Lasik and pool

TheNewSharkster

TheNewSharkster

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I wear glasses. Recently I went in for a consultation to see if I am a candidate for Lasik. It turns out I am. I play a lot of pool and wear my glasses when I play. Usually when I get down to shoot I am not looking through my glasses but rather over the top of them. So Lasik seem like as good idea as any to improve my game of pool.

Has anyone here has Lasik done? I would be interested to hear from fellow pool players.
 
many threads

There are many threads on this. I got lasik about 2 yrs back and LOVE the results....However nothing will improve your game more than practice and more practice. It's just nice to be able to read the numbers on the balls for a change.
 
i had lasik 3 years ago, but i couldnt play in my glasses, i wore my contacts 16 hours a day 7 days a week... and i had an astigmatism... so by the time i was going to play at night, they were all over the place. aside from my eyes being a little dry, it was well worth the money
 
TheNewSharkster said:
I wear glasses. Recently I went in for a consultation to see if I am a candidate for Lasik. It turns out I am. I play a lot of pool and wear my glasses when I play. Usually when I get down to shoot I am not looking through my glasses but rather over the top of them. So Lasik seem like as good idea as any to improve my game of pool.

Has anyone here has Lasik done? I would be interested to hear from fellow pool players.
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Yes, I had mine done at least 8 years ago. I am not sure if the procedure has improved, but there was a several month healing period where minor annoyances like halo's and dry eyes were the case. Plus the trauma to the eyeball caused the focus to go in and out for a few days.

It's the greatest thing - and percentage wise very safe as far as surgeries go.

It wasn't a big jump for me because I wore contacts - which produce vision correction similar to the surgery. Playing pool while wearing glasses is no fun - you might have to re-learn your stance and improve your head position. I bet after a few months your game takes a big leap. You will now be able to view the shot from many head positions without distortion.

Chris
 
I had PRK which is a more painful surgery then Lasik because my corneas were too thin. There are side effects, but I still think it is hands down worth it if you can do it. It also corrected my astigmatisms in each eye. No more glasses, contacts, contact solution. It is definitely a different vision then having contacts, but I am used to it now. Just like Tate said it takes time to heal. My eyes were real dry for about 6 months as the tear ducts had to re learn to produce tears basically.
 
Lasik is a great option. Especially if you have an astigmatism. Depth perception is a wonderful thing. Had it done about 3 years ago. There are different types of Lasik. So do your homework.
 
Thanks guys. I also have a astigmatism so it will be interesting. Really the only thing holding me back now is the fear of having the procedure done :eek:
 
TheNewSharkster said:
Thanks guys. I also have a astigmatism so it will be interesting. Really the only thing holding me back now is the fear of having the procedure done :eek:
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Easy as good be. I had it done probably over 13 years ago and I see 20/15 still. They really have it down now. As with any surgery there are risks, but they are few. As long as your eyes aren't changing...I'd get it done. Best think I ever did for myself.
 
TheNewSharkster said:
Thanks guys. I also have a astigmatism so it will be interesting. Really the only thing holding me back now is the fear of having the procedure done :eek:
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I might hold the AZB record for Lasik since I had three operations in 1999-2000, three on one eye and two on the other. I kept reverting back to being a little nearsighted - I was quite nearsighted to begin with. The operation was easy then and probably even easier now. I didn't have any bad side effects, and I can't remember even having mild ones. Maybe I did but if so they didn't last long.

I wasn't playing pool at the time I had it done but I've since started playing again, and it has made the game easier compared to wearing glasses. You can get down lower over the shot, which is a good thing, without your neck being very uncomfortable.

If you think about what's being done - a mini buzz saw slicing your eyeball - it's natural to be a little concerned. But just remember that the doctor has probably done hundreds or even thousands of these operations and it's just a walk in the park for him. I chose a doctor who was a cornea specialist who also did other cornea operations, so I had some confidence that if something went wrong he would know what to do. But it's now 11 years later and Lasik has become very routine.
 
Eyes

I guess I will speak for the 'other' side. I have very bad eyes (not far from being legally blind), have astigmatism front and back of each eye, and I have scarred corneas. I have worn hard contact lenses most of my life (since I was 18). I can not have lasik or any other eye operation because of my scarred corneas. I have scarred corneas from hard contacts warping on me in my mid twenties, and taking layers of my cornea off. I almost had to have cornea transplants.

When I wore hard contacts, the best eyesight I had was 20/35 at best, probably more like 20/40 most of the time. About 3 years ago, my eye doctor put some soft contact lenses on me (because of the advances they had made with soft lenses and especially being able to correct astigmatism with soft lenses that they couldn't do before). My eyes fluctuated for awhile and my eye doctor kept switching up prescriptions for me. After awhile though, my eyes settled in, and now I see 20/25. It may not sound like much of an improvement to you, but to me, it has made a world of difference. Everything is much sharper, and I can see ball shots now that I had to guess at before. This is the best eyesight I have ever had, except when I was younger than 6 and did not wear glasses then.

Keep in mind though, that even with Lasik, everyone's eyes, as they age, have a tendency to go farsighted, and you may still have to wear glasses when you get older. My brother had the first operation, when they came out with it, not lasik, PRK or whatever ( From Dr. Bruce Grene, the doctor that first did these operations in the whole country) and now he has to wear glasses (he doesn't like soft contacts, says they are too big).
 
I had LASIK 3.5 years ago and the results are fantastic. The only downside was I couldn't set foot in a pool hall for 2-3 weeks, can't be around smoke while your eyes are healing.
 
Well I'm just a step behind you. I was considered legally blind, with Coke bottle thick glasses. I needed two additional "enhancements" on one of my eyes. The bummer was having to wait a few months between inhancements to make sure that my eyes settled down. My doctor told me that it was highly unusually to have to go back in two times on one eye. Despite that, I would do it all over again, even with the technology they had back 13 years ago when I had it done.



Rich93 said:
I might hold the AZB record for Lasik since I had three operations in 1999-2000, three on one eye and two on the other. I kept reverting back to being a little nearsighted - I was quite nearsighted to begin with.
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TheNewSharkster said:
I wear glasses. Recently I went in for a consultation to see if I am a candidate for Lasik. It turns out I am. I play a lot of pool and wear my glasses when I play. Usually when I get down to shoot I am not looking through my glasses but rather over the top of them. So Lasik seem like as good idea as any to improve my game of pool.

Has anyone here has Lasik done? I would be interested to hear from fellow pool players.
Click to expand...

I got Presby Lasik over a year ago and I am very happy with the results.

Not only were my distance vision and astigmatism fixed, but the doctor prolated my cornea so that I won't need reading glasses for a long time into the future. The dry eye effect is noticeable and so I have a scrip for Restasis twice a day to help keep a solid tear film.
 
I have considered this for years, but not yet pulled the triger. Do your research on-line. I believe certain brands of machines have a larger error rate (for lack of a better term) and require more "enhancements." An enhancement means they try again. It's good to hear so many success stories though. Glasses and pool don't mix well unless you're Jim Rockford or Harry Carey.
 
My son had lasik done back in 1998 or 99. He was 23 at the time. His vision was 20/400. My wife and I brought him and when it was done, while he was still in the operating room he said "OMG, I can see the clock on the wall and all the numbers. I can't believe what I'm seeing."

It brought tears to mine and my wifes eyes. His vision is now 20/18. It's helped him in a law enforcement career, and I know he has great things to say about the results.
 
Lasik is not the only answer. Lense implants may be a better way to go especially if you have cataracs. Some doctors only do Lasik but not lense implants. Make sure you are having the right procedure. Do the research. Get a second or third opinion. Even go to a big city if the resources are not plentyful in your area. Your personal physician may give you insight to who is highly qualified.

I was not a candidate for lasik and had implants. It is a great way to go. Played better pool in 2 days---because I could see that much better.
 
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