lasek or lasik?!

tk123

Guys can anybody give me a reason why the chose one over the other. I was at an assessment at the weekend and told i'm suitable for either and that lasek is safer BUT - i've read posts on here about people being in a bad way after the lasek. Is it really that bad also what kind of downtime did you have - eg time off work? I like the idea of getting lasik and being able to see the next day!

theteal

you're going to get good and bad stories for both i'm afraid. i've written a bit of an essay on my last weekend lasik experience in the poll above. basically, op done saturday evening, back to work Monday, pain free, vision perfect (slight glare), my full recommendation. TBH beforehand i too was more interested in lasek but i wasn't suitable so that was decision made.

BC

I'm in a similar situation - i'm suitable for both and am trying to decide.

As far as I can see the pros/cons are:

Lasik
Pros - Quicker recovery time, full vision almost immediately
Cons - higher risk of dry eye and other complications. More of a surgical risk (less than 1% risk but still a risk). Can only be done once.

Lasek
Pros - No surgical risk. Less risk of complications. Can be done multiple times.
Cons - Longer recovery time, more painful, can take a few weeks for full vision.

packas

theteal wrote: »

you're going to get good and bad stories for both i'm afraid. i've written a bit of an essay on my last weekend lasik experience in the poll above. basically, op done saturday evening, back to work Monday, pain free, vision perfect (slight glare), my full recommendation. TBH beforehand i too was more interested in lasek but i wasn't suitable so that was decision made.

Have you been told anything about the slight glare i.e. will it go in time?

theteal

packas wrote: »

Have you been told anything about the slight glare i.e. will it go in time?

yeah, it was expected in fact, something to do with pupil size, doc said it should go down in about 4-8 weeks. i've heard similar things from other people who've had it done too. i must stress that the glare is nowhere as bad as i was expecting, i would class it as 'noticeable' rather than 'hindering' when driving at night - it was a case of, "oh, there's the glare. . . that's it? that's grand" when i first noticed it

tk123

I was told wavefront would reduce the chance of getting glares/halos. Optilase are giving €1000 off for vhi etc so was planning on getting that with the lasik to 'cancel out' the risks!

Jip

Yeah, wavefront reduces glare as it maps out how light hits different parts of your eye and then bases the surgery on this. Basically it's a mapping tailored to your eyes rather than a one size fits all that non wavefront can be.

BopNiblets

LASEK hurts for longer afterwards as I understand it, because the cornea has to completely regenerate instead of just heal the flap back into place.

Deadeyes

I had the LASEK done recently and I experienced no pain whatsoever. For my second eye I felt a bit of discomfort a couple of hours after but that was it. I had pysched myself up for being in agony because a friend had it done and she suffered quite badly. Having said that she refused to take painkiller because she had been told she'd heal faster without them. I wasn't told anything like that. The person I seen said take the painkillers, if they're not strong enough use the special drops, don't suffer.

I guess everyone is affected differently.

tk123

How much time off did you need Deadeyes?

Deadeyes

For each eye I had the operation on a Thursday and took the Friday and the whole of the next week off. I work in IT and spend all my time looking at a monitor so I didn't want to take any chances plus I just wanted the time off.
They told me that if I had it on Thursday I could be back in work by the following Wednesday. Depending on the work you do and how much strain you put on your eyes that is achievable.
As it stands my first eye was perfect after ten days. My second eye is taking a little longer to heal, there is a bit of blur that comes and goes, it's noticeable but doesn't interfere with anything I do.

BC

I've also been told there are more checkups with Lasek.
If i lasik i just have a checkup the following day. If i get lasek i have the following day and two days later.

Deadeyes

For check-ups, I had one the next day, one three days later, one two weeks after the last one and I have another one coming up which will be three weeks from the last visit. I had it done in the Mater Private and I work in town, so I can go to the latter check-ups before going to work.

Jip

BC wrote: »

I've also been told there are more checkups with Lasek.
If i lasik i just have a checkup the following day. If i get lasek i have the following day and two days later.

You should have more than that, you'll have one the next day as you said, one I think the week after but I can't remember now, one a month later and then one after 6 months. When I got my Lasik I was also able to go back to work 2 days afterwards, I too work in IT ! I wanted more time off but they'll only certify you for 2 days afterwards, boo.

tk123

I'm going to go for Lasik. I work in IT too btw :pac:

BC

Jip wrote: »

You should have more than that, you'll have one the next day as you said, one I think the week after but I can't remember now, one a month later and then one after 6 months. When I got my Lasik I was also able to go back to work 2 days afterwards, I too work in IT ! I wanted more time off but they'll only certify you for 2 days afterwards, boo.

Sorry i should have clarified - i was told i'd have checks up after 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months for both lasek and lasik.

The difference was in the immediate days following the surgery, there are more lasek than lasik appointments.

Paulie907

According to the 'Review of Optometry' journal, up to one in six people who undergo laser surgery end up with complications that affect their eyesight

Paulie907

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