LASIK and other procedures - know anyone who did it?

One of my good friends had it done about 6 weeks ago.
He said it was the best thing he EVER spent his hard earned money on.

 

[drewdogg808]

i did it about 2 months ago...i'm seeing 20/20 pretty easily. some of the lasers out now are much better than earlier lasers, but it still isn't a 100% guarantee that you'll see as well as you'd like afterwards. you just have to do alot of research and know potential complications and be realistic about outcomes depending on your prescription. i actually did my last clinical rotation at a laser center so if you have any specific questions...fire away. i will say that the $199-$299 per eye places are generally not what you will end up paying...they nickel and dime you for everything, plus there are many differences.

 

[rnmcd]

^

 

[Ameesh]

After getting lasik do you always have to have eye drops where ever you go or is it just for a little while while your eyes are healing?

 

[FelixDeCat]

I had IntraLASIK done Nov 2002 for $3,000. Old vision was 20/400. New vision is 20/20 w/slight astigmatism.:sun:

 

[rnmcd]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
I had IntraLASIK done Nov 2002 for $3,000. Old vision was 20/400. New vision is 20/20 w/slight astigmatism.:sun:

Intralasik for $3,000? Is that per eye? If not, what state are you in. I priced it in Texas and Iowa and it was $2350-$2500/eye.

Did you have astigmatism before the procedure?

 

[jpeyton]

I had a friend who tried getting Lasik, but the laser burned a hole in his eye. Now he wears a patch and goes by the name of Davey Jones.

 

[Descartes]

I have an astigmatism, but from from what I understand Lasik can accommodate them as well.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: rnmcd

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
I had IntraLASIK done Nov 2002 for $3,000. Old vision was 20/400. New vision is 20/20 w/slight astigmatism.:sun:

Intralasik for $3,000? Is that per eye? If not, what state are you in. I priced it in Texas and Iowa and it was $2350-$2500/eye.

Did you have astigmatism before the procedure?

The total cost was $3,400 for both eyes. I had really bad astigmatism going in and a small amount afterwards. I went to Dr. Boothe in Plano TX.

 

[drewdogg808]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
After getting lasik do you always have to have eye drops where ever you go or is it just for a little while while your eyes are healing?

depends on the procedure...typically you're on anti-inflammatory and anti-biotic drops for 1 week for the traditional procedures. the intralasik procedures generally require being on the drops for about a month. then there's the use of artificial tears, which varies from people to people. some only need them for a few weeks, others can go months or longer depending on how dry their eyes get.

 

[crisscross]

There is a very good thread on FW about this.. do a search on FW.. apparently there is this new technology called Wavefront which seems to address most of the concerns of the conventional laser.

 

[loup garou]

I'm waiting for corneaplasty to become prevalent, personally.

 

[foofoo]

i did it and just love it. no complications and i had -6.5 diopters.
but i carefully researched the doctors, their records, number of patients, complication rate, post op infection rate, etc. and picked the best guy i could find in california. he's also a corneal transplant surgeon, etc.
most importand to me was that when i went in for a consultation, he was very knowlegable and could discuss the procedure, studies, statistics, etc. with complete fluency. gave the the trust i needed to let someone cut on my eyes.
it's worked out so well for me that i've had 3 friends go to him and they are all very happy. i've read some of the bad stories and nothing like that has happened to anyone i know but... ymmv.
i do a lot of mountain biking, running, scuba diving, etc. where having glasses and even contacts is just a pain.

do the research and get it done, it'll change your life.

 

[drewdogg808]

Originally posted by: Tornado54
There is a very good thread on FW about this.. do a search on FW.. apparently there is this new technology called Wavefront which seems to address most of the concerns of the conventional laser.

the new wavefront technology is good, but not for everyone. it addresses higher order aberrations, so if you don't have alot to begin with, it won't be that great. of course, with reg. lasik, some higher order aberrations are induced, but generally not enough to notice.

 

[rnmcd]

Originally posted by: foofoo
i did it and just love it. no complications and i had -6.5 diopters.
but i carefully researched the doctors, their records, number of patients, complication rate, post op infection rate, etc. and picked the best guy i could find in california. he's also a corneal transplant surgeon, etc.
most importand to me was that when i went in for a consultation, he was very knowlegable and could discuss the procedure, studies, statistics, etc. with complete fluency. gave the the trust i needed to let someone cut on my eyes.
it's worked out so well for me that i've had 3 friends go to him and they are all very happy. i've read some of the bad stories and nothing like that has happened to anyone i know but... ymmv.
i do a lot of mountain biking, running, scuba diving, etc. where having glasses and even contacts is just a pain.

do the research and get it done, it'll change your life.

So what resources did you use to evaluate your doctor? How much did it end up costing you?

My diopters are -2.0. That's not terrible so I'm trying to decide if the risk of complications are worth the amount of improvement I would get.

Glad to hear things went so well.

 

[waggy]

i want to do it. But besides the cost im scarred to do it.

yeah im a pansy =(

 

[KarenMarie]

I am too scared to do it.

OMG! It is not lilke getting boobs lifted or something... it is eye sight!

I am a big chicken!

 

[kenshorin]

I am kinda hoping that it becomes standard for insurance to cover at least some of the costs of lasik before I jump in and blow money when I don't need to. I want to get it done eventually tho... I hate glasses and contacts.