Laser Eye Surgery

slash2000

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone had laser eye surgery how they go on a few weeks/mothns later?

I had laser eye surgery 8 weeks ago, I was -4.5 and -5....not great eyesight! I went for Wavefront Lasik.

Overall it went very well, so far i can see very well close up and can drive comfortably. Distant vision could be better though, things like road signs are a bit out of focus. At my 1 month post op check up I'm -0.5 in both eyes.

Has anyone else been in the same situation? and will my eyes improve?

Villa82

I had LASEK (the one with alcohol) done yesterday and went back this morning for check up. All is ok so far. No real pain. Just had right eye done so far. I've to go back in 2 weeks time 7th Oct to get the left one done.

Paulie907

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2745035.stm

Bluetonic

Paulie907 wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2745035.stm

Why bother posting a link from 2003?

You've more risk from contact lenses for instance then laser eye surgery.

Jip

What's your point/agenda Paulie ? You've spammed several threads in this forum with that link with no comments on it.

gipi

Slash,

I'm 10 weeks post-LASIK, original prescription +2.75/+5.75 (longsighted). My eyes weren't corrected to 0/0, at the moment I'm -0.5 / +0.25. I'm now slightly shortsighted in the right eye (my dominant eye), and have had to get specs for driving.

I've been back for a few check-ups as I had 2 infections post-surgery (not on the corneal flap), and there's been no change to the original post-surgery figures so far. The surgeon did say that there may be a minor change which is why one eye was over-corrected (to -0.5), but it's not guaranteed. I'll be assessed again after 6 months, when a 2nd surgery may be done to give me 0/0. The possibility of a 2nd surgery was explained at my assessment/consultation, so wasn't a surprise.

Rael

I had my surgery at the end of August / start of September. My vision has stabilised and I'm off the steroids. I was -9.5 in both eyes and had astigmatism which made it worse. I also had Wavefront lasik.

My story and experiences are:

1. My eyes are more sensitive to very bright sunlight than they were & I need to get a decent pair of sunglasses. In normal light I have no contrast problems.

2. I have some issues with glare although not as bad as it was initially after surgery. The haziness has completely gone now. The two weeks after surgery using a computer was very difficult, but its fine now.

3. I had permanent floaters in my right eye after the surgery, it too has now gone away.

4. I get very bad halos around lights and especially at night, yellow street lights are the worst. This can also be off putting when watching TV as it leads to the picture looking slightly off. When I look at certain illuminated signs I see a double / ghost image.

I spoke to my surgon at the one month consult at the beginning of October and he said that these should clear up slowly over a three month period. He said they wont disappear overnight but will diminish slowly over time. If you look at the web (try not to) there are loads of horror stories but some of the sites say it can take six months or more to recover from halos and starbursts.

I wont lie, it is frustrating but I'm taking hope from the fact that some issues have resolved themselves and others will take time. I think from a mental point of view its a difficult recovery compared to a physical injury or surgery. At least with those you can see the healing process on a daily or weekly basis.

There are days when I wish I had my glasses, but I'm hoping for a full recovery.

Abeth

I've just made an appointment and decided to go ahead with LASEK at Dundrum Eye Clinic. I also have to get both eyes done seperately. Would be interested to know if anyone has experiences of this clinic they'd like to share.
The risks of complications is pretty scary - however having read up about it, I think that the worst thing about it is the feelings of idiocy and vanity that you'd brought it on yourself - and paid €3000 for it. And all the uncertainty about whether it will get better must be stressful.
As far as I can see however, most of the things that have gone wrong seem to be fairly minor, compared to the benefits, and that a lot of them go away in a few months. With Wavefront guided treatment, I understand that there is also the chance that you can get better vision than your current corrected vision (with glasses).
Anyway, they tell me that I am a good candidate, I've had a stable perscription for several years, healthy eyes, no history of dry eye etc., and I have been fairly impressed with the clinic and surgeon so far. I've done quite a bit of reading up about it. LASEK does seem to be much safer than LASIK.
I will have to go around with only one lense in my glasses for a week between the operations though, which is a bit of a pain! It will also take up a lot of my November between surgeries and check ups and trying to recover and not being able to read / use computer / drink / wear eye make-up.
If anyone has any further advice, or if there's anyting I haven't considered I'd love to hear it!

Deadeyes

I had the LASEK done a couple of months ago, only complaint is that I didn't do it years ago. Walking around with one lens might not be too bad depending on the type of glasses you've got. Mine had a frame at the top but just a clear band holding the bottom. People talking to me didn't even notice the lens was missing! The days after the op is a great time to get re-acquainted with your record collection. I don't think you can go swimming or exercise for a few weeks afterwards.

Best of luck Abeth.

BC

I'm getting lasek done (first eye) next week and i can't wait although i'm obviously a little nervous.

The hospital (Mater) told me they'd give me a dummy lens for the weeks between the two eyes.

I'm a bit concerned about whether i'll be able to see enough to use the PC in work for the weeks after the operation. I've been told that i should be fine but i suppose i'll have to wait and see.

I too have read up on the risks etc and having had all the tests i'm happy that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Abeth

Thanks for the reassurance DeadEyes!
I have the same type of glasses as you. Hopefully the missing lens won't be too ridiculous looking.
And far more importantly, hopefully I will have no complications!

Deadeyes

BC I had it done there, I'm not sure if they give you the dummy lens or if they give you a prescription to have it done.
As for working on a PC, I returned to work after ten days and found the first three days a bit of a struggle, mainly the last eye I had done would get a bit blurry at around the same time I was scheduled to take the drops. I'm a developer so my entire day involves looking at the screen. Take plenty of breaks ,look around, go for a walk , the usual stuff your supposed to do when working on PCs. There's no point in straining your eyes for the job. They also give you lubricant eye drops which you can use whenever you need, which do refresh your eyes. Try to hit them for an extra box during your check-up after the second op.

Pissed off

I had Lasek done in February, have had no serious after effects, couldnt believe how well I could see after a couple of hours..they only problem I have is sometimes when I am watching TV in the dark and a really bright picture will come on and it hurts my eye for just a split second but I can live with that...I hated wearing glasses and I was starting to get ulcers from my constant contact use...Its the best 2k I ever spent...

BC

Deadeyes wrote: »

BC I had it done there, I'm not sure if they give you the dummy lens or if they give you a prescription to have it done.
As for working on a PC, I returned to work after ten days and found the first three days a bit of a struggle, mainly the last eye I had done would get a bit blurry at around the same time I was scheduled to take the drops. I'm a developer so my entire day involves looking at the screen. Take plenty of breaks ,look around, go for a walk , the usual stuff your supposed to do when working on PCs. There's no point in straining your eyes for the job. They also give you lubricant eye drops which you can use whenever you need, which do refresh your eyes. Try to hit them for an extra box during your check-up after the second op.

Thanks deadeyes. Did you take 10 days for each eye or ten days in total? I'm a developer also so i'd have the same issues re sitting at a PC. I'll be back to work 4 days after the first eye is done, then i have 3 weeks until the second eye is done and then back 4 days after that again. The mater have told me i should be fine to work on the PC but i'm still a bit concerned. Unfortunately i can't get any more time off work.

yawnstretch

What I don't get about laser eye surgery is if you're optician is suggesting you change your prescription every 5 or 6 years then whats the point of lasering your eyes and then finding out 10 years down the road that you need glasses again?

BC

yawnstretch wrote: »

What I don't get about laser eye surgery is if you're optician is suggesting you change your prescription every 5 or 6 years then whats the point of lasering your eyes and then finding out 10 years down the road that you need glasses again?

Maybe it depends on the person but i've had the same prespecription for nearly 10 years (and i've had yearly checkups).

evie08

Pissed off wrote: »

I had Lasek done in February, have had no serious after effects, couldnt believe how well I could see after a couple of hours..they only problem I have is sometimes when I am watching TV in the dark and a really bright picture will come on and it hurts my eye for just a split second but I can live with that...I hated wearing glasses and I was starting to get ulcers from my constant contact use...Its the best 2k I ever spent...

hi PO...did you go for wavefront or just Lasek? I have an appointment next week and dont know which to go for

Jip

yawnstretch wrote: »

What I don't get about laser eye surgery is if you're optician is suggesting you change your prescription every 5 or 6 years then whats the point of lasering your eyes and then finding out 10 years down the road that you need glasses again?

That's why they recommend you have a steady prescription before getting it done, your eyes are basically settled. And most people probably will need glasses sometime down the line but not for the original issue, for example most people when older get a bit long sighted so they need glasses for reading. So if were were shortsighted, got laser surgery, there's still the possibility you'll need glasses for reading when you're older.
However if you need glasses again for being shortsighted most places will correct this free of charge.

nostress

has anyone tried optical express, heard lots of ads for them lately potentially way cheaper than others sounds a bit too good to be true