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Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

nytimes.com

31–40 of 239 posts

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#31
Has anyone tried refractive lensectomy for astigmatism and/or myopia? Think cataract surgery, but for improving near/far sightedness, etc. So you end up with artificial intraocular lenses.

It costs about double what LASIK does, but doesn't seem to have the side effects.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#32
I'm considering eye surgery. I'm mildly farsighted and have strong astigmatism, so I'm not suitable for LASIK and have been recommended Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICLs, sometimes known as contact lens implants).

I'm very interested to hear from people that have had positive LASIK experiences or even an ICL procedure done. So far on this thread it's mostly negative.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#33
post #21

My pupils are very large. I held off on LASIK for a long time because it seemed like it wasn't well understood. Then I considered getting it about 10 years ago and there was ample evidence that large pupils were associated with negative results (halos, stars, night blindness, etc -- all the stuff mentioned in this article and elsewhere). I'm very glad I didn't get it. It still surprises me that they wouldn't simply i…

Many years ago when I was thinking of getting it done I was told by the sales rep/doctor (I forget) the machines are limited in range. Women tend to have larger pupils than men apparently this wasn't thought of during the design phase. Kind of weird to go through all that trouble of designing and building a machine that needed just a few more millimeters of range. I passed on the procedure.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#34
YMMV of course.

But I got LASIK done just over a year ago. I'd worn glasses since I was a kid and don't remember a time without them. Things I love after having done LASIK: - Being in the rain - Boxing - Not fumbling for my glasses after a shower, waking up - Being able to just rub my eyes - Wearing 3D glasses

Things I don't like after having done LASIK - night vision is really quite bad. Low lit streets, driveways can be hazardous. - light sensitivity. Not sure if this is a byproduct of LASIK but I feel disoriented in rooms with low fluorescent lighting. - dry eyes aren't as common as in the first 6 months but I do take more screen breaks to moisten my eyes - blurred vision. Doesn't happen often and I can't say this is purely related to LASIK as I often get this after a long day of coding.

I got my LASIK done at the Eye Institute in Auckland and they sat me down for close to an hour to talk through it. Will I need glasses in the future? yep, they mentioned that. Dry eyes and blurred vision? Yep. For the first 6 months after the operation I had regular checkups.

It's been a freeing experience overall.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#35
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 actually like my glasses! I like wearing them, and only rarely do I dislike having them. Maybe it is because my vision is not that bad without them. I can imagine that if it was worse I might hate them more.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#37
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.

I had ICL done about 4 or 5 years ago. Wasn't a good candidate for either LASIK or PRK due to severe astigmatism. ICL is a lot like cataract surgery, but instead of replacing the lens, they implant what amounts to a permanent contact lens behind the iris and in front of the natural lens.

Ive had really good results from it. 20/15 after 5+ years. I still have effects from the astigmatism, but less than I was wearing glasses/contacts, really only a problem when fatigued. I'll need reading glasses as I get older, but for now, its beautiful.

They did mine in 2 stages, one eye at a time over 4 weeks. Normally recovery is pretty quick, but I had a lot of swelling in my first eye done (anesthesia wore off in the middle of the procedure), I was blind for 3 weeks in that eye as the swelling came downm. Second eye I had nearly perfect vision straight out of the OR. The preop work is pretty painful as they use a laser to zap blood vessels in the iris to allow it to dialate enough to insert the implant.

There are side benefits, too, such as full UV A & B protection for the retina.

It's expensive, like $4500 per eye, but still probably the best money I've ever spent on myself.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#38

Has anyone tried refractive lensectomy for astigmatism and/or myopia? Think cataract surgery, but for improving near/far sightedness, etc. So you end up with artificial intraocular lenses. It costs about double what LASIK does, but doesn't seem to have the side effects.

My father had it done due to cataracts, and was satisfied with the artificial lenses and resulting vision.

I had PRK done instead of LASIK (the top layer of the cornea is discarded [it regenerates] instead of being cut and lifted prior to abalation; recovery time is longer, but corneal integrity is preserved) 8 years ago. The recovery time was a few weeks, but I had no LASIK side effects. I highly recommend it versus LASIK.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#39
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.

I’m curious, what’s better compared to contacts? I idly considered surgery for a long time, but then I tried contacts and they’ve been great. I realize they’re not great for everyone, is it just that?

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#40
I think this is a unique view, but I've come to appreciate nearsightedness. Partially because I like having the ability to soften the external world by removing my glasses (like wrapping myself in a warm fuzzy blanket), but even more so because it grants me the ability to see things near me in sharper focus than someone with 20/20 vision.

I can put on contacts or glasses to see something at a distance just as clearly as someone with naturally perfect vision, but someone with 20/20 vision would strain to view something as close to their nose as I comfortably can. (Great for reading!)

I fully admit that this perspective is borne out of my attempt to find the good in a conventionally undesirable situation. But having found it, would I trade it? I don't think I would...

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