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Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

nytimes.com

11–20 of 239 posts

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#12
FWIW, I got PRK laser eye surgery and had 20/15 vision for maybe 6 months. Dry eyes took a few years to go away. Back to wearing glasses again in ~8 years. Stars and lights are now permanently fuzzy at night because my pupils dilation is larger than the surface area of the PRK. YMMV but for me, it wasn't worth it.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#14
post #6

I had LASIK and PRK. Dry eyes? Check Can’t see shit in low light? Check Weird itchy feeling? Rare, but check It’s still a huge improvement over glasses or contacts. I probably ha e 5-10 years left before I need glasses again due to old age but I’ll enjoy it until then.

Maybe it's because I've been wearing glasses for literally as long as I can remember, but wearing glasses sounds much better than dry eyes and loss of night vision.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#16

I've worn glasses for almost forty years now, and I'll probably wear them for the rest of my life. I actually like having something between my eyes and flying objects, in spite of the annoyance of always having to clean my glasses (or having to wear bifocals for that matter). I never liked the idea of undergoing a very new surgical procedure on eyes that are otherwise healthy. Not to mention, I'm old enough now that…

every time I go into my shop I spend 30 minutes trying to find my safety glasses...then go do something else.

For me, the flying objects are usually bugs, when I'm out cycling. More than once I've had yellow jackets bounce off my glasses. :O

Late last summer, I took a ride one evening when, in any wooded area, the air was absolutely thick with gnats. I wound up tying a extra bandana over my mouth (flying protein supplements do NOT taste good!) and adjusting the one around my forehead to close the gap over my glasses for good measure.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#17

I've worn glasses for almost forty years now, and I'll probably wear them for the rest of my life. I actually like having something between my eyes and flying objects, in spite of the annoyance of always having to clean my glasses (or having to wear bifocals for that matter). I never liked the idea of undergoing a very new surgical procedure on eyes that are otherwise healthy. Not to mention, I'm old enough now that…

Same here. Unfortunately I can not read a thing on my phone anymore if I don't have my glasses on. That can be a serious hazard in some situations. But, since I've been wearing them so long I feel naked without them so, it's rare I'm glassesless.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#18
post #6

I had LASIK and PRK. Dry eyes? Check Can’t see shit in low light? Check Weird itchy feeling? Rare, but check It’s still a huge improvement over glasses or contacts. I probably ha e 5-10 years left before I need glasses again due to old age but I’ll enjoy it until then.

Maybe it's because I've been wearing glasses for literally as long as I can remember, but wearing glasses sounds much better than dry eyes and loss of night vision.

I feel the same. Glasses are such a minor inconvenience that I don't think I'd risk even a 1% chance of complications.

What kind of glasses are people wearing that makes it worth the substantial risk that they'll end up with chronically dry eyes. Especially when you'll he wearing them again anyway in a decade or two.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#19
post #13

I had LASEK, it’s incredible. No side effects, and from what I can tell, LASEK has a much smaller risk profile vs LASIK as no flap is cut. My nyc surgeon is the best. If you’d like an intro, email me. A@175g.com

How does it compare to PRK?

It's the same thing with a different marketing name. PRK / LASEK is much more painful (1 week of pain over 36 hours), but has fewer complications, especially for martial artists.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#20
I had completely shit vision. I couldn't swim safely for long distances because of how bad it was. Got Lasik in Lithuania (same complication rate; 1/6th the price of Toronto) and it was completely, totally worth it.

That beings said, my eyes are itchy sometimes. Just because there is a complication doesn't mean that the tradeoff wasn't worth it. I was under no illusions that I wasn't risking permanent damage, but the way I looked at it was that I was also risking permanent damage by relying on always having access to my glasses.

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