 20/16(better than 20/20). Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you. Remember this-post operative care is almost more important than the procedure itself!
     
    #18
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    Thanks to all I have an visit for next Wednesday, looking forward to it!

    Saito, I think the military have sence cleared Lasik for high pressure activities like SCUBA or HALO. I may be wrong but I think it just was cleared this year or late last year.
     
    #20
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jbell</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

    <span style="color: #CC0000">So I had my evaluation today and I am a candidate for corrective surgery. However I have just thought of something else. I am going to be wearing saftey glasses of some sort whial doing most activities even if they are not prescription. I am a diesel mechanic and will be wearing them all day at work, I will be wearing them when shooting and mountain biking more than likely (even more so after spending 4K to have tmy eyes fixed). So the only place I will not have to wear glasses is at home and when doing PT. My question is considering this would the surgery be worth it? I will not be able to see any better than I do now with glasses, so... What are your thoughts (people who have been there and decided to do it)? </span> </div></div>

    Yes, I was in the same boat with safety glass's. It still baffles me on how clear and crisp everything is after the surgery. even with glass's I could see now I can SEE.I can pick up on things that are very small now that once I had to really look for it with glass's on. It is really hard to tell you how much different it is after the surgery then with glass's.
     
    #23
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Saito</div><div class="ubbcode-body">PRK is more permanent. With Lasik, your epiphelia is cut and folded back, the procedure is done and your epiphelia heals once it is "back in place". With PRK(painful), your epiphelia is either brushed or scraped off, the procedure is done, and then you wear a bandage contact while your eye repairs itself. If anyone is considering going SF, DON'T GET LASIK! It will disqualify you.

    I could actually smell my cornea burning while some of it was removed with a laser. After the procedure(which was painless), I could see really well. 1/2hr later I was miserable. I thought I was a pretty BAMF, but eye pain made a little bitch of me and I took Percocet for the first time....

    Today my vision is still 20/12 and 20/16(better than 20/20). Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you. Remember this-post operative care is almost more important than the procedure itself! </div></div>

    This is pretty accurate, and the reason I went with PRK. The difference between Lasik & PRK is that with Lasik, a surgical flap is created; unfortunately that flap can and will always be a weak point as far as eye structure goes. My biggest concern was rifle recoil affecting the flap - I was doing a match 2 weeks after my PRK, there is really no good time or place to be shooting and have your flap come apart if you think about it. With PRK, the cornea is scraped and burned with an instrument called a curet -there is no flap to dislodge or tear later, the cornea re-epithelializes in about a week. The negatives to PRK is that you really can't see much for a day (as opposed to Lasik you can see in an hour), yes there is some pain as mentioned above once the topical numbing agent wears off which usually lasts 2-3 days, and it can take up to a month for night vision to lose the "starburst" effect.

    Unless you absolutely must have perfect vision on the day of procedure and can't handle one week recuperation time, I personally think PRK and a little delayed healing is the way to go for shooters. The laser correction part of the vision is the same for PRK and Lasik.
     
    #25
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: UKDslayer</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Saito</div><div class="ubbcode-body">PRK is more permanent. With Lasik, your epiphelia is cut and folded back, the procedure is done and your epiphelia heals once it is "back in place". With PRK(painful), your epiphelia is either brushed or scraped off, the procedure is done, and then you wear a bandage contact while your eye repairs itself. If anyone is considering going SF, DON'T GET LASIK! It will disqualify you.

    I could actually smell my cornea burning while some of it was removed with a laser. After the procedure(which was painless), I could see really well. 1/2hr later I was miserable. I thought I was a pretty BAMF, but eye pain made a little bitch of me and I took Percocet for the first time....

    Today my vision is still 20/12 and 20/16(better than 20/20). Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you. Remember this-post operative care is almost more important than the procedure itself! </div></div>

    This is pretty accurate, and the reason I went with PRK. The difference between Lasik & PRK is that with Lasik, a surgical flap is created; unfortunately that flap can and will always be a weak point as far as eye structure goes. My biggest concern was rifle recoil affecting the flap - I was doing a match 2 weeks after my PRK, there is really no good time or place to be shooting and have you flap come apart if you think about it. With PRK, the cornea is scraped and burned with an instrument called a curet -there is no flap to dislodge or tear later, the cornea re-epithelializes in about a week. The negatives to PRK is that you really can't see much for a day (as opposed to Lasik you can see in an hour), yes there is some pain as mentioned above once the topical numbing agent wears off which usually lasts 2-3 days, and it can take up to a month for night vision to lose the "starburst" effect.

    Unless you absolutely must have perfect vision on the day of procedure and can't handle one week recuperation time, I personally think PRK and a little delayed healing is the way to go for shooters. The laser correction part of the vision is the same for PRK and Lasik. </div></div>

    Thanks that is some good info. Has there been any cases reported where a flap has become a problem afer surgery?
     
    #26
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    Has there been any cases reported where a flap has become a problem afer surgery?

    Yes, tons. Just google "LASIK flap dislocation" - it has even happened up to 9 years <span style="font-style: italic">after</span> surgery. Oh, some docs refer to PRK as LASEK.
     
    #28
    Re: corrective eye surgery

    I would go with the PRK. I got PRK done just 6 months ago and I'm 100% satisfied. My contact lens prescriptions were -6.00 and now I have 20/20
    smile.gif
     
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