Lasik Surgery- Pros and Cons

Re:lasik Surgery

So how does the surgery affect your vision on the table? I have been seeing blurred bAlls for so long that I can shoot failrly well anyway. The one poster that described his vision on the table kind of made me feel like I didn't think it worth trading what I have in. Any other decriptions? Can you see both ends of the table clearly? I can't remember what my young eyes saw like.
 
Buckeyejim said:
If any of you "older fellows/gals" are considering it, my experience has been all positive- had it done at age 50,now 56. I can see great and do not need reading glasses.P.S highly recommend Bloomberg Eye Center- just east of Columbus, Oh.
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that is who done my buddies surgery, i was hoping his blur problem around the balls was something that would go away. i actually called them Fri. and they are mailing me some literature, if you don't mind me asking how much does the surgery cost ballpark and was yours covered under any type of insurance, to me if it works that well price is not an option considering it's my eyes but just curious on the cost.
 
Cornerman said:
"LASIK" is the umbrella of several laser techniques/technologyies using lasers to shape the lenses. Unfortunately, some techniques are older but are still being used. So, the old technologies give the new ones a bad rap.

Here's a link to a post which links to several other posts on my extremely positive LASIK experience.

Fred's LASIK posts.

Fred
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thanks alot, very informative, i've decided to definetly have it done. just a matter of finding out the cost, i don't care either way, but dealing with my eyes if it means spending a few hundred or even a few thousand more to have the peace of mind knowing your getting the best surgery available it's worth it.
 
When you are young your eyes can focus both close and far. Thats called accommodation. The muscles in your eye deform the lens to make them focus at different distances. As you age...your lens get hard and cant be deformed any..so your lens are stuck at one focal length. Laser surgery just corrects the eyes to focus at one distance. 99% of people have their laser surgery correct both eyes for perfect (or close to it) distance focus...at infinity. You have to wear glasses to see anything in focus that is not at infinity. Yes you can SEE things that are close (like 6 feet away) but they are really not in GOOD focus. Read a book or menu? ...forget it....and get your glasses out for your laser corrected eyes! Thats why I opted for the monovision. I do hear there are some newer techniques out now that essentially cut 2 lens into each eye...so each eye sees 2 images. 1 is in focus for distance and 1 image is in focus for close. Like monovision...your brain figures out the correct image. I sure would want to try contact lens before I had that done. Also there are lens implants...they actually do focus as they attach to the muscles in your eyes. Contact your eye doctor for more details about the state of the art in procedures.

Cheers
 
I had it done five years ago and it was one of the best things I ever did. My advice is to do as much research as you can before you go under. I did and found that the doctor I had was actually an inventor of one of the techniques used at the time so I felt pretty confident in the clinic's ability. In five years I have yet to meet anyone who has had a bad lasik outcome. I have read of some on the internet but I'd go out on a limb and say that bad outcomes are statistically very low.

I have days when I believe I can't see very well but it's generally pollen or something irritating my eyes. I use normal Refresh Tears and any issues clear up after that. I was afraid to get a new license because I feared that my eyes had "gone bad" again and I would be forced to get glasses again.

So I went on the net and got some vision tests and convinced myself that it was all good and went to the DMV. No problem. And I haven't been back to the optometrist in years for the same reason, don't want glasses again. But, it's all good, I pocket balls better than I ever have and see just fine with no blurriness, no halos, and no stars.

My advice, do it if you can.
 
I had mine done 8 years ago. Best money I ever spent! At the time they only cut the flap with a blade and the laser was not eye tracking. There was only a small amount of discomfort when the doctor cut the flap. I wouldent even call it pain. The surgery took aprox 10 min start to finnish with the actual laser time being only a few seconds per eye.
I have had no ill effects like halos or poor night vision. I only had to use drops for 1 day after the surgery other than the steroids which were 1 week. I was 22yrs old at the time and the doctor said this accounted for the super fast recovery. I had a doctor who had done more surgerys than any other in colorado and was involved with the clinical trials to get the lasic procedure approved from the government. I paied more to have him do it than others were advertising and was happy to do so. I would suggest you ask around and find someone with a good reputation. I would not shop by price. Chris Byrne CB Custom Cues.
 
JLW said:
Most of the Lasik surgery centers in my area include several follow up visits with the cost of the surgery. I had a follow up visit the day after my surgery, one about a week after that, one about a month after that, and one about 3 months after that. I still have one follow up visit left.
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I have a friend whose friend went to Canada to have it done - you know, to save money. He did not get follow up visits and his vision is 20/80. He is stuck now with paying someone else to fix his eyes again and needless to say he is very turned off about laser surgery.

Plus, there are fly-by-night companies that go out of business after a year.

All I am saying is to be extremely careful and to do your research on who is doing your eyes. Some will operate on people who are NOT good candidates. Some doctors have excellent success rates because they only operate on candidates who are excellent candidates - low risk in other words. There is a lot to consider when you are having this done. The Washington Post had a very long article devoted to picking out a good surgeon, but this was 7 years ago.
 
ironhead_79 said:
that is who done my buddies surgery, i was hoping his blur problem around the balls was something that would go away. i actually called them Fri. and they are mailing me some literature, if you don't mind me asking how much does the surgery cost ballpark and was yours covered under any type of insurance, to me if it works that well price is not an option considering it's my eyes but just curious on the cost.
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I got mine during a price special, about 500 per eye,no insurance coverage that I'm aware of. Prices have been lower than that at times, thuogh, depending on what procedure is done- mine was near-sighted only. Good Luck, after 40+ yrs. of wearing glasses, I have been so thankful for this procedure- I can't even stand the feeling of sunglasses on my nose now!:)
 
whitewolf said:
I have a friend whose friend went to Canada to have it done - you know, to save money. He did not get follow up visits and his vision is 20/80. He is stuck now with paying someone else to fix his eyes again and needless to say he is very turned off about laser surgery.

Plus, there are fly-by-night companies that go out of business after a year.

All I am saying is to be extremely careful and to do your research on who is doing your eyes. Some will operate on people who are NOT good candidates. Some doctors have excellent success rates because they only operate on candidates who are excellent candidates - low risk in other words. There is a lot to consider when you are having this done. The Washington Post had a very long article devoted to picking out a good surgeon, but this was 7 years ago.
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Yes, I totally agree that this is not something you want to try to save money on by shopping around for the cheapest doctor. That's also why I suggest that anyone getting Lasik has the Custom Lasik procedure done. Pay the extra money. If you're going to do it, don't skimp. This is eye surgery after all.

I did quite a bit of research on the net before deciding to have mine done. And there a lot of horror stories out there; problems with night vision, halos, light sensitivity, dry eyes, etc. But I arrived at the conclusion that such horror stories are extremely rare and often the result of unqualified "doctors" performing the procedure. Plus, Lasik is not what it was 5 or 10 years ago. The procedure is constantly being refined. #1 thing- check out the doctor and his credentials. The doctor I used has studied with some of the premier Lasik surgeons in the country. And, incidentally, I have referred friends to him who he has turned down for the procedure. Sucks for them, but I think it says something good about my doctor.

I gave my surgery a lot of thought, because my eyesight was not so terrible to begin with- 20/60 in one eye and 20/50 in the other. But I hated wearing glasses (did not get my first pair until I was about 25 or so), and I had a hard time tolerating contacts (lots of allergies). But I have never regretted having it done. And I have never had one problem with my eyes since the procedure.
 
Custom Lasik is not always the best for every single patient though.

Not everyone can get a quality eye scan that's good enough to benefit from the custom lasik procedures. People who fit into this category actually run the risk of having a less successful procedure than those who use conventional lasik.

The need for custom lasik also has to do with your particular vision and what exactly is being corrected by the procedure as well.

There have been studies that have shown that very few people actually gain much benefit from the custom lasik procedures but the ones who do benefit from them usually benefit greastly by them.

The main thing is to find a experienced and honest place who will not hesitate to turn you away and not hesitate to offer you the best procedure. My friend went in and two places actually told him he was better off getting traditional lasik than custom lasik even though it would have been an additional $1000 in their pocket.

As for night vision, that also depends alot on what your vision was before the procedure and what exactly was being corrected. I know people who have had $5000 custom lasiks who have bad night vision and others who had $500 specials who have no night vision problems at all.

Just need to find a surgeon who is willing to do what's best for you individually and not what's best for their pockets.
 
do they have any studies yet on the long term effects? since its a relatively new procedure there aren't a lot of people that have had it more than, lets say, 10 years ago.
 
I had it done May of 2004, no problems whatsoever. I used the drops for about 1 month, and have not had any probles. $1300 total for both eyes. 20/100 and 20/200 to 20/15 in both eyes...........Best money I have ever spent and probably ever will.
 
Go for it!

I had just my left eye done about 4 years ago. I now have monovision. I see distance with the left eye and read closeup with the right eye. I use to where glasses all the time, since I was 12, but I had to take them off to read. Now I don't need glasses at all. I did pop the one lense out of my old pair and use them for night driving. I was able to see better Imediately, I drove myself home, Took a nap as they suggest. There was some pain when I woke up. I use the drops and it was fine. I was playing pool without my glasses for the very first time that same night. It's great and yes it did help my game. :cool: :)
 
There is no pain, and you see clearly instantly. Your eyes start healing and for the next 2 or 3 weeks your vision will actually improve!

You just need to do research and find the best doctor available in your area.

Always go for the best if you want the best.
 
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