Did it in 2000 at 30. 20/15 after.

Today, presbyopia is creeping in, distance still good.

quote:

Originally posted by acidjazz:
The one I am getting is PRK not Lasik, it's a new PRK called TransPrk or SmartSurface where I am going. The recovery time is longer than Lasik but the results are great, risks are lower, and no cutting or flap. Apparently it's all touchless, just pry my eyelids open and all done by laser.

Probably the same or similar to the one I had just different name. You will do great !!! God Bless

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I had LASIK in 2007 and afterward had 20/15 vision for 2 years, 20/20 vision for 5 years, and 20/25 vision for 2 years. It was great being able to see when I woke up in the morning, not having glasses fog up, and not having all of the GD smudges from the protective coating on glasses. I also enjoyed the crap out of having real sunglasses.

One of the weird things after LASIK was how sensitive my eyes were to wind as I had been an everyday glasses wearer since sophomore year of college.

I ended up having to go on Restasis for a year after LASIK because my eyes weren't producing enough natural tears.

I was told that when I reached 40 that I'd likely need reading glasses. Unfortunately, they were wrong and when I was 42 I needed distance glasses. A year later, I graduated to bifocals.

Would I do it over? yes.

Am I disappointed I lost my distance vision? yes.

What caused your regression? Do they know?

I was told you gotta be stable for 1-2 years. I have been since at least 2012.

I'm jealous, at 32 with a -9.50 in both eyes, my eye doc told me I was on the no side of borderline.

Considering ICL in the future, instead.

My wife had it done at 55 last year and she's very happy so far. However, made her presbyopia much worse and can't read anything without reading glasses, but that's par for the course. I'm not sure exchanging distance glasses for reading glasses is worth the $4K, in my book glasses are glasses, but she's happy.

I'm leery of the "success rates" that are touted for any surgical procedure. I believe many procedures they consider successful are less than optimal whether it's side effects or complications, or whatever. As someone who has had quite a bit of surgery, I take a conservative approach, and am reluctant to have surgery on an otherwise healthy organ or tissue.

quote:

Originally posted by acidjazz:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I had LASIK in 2007 and afterward had 20/15 vision for 2 years, 20/20 vision for 5 years, and 20/25 vision for 2 years. It was great being able to see when I woke up in the morning, not having glasses fog up, and not having all of the GD smudges from the protective coating on glasses. I also enjoyed the crap out of having real sunglasses.

One of the weird things after LASIK was how sensitive my eyes were to wind as I had been an everyday glasses wearer since sophomore year of college.

I ended up having to go on Restasis for a year after LASIK because my eyes weren't producing enough natural tears.

I was told that when I reached 40 that I'd likely need reading glasses. Unfortunately, they were wrong and when I was 42 I needed distance glasses. A year later, I graduated to bifocals.

Would I do it over? yes.

Am I disappointed I lost my distance vision? yes.

What caused your regression? Do they know?

I was told you gotta be stable for 1-2 years. I have been since at least 2012.

I was stable 2 years leading up to it, but with family history they were certain my eyes would change in my 40s. They warned me ahead of time and I did it anyway. Prior to LASIK, the only letter I could read without the eye chart was the E. It was a great 9 years.

Very common to have a big change in your vision around age 40 or so . Happened to me . I turned 60 this year and it happened again . Consult an actual Ophthalmologist ( MD ) to get an opinion . My sister spent the money on the surgery and one year later she needed glasses again .

Had mine done in 2001. Went from 20/400 and “fingers at six feet” to 20/20 and 20/25. This year I had to get my cataracts done and got 20/20.
Note. As I’d had lasik, they had to use a laser for the cataract surgery. That wasn’t covered by Medicare.
At the time there were companies in Canada doing Eye Surgery. It was arrive at SeaTac, get examined in Bellevue, bus to Canada, surgery, stay overnight, the return the next day after exams. They were doing great until people started having problems with halos, and rays around lights. Seems they were reusing the scalpels used to cut the corneas.

quote:

Originally posted by acidjazz:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I had LASIK in 2007 and afterward had 20/15 vision for 2 years, 20/20 vision for 5 years, and 20/25 vision for 2 years. It was great being able to see when I woke up in the morning, not having glasses fog up, and not having all of the GD smudges from the protective coating on glasses. I also enjoyed the crap out of having real sunglasses.

One of the weird things after LASIK was how sensitive my eyes were to wind as I had been an everyday glasses wearer since sophomore year of college.

I ended up having to go on Restasis for a year after LASIK because my eyes weren't producing enough natural tears.

I was told that when I reached 40 that I'd likely need reading glasses. Unfortunately, they were wrong and when I was 42 I needed distance glasses. A year later, I graduated to bifocals.

Would I do it over? yes.

Am I disappointed I lost my distance vision? yes.

What caused your regression? Do they know?

I was told you gotta be stable for 1-2 years. I have been since at least 2012.

I was told by my doctor that as with everything nothing is permanent and that it is different with everyone. Some people regress within a few months, some a few years, some none at all. However your eyesight is constantly fluctuating. About 5 years ago I began noticing that my vision on my right eye started to become sharper and cripser than normal. I went to my eye doc that performed my surgery and he checked out my eyes and said that everything is normal and that eyes will sometimes do that. My vision went from 20/20 to 20/15. It actually stayed like that for about 6 months then went back to 20/20. Again everyday it will fluctuate from 20/20 to 20/30 depending on how tired I am, etc. God Bless

Best of luck.

I had it done ~15 years ago and have ZERO regrets. I started with glasses in 5th grade and was the kid who could not even see the giant "E" on the chart.

Sitting up on the table immediately after the surgery I could read the clock on the wall. The next day my wife heard me in the shower when I told her I could actually clearly see my feet.

For me it was nothing short of a miracle. Again, best of luck!

Hey AcidJazz, how are you doing after the procedure?

Does diabetes have any effect?

I had it done some 20 years ago also. Absolutely no problems. I was lucky, went in on a one-day special and got both eyes done for $1000.

I had PRK done in 2011 when I was 30. My wife got it done the same year as we were offered a discount. My recovery was worse than my wife’s who had the regular LASIK. The first two years I had occasional dry eyes and halos at night. I’d definitely do it all over again. I remember when they flushed my eyes after they used the laser and how clear things were for a few seconds. This was followed by a week of various levels of haze. Good luck!

If your vision is bad enough that you can't function without aid, by all means get it done. You can't always depend on your glasses or contacts staying put all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

I ended up having to go on Restasis for a year after LASIK because my eyes weren't producing enough natural tears.

I have a question for you. You said, Restasis for a year. Did I read this correctly?

I was told that once I started Restasis, it would be a lifetime commitment. I have been using it for a few years, now.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

I'm jealous, at 32 with a -9.50 in both eyes, my eye doc told me I was on the no side of borderline.

Considering ICL in the future, instead.

I have ICL implants, done when cataracts were removed. I opted for conventional surgery rather than laser, due to cost; the conventional procedure is fully covered by MediCare, while laser would have cost me a few thousand.

I was astounded, the morning after the procedure, at how much brighter and clearer everything was. Colors were no longer washed out, and everything that was more than a few feet from me was in sharp focus. I still use glasses for closer vision, but I can now fly or drive with no correction required for distant vision.

I just had my second eye done ICL Tuesday due to cataracts. Need reading glasses now but distance is 20/25. Doc said that should settle out better in a few days.
I had the right eye done Jan 28. Had a small surprise. The ciliary zonules that hold the lens in place we’re broken on the nasal side. Found that out when he made the first cut in the cornea. Wasn’t able to detect it prior to surgery due to the cataract being so bad and interfering with the imaging. Doc had to undialate my eye quick and then installed a capsular tension ring (like a split ring) and then the ICL.
Took off 2 weeks instead of 1 as my job is pretty physical and I have a LOT of sick leave. Will be doing the same this time.
My surgeon is fellowship trained which is a prerequisite for me any more for any cutting. I’m glad I used him.
First time since the 1969 I haven’t had to wear glasses or contacts. I will be 65 in April.
Now I can wear my good sunglasses on the water again.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

I'm jealous, at 32 with a -9.50 in both eyes, my eye doc told me I was on the no side of borderline.

Considering ICL in the future, instead.

I have ICL implants, done when cataracts were removed. I opted for conventional surgery rather than laser, due to cost; the conventional procedure is fully covered by MediCare, while laser would have cost me a few thousand.

I was astounded, the morning after the procedure, at how much brighter and clearer everything was. Colors were no longer washed out, and everything that was more than a few feet from me was in sharp focus. I still use glasses for closer vision, but I can now fly or drive with no correction required for distant vision.

Glad to see a firsthand perspective on ICL.
It's a one-day goal for now, as from what I've seen the cost is pretty similar to Lasik.

A couple years after my cataract / ICL procedure, I noticed that my vision was beginning to deteriorate slightly.

It turns out that this is not unusual. It is caused by (in layman terms) a cloudy growth on the inside of the lens.

It is corrected by a procedure called a YAG capsulotomy, in which a laser is used to zap the cloudy stuff. The actual procedure takes less than a minute, no discomfort (other than having to stare into a bright light), no after-effects, no recovery time, and this is a one-time correction, with no recurrence expected. There was no charge for this.

I had it done 20 years ago. Had some halo at night, mostly road signs and lights at night. Went away after 2-3 years IIRC. Light sensitivity, especially oncoming headlights. Also improved slowly. Still get dry eyes, especially when its windy or I have a fan or vent blowing on me. Those are all common side effects. I'm very happy I got it done.

Now 48, I'll need glasses for distance soon and expect I'll need bifocals eventually but thats probably years away. Eye Dr said he's surprised it took this long, usually happens around 40.

Best of luck and enjoy your new, glasses free life!