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Rifle Scopes LASIK eye. Surgery & long range
- Thread starter trauma1
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I had prk surgery(basically the same thing) and my wife had LASIK, it is without a doubt the best money we ever spent. The clarity that we both gained is amazing. I can't believe the difference, and it made hunting and shooting much easier for me. My eyes weren't that bad to start with (20/30 I think), now I have 20/10 vision. My only advice is don't bargain shop, go with a reputable surgeon and pay a little more money, you will be much happier. I have a friend who went the cheap route, with much different results.
My uncle got Lasik about a month ago and has been raving about it. I hate the idea of someone messing with my eyes, but he said the process was painless and quick. I'm almost to the point where I'm willing to try it, but it's not a forever fix like I used to think it was. A co-worker got it done about five years ago and she's wearing glasses/contacts again. Still weighing the costs/risks to be glasses free for x # of years before having to start dealing with them again if my eyes start to go bad again.
I did it about 20 years ago and have been very happy with the results. The one thing I miss about glasses is the inherent eye protection they provide. I now ware safety glasses when ever doing something out in the shop, or mowing and stuff like that.
Cheers,
George
Cheers,
George
I also had PRK done. The healing process is more painful and time consuming than LASIK, but the laser procedure is the same. It's been more than 13yrs and my vision is 20/12 and 20/16. Pretty damn good. And what was said about finding a reputable doctor is the best advice given so far. You don't want to F with your vision & be a cheap ass about it. I was fortunate enough to have mine paid for and done by the military. Feel like I still owe them for that actually.
When I first looked into it in the late 90s, I was told that Canada was the best place to have it done(due to the volume/experience they've had there). Not sure if that still holds true these days. I was also told that the post-op care is almost as important as the procedure itself. Anyhow, good luck with it all.
When I first looked into it in the late 90s, I was told that Canada was the best place to have it done(due to the volume/experience they've had there). Not sure if that still holds true these days. I was also told that the post-op care is almost as important as the procedure itself. Anyhow, good luck with it all.
Here's another thread on it. I had it in January and so far love it. Had a checkup mid last month and was 20/20 in the right and a little better then 20/20 on the left.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/showthread.php?t=223755
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/showthread.php?t=223755
I had it about 10 years ago now, and was the best investment I ever made. Can't say it helped my shooting much though.
Well, actually -- They suggested PRK because you don't have a lens to dislocate.
With PRK they actually carve into the surface of your eye...For Lasik, they insert a lens.
I had PRK done because I tend to get hit in the face...Often -- Dislodging that lens has to hurt like a motherfucker...Not to mention fuck up your eye.
I went with a guy named Zucherman in Connecticut -- Did an awesome job.
The Military goes PRK these days for a reason -- One fist in the eye and that lens can get all sorts of fucked up...Where as with PRK, you just get a black eye.
Recovery is longer, it hurts like a bitch but, it's well worth it imho.
I've needed 2 enhancements over the past few years but, it was well worth it.
I was scheduled for surgery and ended up cancelling after youtubing some videos where people had a real bad experience. Just type in lasik surgery gone bad. I'm not trying to scare you as I believe your surgery would go perfectly fine and some of these peoples experience was probably due to lack of getting a real good surgeon, but I will say that I wasn't willing to risk it and I would research it. I know that Glen Seekins wife had a bad experience..you might message him.
+1 on this.
Lasik is the use of a laser to cut a corneal flap on the eye and then it allows an excismer laser to do the business at correcting your vision. once complete they then put the flap back over and it should heal properly. The downside to that is it never 100% fully heals, what can happen is in the event of something hitting your face/eye region it can cause the flap to tear open and surgery will be required to fix that. If you don't get surgery to fix that it can cause blindness. Full results can take 6 months to a year.
PRK is the use of an alcohol wash (i believe it was alcohol wash) to allow the outer layer of cells on the cornea to be scraped/pushed to the side so then the excismer laser can fix your eyesight. once it is finished they then place the cells back over the eye and a protective lens is placed on the eye for 7 days. It is to be kept on for 7 days to help with the reconstruction of the outer cell layer. Once that is done you then should have medicine and whatnot to put in your eye for another 3 weeks. A month after the procedure is finished you should be good to go, however complete results can take 6 months to a year.
Downsides to Lasik are if you ever find yourself in the woods and a branch hits your face or you get into a fight you'll need to get surgery since the corneal flap may need to be fixed. The plus side is quicker total heal time @ around 1 week, and less pain compared to PRK.
Downside to PRK is longer recovery time, initial pain from the alcohol wash to move the cells, and potentially requiring multiple washes if your cells grow back improperly since you'll have to get that redone since it will affect your eyesight. Plus sides are you can be in contact activities without the added worry of potentially having the issues that come with Lasik.
If there is anything else to add/correct I'm sure someone will chime in. The info is from what I remember when I was going to get PRK done a few months back. I didn't have it done but not because it was a bad procedure or doctor, just my eyes require some additional testing so I might get it done next year.
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Ahhhh I apologize for the misinformation then - I was told they insert a lens thus why it was a bad idea at the time.
Good to know, thanks gents!
Good to know, thanks gents!
As far as I remember you are correct. About 5 months after I got the surgery I was fencing and had a cedar tree branch hit me right on the surface of the eye. It hurt like hell but I was lucky I had gone prk, the eye doctor said if I had had LASIK I would have had to redo it.
I went with Vance Thompson vision in Sioux Falls SD and highly recommend him. He is a hunter and a really nice guy. And, IIRC, he was one of the leaders in developing some of the procedures.
I had PRK in the NAVY and it has been fantastic....the only thing that changed was the ocular focus on all my scope 
. Also, the military does both procedures and in fact is letting pilots geet lasik now.
. Also, the military does both procedures and in fact is letting pilots geet lasik now.best money i've spent and can see woodchucks at 1000yds without optics in a open field
I wore bifocals for years. Doing anything outdoors, glasses suck. Sweat running on them when it's hot, and fogging up when it's cold. Concerning your reading vision, Doc said try reading out the top of the bifocals and that is how it will look after surgery. Using that test I could half-ass read (worse than no glasses though), but could see to bait a hook and load a gun with no problems. So I went with it around 10 years ago (after they were finally able to handle astigmatism) and like others love it! Wouldn't go back for anything. Yea, do your research and find a surgeon with great credentials and reputation. Back then it cost extra to have your eye topography mapped using laser, and that file was downloaded to the Lasik laser for the most exacting result; but this was the suggested method to get highest probability of success so I opted it as well.
I always held back because of the price, but I've had 20/15 for over a year now and wish I would have done it sooner. The biggest difference I noticed was my contacts used to dry out and get fuzzy on a long day at the range, making it harder to see my target. No problems with that now!
That is where I am now. Contacts get fuzzy and then it is hard to see targets long distance
PRK for many years has been completely done via laser without any incisions or other surgical instruments touching your cornea. I had it done this way 15 years ago in Canada.
First laser pass ablated the epithelial tissue covering the cornea and exposed it so additional laser passes could sculpt the corneal surface itself and make the vision correction. A contact lens was then placed over the corrected cornea (as a bandage) to protect it from infection until a thin layer of epithelial cells could regrow underneath the contact lens and again reseal the cornea. The contact lens "bandage" was then removed, and a steroidal eye drop regimen begun to ensure new tissue regrew and thickened at a controlled rate in order to keep scarring to a minimum and provide the clearest vision. The entire PRK process typically takes about a month.
First laser pass ablated the epithelial tissue covering the cornea and exposed it so additional laser passes could sculpt the corneal surface itself and make the vision correction. A contact lens was then placed over the corrected cornea (as a bandage) to protect it from infection until a thin layer of epithelial cells could regrow underneath the contact lens and again reseal the cornea. The contact lens "bandage" was then removed, and a steroidal eye drop regimen begun to ensure new tissue regrew and thickened at a controlled rate in order to keep scarring to a minimum and provide the clearest vision. The entire PRK process typically takes about a month.
I had LASIK in 2012, about two years ago, and it was the best decision I have ever made. I walked out of the office holding my glasses in my hand and able to read the number on the elevator. I shot a major match 3 days later with my new eyes and was able to see the sights just fine. I'm 30 now so I hope to have 15 years of good vision before I need reading glasses.
I'll echo eveyrone else with a good experience. I had 20/200 and went to 20/15 after surgery. I had it about seven years ago and as I get older I can't focus from near to far nearly as well. It has been so awesome that I'd pay for it every year if I had to. I work with probably 9 or 10 people that all had it done and all had good experiences.
My wife had a bit of a bad experience initially where her white blood cells acted up in the flap a day or two after the surgery which caused her a good bit of pain until I took her back to the doctor and they pulled the flap back and cleaned it and gave her some medication. After this all was good and her eyesight is great too.
I shoot USPSA and get behind my rifle when I can. It's a little difficult for me to go from target focus to front sight focus as quickly as I could a few years ago but I think that's mostly age related.
The biggest thing I've noticed is that since the surgery my eyes get dry at night and they are more sensitive to things like slicing onions or to smoke and certain colors of neon and led cause a noticable starburst effect if they are bright. I can get by with my red dot ok but I need to keep the intensity low.
My wife had a bit of a bad experience initially where her white blood cells acted up in the flap a day or two after the surgery which caused her a good bit of pain until I took her back to the doctor and they pulled the flap back and cleaned it and gave her some medication. After this all was good and her eyesight is great too.
I shoot USPSA and get behind my rifle when I can. It's a little difficult for me to go from target focus to front sight focus as quickly as I could a few years ago but I think that's mostly age related.
The biggest thing I've noticed is that since the surgery my eyes get dry at night and they are more sensitive to things like slicing onions or to smoke and certain colors of neon and led cause a noticable starburst effect if they are bright. I can get by with my red dot ok but I need to keep the intensity low.
I shot a match 3 days after the surgery, no issues here. My vision is better that it's ever been, and I've had no downfall of shooting long range matches.
I had LASIK around 8-9 years ago (33 now). My vision wasnt THAT bad back then but I could tell it was going south. I want to say i was 20/100(ish) prior. Got it done and I must have lucked out because my left eye is 20/15 and my right eye is 20/10. Still the same as of may/2013. I obviously LOVE it now but i HATED the experience. I just dont like anyone/anything touching my face. almost to the point of a phobia.
You get the surgery done locally? Not to keen on having my eye poked, but I'm trying to avoid the life time limited to no night driving.
It was local but I'd have to figure out where I went all those years ago but u think it was on the east side on camelback.
I had ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) surgery last year. I was not a good candidate for Lasik, due to my ludicrously bad vision (-13 diopters!!), plus I have a very small amount of astigmatism. Basically, the surgeon cut slits into my eyes and jammed in permanent contact lenses in there. Yes, I do feel half robot now. BUT, my visual acuity is now 20/15 in my non dominant eye, and 20/20 in my dominant eye. I can see like a hawk now. Shooting wise, I have not noticed any difference at all. Using red dots, tritium sights on my pistols, and my rifle scopes made no discernable difference. BUT, the only “negative” about the surgery is that I get very minor “halos” at night. It comes and goes but in no way detracts from my experience. My quality of life has improved an inane amount. If you are not a candidate for Lasik or PRK, take a look an ICL implants. Of course the cost of the surgery set me back about 4 Razor HD2's worth. But really can't put a price on awesome vision!
Had Lasik in 2006, about a week after I got back from Iraq. Had about 20/200 vision in both eyes. Think being in the desert or wearing a gas mask suck, try doing it with glasses. Oh you want sunglasses, here is $400 for quality prescription sunglasses.
I just turned 21 when I had it done. I was young and they explained how my eyes would change. Uncomfortable procedure, but the BEST money I ever spent. I will probally need it again in 5-10 years, but who gives a shit. I was 20/15 after the surgery and am closer to 20/30 now.
If you can swing the cash, do it. The best investment in the world, is yourself. Hard to enjoy life when you dead, blind or weight 450lbs.
I just turned 21 when I had it done. I was young and they explained how my eyes would change. Uncomfortable procedure, but the BEST money I ever spent. I will probally need it again in 5-10 years, but who gives a shit. I was 20/15 after the surgery and am closer to 20/30 now.
If you can swing the cash, do it. The best investment in the world, is yourself. Hard to enjoy life when you dead, blind or weight 450lbs.
Is it good to go for a 52 year old with astigmatism? because I would like to stomp these glasses on a rock , just can't stand them any longer. Really sucks getting older, but I guess it beats the alternative.
There is more than a little bad information in this thread. Talk to a doctor, going to an internet BB for medical and legal advice is... well...you get what you pay for.
As for PRK, I didn't even know that they still did that one. I knew at least two people in the 90s who had it done and had problems.
I had Lasik 11 yrs ago, one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I know several people who have had it done, do not know of a single one who is not happy.
As for PRK, I didn't even know that they still did that one. I knew at least two people in the 90s who had it done and had problems.
I had Lasik 11 yrs ago, one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I know several people who have had it done, do not know of a single one who is not happy.
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