sucks man...

 

i read about these new contact in popular science mag, that instead of laser surgery which limits vision but makes it better, a permanant contact that they graft to your eye. its cheaper and more safe. and u gain almost always better vision then u started with. if you want the article i can scan it for you

 

my mom and sister got laser eye surgery... let me tell you, my sis had to wear thick azz glasses b4. now she doesnt have to. my mom, well, she dont have to wear glasses anymore... i say it'll be worth the money..

 

i've worn contacts for 5 years now. no problems. as soon as i start wearing glasses i get headaches. sucks. i need contacts.





aloha from the summit of *-^-Mauna Kea-^-*

 

i plan to ask joey for his recommendations on a doctor when i look into this... he knows several of them

 

i'm not sure, but i think you have to take care of the ulcer first before doing the laser thing. ask your dr. though.

 

well...update on the ulcer...its getting better...not as sore anymore...hopefully after time and useage of the antibiotic eye drops my doc gave me i'll be better...

 

I had mine done about 5 years ago...when I was in Alaska...$1500 for both eyes...took all of 5 minutes per eye and it was mostly set-up time...the actual Lasering took a few seconds...

I went from like 20/150 to 20/20 right after the operation....after 24 hours I was at 20/15.

no complications...it's cool to be able to wear sunglasses, sea underwater using goggles etc....

I couldn't wear contacts because they bothered my eyes...

I recommend the procedure highly!

 

fyi: if you decide to to the laser thing. keep in mind that you're young. as you age your eyes will age. in other words if you get them done your vision will go down hill anyways because of aging. my dr. recomends me to do so but when i'm of middle age. but like i said a post ago talk to your dr. i'm sorry i don't mean to be neg. but i try to think of the pros and cons in any situation.

 

^^

i gotta remember that. you're so smart sue

 

OK...here goes! I'm just going to start with a really quick explanation of everything so you guys can understand the differences and reasons for the procedures, but in no way take what I say as law. Everyone is different and you should consult with your eye doctor or a eye surgeon before having this done. Not to mention, you'll have to consult with them anyway.

The main reason near-sightedness occurs is that your cornea focuses the light coming into your eye in front of the retina, which is why you have blurry vision. Glasses or contacts correct this by re-focusing the light.

LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) is a corrective surgical procedure that uses a combination of two devices to re-shape your cornea. The first device is called a keratome which creates a hinged flap of the outermost surface of the cornea. The keratome can either be a laser or a mechanical blade. The second device is a laser, which takes away micons of corneal tissue underneath this flap. When the laser has finished taking away the calculated layers of corneal tissue, the flap is placed over the area and that's it.

I didn't have LASIK...I had the precursor to LASIK, which was called PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy). The two procedures both use a laser to reshape your cornea, but in PRK, there is no keratome...just the laser. Most surgeons don't routinely do PRK anymore, because the recovery times with LASIK is much faster than with PRK. I only had it done because I was working at an eye surgery center and I got a mean discount...not to mention it was the only approved procedure available at the time. I had my PRK done almost 8 years ago. I couldn't get a driver's license without my glasses before, but now I can. My vision is now 20/15. After PRK, my eyes were sore for that day, but after that it was fine. With LASIK, the after surgery pain is a LOT less and you can see better almost instantly.

As it was posted earlier, you should check with your doctor before having this procedure done. Corneal ulcers will definately prohibit you from having it done now, but once the infection goes away and your eyes are healthy, there shouldn't be a problem.

As far as aging and LASIK goes...it really doesn't matter. Everyone has to wear reading glasses at some point in their lives. Everyone will get a cataract at some level. It's all a part of aging. The only difference with corrective eye surgery is that most surgeons won't do the procedure on patients who are relatively "young" because young people's eyes are still maturing. If your prescription for your glasses or contacts still changes from year to year, then you won't be a good candidate until that has leveled out. Doctors don't want to do a procedure and then your eyes still change and you won't be happy. It is different from person to person. My eyes maintained the same prescription for a year, so at 22, I was able to have the procedure. Again, check with your doctor first.

As Steven said earlier, I highly recommend this procedure as well if you are near-sighted. The only drawback is the cost, but then again, you are paying that in glasses and contacts every two years or so. If you can shell out $2500-$4000 (that's a ballpark based on what I can remember places are charging locally), then do it. It's not covered under any insurance (like your glasses or contacts are) because insurance companies consider it a "cosmetic" surgical procedure.

Here's the FDA site on LASIK: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/lasik/

If you guys have any questions about this, you can PM me...but remember...I'm not a doctor. I can just give you info on what I know and point you in the direction you want to go...and I can give you my own personal experiences.

 

wow....thanks for the info joey

 

I'm good to go then, I've had the same prescription since i was 16 (now 28).

 

It sounds scary and I'm squemish!

But I am getting to the point where I need it. I barely passed the driver's license eye exam without glasses.

I have "corrective" glasses now but I don't feel like they've corrected anything!