Lazer Eye Surgery
08-Apr-2008, 06:01 PM
#1
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Lazer Eye Surgery
The wife is getting a bit pissed with her contacts. She's been wearing glasses since university (1999) and she recently switched over to contacts a few years ago. She goes throught approx $350/yr in disposable contacts and my work will only cover $280 bi-yearly (every 2 years). She's thinking about lazer eye surgery but having doubts. Anyone here had the procedure done and what are the results? Happy/unhappy with it? And what institution have you got it done at? TIA!
08-Apr-2008, 06:33 PM
#3
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You are supposed to wait till you are 25 or older, to get eye correction surgery.
The reason for that to my understanding is because until that age or just before it the body is still developing in certain areas and is in its final maturity phase, so that age recommendation is so you get surgery after the eye has reached its worst vision percentage, after that they can correct it to 20/20.
But let’s say you get it done and your wife’s eyes are still getting worse, you could have gotten her the eye correction, and it would have been 20/20 for few months then back to glasses because the vision got worse.
When they do eye correction they insert a new hard lens in your eye, but the bad vision depends on how bad the muscles of the eye "the coloured part" gets.
Therefore every situation is different; you have to go to them to see her case. They ask you lots of questions, about your family line, to determine if its heredity or something new, and bunch more, its like 1 hour interview.
They also have to figure out how long your vision will keep getting worse. The age 25 is a standard but is not for everyone.
Some people end up having bad vision progress till they are 29 or 35, before they can get the correction, and some people may be told that they can't be helped because their eyes might get worse throughout their life at a very slow rate, which would defeat the purpose of laser correction.
I don't know though. I think there are few ways to do it now, since I went, technology has advanced, I went To USA to the first laser surgery doctor in North America, because I was a tennis player (junior leauge) and my eyes were getting worse, sadly I had to leave tennis because of my eyes. But im still looking forward to getting laser correction when it becomes very common in its maturity stage and costs a lot less.
The reason for that to my understanding is because until that age or just before it the body is still developing in certain areas and is in its final maturity phase, so that age recommendation is so you get surgery after the eye has reached its worst vision percentage, after that they can correct it to 20/20.
But let’s say you get it done and your wife’s eyes are still getting worse, you could have gotten her the eye correction, and it would have been 20/20 for few months then back to glasses because the vision got worse.
When they do eye correction they insert a new hard lens in your eye, but the bad vision depends on how bad the muscles of the eye "the coloured part" gets.
Therefore every situation is different; you have to go to them to see her case. They ask you lots of questions, about your family line, to determine if its heredity or something new, and bunch more, its like 1 hour interview.
They also have to figure out how long your vision will keep getting worse. The age 25 is a standard but is not for everyone.
Some people end up having bad vision progress till they are 29 or 35, before they can get the correction, and some people may be told that they can't be helped because their eyes might get worse throughout their life at a very slow rate, which would defeat the purpose of laser correction.
I don't know though. I think there are few ways to do it now, since I went, technology has advanced, I went To USA to the first laser surgery doctor in North America, because I was a tennis player (junior leauge) and my eyes were getting worse, sadly I had to leave tennis because of my eyes. But im still looking forward to getting laser correction when it becomes very common in its maturity stage and costs a lot less.
Last edited by usdm; 08-Apr-2008 at 06:40 PM.
08-Apr-2008, 07:44 PM
#4
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Join Date: Sep 2007
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well, she should consult with her optometrist first to see if she's even a candidate for laser eye surgery...her prescription must prove stabilized before considering. there are different types to get depending on her cornea width.
ed just had his done in december with TLC at yonge and york mills. he has perfect vision now and hasn't had any problems bar a slow healing time b/c of the kind of surgery he had to get. they're a reputable place.
ed just had his done in december with TLC at yonge and york mills. he has perfect vision now and hasn't had any problems bar a slow healing time b/c of the kind of surgery he had to get. they're a reputable place.
08-Apr-2008, 07:58 PM
#5
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Thanks, I appreciated.
Yeah, she's in the 30 something crowd.
She did consult with her optometrist, and was given the green light. But I think she has cold feet. She's worrying about the consequences afterwards. Such as side effects and what not.
She did consult with her optometrist, and was given the green light. But I think she has cold feet. She's worrying about the consequences afterwards. Such as side effects and what not.
08-Apr-2008, 09:30 PM
#7
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgur...CA267%26sa%3DN
look at this guy eyes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dbe3h51-Bc
look at this guy eyes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dbe3h51-Bc
Last edited by Sirberner; 08-Apr-2008 at 09:37 PM.
08-Apr-2008, 10:27 PM
#10
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One of my co-workers got it done about 2 months ago. I've actually read up on it as well. For age, it doesn't matter how old you are, but 25 or older is the recommend point. It really depends if you eye prescription is stabilized like Shazza said.
My co-worker said his eyes hurt a lot after the surgery. It was hard to even keep his eyes open. Now he's happy with his eye sight. My co-worker was legally blind though. His eye prescription was -12 in both eyes. Also my co-worker mention to me, that as you get older, your eye sight may get worse after you have done the surgery, due to old age. The surgery cannot prevent that from happening. Everyone that I know that has done it, has been more than satisfied with laser eye surgery.
I've been thinking about doing myself as well, but my eye sight isn't that bad.
My co-worker said his eyes hurt a lot after the surgery. It was hard to even keep his eyes open. Now he's happy with his eye sight. My co-worker was legally blind though. His eye prescription was -12 in both eyes. Also my co-worker mention to me, that as you get older, your eye sight may get worse after you have done the surgery, due to old age. The surgery cannot prevent that from happening. Everyone that I know that has done it, has been more than satisfied with laser eye surgery.
I've been thinking about doing myself as well, but my eye sight isn't that bad.
09-Apr-2008, 06:48 AM
#12
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Join Date: Apr 2008
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Although, it should be fine, so far what i have herd from people its been positive, my mother is actually over seas getting my grand parents eye correction surgery done, though thats a different method, they will replace the lense in their eyes. This process is more permanent then laser correction.
but majority of people don't need that, its for really bad eyes with no alternatives.
One of my co-workers got it done about 2 months ago. I've actually read up on it as well. For age, it doesn't matter how old you are, but 25 or older is the recommend point. It really depends if you eye prescription is stabilized like Shazza said.
My co-worker said his eyes hurt a lot after the surgery. It was hard to even keep his eyes open. Now he's happy with his eye sight. My co-worker was legally blind though. His eye prescription was -12 in both eyes. Also my co-worker mention to me, that as you get older, your eye sight may get worse after you have done the surgery, due to old age. The surgery cannot prevent that from happening. Everyone that I know that has done it, has been more than satisfied with laser eye surgery.
I've been thinking about doing myself as well, but my eye sight isn't that bad.
My co-worker said his eyes hurt a lot after the surgery. It was hard to even keep his eyes open. Now he's happy with his eye sight. My co-worker was legally blind though. His eye prescription was -12 in both eyes. Also my co-worker mention to me, that as you get older, your eye sight may get worse after you have done the surgery, due to old age. The surgery cannot prevent that from happening. Everyone that I know that has done it, has been more than satisfied with laser eye surgery.
I've been thinking about doing myself as well, but my eye sight isn't that bad.
09-Apr-2008, 09:55 AM
#13
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 5
Well I have it done , it's been 2 years now and it has been great. Important key comments made above that are important in your decisions are,
-age/stable eye prescription, having your eyes stable is very important because maximum surgeries done on your eyes depend on your cornea thickness.
-sensitivity to light will occur as well as halo effects with lights, this usually last about a month.
-pain in regards to surgery, it felt like someone used a vacuum cleaner on your eye (literally this was used to hold your eye in place). This will subside within a day or two. I minimized this by staying up the night before the surgery, so after the 5 minute surgery I slept.
-have someone drive you, you can drive/see, but it is better when you don't have to strain your eye after surgery.
-pay attention to marketing gimmicks with different companies, expensive ones will tell you not to risk your sight with cheap lasik and cheaper ones will say everyone is equal. Do a little research and always look for reviews on service.
This is what sticks out in my head at the moment. If anyone has a question, please let me know and I will try to answer it for you. I don't work for any lasik company, I just want to give a firsthand opinion about it. BTW hello TCC, i've been lurking these boards for quite a while.
-age/stable eye prescription, having your eyes stable is very important because maximum surgeries done on your eyes depend on your cornea thickness.
-sensitivity to light will occur as well as halo effects with lights, this usually last about a month.
-pain in regards to surgery, it felt like someone used a vacuum cleaner on your eye (literally this was used to hold your eye in place). This will subside within a day or two. I minimized this by staying up the night before the surgery, so after the 5 minute surgery I slept.
-have someone drive you, you can drive/see, but it is better when you don't have to strain your eye after surgery.
-pay attention to marketing gimmicks with different companies, expensive ones will tell you not to risk your sight with cheap lasik and cheaper ones will say everyone is equal. Do a little research and always look for reviews on service.
This is what sticks out in my head at the moment. If anyone has a question, please let me know and I will try to answer it for you. I don't work for any lasik company, I just want to give a firsthand opinion about it. BTW hello TCC, i've been lurking these boards for quite a while.
09-Apr-2008, 11:12 AM
#14
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09-Apr-2008, 11:22 AM
#15
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I just got mine done 3 weeks ago and Im really happy with the results, but I have to say it was the scariest and most painful experience of my life. The procedure wasnt painful at all but the healing process was like wow.
I had to get the older and much more painful method called PRK. I orginally went in to get LASIK at Yonge Eglington Laser Clinc but the doctor saw some holes in my retina and reffered me to a specialist. The specialist had to seal up those holes and said I couldnt do LASIK because my retina looked too weak to handle the suction ring used in LASIK.
The specialist recommended I get PRK done where they scrape the layer of skin off your eye, laser you and then you have to heal that layer of skin back yourself. Because of the healing the first 2 days were extremely painful and I coulndt even open my eyes for more than the few seconds it takes to put in my eye medication.
My prescription was -4.00 in both eyes and the day after surgery I was tested to be about 20/40. Now Im about 20/25 still on my way to 20/20 or better. PRK could take a while for your vision to reach its best since you have to heal that layer of skin unlike LASIK where you get your best vision in like a week.
If you live an active lifestyle I would recommend PRK. In LASIK they cut your eye to create a flap, laser you, and then put the flap back, reducing the healing time BUT youll always have a flap that could potentially pop off if under certain circumstances like direct trauma. Im a martial artist and I love full contact fighting so a flap on my eye wouldnt be good. With PRK, once youre healed its like you never had surgery.
At Yonge Eglington it costed $6000 to have the boss doctor, Dr Rootman, as your surgeon. $5000 for the other surgeons. It is the most expensive place I found when I was doing my research but I felt confident in them, especially when they wouldnt perform any kind of surgery on me without consent from the retinal specialist. That really gave me the impression that they care about my health and are not just trying to make a quick buck. Dr Rootman and his entire staff have some great creditials. He also did it on his own wife and son! Personally I dont think price should be a factor in choosing a place becuase you only have one set of eyes and you can never get it back if something goes wrong.
That being said....if I didnt need perfect eyesight for my line of work I would just wear glasses. I think part of a successful surgery is the surgeon skill and your own bodys reaction to the surgery. Everyones body responds differently. For instance, a lot of people i know who got laser eye had excessive dry eyes for a for months but I didnt have dry eyes at all at any point. So its possible that you could be that freak 1% that responds badly to surgery and not be happy with the results.
Wow brutally long post but I hope it helps.
Also I dont have any halos or starbursts or anything weird like that but I was light sensitive for the first 2 weeks.
I had to get the older and much more painful method called PRK. I orginally went in to get LASIK at Yonge Eglington Laser Clinc but the doctor saw some holes in my retina and reffered me to a specialist. The specialist had to seal up those holes and said I couldnt do LASIK because my retina looked too weak to handle the suction ring used in LASIK.
The specialist recommended I get PRK done where they scrape the layer of skin off your eye, laser you and then you have to heal that layer of skin back yourself. Because of the healing the first 2 days were extremely painful and I coulndt even open my eyes for more than the few seconds it takes to put in my eye medication.
My prescription was -4.00 in both eyes and the day after surgery I was tested to be about 20/40. Now Im about 20/25 still on my way to 20/20 or better. PRK could take a while for your vision to reach its best since you have to heal that layer of skin unlike LASIK where you get your best vision in like a week.
If you live an active lifestyle I would recommend PRK. In LASIK they cut your eye to create a flap, laser you, and then put the flap back, reducing the healing time BUT youll always have a flap that could potentially pop off if under certain circumstances like direct trauma. Im a martial artist and I love full contact fighting so a flap on my eye wouldnt be good. With PRK, once youre healed its like you never had surgery.
At Yonge Eglington it costed $6000 to have the boss doctor, Dr Rootman, as your surgeon. $5000 for the other surgeons. It is the most expensive place I found when I was doing my research but I felt confident in them, especially when they wouldnt perform any kind of surgery on me without consent from the retinal specialist. That really gave me the impression that they care about my health and are not just trying to make a quick buck. Dr Rootman and his entire staff have some great creditials. He also did it on his own wife and son! Personally I dont think price should be a factor in choosing a place becuase you only have one set of eyes and you can never get it back if something goes wrong.
That being said....if I didnt need perfect eyesight for my line of work I would just wear glasses. I think part of a successful surgery is the surgeon skill and your own bodys reaction to the surgery. Everyones body responds differently. For instance, a lot of people i know who got laser eye had excessive dry eyes for a for months but I didnt have dry eyes at all at any point. So its possible that you could be that freak 1% that responds badly to surgery and not be happy with the results.
Wow brutally long post but I hope it helps.
Also I dont have any halos or starbursts or anything weird like that but I was light sensitive for the first 2 weeks.
Last edited by getthingsin; 09-Apr-2008 at 11:24 AM.
09-Apr-2008, 12:36 PM
#16
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 5
For my lasik procedure it cost me $2000. Depending on your prescription it will affect the surgery you get. Majority of the companies will give you a free consultation and give you an approximate price. I did experience halos at night, but was driving around a week after surgery. My vision is at 20/15 as of last test.
Last edited by deathbunny; 09-Apr-2008 at 12:42 PM.
09-Apr-2008, 03:35 PM
#17
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That's what she's affraid of. Are there any other side effects besides halos and light sensitivity?
09-Apr-2008, 06:26 PM
#18
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 5
All of the side effects specially halo's are just an increase of when you look at a light now. Because there was an incision made it takes about a full week to heal, after the 3 week mark I barely noticed it any more. Light sensitivity will pretty much go along with the halo's. It will subside within a week and a half. If you ask me if I would do it again, probably in a heart beat. Let me know if she has anymore questions/concerns and I will try my best to give an answer.
10-Apr-2008, 12:32 AM
#19
my buddy had it done, $3700 w/ Dr. Tayfour. http://drtayfour.com/drtayfour.html
