Anyone had LASIK or PRK surgery: would like to hear experiences (1 Viewer)

[Dustin B]

I am considering having my mild myopia corrected by LASIK or PRK. The place I've decided on feels that for mild myopia PRK is superior. I'd love to hear the experience of anyone with mild myopia who has gone through either of these procedures.

I welcome comments from anyone who has experienced the procedure, but I'm most interested with those who fit in the lowest correction group (< -2.0 diopters) and who were in their twenties when they had the surgery performed.

 

[Julie K]

There was a long thread about LASIK, and the whole philosophy of irreversibly modifying one's primary sensory organs, a long time ago. I'm sure you can find it in the archives.
Personally, I think it's far too risky to contemplate either LASIK or PRK (but PRK is a bit safer) for such a mild correction. But of course, the decision is yours. But you may wish to check out the "other side", so to speak, of folks who have had less than satisfactory results at www.surgicaleyes.org

 

[Dave Morton]

Dustin,
I'm going under the laser this friday. I am -2 in my right eye and -4 in my left eye with a slight astigmatism. I'm taking part of a phase II clinical trial that performs a custom ablation using a new mapping software. It's at Link Removed . One of the features is that I will be provided a lense that will made from the specs of the mapping software which will be able to predict what my sight will be. So it will predict by outcome prior to surgery.
Definitely take a look at all the web sites and get all the information you can. Surgical eyes is good for all the negatives. Link Removed is pretty good and has many links.
I'll let you know of my results on saturday.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Before letting anyone slice your cornea with PRK or LASIK do yourself a favor and go to Link Removed. Learn what the side-effects and detrimental effects of these surgeries really will mean to your vision. Learn about the complete lack of any knowledge about the long term effects of these extremely invasive procedures. Learn why pupil size and cornea thickness are important and why you should know what yours are before the procedure. Learn about the aftercare and how to deal with common problems like chronic dry eye and loss of contrast sensitivity. Learn what haloes and starbursts, as well as irregular astigmatism look like. Learn that it is impossible to go back to your original best correct vision if the procedure goes wrong.
Then take the money you have saved for LASIK or PRK, get a really nice set of designer frames, and go on a nice vacation.
There is absolutely NO WAY that I would allow any of these experimental procedures to be performed on me.

 

[Craig Chatterton]

I did extensive research on LASIK earlier this year and last year. My vision (I don't know the +- numbers) is 20/800 in both eyes, so I'm a pretty good candidate for this. But what really bugged me and eventually turned me off the procedure is the way they gather statistics.

They may say that they have a 98% success rate, but they don't count minor problems such as halos, starbursts, or dry eyes. So you may be dependant on Visine for the rest of your life, or you may never be able to drive at night again, but they'll count you as a success.

However, I do believe that they'll come up with something foolproof in the future. They're making improvements all the time. I'm content to wait and see what comes.

 

[Jason Merrick]

As with many things, when things go well most people don't bother to go out of their way to tell other people. However, when things don't go so well, many people will post their experience.

This, I believe, is the phenomena behind the SurgicalEyes website.

I was slightly concerned prior to my LASIK procedure due to all the bad press on LASIK found on the internet. However, what convinced me were the personal experiences of many of my friends. I am a 911 Dispatcher with the Los Angeles Police Department. For some reason, the LASIK surgery spread like wildfire through our ranks in the summer of 2000. After about 12 different people had the surgery performed at the same facility, all with extremely positive remarks, I decided to schedule mine.

13 months later I could not be happier! My contact prescription was -4.25 on both eyes... I could barely make out the E on the eye chart. Now I have 20/15 in both eyes and no problem with dryness or halos.

Phil makes many valid points about checking out the facts prior to surgery. Your corneal thickness and pupil size WILL play a large part in your post-surgery satisfaction. However, take with a grain of salt some of the other information. I guess, as with any surgery, the best advice is to do your research first, and do it well.

Best of luck with whatever decision you make.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

Speaking as an eyecare professional, I believe that it is about 5-10 years too early to trust Lasik or any other kind of vision correction. There is no way to know what the long-term effects of a procedure are until an actual long term has passed.

13 months later I could not be happier!

Come back in 13 years and tell me how you're doing.

The most conservative statistics I've read say that 5% of Lasik patients have permanent and irreversible vision problems such as haloes, irregular astigmatism, and double vision. That's one in 20 patients. Don't risk it. Get some really cool glasses. Wear contacts. Save your money. Don't risk permanent damage to your eyes.

 

[Sam C]

That's an E ... I've always wondered what that was ... I'm currently -2.5 and I'm so sick of contact ... I've been thinking about it and doing some research but nothing hardcore ...

 

[Rommel_L]

I was at -2.75 on both eyes before I had the old fashioned RK done back in '95, and it was worth it. Both eyes were done the same day and I was back to work in 3 days, even though it took 2 weeks for the soreness and mild light sensitivy to go away. I was pretty much called the Terminator for the big wrap around sun glasses that I was wearing for those 2-3 weeks.

I agree with with Phil about learning more about the procedure concerning possible side effects as such, but disagree with him concerning the procedures as experimental. I think Canada has approved this procedure 2-5 years before it was approved in the US.

Good luck with your decision...

-RL-

 

[Randy Tennison]

I, too, could not see the large "E" on the eyechart. I had lasik done one year ago, and have been very happy. I did experience some dry eyes for the first 10 months (attributed to my rheumatoid arthritis), and still occassionally have a little dryness (in cold weather), but it's a lot better than the massive sinus headaches I used to have from my heavy lenses pressing on the bridge of my nose. A quick drop of artificial tears, and I'm as happy as a little girl!

My vision is fantastic. No halos, no flashes, just clear vision. 20/15 in one, 20/20 in the other.

I respect anyone's decision not to have the surgery. Messing with your eyes is scary. But base your decision on facts, not uninformed fear. RK surgery was around in the 1940's (I remember reading about it in an old copy Popular Science I found in an apartment basement in 1976.) Many of the other eye surgeries done today are much more invasive (cataract, glaucoma), and people have no lasting side effects. My mother-in-law had cataract surgery in the 1960's, and has no problems. It saved her sight. We know that the eye can withstand considerable trama and recover. IMO, Lasik is not going to be a problem in 13 years.

The best advise I can give is make sure you are 100% comfortable with the doctor doing your surgery. Pay attention to how much prep work they do prior to surgery. There should be a lot of examinations done. Talk to several doctors, and make sure they all say the same thing about the surgery you need, if it will help you, etc.

I was lucky enough to have my surgery done by the optomologist I had been seeing for 7 years. I felt very comfortable with her, as Lasik wasn't 100% of her business. She has a very healthy practice, and doesn't need the "assembly line" of lasik to support herself. I felt very safe that when she said "This will help you", she believed it.

Good luck, and let me know about your first experince looking at the alarm clock in the middle of the night without your glasses!

 

[Howard Williams]

I was gonna chime in and voice the fact that many people are having problems with these operations and that they are not always the miracle cure for everyone but I see these warnings are already being offered in great abundance. Be careful.

 

[Philip_G]

man I don't know much about LASIK but hopefully it's better than RK, that stuff was nasty.

I still think glare or halos or other irregularities are still a concern though.

 

[John Miles]

I've read say that 5% of Lasik patients have permanent and irreversible vision problems such as haloes, irregular astigmatism, and double vision. That's one in 20 patients.

Guess what, Ange? I get those with toric contacts. (Well, except for the double-vision thing, which is rare enough post-LASIK to not be a concern.)
What a great many of the naysayers here and the posters on sites like SurgicalEyes don't seem to "get" is that their eyes weren't perfect to begin with. If they were, they wouldn't have been considering corrective surgery, right? Every vision-correction option that actually works is a compromise. Never mind what might happen to the post-LASIK cornea in 13 years (do you worry that much about what might happen to the scar on your leg where you got stitches 20 years ago, BTW?)... how many LASIK patients' sight will be saved because they didn't try to wear contacts for 20 or 30 years?
If you undergo the surgery after being screened for known risk factors and armed with the understanding that it probably won't make your imperfect eyes perfect, you're probably going to do fine. If the stories at SurgicalEyes were anything but atypical, there wouldn't be a single eye surgeon left in the business.

 

[Jason Merrick]

You're right Scotty. One of the factors they look for when pre-qualifying you for the surgery is a prescription that has remained stable for at least 2 years. If your eyes are still getting worse and worse, LASIK will do nothing to stop that.

 

[Craig Chatterton]

If you undergo the surgery after being screened for known risk factors and armed with the understanding that it probably won't make your imperfect eyes perfect, you're probably going to do fine. If the stories at SurgicalEyes were anything but atypical, there wouldn't be a single eye surgeon left in the business.

Of course they're atypical. Everyone who goes there should know that. The point of going there is you get to hear the bad news along with the good. Then You get to make an informed decision on whether or not you want to have the surgery.
Ever hear the commercials list any of the potential problems? If you just listened to the commercials, then it must seem like getting Lasik surgery is something you do on the way home from work, before stopping to get eggs and milk.
If you choose to get the surgery, good on you. I'd love to hear how it went and how you're doing 5, 10, 15 years down the road.

 

[Julie K]

However, when things don't go so well, many people will post their experience.

There's is also the fact of 'cognitive dissonance'. People who have poor results are sometimes loathe to admit what they did to themselves and are likely to gloss over problems like dry eye, halos, ghosting, and loss of contrast sensitivity. By convincing others they are happy, they try to convince themselves. I've run into this myself. I knew a guy who had RK, PRK, and LASIK. He blinked constantly, had to wear contacts to see, and wouldn't discuss any problems. He just kept pushing everyone he knew to have the surgery. Hmm, if it were so good, why did he end up having all of them - and still end up wearing contacts?

Someone earlier mentioned cataract surgery. This is a 'apples/oranges' comparison. If your near term option is blindness or functional blindness, then the risks of surgery are greatly overpowered by the benefits. Surgery on healthy eyes that can be corrected to 20/20 with glasses is just irresponsible, IMO.

 

[Danny R]

Surgery on healthy eyes that can be corrected to 20/20 with glasses is just irresponsible, IMO.
I'll disagree with you there.
Change your statement to "Risking your eyesight on a procedure that is not 100% reliable and could permanently damage your eyesight is just irresponsible" and I'm onboard.
If there were a procedure that could fix my eyesight that didn't have a significant risk, I'd be all over it. I hate that I can't see when I go swimming or read the clock at night when I don't have them on. I hate that panicy feeling I get if ever my glasses get misplaced.
Never mind what might happen to the post-LASIK cornea in 13 years
A recent Simpson's episode poked fun at this. During an in-the-future scene, everyone said "Smell ya later" as a greeting, and Homer met Ned and marveled that "who knew laser eye surgery would make your eyes fall out"

 

[Andrew W]

The people at Surgical Eyes are big whiners. If you have bad results, they say, "We told you so." If you have good results, they say, "Just wait a few years and you will have problems too."

Gee, using this same logic, I can say, "Just wait a few years and you will get better and be fine." After all, the natural tendency of a healthy body is to heal, not to fall apart.

I ended up with 20/15 in both eyes and no astigmatism. I have better night vision than I ever had with contacts or glasses. I have no risidual prescripton. Everyone that I have had met that has had the same doctor has had similar results.

If you do your homework and get a good doctor, your risk will be minimal. In any case, once you've made your choice, don't whine about the results.

 

[Julie K]

Change your statement to "Risking your eyesight on a procedure that is not 100% reliable and could permanently damage your eyesight is just irresponsible" and I'm onboard.

Close, but I'm still gonna disagree a bit. I would consider experimental eye surgery that wasn't 100% reliable if I had a near loss of vision at the time and it were going to get worse. If you have almost no eyesight to damage to begin with, I think possible benefits outweigh the risks. As long I have correctable vision, I think the risks completely outweigh the benefits.
Naturally, everyone has their own risk/benefit formula, but man, it seems like LASIK is being touted as a true miracle and any negative outcomes are to be completely ignored.

 

[Philip Hamm]

If you undergo the surgery after being screened for known risk factors and armed with the understanding that it probably won't make your imperfect eyes perfect, you're probably going to do fine. If the stories at SurgicalEyes were anything but atypical, there wouldn't be a single eye surgeon left in the business.

If you undergo the surgery after doing research on the procedure, then good luck! You have a much higher tolerance for risk than I do (and I'm a motorcyclist, a high risk tolerance hobby indeed). I can't understand why anyone would have this voluntary procedure done now that I know the risks involved.
There has never been a single long term large scale study on corrective refractive surgery. The complication rate, though estimated by the laser industry to be under 5%, is actually unknown.
I'll keep my glasses thank you.