LASIK tomorrow!

The_Gatsby

So, I'm getting LASIK in the morning, which is lucky because I accidentally broke my glasses about 2 hours ago! I thought I'd start a new thread to share my results with you all.

I went for a consultation in the Wellington about 3 weeks ago and they told me I was perfect candidate for LASIK. So I went ahead and booked it, despite the €4500 price tag!

I'm not really nervous at the moment, I've been a contact lens wearer for years so the thought of touching my eyes doesn't really bother me. Having said that, I just watched this video and the only part that makes me slightly apprehensive is where they put the clamp things in your eyes at the beginning.

I'm looking forward to it so will hopefully update tomorrow or Saturday!

bootybouncer

4500 are u sure its just lasik???????????????????

The_Gatsby

bootybouncer wrote: »

4500 are u sure its just lasik???????????????????

That's what I was told anyway. I asked the girl at the desk how much it would be and she asked me had I been recommended LASIK or LASEK. I told her LASIK and she said €4500

Mousewar

Have you not got health insurance? They'll knock off a chunk of that price if you do. And you can also claim back tax on what you pay.

The_Gatsby

Mousewar wrote: »

Have you not got health insurance? They'll knock off a chunk of that price if you do. And you can also claim back tax on what you pay.

No health insurance. Yeah, my parents are paying for half of it so they're going to make the actual payment so they can claim the tax back. (I'm a student and only work part time)

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

the first couple of weeks are slightly annoying as your eyes get better/worse every day so you're never sure if you're going to be able to see properly in the morning

but one day you'll wake up and be able to see perfectly from the get-go. no putting in lenses, no reaching for glasses.. you just wake up and there's yesterdays underwear on the other side of the room in vivid detail.

it's excellent.

ac08400

I felt very panicked the morning I was going to get it done, don't be, it is a regular enough process nowadays. They know what they are doing. You will be happy with the results. It takes a few days to adjust, but that is all, just feels a bit weird until your eyes adjust.

The_Gatsby

Well everything went brilliantly this morning! I was a little nervous going in but I took the valium they offered me and so by the time we were ready to start I was really quite relaxed.

When they put in the forceps to hold my eye open they realised that the suction cup wasn't working with the forceps in, they told me my eyes were too deep set. So the Dr. and nurse held my eyes open with their hands! The whole procedure took about 10 minutes for both eyes and was painless. I found all the bright lights slightly uncomfortable but other than that it was painless.

The worst part of the whole experience was when I got home. My eyes were stinging and there was an unbelievable amount of tears. So much that I've been incredibly thirsty all day! I couldn't even open my eyes and even with them closed, it was still incredibly uncomfortable. But I took the sleeping tablet and the anesthetic drops they gave me and managed to have a sleep and two hours later my eyes were fine.

Right now my eyes aren't sore at all. They feel a little gritty, like there's sand or something in them but it's not irritating. I took off the eye protectors they give you when I put in my antibiotic drops and I can see the difference already. I can't believe how quickly it actually makes a difference.

I have a check up appointment tomorrow so will see what they say but so far, I'm absolutely thrilled with the results!

Charisteas

The_Gatsby wrote: »

I took off the eye protectors they give you when I put in my antibiotic drops and I can see the difference already.

I actually wore my eye protectors to bed for about two weeks to protect myself from accidentally touching/rubbing/scratching my eye whilst I slept.

The_Gatsby

Charisteas wrote: »

I actually wore my eye protectors to bed for about two weeks to protect myself from accidentally touching/rubbing/scratching my eye whilst I slept.

yeah i have to wear them at night for a week they told me

The_Gatsby

Just woke up. I CAN SEE!! A little bit of dry eye but have my drops in and I can see pretty well. Just off to the clinic now for my follow up appointment

theteal

The_Gatsby wrote: »

Just woke up. I CAN SEE!! A little bit of dry eye but have my drops in and I can see pretty well. Just off to the clinic now for my follow up appointment

Ha ha, I remember that "day after" feeling. I was unsure how much of an improvement there was until I was at the check-up and the doc pointed at the letters board, "tell me how far down you can see?". . . ."eh, I see all of them. . .holy sh!t"

€4500 is quite a price, how bad is was your contacts prescription?

The_Gatsby

theteal wrote: »

Ha ha, I remember that "day after" feeling. I was unsure how much of an improvement there was until I was at the check-up and the doc pointed at the letters board, "tell me how far down you can see?". . . ."eh, I see all of them. . .holy sh!t"

€4500 is quite a price, how bad is was your contacts prescription?

Yeah I just got back from the check up and I have better than 20/20 vision which is amazing. He told me that the flap healed so well you can hardly see it under the microscope.

I was only -2.5 but the clinic is the best in Ireland. My mum works in a hospital and all of the doctors recommended the Wellington as it's the most advanced and reputable place to go to. I don't mind paying that much to be honest. The results are amazing and the staff were great. Definitely worth it.

Delighted it went well for you. I also had my eyes done there, 3 years ago this June. I can "see a fly on the Reek" as they say in these parts. I was -7.5 on both eyes, so pretty blind. They were laughing at me when I went in to get mine done, I was literally bouncing off the walls with excitement!

Three years on, I haven't regressed at all, no halos, no dryness. I went shopping and bought loads of fashion sunglasses - just cos I could! I had been wearing contact lenses since my teens every single day, rarely wore glasses.

Enjoy your new-found freedom, its made a huge difference to my life

Three Seasons

The_Gatsby wrote: »

So, I'm getting LASIK in the morning, which is lucky because I accidentally broke my glasses about 2 hours ago! I thought I'd start a new thread to share my results with you all.

I went for a consultation in the Wellington about 3 weeks ago and they told me I was perfect candidate for LASIK. So I went ahead and booked it, despite the €4500 price tag!

I'm not really nervous at the moment, I've been a contact lens wearer for years so the thought of touching my eyes doesn't really bother me. Having said that, I just watched this video and the only part that makes me slightly apprehensive is where they put the clamp things in your eyes at the beginning.

I'm looking forward to it so will hopefully update tomorrow or Saturday!

Best of luck with that.

Dude111

I wish you the best of luck my friend!!

NIMAN

No point offering him good luck, he's had it done already!!

The_Gatsby, how are you settling in with your new view of life?!;)

The_Gatsby

Mayo Gurl wrote: »

The_Gatsby, how are you settling in with your new view of life?!;)

It's brilliant! I love waking up in the morning and being able to see haha. My eyes are a bit dry in the morning but my drops sort that out.

Also they're still bruised from the suction cups which is a bit annoying cos I always see people staring at my eyes haha.

Completely satisfied though. Actually I think that's an understatement! I'm delighted! I can't wait until the summer when it's time to go sunglasses shopping :P

I really am delighted for you. I still love being able to see which bottle is shampoo and which is conditioner in the shower. Its the little things really that to everyone else is normal. Happy shopping, I'm sure shades are probably hitting the shops by now!!!!

GrumPy

Great man, best feeling ever waking up with perfect vision! Congrats.

Zillah

You can re-direct the support my way then, I'm going in on Saturday! I'm not nervous, just excited. I suspect I'll be a bit frustrated waiting for them to heal though, I'm not very patient. For the last week, any time that I've taken my glasses on or off I look at them and think "Soon I'll be rid of you forever!" On one hand I feel like turning down the valium as I don't want to be a zombie and I don't get nervous easily, but then again valium does help you sleep later - sleeping through the immediate aftermath would be very nice.

I can't wait! I'm 28 and I've had glasses since about 15. I use contacts every now and then but I find them very uncomfortable for using a computer or after a few hours. To think, I'll be able to use normal sunglasses, and be able to see in the pool!

The_Gatsby

Mayo Gurl wrote: »

I really am delighted for you. I still love being able to see which bottle is shampoo and which is conditioner in the shower. Its the little things really that to everyone else is normal. Happy shopping, I'm sure shades are probably hitting the shops by now!!!!

Haha thank you! It really is worth it!

Zillah wrote: »

You can re-direct the support my way then, I'm going in on Saturday! I'm not nervous, just excited. I suspect I'll be a bit frustrated waiting for them to heal though, I'm not very patient. For the last week, any time that I've taken my glasses on or off I look at them and think "Soon I'll be rid of you forever!" On one hand I feel like turning down the valium as I don't want to be a zombie and I don't get nervous easily, but then again valium does help you sleep later - sleeping through the immediate aftermath would be very nice.

I can't wait! I'm 28 and I've had glasses since about 15. I use contacts every now and then but I find them very uncomfortable for using a computer or after a few hours. To think, I'll be able to use normal sunglasses, and be able to see in the pool!

Yeah there's nothing to be nervous about, it's not painful at all. I wasn't nervous either but took the valium anyway, although it didn't really have that much of an effect to be honest. I was too distracted by what was going on to notice how relaxed I was haha.

Are you getting LASIK? Because if you are then the recovery period will be about a day. I got mine done at 9:30 in the morning and when I went home I slept and dozed until about 5pm and I could watch TV no problem. You'll start to notice it straight away, it really is amazing. When you get home though, the pain will be quite bad. My eyes stung a lot, even when they were closed. They wouldn't stop producing tears! They give you a sleeping tablet so I took that and after an hour or so it kicked in and I went to sleep. I'd even recommend taking it as soon as you leave so you can just get home and sleep.

I'm not sure about LASEK but I think the recovery is worse and takes longer but you can get back to playing sports and stuff sooner as there is no flap made.

Good luck with it anyway and let us know how you get on!

Mousewar

The valium is also good for relaxing the eye muscles themselves so worth taking.

I'm getting mine Tuesday.

I can't wait! I'm 28 and I've had glasses since about 15. I use contacts every now and then but I find them very uncomfortable for using a computer or after a few hours. To think, I'll be able to use normal sunglasses, and be able to see in the pool![/QUOTE]

Best of luck, Zillah! I had lenses since I was about 16, I really can't express how amazing it is to be able to see without help! I didn't get the valium, I was too excited, I'd say the poor surgeon was half afraid of me Good luck, be sure to report back x

Mousewar

Mousewar wrote: »

The valium is also good for relaxing the eye muscles themselves so worth taking.

I'm getting mine Tuesday.

Sorry Mousewar good luck to you too! I'm all excited for ye....

Mousewar

Thanks. I'm actually just getting one eye done to see if i take to monovision. If not then back in six weeks to get the other one done. So it might be a bit weird for a while. Also, I'm getting Lasek so will be a slow recovery.

Dude111

NIMAN wrote:

No point offering him good luck, he's had it done already!!

OOPS im sorry buddy,didnt read every reply in the thread!

Im glad it went OK for ya!!

Zillah

Thanks

Getting LASIK. Not quite as crazy expensive as The_Gatsby's but pricey enough! I'll definitely report back. Unless something awful happens :pac:

Mousewar

Zillah wrote: »

Thanks

Unless something awful happens :pac:

No definitely report back if that happens!

amtc

Got mine done september 2011 - no soreness, walked out fine, acompanied by mother who practically had ordered white cane. Slept for a hour, and fine after that. Took a while for my right to get as good as my left, spent lots of time closing one eye to read teletext on tv to check they were the same.

The little things are the best - like someone said, not having to check shampoo and conditioner, not getting fogged up when opening dishwasher, not getting wet glasses in the rain. I pretty much wore contacts for 25 years but that's about the max you can get out of them, so was having to rely on glasses more and more.

Mousewar

Meh - that was a piece of pie. No pain yet either considering it's Lasek.
Clinic was brilliant I have to say.

The_Gatsby

Mousewar wrote: »

Meh - that was a piece of pie. No pain yet either considering it's Lasek.
Clinic was brilliant I have to say.

I hope it stays that way!

Charisteas

Mousewar wrote: »

Meh - that was a piece of pie. No pain yet either considering it's Lasek.
Clinic was brilliant I have to say.

How's the pain 48 hours later?

Mousewar

Absolutely non-existent.

How long did it take you to get 20/20?

Charisteas

No pain at all? That's great. Either you must have a high tolerance for pain, or they accidental gave you LASIK!

Did you take to the mono-vision, or do you have to get the other eye done soon?

I'm not sure how long it took to reach 20/20. When I had my post op check-ups they just said the eyes are recovering very well without mentioning the numbers. It was only I think my week four check-up, when I actually asked if I had reached 20/20 yet, and he said yes I'm well beyond that now.

I'm off the drops completely as of 16th March (surgery dates were Jan 9th & 16th).

Have my three month check-up in April. My only worry now is if I am going to still be living in Ireland next January 2014 for my one year check-up, as missing that could jeopardise my lifetime guarantee. I'll have to ask the Professor next month.

Prodigious

Charisteas wrote: »

No pain at all? That's great. Either you must have a high tolerance for pain, or they accidental gave you LASIK!

Did you take to the mono-vision, or do you have to get the other eye done soon?

I'm not sure how long it took to reach 20/20. When I had my post op check-ups they just said the eyes are recovering very well without mentioning the numbers. It was only I think my week four check-up, when I actually asked if I had reached 20/20 yet, and he said yes I'm well beyond that now.

I'm off the drops completely as of 16th March (surgery dates were Jan 9th & 16th).

Have my three month check-up in April. My only worry now is if I am going to still be living in Ireland next January 2014 for my one year check-up, as missing that could jeopardise my lifetime guarantee. I'll have to ask the Professor next month.

Lifetime guarantee?
I thought it only lasts 12 - 15 years?

Mousewar

Prodigious wrote: »

Lifetime guarantee?
I thought it only lasts 12 - 15 years?

Theoretically it lasts for ever and any reputable place will redo it if it ever falls below driving standard again.
The surgery is permanent but your eyeball isn't. It changed shape to cause your shortsightedness in the first place and if it changes shape after surgery then your sight will be affected again. However, most people's eyeball stops changing after adolescent.
Always exceptions to that though...

Prodigious

I was in the opticians today and he told me the following. For me, my eyeball is too long. The surgery would cut a part of the cornea off to shorten the eyeball. However, the brain recognises this as damage, leading to reparation of the eye and restoration of the cornea.

Can anyone clarify?

Mousewar

Charisteas wrote: »

No pain at all? That's great. Either you must have a high tolerance for pain, or they accidental gave you LASIK!

Did you take to the mono-vision, or do you have to get the other eye done soon?

I'm not sure how long it took to reach 20/20. When I had my post op check-ups they just said the eyes are recovering very well without mentioning the numbers. It was only I think my week four check-up, when I actually asked if I had reached 20/20 yet, and he said yes I'm well beyond that now.

I'm off the drops completely as of 16th March (surgery dates were Jan 9th & 16th).

Have my three month check-up in April. My only worry now is if I am going to still be living in Ireland next January 2014 for my one year check-up, as missing that could jeopardise my lifetime guarantee. I'll have to ask the Professor next month.

Ha, no it was definitely LASEK. I didn't go near the flap cutting machine.
It's weird alright but what can I say - there was just no pain at all. Even first night there was nothing and I felt like I could watch telly if I wanted.
I've definitely reached 20/20 today which is 8 days after surgery. It might fluctuate over the next while I suppose but it's definitely 20/20 at the moment.

Monovision is grand. I'm gonna wait the full six weeks that they recommended before deciding whether to get the second eye done. I was hoping I'd hate it immediately and that would make my decision easy but it's actually fine so far.

I doubt that'll ruin your guarantee - but yeah check with them before you escape the island.

Mousewar

Prodigious wrote: »

I was in the opticians today and he told me the following. For me, my eyeball is too long. The surgery would cut a part of the cornea off to shorten the eyeball. However, the brain recognises this as damage, leading to reparation of the eye and restoration of the cornea.

Can anyone clarify?

News to me.
Firstly, almost every case of myopia is due to the eyeball being too long. The cornea isn't cut to shorten the eyeball. It's reshaped so that the light passing through it is reflected onto the retina which is further back that it originally was. The cornea does not restore itself. The only likely thing to cause your eyesight to regress is your eyeball elongating further.
I work with someone that had it done 21 years ago and it's still fine for him.

Thegalwayman

Prodigious wrote: »

I was in the opticians today and he told me the following. For me, my eyeball is too long. The surgery would cut a part of the cornea off to shorten the eyeball. However, the brain recognises this as damage, leading to reparation of the eye and restoration of the cornea.

Can anyone clarify?

Mmmm. Doubt thats what they said tbf. If your eye is too long for your refractive power you are myopic. They can correct quite high amounts of myopia these days depending on the thickness of your cornea this may be by LASEK

The_Gatsby

Prodigious wrote: »

I was in the opticians today and he told me the following. For me, my eyeball is too long. The surgery would cut a part of the cornea off to shorten the eyeball. However, the brain recognises this as damage, leading to reparation of the eye and restoration of the cornea.

Can anyone clarify?

I would take this with a pinch of salt to be honest. If you get laser eye then you're one less customer for your optician. My optician always told me not to get it whenever I asked him about it.

Add to that the fact that the laser eye surgeons, at least in the clinic I went to, are world class. They write academic papers on stuff like this, have the latest technology and are more qualified than an optician. At least go for a consultation and see, you'd be surprised what they can do these days.

Prodigious

I'm only 17 at the moment, so it'd be a bit away for me yet. I'm told you should be around 25 for your eye to be fully developed?

Personally I'd have more interest in natural vision improvement. I did improve by a quarter of a dioptre over a 6 month period, but due to school etc. it has deteriorated again. Do you have any opinion on natural vision improvement?

ene

Prodigious wrote: »

I'm only 17 at the moment, so it'd be a bit away for me yet. I'm told you should be around 25 for your eye to be fully developed?

i got my eyes lasered when i was 20, i wanted to get it done when i was 19 but my prescription has changed since my last eye test (which was when i was 15) so they waited a year. 2 years down the line and my vision is still perfect! i can see better then most people i know!

dont let your age put you off getting a consultation! if i had gone when i was 17 they would have let me get it done when i was 18 as my prescription wouldnt have changed!

Mousewar

Prodigious wrote: »

I'm only 17 at the moment, so it'd be a bit away for me yet. I'm told you should be around 25 for your eye to be fully developed?

Personally I'd have more interest in natural vision improvement. I did improve by a quarter of a dioptre over a 6 month period, but due to school etc. it has deteriorated again. Do you have any opinion on natural vision improvement?

I was interested in natural vision improvement when I was your age and for most of the next decade. I got over it eventually.
I don't want to deflate you but a quarter diopter change in either direction isn't really significant especially at your age. My right eye improved by the same in the 12 months before surgery. I don't think it's meaningful.

I read an enormous amount about these improvement methods and I even attended a workshop on it for several weeks. It's very appealing - especially the idea of getting back 'natural' sight rather than going down a surgical route. However, I always found all the writing heavy on theory and explanations of what caused myopia and very little on the practical things you could actually do. The exercises are so vague and ephemeral. I found it impossible to know if I was doing it right and so found it impossible to actually keep trying. Having spent ten years believing it would work in theory I never managed to actually do the exercises or make any improvement. Rather than spend another ten years thinking about it and still wearing glasses, I got the surgery.

Ultimately, I think the idea of these exercises has persisted based on wishful thinking. All the books talk of talking off your glasses and you will see an improvement in minutes or in hours. That's true but only in the sense that your eyes readjust to not wearing the glasses and start making better sense of the blur. It doesn't mean your eyesight has improved. Yet it may seem meaningful to people who want it to be true. I'd be willing to concede that there may be some benefit to the exercises that may result in minor improvement to sight but the idea of it restoring vision by several diopters is unlikely.
I think it is generally considered quackery now and has never been scientifically verified to any degree.

Thelostcountry

For all you people who recently got Laser eye surgery,I would like you all to report back in one year(if you dont mind that is)

IF anyone of you have starburst/glare at night time now, I want you too know that it will NOT! subside in a few weeks,no matter what your Surgen tells you.I am not trying to scare you guys,just telling you the truth(trust me I know)

Tar.Aldarion

Is it dearer/cheaper depending on your eyesight. i only wear glasses for teh ciinema, meetings etc. Can't see things far away. Have -1 in both eyes, must get it done some day. Annoying not to see clearly across the road.

Prodigious

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Is it dearer/cheaper depending on your eyesight. i only wear glasses for teh ciinema, meetings etc. Can't see things far away. Have -1 in both eyes, must get it done some day. Annoying not to see clearly across the road.

-1 is very good. Consider yourself lucky!

Tar.Aldarion

Prodigious wrote: »

-1 is very good. Consider yourself lucky!

Yeah it's quite good compared to a lot of people, so don't consider it too bad all right. Just would like to get it done at some stage. As I can't tell who people are etc from any distance.Maybe wait til older as eyesight will be decaying naturally anyway.

amtc

Thelostcountry wrote: »

For all you people who recently got Laser eye surgery,I would like you all to report back in one year(if you dont mind that is)

IF anyone of you have starburst/glare at night time now, I want you too know that it will NOT! subside in a few weeks,no matter what your Surgen tells you.I am not trying to scare you guys,just telling you the truth(trust me I know)

Got done September 2011. Absolutely perfect.