Brad-ManQ45 Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 A little off topic, I investigated LASIK but my prescription for reading galsses is 10.75 in one eye and 11.00 in the other, so out of the range for 'no problems w/halo's at night. I recently went in for an eye eam and I have cataracts, which opened up the option of having my lenses replaced. My insurance will cover all but the $350/eye charge for correcting astigmatism. Those of you who have seen/met me at SEZ and DNI Shootouts know how much I had suffered in windy conditions due to the contacts that I need to see and the dust kicked up not only at the track but at the motels. Monday I have my right eye done and the following Monday the left. I emphasised to the octor that far/night vision is of utmost importance to me - I have been using glasses to read for about 8 years, so am used to that. My wife had RK done, and really hates to drive at night, so I'm always elected, unless she's following me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 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. Like I said, the biggest thing I noticed was how much of my PRIOR sight problems were due to DRY EYES. If you start seeting 'fuzzy' put your artificial tears in immediately. Whenever it popped up on me, the tears INSTANTLY restored razor-sharp vision. And that made me realize how important that proper hydration and blinking is to actually seeing clearly! People are chronically dehydrated, and that leads to dry eyes which 'fuzz' over the surface resulting in blurred and fuzzy vision. You don't notice it till you start watching for it. And the artificial tears are important so your eyelids don't abrade the surface of the eye after surgery. When in doubt, put in drops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 Well it has been 4-1/2 weeks and nothing better, might be even worse. I have to sit in the front of my classes in order to be able to clearly read what the teacher is writing. If I am driving somewhere new, I have to drive slow if I'm looking for a street sign, otherwise I'd pass it (assuming of course I don't have a passenger with me). I have a 6 week post-op check up 2 weeks from now, but I'm going to try to get it sometime next week. They have said they can do enhancements, but it makes me weary of how me being such a "perfect" candidate and it didn't work the first time. Well, I guess technically it did 'improve' my vision, but I would still need glasses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Sorry to hear that dude. Can't imagine that kind of results. What history does your doc have? Mine had over 14,000 procedures and no failures like what you describe. Most will redo it for free, check into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Yeah, mine was some ridiculous number as well, and if you weren't 20/20 minimum in both eyes after the surgery you got a free 'redo' till you were. You are back into normal tear production, or are you still using liquid tears like crazy? I know I was using that stuff for months afterwards. And now, years on, I keep it around for long days as I realized a lot of eye fatigue comes from siimply being dehydrated and it's easier to put drops in my eyes than to stop work and 'get properly hydrated' which may take hours... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 My Dr. has a good track record. He was on the team that performed the first lasik surgery. Don't remember the amount of numbers, but he's been doing it for a long time, and has a good reputation around here. I do have a 6 week Post-op coming in 2 weeks, and they will do enhancements up to a year. I still use Tear drops, probably 4-8 times a day depending on how they feel. I am very good about hydrating myself also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madkaw Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I had RK back in 1990 I guess when my employer still paid for it. I had terrible vision-like 20-400 or something like that. Well the RK got me to 20-150 which is really a major improvement. I didn't feel so dependent on glasses. My doc said that in a feww years the laser will be perfected and I would be able to touch the RK up to get to 20-20. Well 18 years later I went back to the same doc who had his own laser center and we did the prk. I actually had no options but PRK because I had my flap sliced up by the original rk and he said it would just fall apart. He says the PRK is superior anyway, just much more pain and aggravation-and it was. I now have 20-15 in both eyes-amazing. Once again though-Tony is right. There were conditions that I thought were caused by my contacts , but are actually because of dry eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Basically what I realized was this: "If it's fuzzy, put in some tear drops, blink twice, and see if it gets better." It was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more than 4-8 times a day. It was more like 2 times an hour while indoors, and more when I was outside in the wind. I wsa not using the 'persistent' type of artificial tears with an oil content, just the saline stuff. The doctor said "when in doubt, drop in tears before freaking out". He specifically told me not to use the persistent oil-based artificial tears. That seemed to work for me. You might try dropping the tears more often, or follow my axiom above and see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I had mine Lasik'd by ColemanVision almost 2 years ago, it's been amazing, I still am amazed when I'm on the freeway and can read signs almost a mile ahead, I couldn't even do that with my glasses. I ended up at 20/10 vision though. I did give up being able to read tiny tiny lettering in side of dark computer cases w/o having a flashlight to help. it's no big, I love it, n it didn't hurt, no pain, all laser procedure. very nice Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 I'll try more drops. The Doctor only told me to use them when needed, or about every 4 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilbertZ Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I had it done 2 years ago. Scott Hyver here in the SF Bay Area. Was one of the most expensive available, but with my eyes, I don't want to skimp....And I spoke with several coworkers who'd had it done by him. Worth it? Absolutely. Would do it again and pay the same amount. I'm now 20/15 in my right eye and 20/20 in my left (both had astigmatisms and were in the 20/100 range). The craziest part is waking up from your nap a few hours after the surgery - you're only at about 80% of your "new" vision, but the contrast to what it was before is amazing. I could see my alarm clock when I woke up!! As for it being "new" still...I thought that in 2001. I think it's made enough strides that it's safe to consider as a viable option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I'll try more drops. The Doctor only told me to use them when needed, or about every 4 hours. Yeah Keep your drops going, didn't they give you antibiotic drops to start with and some steriod rdrops to use for a couple 3 weeks? it was a lot of drops, but totally worth it. Worst part was in the first couple days, getting cat fur in my eyes n worrying about the flap, but it was all good. took about 2 months to get to where I didn't need any drops. Make sure you get all your drops from your dr. if you're still having pain you should call your dr rather than waiting for your appt, cuz you could be getting infection. Don't forget you're supposed to wash your hands a lot and no eye rubbing. Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Ditto Pharoq... I had Antibiotic and steroid drops along with the artificial tears. The DR said 'when in doubt, drop' Anitbiotic was a week as I remember (till the bottle ran out) and the Steroids were similar duration. After that it was just the artificial tears. The way he explained it, the tears are lubrication. If you aren't countinually lubricated the chance for scratches or tearing of the flap is more possible. I can't remember specifically what he told me, but it seems the minimum was "Every half hour during waking hours minimum and more if you think you need it---when in doubt, add drops! They are cheap, and you can't hurt anything by using too much. But if you don't use enough you can screw up everything we are going to do here, and you don't want that!" And I ditto his concern: If you think something is going on, DON'T WAIT! Call the guy and get down to it. The 'rubbing of the eyes' is a symptom of dry eyes (as explained to me) --- that was another one: If you feel the urge to rub your eyes: DROPS! I was told outright DO NOT rub your eyes at ALL. That took some doing, concious thought because I was really used to rubbing them all the time. That was kind of when I realized how dry my eyes were. When I added the drops, I found my rubbing urges subsided completely. Now, years later I rub my eyes again, but now I know 'it's time to get something to drink, or just go the heck to bed!' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 They gave an antibiotic drops that I took for 2 weeks. No steroids. I also noticed I have some halos and starbursts while looking directly at lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublexl240z Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Hey guys, Just jumping on here, I operate a laser that does the Lasik, Customvue as well. I have been doing it for over 3 years and have done over 4000 cases to date. I have seen fantastic results from Lasik and had my daughters eyes done 2 years ago. 20/20 since for her. Tell your Dr what is happening. Not everybody reacts to surgery the same, some may need enhancements. Now I'm not a doctor but have been paying attention for a quite a while. As far as the Marines and Navy not allowing pilots to fly with Lasik. Their testing was done with a 600 MPH ( that is six hundred mile per hour) blast of air to show the potential hazard. They did use cadavers for testing. We are not talking about rolling the window down on the 5. The biggest piece of advice I would have is to research your DOCTOR more than anything!!!! DON'T PRICE SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its your eyes for Gods sake!! I have worked with more than a dozen diferent surgeons and there is some that I wouldn't let treat my goldfish!! Our Joke: What do they call the guy who graduated last in his class at Doctor school??? , , , , , Answer: Doctor If you have any questions I have a number of people I can contact. I just left the office and have a surgery day next Wednesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Hey, I made my 6 week post-op a week earlier, so I go in next Monday and I will have Dr. Limberg to talk with. I found his numbers and it is over 24,000 surgeries. Hopefully an enhancement will fix it all. I haven't taken the time to look for halos or starbursts, but unfortunately I did, and now I can see them when looking directly at lights. The worst is on a sunny day with no sunglasses, I can't look near the sun, it hurts and is blinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Hey guys, Just jumping on here, I operate a laser that does the Lasik, Customvue as well. I have been doing it for over 3 years and have done over 4000 cases to date. I have seen fantastic results from Lasik and had my daughters eyes done 2 years ago. 20/20 since for her. To be honest, the guy I talked to back east told me to check out the TECHNICIAN OPERATING THE MACHINE more than the doctor! He rather frankly said " I just make sure your a good canidate, the guy operating the machine and the software is what will do the work! " Basically they are along for the ride...the man posting above is the guy who actually DOES the work...and even then...it's the machine doing the work for the most part. I'm sure he can go into the tehcnical details about targeting adn setting up the patient, etc... But I agree, if there are issues DON'T WAIT! And basically that was what the Doc back east said: "I'm there if there's a problem, that's when you need the doctor. And that's where tens of thousands of eyes done comes into play. The more he does, the more complications he's seen, and the better off he will be to handle them in the best way." Don't wait, get to the doctor---early treatment gets things from getting worse. If you think there is an issue, and likely you may have one, get to the doctor ASAP. Don't wait for a perdetermined interval. Which is one of the things the doc that screened me told me as well---if you think you have a problem, come see us right away. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to correct if something has gone wrong. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 oh and don't worry about starburst or looking at the sun, starburst get less and less over time, (less than you had w/ glasses anyway) and WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE SUN???? you just got your eyes fixed, n how you want to be blind?? hehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 LOL Righteous Chastisement! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 I wrote "I can't look near the sun" So on a sunny clear day, if I am walking with the sun at my back I can see fine. But if I am walking in the direction of the sun, I can't look straight ahead at the on coming crowd of people without squinting my eyes almost completely shut. So normal walking acitvities are blinding when walking in the direction of the sun. And yes I do have sunglasses, but sometimes people forget things.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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