6 ms·
I had a SMILE (which is the next generation procedure) operation done a year ago. I went from -9 with heavy astigmatism on both eyes to around -0.5 on one and -
by jmartinpetersen 10y ago
I had a SMILE (which is the next generation procedure) operation done a year ago. I went from -9 with heavy astigmatism on both eyes to around -0.5 on one and -0.15 on the other with a slight astigmatism. It was two awful weeks of pain because of eye drops I am allergic to, but worth every moment of it.
See, I've worn glasses since I was a kid. At age 8 my prescription were more -6. I ended up being a goalkeeper on my soccer team because I kept getting my glasses smashed. When I got older, I found out I couldn't use contacts because my eyes were always too dry. My glasses cost af fortune, I only had one pair and when it broke, I had to do it without for weeks. So I became cautious.
I knew the surgery existed. But for a lot of years I hesitated. I feared what if the surgery went bad, what if I went blind. Or my vision deteriorated. I use it evey day for my job. So even with the promise of a free, corrective surgery (thank you, public health care) I chose not to.
But last year I realised that if I ever were to have this surgery and not wear glasses at all for a while, it was now. Because in ten years I'll have reading glasses. So I went for it, and now I'm certain I'm bringing my own kids when I exit the public pool.
My eye sight isn't as perfect as it was before (120 %), but I had a corrective LASIK operation done two months ago on the "worst" eye, and it's above average now. Even though it's worse than it was, it's been an awesome trade off.
- outworlder 10y ago> I found out I couldn't use contacts because my eyes were always too dry How are they, post surgery?
- rabboRubble 10y agoSame question... I already have a minor case of dry eye. I've heard LASIK makes for dry eye and both my ophthalmologist and I are in agreement LASIK is a bad idea.
- jmartinpetersen 10y agoThe first SMILE procedure seemed much easier on my eyes, at least for the first days. Then it was horribly ruined by an antibacterial eye drop that we later found out that I'm allergic to. The LASIK procedure gave me a dry eye but they, sensible enough, switched me onto another eye drop, so it's hard to compare. A couple of months after, the LASIK eye is slightly more dry than the other. </anecdata>
- jmartinpetersen 10y agoIt's about the same as before the surgery - on the dry side. Right after it was rather brutal, I kept dripping my eyes every hour for weeks. It seems, though, that having air and wind move onto my eye actually helps as I blink more when I'm outside. But it still requires conscious effort to blink often enough, especially when I stare at a monitor most of my day.
- 77pt77 10y ago>Because in ten years I'll have reading glasses Is it really that clear cut? I keep being told this but still hope that I'll keep on wearing my -1.5 (spherical and astigmatism) for another 10 years since it has been stable at those values for some 10 years now.
- jmartinpetersen 10y agoMy myopia and astigmatism were stable for more than 20 years before I had the surgery. But in ten years I'll be at an age, where EVERYONE in my immediate family have had to have reading glasses. I'm not expecting to keep my head of hair much longer either - all the men in my family were bald at 40. There's always hoping, though.