Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 239 posts

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#111

Post by WalterBright »

cwbrandsma wrote: post #9
flyinghamster wrote: post #3

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.

The trick is to have multiple pairs, to the point where you find them at the same rate you lose them.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#112

Post by taneq »

flyinghamster wrote: post #3

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…

> I actually like having something between my eyes and flying objects

When I got contacts, walking through bushland suddenly terrified me. My eyes felt so exposed and vulnerable! Growing up with glasses I'd never realised how protected they made my eyes feel.

Wearing glasses also lets me safely ride with my visor open most of the time and I like the wind on my face. Well, there was that one time I ran into a bee so it's not 100% safe but my eyes were still fine...

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#113

Post by raverbashing »

Yizahi wrote: post #106
rm999 wrote: post #47

As a subscriber I love the New York Times, but like many articles in the Wellness section this is low quality. The article starts off with: >A recent clinical trial by the F.D.A. suggests that the complications experienced by Mr. Ramirez are not uncommon. Nearly half of all people who had healthy eyes before Lasik developed visual aberrations for the first time after the procedure, the trial found. And then five minu…

You also cut the article to fit your point. E.g. full text regarding 574 participants: =================================== quote But many of the trial’s 574 participants reported having visual aberrations and dry eyes before surgery, and the study concluded that Lasik slightly reduced the prevalence of these problems. Three months after surgery, however, glare, halos and double vision were common, affecting 50 to 60…

Are these 5% and 2% from the ones that had an issue (hence, from the 50%/60%) or from all patients?

Also, did this trial use a microkeratome or the femtosecond laser for flap creation?

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#114

Post by koliber »

navs wrote: post #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 c…

I also had LASIK surgery and feel that my light sensitivity has increased, especially to sunlight. I used to never wear sunglasses before, and now I feel I need to in some situations.

Someone pointed out an interesting perspective. Perhaps it was that my glasses and contact lenses had a UV filter on them that sunlight did not bother me. Maybe it is not the brightness, but the amount of UV light hitting the eye that is responsible for some of the light sensitivity. It could be UV sensitivity, and not light sensitivity.

I have not taken the time to try to test this hypothesis out in any meaningful way, but it is an interesting thought.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#115

Post by koliber »

stevedekorte wrote: post #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.

Interesting. One of the disqualifying factors for my LASIK surgery would have been if my pupils dialated too much. Luckily, mine did not.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#116

Post by enraged_camel »

aschneid wrote: post #29

I had Lasik done at a university teaching hospital by a surgeon who had done thousands of surgeries. This was in 2003. Every follow-up was by a resident and then the full surgeon. I had significant dry eyes and blepharitis (probably from the dry eyes) for about 12-18 months. 15 years later, I can still see 20/20 in one eye and 20/25-30 in the other. I still occasionally have dry eyes and blepharitis. I wear glasses a…

>>However, folks who ask me about it, I tell them if they can still wear contacts, not to have it done.

Contacts carry their own risks. Even if you have excellent hygiene habits, they can cause eye infections. And if you accidentally fall asleep in them...

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#117

Post by koliber »

Rebelgecko wrote: post #99
3pt14159 wrote: post #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…

Wow, looks like I could fly to Lithuania and have Lasik done, while spending less money than getting Lasik done at home. How does that work with follow up appointments? Did you just stick around for a few weeks?

I did my LASIK in Poland. You can do a 3 week vacation with the surgery and three doctor followups for the price of just the surgery in the US. This is on state-of-the-art equipment in a top-rated clinic in Warsaw, not a budget option at a second-grade clinic.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#118

Post by wlll »

gameshot911 wrote: post #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…

I have the same situation. When I take my glasses off and move stuff close to my eyes (really close, like around ~4cm) it's like looking through a microscope.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#119

Post by thruaway »

neofrommatrix wrote: post #57

I had Lasik done in India to both my eyes in 2009. The total cost came out to Rs. 25000 (~500 USD) for both eyes. I went from a 20/600 to 20/20 in 15 minutes. Best decision of my life. I made sure to get the surgery done from a highly reputed ophthalmic surgeon who had performed 1000s of surgeries with success. As in every surgery, there are side effects. For me, there was temporary mild dryness that lasted a few mon…

Where in India did you undergo the surgery? Can you recommend any LASIK surgeons in Mumbai? I'm planning to get LASIK done and would appreciate your help.

Re: Lasik’s Risks Are Coming into Sharper Focus

#120

Post by kgwxd »

NetOpWibby wrote: post #74
cm2012 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a wrap, folks. This comment is more valuable by far than the article.

I've learned to read the comments to any posted NYT article, than visiting said article itself.

My RSS reader filters them out. I also built a browser plugin for myself to remove links to domains I never want to go to, NYT is 1 of them, mostly because of the paywall. Haven't made the plugin work for mobile FF yet though, thats how I got here.
Post reply on HN