Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

J

jrservices

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Full Member
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Jul 19, 2009
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Crossville, TN
#1
Has anyone had lasik or PRK eye surgery? I am going to have PRK in a few weeks... Kinda worried but everyone that I have talked to so far that has had it is really happy with the results. I have been skeptical for years but have really researched the procedure and have decided to pull the trigger. Please reply with real experiences.

Thanks
Richard
 
#2
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had custom lasik and it kicks ass! My uncle had PRK (like 10 years ago) said it was good but now has to wear glasses again and I guess after PRK you cannot get corrective surgery touch ups?
 
#3
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I got LASEK through the Army and would do it again in a heartbeat. The difference in quality of life for me was enormous. Do it and don't look back.
 
#4
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I did PRK through the Army and it was great. About 3 or 4 days of discomfort. It was done in 2005 and my vision was last I checked 20/15. Follow the directions from the docs!!! Take your eye drops, medicine after and all should be good.
 
#5
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Thanks ! Its great to hear from people that have actually had this done! What should I expect after the surgery? Do you see as well or better after the surgery as you did with glasses? I know everyone is different...

Thanks
Richard
 
#6
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

PRK in the Army is 2002.

I would do it again in .02 sec's no issues at all.

now in 2011, my eyes are not 20/10 20/15 but 20/40 20/30 so I am VERY happy.

John
 
#7
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had Lasik in 2005 and my son just had PRK in January of this year.
Comparing our experiences with regard to recovery time and the risk of complications, I'd go for the Lasik again, over PRK.

He's fine now, but it seemed to take his quite a bit longer to completely heal and for his vision to get 10% right.
The better part of 90 days for his, whereas mine was good in about two days and great in about a week.
 
#9
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had lasik in 2006. It was one of the best things I ever did. For the first 5 years I was able to see at about 20-15 now its about 20-20. I don't know if I'll ever need a touch up but even if I do it will be worth it. I highly suggest getting it although I would suggest lasik over PRK. My sister had lasik in one eye and PRK in the other and was happy with it also. Either one is great. As for after, my eyes seemed to be dry and burning for about two weeks. You'll use alot of eye drops, the worst of it for the first couple days. You will be a little miserable but it goes by fast and then its just great. Good luck with it and just don't expect to do alot the first day or so. Also I had alot of blurring on lights at night but it went away after a few months so expect night driving to be alittle more difficult for a few months.
 
#10
Watched my brother from start to finish

My brother went to Charlottesville VA for his surgery last Wednesday, I watched the entire procedure thru a window in the door. It took less than 10 m and looked very simple. The surgeon had to flip the cornea flap over, exposing the lens after a laser cut about 340 degrees around. Another laser shaped the lens to correct specification after laser mapping, and the cornea was flipped back in place.

He could see better walking out of the room, and could have driven home. Pain set in about 30 m later, nothing some beer couldn't fix.

Next morning at follow up, he was 20/15. There was some irritation for a few days, now completely gone 5 days later.
 
#11
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Thats great ! keep the experiences coming. How about allergies after the surgery? Do your eyes get more irrated with pollen/dust after the surgery or about the same?

Thanks
Richard
 
#12
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had PRK in early 2008, shortly after getting home from Iraq, happened to live near one of the pioneers of the procedure so decided to pay out of pocket and have him do it instead of having big army do it.

I experienced dry eyes pretty bad off and on over a 6 month period, there would be mornings where I would wake up with terrible burning sensation in my eyes with tremendous light sensitivity. I would just go back to sleep for another hour or two and I would be back to normal.

Once my eyes stabilized I was at 20/10 and 20/15, I'm now at 20/15 and 20/20 respectively, with my left eye being the worse of the two.

I was told that even with PRK you can have touch up procedures later on to bring you back to 20/20, not sure how many times you can have it done though, probably depends on the individual eyes.
 
#13
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

How bad were your eyes to start with? I have astigmatism and am near sighted. Can't even see the big E on the eye chart without my glasses.

Sounds like everyone is happy with it so far.
 
#14
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had mine done 5/13. I wished I would have done it ALOT sooner. It is amazing on how much better(even over wearing glass's) I can see. This is where I had mine done http://www.woolfsoneye.com/lasik-custom-lasik.html. It is a great place and they talk you thru ever step of it and make you feel good about whats going to happen.I'm still amazed at how easy it was for me. They did it friday at 1pm.I went home went to sleep. I woke up and w0w it was unreal on how much better I could see. saturday went to the eye dr and had 20/20. I had to wear sunglass's for 3 days indoor or out and I had to put drops in my eyes every 4hours for 2 weeks. it was simple and didn't hurt at all.I went back to the eye dr 5/20 and my eyes were better than 20/20.from what I have been told you will still improve for 3 month after having it done.



 
#15
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I was at roughly 20/400 before the surgery, my contacts were -7.5 whatever that number means. So yeah, practically blind, to read text I would have to have it up against my nose to read without glasses or contacts in.
 
#16
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Had LASIK done a little over 10 years ago at 35. Was seeing 20/15 the next day with no complications. Went back for a touchup this spring and was told it would have to be done with LASEK.
Had the LASEK done last week. While it wasn't too bad, it doesn't compare favorably with my LASIK experience. Exactly one week later I am finally seeing something close to 20/20 and my vision continues to change for the better and worse unexpectedly. I am told that this will persist for up to 6 months.
I really didn't experience any pain with the LASEK procedure, but it is taking a lot longer to get fully back in the saddle.
 
#17
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Here is my son's procedure on the second eye. PRK

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#18
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had PRK done April of 09. I had pain for a few days. I noticed the haloing for a few months afterwards at night when it came to either street lights or head lights. The only thing I am still noticing is my eyes still seem a lot more photo sensitive then they were prior to surgery. Even on overcast days Ill find myself wearing sunglasses, the funny thing is I think for me the overcast days are worse for me then the actual sunny days when I notice the photosensitivity. I missed the one question you had. My eyes dont seem to bother me as much with my allergies now as they had prior to surgery.
 
#19
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had lasik 12 years ago (at 42). Before the surgery I was off the chart due to severe astigmatism on top of severe nearsightedness. Afterwards I was about 20/25 to 20/30. I am still around 20/30 today though the left eye has just a touch of astigmatism. I still function fine most of the time without reading glasses.
The downside is that not being 20/20 is due to multiple images (that is a possible side effect they warn you about); kind of complicated to explain but think of looking at what should be a circle and getting faint Mickey Mouse ears on it. The "ears" for the left eye and right are oriented differently; if they lined up, it wouldn't be as annoying. For 98% of what I do, it's a non-problem; the rest of the time it's a minor annoyance. Things are "not perfect" but hey, I was a slave to glasses for 35 years (my eyes were bad by the second grade) and now I am free.
Follow doctor's orders: stay out of pools as long as recommended (one guy in my company got a fungal infection in his eyes by going swimming too soon).
Protect your eyes till the flaps heal: another co-worker stuck the end of a shop light in his eye before the flap had fully healed and dislodged it. They got it reattached but it could have been worse; he went from 20/15 or so to 20/20.
 
#20
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Had it 9 years ago when I was in my mid-30's.

My eyes were pretty bad w. mild astigmatism and I had worn contacts or thick BC glasses since I was about 10. With LASIK, vision went to 20/15.

It's just as good today as it was on day one. Though I need reading glasses now (and have for about 5 years). But my 'fighter pilot vision' as I jokingly call it is worth every penny!

Get it done, you won't regret it!

Cheers,

Sirhr.
 
#21
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Had it done in late 2006. I wish I hadn't waited. My vision was -6.0 in one eye and -6.5 in the other. One eye had a slight astigmatism. I believe my right eye is ever so slightly better, but both are considered 20/20.
 
#22
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Had PRK in 2006 (age 44) and could not be happier. PRK is probably the better choice overall. LASIK suffers from the risk of a flap dislocation--which is well documented in the medical literature. This happens mostly due to blunt force trauma (fingers, sticks when walking through the woods, etc.). This risk is theoretical for SCUBA and HALO, so is discouraged for those populations. PRK is done less commonly due to the increased pain for a day or two (but easy to treat with pain meds). Be sure to follow your doctor's post-operative instructions 100%. Good luck!
 
#24
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jrservices</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How bad were your eyes to start with? I have astigmatism and am near sighted. Can't even see the big E on the eye chart without my glasses.

Sounds like everyone is happy with it so far. </div></div> Same as you on the astigmatism and near sighted. Could not see the E on the eye chart. Wore contact lens and vision was 20/15. Un corrected was 20/1000,Blind as a bat. Had to hold the alarm clock in front of my face just to see it. Had problems with smoke,dust,pollen,etc. before the surgery. After the surgery I think everything is better. Would do it all over again in a heartbeat. By the way it was Lasik I had and again I would do it over again. Good Luck to You.
 
#25
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had SBK Lasik about two months ago. I went from 20/100 to 20/15. I even made out a couple of letters on the 20/10 line. My best corrected vision with glasses or contacts was only ever 20/20.

It took me a while to decide between the SBK version of Lasik and PRK (some now call it ASA). My surgeon preferred SBK and after two weeks of phone calls and emails the Army said that it was aeromedically acceptable.

I was lucky, I never had any itching or discomfort at all through the recovery process. Just follow your surgeons post op instructions and do the props when you are supposed to.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
 
#26
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I almost feel sorry for some of you guys. I've had cataract surgery on both of my eyes and have to see a retina specialist three times a year to look for macular deterioration and other issues. The funny thing is, I'll always have to wear glasses at this rate, but I correct OS 20/20 and OD 20/15.
 
#28
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Funny.. I just got my paperwork finished for mine! I have to do the pre op appointment here on Friday and then send some paperwork off and then make an appointment at Landstuhl to get mine! I am not sure but I think they have both PRK and Lasik there.. any suggestions on either one? What about if I like to scubadive and skydive? Is there a difference?
 
#29
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had Custom View Lasik in 2004. Done by Peidmont Better vision in Atlanta. Cost back then was $2200/eye, but the Dr. That did mine does it on celebrities that can afford who they want. He was also the first Dr. to successfully perform the first corenal transplant.

My advice it to not go to the cheap guy in town, but to do some research before you go.

It changed my life. seeling 20/15 now so I highly recommend it. Recovery is not painless. I was in some pain after the lasik for the first coupld of hours after, but by the next day I was good to go. You have to use eye shields to sleep woth for a couple of days to prevent lens dislocation and be sure to keep your eyes moist with special thick eye drops for a while. Very much worth it. They offered a 0% interest payment plan for a year also.

http://www.piedmontbettervision.com/LASIK.html
 
#30
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I'm looking at having LASIK done. As long as it fits in the budget. I'll post back in here with price quotes, and if I get it with results. Currently I'm blind as shit without my contacts or glasses.
 
#31
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Doug.</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Funny.. I just got my paperwork finished for mine! I have to do the pre op appointment here on Friday and then send some paperwork off and then make an appointment at Landstuhl to get mine! I am not sure but I think they have both PRK and Lasik there.. any suggestions on either one? What about if I like to scubadive and skydive? Is there a difference? </div></div>

Get the Lasik/SBK. After 1 week you can go back to your normal life with no worries. From people who I know who have done the PRK says it is like sand in your eyes for a few weeks but works great. There was a lady in the office when I got my laisk done who was getting some scare tissue removed from having SBK. I know where I got my eyes done they would ony do one eye in 2 weeks while doing PRK.They said it took longer to heal so they would only do one at a time.Thats one of the reason I did Lasik. I'm happy I did. I just wish I would have done it 15 years ago now.
 
#32
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I really need to get a procedure done . I'm really tired of wearing glasses and contacts drive me crazy. My eyes aren't that bad (-2.0) and havn't changed in 25 years, but it sure would be great to be free of these particular optics!
 
#33
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

even with glass I had 20/20 but it was not like the 20/20 with out them. It is really hard to explaine. Things are clearer and sharper. I can pick up on the finer details of abjects now. I can also see minor motion in the woods I couldn't even see with glass's.
 
#34
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Just had it done March 31st. Great procedure. I chose PRK vs Lasik as I did not want the flap cut. The flap closes, but never really heals. PRK is more uncomfortable and longer to get results. For me, about 2 weeks in my left eye, 3 days in the right. I love it and am glad I got it done. I also recommend you get the duct plugs. It helps with dry eye, so I didn't have to use drops constantly.
I was -3.5 with contacts before. Have a follow up this week, but would guess I'm 20/20. See as good now as when I had contacts in. Maybe better. No effect on near vision. That is what made me skeptical about the procedure. Did not want reading glasses or not be able to see my front site post!
So far so good!
 
#37
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

Just had my Dr here sign off now I send the paperwork off to get permission to procede and I should be a go in about 4-5 weeks! I can't wait to get this done.. I am also probably going with PRK because of the whole flap thing..
 
#40
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jrservices</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thats great ! keep the experiences coming. How about allergies after the surgery? Do your eyes get more irrated with pollen/dust after the surgery or about the same?
</div></div>

Less effected, if you can believe that!! with contacts, as was my case, Pollen would get stuck behind the contact and rub on my eyeball!
PRK was the best thing I've ever done. It hurt like a B%$^& on the 2nd and 3rd day, but TOTALLY worth it!! Toatal recovery time 7 days. 1st day no problems, a little dry, 2&3rd days MISERABLE pain!, 4th day pain went away now seeing double, 5-7th day double vision started to get closer to gether then healed completely normal.
I'm seeing 20/15 in both eyes!!
 
#41
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I just had the PRK on thursday the 9th, My vision seems to be getting better but still very blurry, I was starting to wonder if this is as good as it gets.... Doc say may take a while... So it took at least a week for you to see good?

Thanks
Richard
 
#42
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

The thing with PRK to keep in mind is that the top layer of tissue has to regrow and it will grow back rough, giving you that hazy milky view, as you blink your eyelids will polish the outer surface of your eye making everything sharper and clearer looking. I was good enough to drive after about a week but it was a good 2 months until I was 100% eagle eyed.
 
#43
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I just found out yesterday that I have to have surgery to get my right bicep tendon repaired due to a partial tear. I had the left done two years ago and was off work for 90 days. If they'll do it I'm going to get Lasik while healing up from the bicep surgery.

Time to start researching facilities in or around Indy.
 
#45
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

my brother is 'master optician/optometrist' (or whatever the equivalent is) and he would only recommend it for for people with really bad eyesight. it's easy to get from 'half blind' (> +-5 db) to something that makes you happy (< 1db) - even if the operation doesn't work at its best. but having only something in the 2db region and hoping for 'perfect sight' might be risky.

also keep in mind that most short-sighted people get from a lack of training - staring at a screen too much or too much reading. so if that's the main reason for you wearing glasses, you might be back at the same spot in a few years.
 
#46
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had Lasik about 10 years ago to correct astigmatism and I am extremely happy with the results. I do have sensitivity to bight sunlight, but the Oakleys take care of that. I live in central TX so the sun is a problem here anyway. Good luck whichever procedure you have, not having to wear glasses or contacts is so nice.
 
#49
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I have my surgery scheduled for next week. !!
smile.gif
would have been last week but my gall bladder decided it had other places to be and i had that removed instead.
 
#50
Re: Has anyone had Corrective Eye surgery ?

I had mine done 10 years ago...wasn't quite lasik but something similar...instead of cutting the flap and doing their thing they did it right over my eye. Hurt like I had sand in it for about two weeks and extremely blurry..after about 2 1/2 -3 months it started to clear up. I loved it but now am getting older and still might have to go get some glasses. Just recently noticing things not quite as clear as before.
 
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