xxjoeyxxeb Posted December 5, 2008 Author Share Posted December 5, 2008 Glasses suck... always fall down when working on the car, at the gym, anything athletic. Europe will be there next year and we can plan a better vacation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srbigbutt Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Vacations are never as fun because of my contacts. First of all late nights my eyes really dry up. Then if you go to the beach salt water and contacts don't mix! Plus snorkling is usually out of the question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Zone Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 I had RK done 20 years ago, when it was still very new. I held off until they would do both eyes in the same visit, yes, they only used to do one at a time just in case. I NEVER thought I would be able to make it through the surgery as you are awake and you do watch them take a knife to your eye. They gave us a happy pill and we filed through like an assembly line. Everything went fine and it took three days in a dark room to recover. Eyes were still sensitive for a week or so after but I was able to see and work. The surgery also came with the warning I could never wear contacts afterwards so if my eyesight deteriorated I would be wearing glasses. I could never stand contacts for more than an hour at a time before the surgery so that wasn't an issue to me. So now about 20 years later I have had to go back to glasses for work, sitting at a computer and anytime I need to see small things, or read small print but it is better than glasses all the time. We will see what the next 20 years bring. Overall I am satisfied with my decision. I am not sure if this helps as mine was RK not Lasik but maybe it will help you think of questions to ask and things to consider before moving forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 I had it done some years ago this month... What made up my mind? Going to Watkins Glen and talking to one of the premier eye guys on the east coast who told me to get it done in SoCal as the guys there were in the 10K eyes range and were all over, and the cost was cheaper. What REALLY made up my mind: Working in Indonesia, I was hot, humid, and sweating like a pig looking off a bridge over a 'river'... My glasses slipped off, and fell into 'the river'. I was 20/150 and 220/200. I can do close work, so I was good for work, but couldn't do anything else. I paid a kid to walk into the filth that was 'the river' because my glasses did not 'sink' into the 'water' that was 'flowing' through it at the time. I cleaned the glasses off, doused them liberally with Alcohol (which we have for final pinion and bearing cleaning) and then wore them the rest of the way back to the hotel. KNOWING where they had been. And what sewage was flowing through there. Anybody who was to The P.I. in the service, or walked the bridge from San Diego into T.J. will know the kind of 'river' I'm talking about. The entire way back to the hotel one thought went through my mind: "I'm getting that damned eye surgery when I get back home, I'm NEVER going to have this happen again!" I went in, did not take my valium, had the flap procedure done on both eyes. Before I went into the clinic portion, I looked at my wife without my glasses...she was nothing more than a blur across the room. 20 minutes later I came out, quickly opened my eyes to see, and could see her clear as day! I have had eye injuries before, so I knew I had to keep my eyes closed for 18 hours minimum, so I did so. The NEXT MORNING at 0500, I drove my son in pre-dawn hours to a scouting event...the first oncoming cars I saw, I looked right at the headlights to see if I had 'halos'---I did not... and thought 'Great!' That afternoon I was camping in Death Valley with the scout troop, and wearing my sunglasses, and applying my antibiotics and eye drops. My only regret has been not doing it sooner. Especially with the testing they do for corneal thickness. If you have thick enough corneas, you can have the procedure done several times if your eyes shift shape as you age. I bought insurance that will let me undergo corrective surgeries in the future for $200. I do not wear reading glasses, but eventually like almost 'anybody' with good distance vision, I know I eventually will have to. I did notice that I can't hold a book 3" off my nose a view clear 12 pica type any longer. And in some cases micetype (like 3point or smaller than 6 ppoint) may require a concerted effort to read at normal reading distances, I can no longer just stick the book 3" off my nose to read it. But I can see. And see far. I'm 20/20 in my 'bad' eye that was 20/200, and I'm 20/15 in the eye that was 20/150 previously. As the doc back east told me, 'it's the machine, the software, and thee technician running it, they do all the work, the doctor is there to evaluate your suitability for the procedure---go with the best machine you can afford, with the most recent mapping technology' The doc will test you for corneal thickness, and tear production. If those are copasetic, it's a pretty much done deal. I oversimplify it to some extent. All I can say is "Take the Pill" before you get the surgery done, I did not, and they cut the flap, zapped my balls, and sent me on my way. Yeah, I endured it, and smelt my own eyes being burned... After that I can relate to alien abduction claims as the procedure somewhat resembled that to me... That was without anestetic of any kind other than some dialation stuff on the eyeball. Like I said, 'Take the Pill'! Now the best part: My mother one day noticed I was not wearing glasses. She asked if I had contacts in... I told her no. When she pressed me, I said my eyes simply 'got better', and upon further pressing, I confessed that my wife had finally agreed to concede to all my sexual needs and yielded at each demand, negating my need for self gratification any longer. True to what they told me in freshman health class, when I stsopped that, I no longer needed glasses! So that's waiting for you should anybody ask! And if you think that is bad to do to your own mother, you should hear what I did to the delivery room nurse after my son was born! he he he he Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted December 5, 2008 Author Share Posted December 5, 2008 Great write up Tony D! Yes, I hate working on the car and having to puch my glasses up all the time, my girlfriend hates how I always tell her to back off or be carefull when she wants to cuddle and she knocks my glasses, I hate wall climbing and the ropes hitting my glasses, theres a lot! I got approved for the 18 month No Interest Financing. I have my pre-op Monday, Operation Friday, and Post-Op Saturday. It is Customvue Lasik which is 25 times more accurate than Lasik. I have thicker corneas than average, my sight has stayed the same for 2 years (-3.48 and -3.49), and no astigmatisms. I am taking the pill, because I will be freaking out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Thank you Dr Hunt for that info. I love Travelling, sightseeing, and high definition movies. I like too many things that require good vision to continue wearing glasses which provide glare on everything! Dr Hunt, did you get Customvue Lasik, or just Lasik? Customvue The one thing that always worried me is that i'm very sensitive to light and don't know how I would act during the surgery. Not a big deal, you really see nothing, just smell burning flesh. The dope you up, no big deal. The flap will heal over time, after a few years it will be normal for everyday life. I do not intend to go skydiving, fly airplanes, or become a boxer. Actually heals in weeks not years. Really, you ought to go check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Not a big deal, you really see nothing, just smell burning flesh. The dope you up, no big deal. TAKE THE PILL! DO NOT DO WHAT I DID! TAKE THE PILL! I agree, I was seeing the next day, and within a week or so was only taking the artificial tears. The big thing that I learned from the operation was how much of my day-to-day vision problems were tear-production related. I found taking those artificial tear drops that my vision seemed to be much clearer. And found that the 'fuzzy' things I was seeing after the operation were cleared up by a simple blink to rewet my eye. I had experienced it before my operation, just never drew the parallel. Wet eyes work better! Oh yeah, and I was Customview not simple lasik. That wsa on the Doc's recommendation back east. "Go with the latest machine and software, it gets better and better every time." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted December 6, 2008 Author Share Posted December 6, 2008 Actually heals in weeks not years. Really, you ought to go check it out. Here's the sight I found that says it takes a long time to get to a good strength like a normal eye. http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-flap-heal.htm It is still pretty safe after a few weeks, but not as strong as normal eyes. The doctor I've talked with said thats why the Marines, and daredevils people can't get Lasik because the flap can come dislodged with a good blow. But I don't do many things that can give me a trauma. If I'm in an accident strong enough to wrinkle the flap, I am pretty sure that wont be the extent of my worries. Anyway, I am setup for 9am Friday morning! Woo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.deady Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 ask about PRK.. that is what i had there is no flap to worry about... they rub the cornea away with this spinning tool, something like what they use on your teeth to clean them but smaller... the idea is that you will be clearing away the the whole area and it will heal back with out the worry of hitting your eye and tearing your flap. it hurts a bit more but will heal up better and more completely... i have had my PRK for over 2 years and still see 20/25 in both eyes... before i was very near sited. well good luck and just let us know how it turns out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30TRBO Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 I had astigmatism and was near sighted and I had Lasik (PRK) 3 years ago with a 5 day recovery time. With the PRK it took 8 minutes per eye then I sat up and he asked me what time is it, to read the clock across the room. If you decide to have the procedure, pay the extra for lifetime enhancements. I had mine done at Lasik Plus and at the time it was $2500 total with the lifetime enhancements. Most places will offer a free consult to make sure you are a candidate. Non-PRK the recovery time is less and in most cases you can go back to work the next day. I scheduled mine on a Wednesday so I had the weekend and took less leave from work. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabee280z Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Well I had lasik and when I had mine done 2hrs later I could see perfect. 2 days later I went in for my check up and had 20/20 vision. My vision prior to was horrible could not clearly see my hand if front of my face. Now I am at 3 years and still have 20/20 vision definatly worth is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Worrying about an impact blow is a bit of an overstatement of the Risk. My father-in-law got RK some years ago. He then took a nose-dive on his mountian bike and detached a retina. To this day he blames RK on his loss/impairment of vision in that eye. Both he and his wife were big anti-operation voices in the house against my operation due to ther misplaced fears. "Oh now, don't do that, remember what happened with Ken's Operation!" Big news: detaching a retina has nothing to do with the cornea. You can't worry about 'what if' to every eventuality. One doesn't have any bearing on the other, and no matter what you foresee, something that is random CAN occur rendering anything you have done to safeguard yourself totally and utterly moot. IMO, it's a red-herring. If you get hit that hard, detaching a flap (or your retina) is the least of your worries. You could turn the corner one day and walk into the end of an unopened umbrella, as well. There is 'reasonable and forseeable' and there is 'unreasonable and unforseen'... Chances are good, even in motorsports activities, the chances of encountering the forces necessary to involve the remote differences in healty/operated upon eyes is miniscule. Nothing is ever 100%, and no matter what you do, no matter how well you eat, and how in-shape you stay....you will die. Life is a terminal disease, which there is not any cure. We are all afflicted. So make the most of the time you have, because your disease of life will result in your death! And as mentioned, there are 'alternative' techniques. I was unaware that anybody considering this technique in this post was a human rocket-sled test subject, either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrel Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 I was unaware that anybody considering this technique in this post was a human rocket-sled test subject, either... Yeah, that's why I won't have it done. I have prescription goggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeZ Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 My daughter and I had Lasik performed over 5 yrs ago. Hers is still great. I have some acuity loss but it is hell lot better than glasses. I went on call for the business that night and drove myself back to the office. I think I screwed up but I was feeling fine. Wish I had it something similarly done 5 yrs before that. To me, it was well worth the money. My advice is to have it done. If you have a flexible spending plan, start funding it for next better procedure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 If you have a flexible spending plan, start funding it for next better procedure. That is exactly what I had done with mine! I had 'the river incident' in August. Open Enrollment was October. Unfortunately I was occipied till November to actually get the procedure done. If you have an FSA the great thing is you can (as I have done in the past) max out the disbursements in Jan-Feb, and then basically 'pay them off interest free' over the course of the year with your employee deductions each paycheck. Actually, when I was taking the 'no frills' medical at the last employer, I got $750 a year deposited into an FSA for deductible reimbursements, etc... That now sits around $2500 and I'm no longer employed by them, but the money is mine. That FSA will be used likely this month or in January for my wife to get the surgery on her eyes. I'm glad you mentioned FSA---I TOTALLY forgot about that account. Since I'm not an employee, I pay $3.75 a month 'serevice administration fee' which about wipes out the monthly dividend/interest from the money market fund it's invested into.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 They have a company financing me $3,999 for 18month no interest. I go Friday to become a new man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Friday is a good day to go... Sleep all weekend and keep your eyes closed. The more they are closed, the more healing occurs during the critical first two days. Plus, it's a rock-solid excuse to lay around for two whole days and do absolutely nothing. Keeps the wife's mouth shut about doing yard work...muahahahaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted December 20, 2008 Author Share Posted December 20, 2008 It's been a week... still waiting for them to settle out... Was 20/15 the day after.... then 20/20 3 days after... And the candlepins at the end of the bowling alley are now fuzzy after 6 days... Starting to get pissed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blairjj Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Joey, Keep the drops going and relax, they will come around. Trust me on this one... Since I did PRK, mine was 6 months, but I think yours will be shorter. I know it will be hard, but try not to "test" yourself and enjoy the holidays, before you know it, they will settle down. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted December 20, 2008 Author Share Posted December 20, 2008 Thank you, I have been keeping up with the drops and wearing the goggles at night. I wish they told me it could take a while to settle before the surgery so it didn't sound kinda like excuses after the surgery. I have my 6 weeks in Jan so we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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