Laser eye surgury

Saruman

Dont know if its the right place.. feel free to move it if not..

Anyway anyone out there got PRK or LASIK done on their eyes? Especially LASIK.... I have my appointment next monday to assess if it can be done on me and if so to map my eye etc.. anyway if all goes well im having the surgury on the 18th.. so anyone had it done? If so im having LASIK done at Blackrock Clinic so i would be interested in hearing about it from an Irish perspective and not from people in other countries where the medical standard may be better or worse.

Victor

Look at this thread http://troll.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2002&highlight=surgery

WhiteWashMan

talk to castor troy,
or dig up same thread from this forum about 5 months ago. you cant miss it, do a search for laser, eye and surgery

Saruman

thanks guys

Jim Daniels

I work in Dublin and one of my colleagues had it done last year. She said its been amazing. She can drive, go to the cinema etc now etc, without glasses (obviously, thats the idea). It doesn't hurt but does take a couple of days to get used to.
So good luck.
Oh yeah, she got it done in Blackrock too....

Saruman

Thats what i wanted to hear Jim, perfect results in Blackrock.. and yeah i took a week off work for it in case i need it!

EvilGeorge

Mate of mine got it done - one eye at a time , doesn't need the glasses any more , he's a changed man - hehe didn't improve the sex life - hes just seen what hes been dating !!!

TwoShedsJackson

As mentioned above I got it done about five months ago and am thrilled with it - my vision is fine at short to mid range and pretty good beyond that - considering I couldn't read this monitor screen from a distance of two feet beforehand, a colossal improvement.

The surgery is a bit disconcerting, but it only lasts about ten minutes in total, it's not really any worse than the average trip to the dentist - but do bear in mind there are possible risks too, so make sure you have all the information available before you decide to go for it. Good luck.

Cake Fiend

I hear they don't anaesthetise you before they slice the cornea. What the Jebus is that about then?

Shinji

They can't, since as I understand it most of the surgery relies on monitoring the reaction of the iris to light etc. If you were asleep that wouldn't work...

They do spray anaesthetic on the surface of the eye, I believe. But you can still see what's going on, which frankly scares me a LOT because I'm really sensitive about my eyes for some reason.

Victor

Originally posted by Shinji
They can't, since as I understand it most of the surgery relies on monitoring the reaction of the iris to light etc. If you were asleep that wouldn't work... They do spray anaesthetic on the surface of the eye, I believe. But you can still see what's going on, which frankly scares me a LOT because I'm really sensitive about my eyes for some reason.

In that way, it comes across just like surgery to other 'sensative' parts. I might be inclined to do it, but there is no way I'd stay awake for it.

TwoShedsJackson

You are awake - your eye is held open with a metal bracket-like thing, your eye is anaesthetised, and they do their thing. The first part where they use the thing to lift the flap from your cornea, it's so close it's impossible to focus on it, thus you can't see what they're doing, and the actual laser bit is a red light flashing in your eye. If you've ever been in a disco then you'll be fine, believe me

I was worried too, but when I weighed up ten minutes of discomfort and fifteen years of glasses-free sight, that pretty much settled it.

Victor

Not wishing to put anyone off Castor, but who cares what I would see, its what I would know is my problem. I cna't even look when giving a blood sample. /me is a big chicken.

Saruman

I head some places use a sort of suction system to keep the eye in place. Anyway Victor i take it you dont wear contacts.. i dont wear them often but i have some i wear sometimes.. my eyes were real sensative to anything in them but i eventually got used to it... thats one of the reasons i got contacts.. just to get my eyes used to contact so i would not be too bad over the surgury.

Thanks for the feedback guys! I just hope im not told on Monday that im not suitable.. and if i am and go ahead that im not the 1% that experience side effects.. ok i know it wont be perfect straight away.. probably never but night vision loss and stuff people have reported should be ok after a few weeks... that will be fine since its getting lighter now so i wont be doing much driving in the dark.

Victor

Originally posted by Saruman
I head some places use a sort of suction system to keep the eye in place. Anyway Victor i take it you dont wear contacts..

WOT? and have pieces of glass / plastic floating around in my eyes. NOOoooo thanks.

Now where is that chicken avatar again?

Cake Fiend

If you can't bring yourself to have laser surgery (or can't afford it, or whatever) the best option is probably monthly always-in disposable contacts. I've been using Specsaver's easyvision all day - all night soft lenses for about 6 months now, very handy. Before that I was on normal monthly disposables, but there was the occasional problem of falling asleep with them in (usually drunkenly) and having to peel them off in the morning (not the nicest thing to have to do hungover).

Victor, if you're afraid of getting contact lenses, you have nothing much to worry about tbh. I've been wearing soft polymer (etafilcon A) lenses for about four years now. Obviously it was a bit weird when I first got them - for the first couple of days it felt like I constantly had an eyelash in either eye - but your eyes gradually get desensitized and after about a week, it was no bother putting them in and taking them out. Of course if you use the always-in lenses, you wouldn't even have to worry about that.

It's worth a try - most opticians run a two-week free trial system for anyone interested in changing to contacts - you have nothing to lose, but the hassles involved with glasses and imperfect eyesight.

Victor

Originally posted by Sico
there was the occasional problem of falling asleep with them in (usually drunkenly) and having to peel them off in the morning (not the nicest thing to have to do hungover).

Victor, if you're afraid of getting contact lenses, you have nothing much to worry about tbh

I'm sorry, but I don't find these statements compatible. I don't want to come across to negative, but the stuff just freaks me out.

Saruman

Some one moderate his ass.. victor delete this muppet!

Stephen

Horndogg, you're a fuckwit.

Cake Fiend

Originally posted by Victor


I'm sorry, but I don't find these statements compatible. I don't want to come across to negative, but the stuff just freaks me out.

Originally posted by Sico


Of course if you use the always-in lenses, you wouldn't even have to worry about that.

Cake Fiend

Check dis:

http://www.lasik.com/correctingvision/typesofprocedures/viewlasik/movies/lasik_8.avi

AVI of the LASIK procedure (8MB).

leeroybrown

Those all-day all-night lenses sound like a great idea.

Personally I'd probably prefer to take them out at night anyway but the whole think about not having to cry-them out in the morning sounds good.

Saruman

OK people i had the Surgery on Monday (now Tursday) and its great! I seriously advise poeple if you can afford it and would like to do it but are afraid.. dont be.. completely painless during the procedure.. after the procedure is the worst... first night sucks... you wear eye shields and though i could see clearer it was hazy and i just needed to keep my eyes closed.. i went to bed at 7pm when i got home and stayed in bed, with the exception of taking of the shields for 20 mins to eat dinner.. then back to bed.. next morning.. wow.. took em off and i could see so much clearer.. they get a little clearer each day.. still fluctuates even now but put it this way.. i can read the bottom line of the eye chart.. could not even do that with my glasses!

If you wear contacts you will be fine.. my eyes feel like im wearing contacts! Even though i know im not.. i still think i need to take them out and i only ever wore contacts once or twice a month!

Side effects... lets see.. a little gritty feeling but that passes and only comes every once in a while.. thats more down to your eyelashes sticking from the drops i think... umm vision fluctuates a little.. still clear but one eye seems clearer than the other.. was one and now the other is stronger.. supposed to settle down over next few weeks.. the only 2 real effects and these are temporary and not too bad is on each side of my eye.. i.e. left of my left eye and right of my right eye its not clear... This is the very far corner and not noticible unless inside! I think thats where the flap of the cornea was pulled back so needs to heal more.. and the number 1 side effect is halo effect at night! Its ok a little weird but sort of fun.. like on a foggy night you see halo effect around lights.. same thing only no fog.

Anyway thats it.. all is well and getting better each day.. well worth the €4060 on surgery (Blackrock clinic) + €100 consultation fee initially! and when i fill out a med1 form i get about half that back in tax rebate or allowence or something!