Lasik Stories?

I had PRK done this past July. It is a form of Lasik, but a little different procedure (combo of really bad sight and thin corneas made this my only option.) I do not regret having had it done, but I am not that happy with my recovery and long term effects. I feel the Drs didn't give me full disclosure about what would happen. Recovery took a lot longer than stated, I was told I would be fine attending school/taking notes/working on the computer after 5-7 days, it was more like 2-3 weeks, which was inconvenient, to say the least. At my 3 month checkup I asked how long my eyes would be extremely dry (so dry my eyelids stick to my eyeballs when I sleep, there is NO lubricant in there!) I was told that since I had trouble wearing contacts before, this could be a lifelong effect...that is something I felt should have been disclosed BEFORE I opted to have the procedure!! I could only focus on things right in front of me for the longest time, that is starting to improve slowly, but I got some killer headaches trying to look down at my choir music while keeping my head level.
AND, I never thought I'd be saying this, I miss my glasses, they had become a part of me, lol. BUT there is nothing better than waking up, opening your eyes and SEEING!! (after the pain of getting them open ;-) )

I had it done and LOVE it. It was more than 5 years ago and I've had 20/20 vision ever since (before the surgery, my contacts were -4.25 strength). Before that, my story was the same as yours. I had worn contacts for many many years, but my eyes started just completely rejecting them. I tried a bunch of different kinds with no luck.

I finally decided to have it done. Ask your regular optometrist for recommendations. They can usually tell you if there are patients that see a particular doctor XYZ, and those patients have problems, and other doctors where patients don't have problems.

I was very very nervous about something going wrong, so I went to someone well-known and paid a LOT to have it done - total of about $5K. But it was worth the piece of mind to know that I was going to someone really reputable. Because, let's face it, you are right, these are your eyes and if they mess up it has big consquences. All that said, because my results turned out great, it is easy for me to say that it was the best money that I ever spent.

Procedure itself took less than 30 seconds per eye. So yes, I guess the doctor could feel a sneeze coming on during that 30 seconds, but I'd say it's pretty unlikely :) I was sedated but not out. When it was done, they had me sit up, and I could read the clock on the wall across the room. Then they covered both my eyes and send me home to sleep off the immediate effects.

Short term side effects: stinging and burning in your eyes. After the procedures, I took tylenol PM, slept for about 3 hours and when I woke up, the burning feeling was gone and my vision was perfect. It was unbelievable. Then I needed to use antibiotic eye drops for a little while (it was so long ago for me that I don't remember exactly how long). And they gave me special eye drops to put in before bed to keep my eyes from drying out while a slept, and a different kind of eyedrops to use during the day if my eyes felt dry. I used those for a few weeks.

Long term - I do not have any issues with dry eyes. I do have some starring/halo effects around lights at night, but I had that with my contact too, and this is no worse than before.

What I would ask the doctors that you are interviewing - what is the complication/re-do rate in his/her clinic? They will tell you national rates of complications - overall XX% of patients have problems afterwards. What you want to know is what is the rate for their specific patients? Is it better or worse than the national average? And how many procedures has your specific doctor done? Finally, what is their guarantee? The place that I went to has a lifetime guarantee, so if my eyes ever change, they will redo the procedure for free.

I can't speak personally about Lasik because I only use reading glasses, but my husband just had it done a month ago and everyday he says how thrilled he is that he doesn't have to deal with contacts/glasses anymore. He went for a few pre-op appointments and had to wear his glasses for two weeks (which drove him crazy). Then we went in for the appt, the nurse told me he would be out in about 10 min and I swear it didn't even take that long! He could see immediately, although it was hard for him to open his eyes because they were so sensitive. Within in minutes, his eyes started burning and for the next hour or so had a lot of discomfort. This was all completely normal and the nurse said he needed to go home, sleep and when he woke up it would be better. He slept for about an hour and when he woke up he felt a million times better. His eyes felt strained that night, but by the next day he felt like nothing had been done to his eyes. He did a lot of research and talked with a lot of people who had the surgery done and he did not find anyone who regretted it. He said the worst thing about it was having to wear these clear plastic eye shields at night for about four nights. Do a search on this site because I remember reading a lot of responses about it on here.

ask me next wednesday.....my husband is scheduled for his (fingers crossed!)

I was really interested to see Mommaof4's answer . . . those have been my exact concerns, i.e., do you get the WHOLE story when you go for the consultation?

I mentioned it to my regular doctor (internist) and she said something interesting - that you don't see alot of eye docs who have had the surgery (other than the ones working for the surgery places). That might be a good place to ask, too, if you have a regular eye doc you trust.

I already have a dry eye problem so I'm glad I saw Mommaof4's response. Thanks for asking the question.

I had Lasik done a little over a year ago and I wish I had done it sooner. I only had to wear glasses while driving or for distance, so it really does depend on how bad you're eyes are. It was fast, easy, and painless. I recommend going to a really good, recommended doctor even if it's a little more expensive. For my experience, they gave me Xanax before the surgery, the surgery took less than 10 minutes and you're awake during the whole thing, and then you wear funny goggles to go home and sleep the rest of the day pretty much with the goggles on and the next morning you're fine. It takes a few days for your eyes to adjust and mine healed really well because I was diligent in doing the drops and follow up appointments. Do it now if you can, and don't worry about the What if's.

I'm not sure how old you are but the lasik only lasts so long. My mom had it done in her early 50s but they didn't tell her she would need glasses again. She was glass free for about 5 years and then had to wear her old glasses with 1 lens so she could see while driving for about 2 years. She just went and got new glasses that she wears all the time. The few years free of glasses was not worth the cost in the end. She had to go in the next day because the cornea flipped and they had to reset it so her healing took 2 days.

On the flip side my friend was in her early 30's when she had hers done. It's been 6-7 years now and she's still seeing great. She had no complications.

I think part has to do with age and part to do with the type of procedure. Good luck.

I had LASIK done just over 3 years ago and it was the best thing I ever did. I had been wearing glasses since age 8 and contacts since age 15. My eyes were always dry and uncomfortable in contacts and I did not like wearing glasses. It took me a long time to decide to have the procedure because I had a lot of the same concerns and fears as you however I'd you do your research and find a doctor you feel comfortable with it's a very common procedure nowadays and there is a lot of supporting documentation on the success rates.

I was concerned about the aftercare since my daughter was only a year and a half old but it was really pretty easy and within a couple of days I felt 100%. I had it done on a Friday and was back to work Monday. They gave me a valium to take before the procedure itself to relax me and then put on music during the procedure. It was actually pretty cool. I felt like I was watching a laser light show. I remember slight discomfort but not any real pain.

Definitely ask you optometrist for a couple of recommendations and go for a few consultations. I had mine done at the TLC center on 57th Street in Manhattan. If you are local, I highly recommend them. It is a national chain with a very good reputation. Also, it didn't hurt that my ex-boyfriend, unbeknownst to me before the consultation was the optometrist on staff who did all the pre and post op testing. I trusted him completely with my care and knew that if he was working for this surgeon he had to be good.

It really has changed my life. I love the feeling of waking up and being able to see!! Also, the time and money saved in the long run by not wearing contacts, particularly with having a small child is priceless.

Best of luck and feel free to reach out with any additional questions Or concerns.

I worked for a DR. that performed LASIK in his office. When he got a new fancy laser he let me be the guinea pig for free so I got mine done! I was very familiar with the procedure at that time and was the person who prepped the patients, held their hand during surgery and debriefed them afterward.
It's a really creepy surgery but not very painful. The worst part is when press down on your eye with the tool that creates the "corneal flap" (basically slices your eye... but the slicing doesn't hurt at all, just the pressure they put on your eye- they have to create a really tight surface on your cornea to get a clean "flap") Then they flip over the very thin piece of your cornea and laser away, flattening the back of your cornea so you won't need contacts or glasses any more. You don't feel that either. Then the doctor carfully smooths the flap back down and that part actually feels kinda good.
The recovery is quick, just lie down and close your eyes for 4 hours, use special drops for several weeks, go back for check-ups to make sure it's healing and avoid rubbing your eyes for awhile.

It was totally worth it! Of course, I didn't pay for it, but still. Actually, the effects of mine has faded, it really only lasted about 10 years for me, and I use glasses again to drive, see TV etc. But it was still worth it. It's totally easy and not painful... just sorta weird!