Another insightful thread on this topic over on Quora:
http://www.quora.com/Is-it-a-good-time-to-have-LASIK-surgery...
Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
71–80 of 88 posts
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#72I had lasik done 7 years ago in Israel. No problems here. One of the best things I have ever done. Been staring at screens those whole 7 years.
As someone else wrote, don't be cheap w/ your eyes
I paid $3500 USD and my dr. was a Johns Hopkins Medical graduate
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#73I know several folks who have done it, and 75% are really, really happy with it. I know of 4 who have side effects (night glare, starbursts, etc) that they complain about, and 2 who needed one or more revisits.
Personally, I'm a borderline candidate, and glasses have served me well for most of my life anyway!
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#74I had lasik done. $2500. Perfect vision, no issues 4 years later. Best money I've ever spent.
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#75I'm absolutely terrified of anything that comes close to my eyes, be that lasers, contacts, ophtalmologists...
I'm wearing glasses from 1987 and I will start thinking about eye surgery only when I'll stop programming. I'm not satisfied about a minimal risk, I want zero.
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#76Can anyone comment as to what the next big technological advance is that might be worth waiting for? Ten years ago the answer seemed to be wavefront. But I gather that procedure is still not without some risks. Anything in the pipe that would make holding out another ten worthwhile? I don't really mind glasses and contacts, but am pretty blind (-8).
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#77[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#78My cousin sister did opt for Lasik and she went in for a second round of corrective surgery. After that, her vision is pretty good. AFAIK, in India, quite a lot of super specialty hospitals provide Lasik (with a good track record of success rate) and charge around 30-40K INR (approx US$1000).
Best of luck! :)
My numbers being R-11L-13 and my left cornea (which according to my ophthalmologist) being very weak, I was advised not to go for Lasik. Am still waiting for a better option than glasses; no contact lenses available for those numbers. (BTW, am a programmer aged 27)
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#79Has anyone done Orthokeratology? It seems cheaper than lasik and still fairly effective in what it does. Any thoughts on this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthokeratology
My mom did it for about 10 years and had generally good results. I tried it and found the lenses too uncomfortable to wear. Soft contacts don't bother me; just rigid ones. Give it a shot! The worst possible outcome would be no change.
I take it that you would need to go to a specialist? I know nothing about eye doctors but are there special ortho-k providers that only do that type of treatment or would it fall under a normal optometrist? I guess the top dog of the eye care totem pole would be an ophthalmologist.
Do you know roughly the cost?
Re: Ask HN: experiences with Lasik eye surgery (programmers especially)?
#80Has anyone done Orthokeratology? It seems cheaper than lasik and still fairly effective in what it does. Any thoughts on this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthokeratology
A friend likes his Ortho-K lenses very much. He got used to them pretty quickly. The worst experience he's had was losing a lens on a red-eye flight -- he spent a few days with deteriorating vision before returning home to get a replacement lens.
Interesting. Do you know how long it takes before your vision returns to pre treatment levels?