15 ms·

Anything to look out for for someone considering going for LASIK in the next few months?

by fnands 1y ago

JumpCrisscross 1y ago
Do your pros and cons versus ICL. It's pricier. But it comes with fewer side effects, is fully reversible and allows for refinement down the road.
- cmrdporcupine 1y ago
  Looks like ICL isn't generally available after the age of 45.
  - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
    > ICL isn't generally available after the age of 45 It’s essentially cataract surgery, so not for safety reasons. FDA doesn’t recommend it past 45, I believe, because if you have age-related eye degeneration ICL won’t help where LASIK might and because it’s most studied in the 21 to 45 age group. Would be surprised if a surgeon said no due to age alone.
- mmmpetrichor 1y ago
  My cornea was too thin for lasik, they offered me ICL but it was like 13k vs 5k. And the surgery seems scarier. And apparently they had complaints about the previous generation ICL causing hightened corneal pressure, so the current one with a hole in the center is pretty new. I kept my contacts.
  - JumpCrisscross 1y ago
    > the surgery seems scarier It’s cataract surgery. Apart from infection practically all the risks are lower than with LASIK. The principal downside is cost. (That said, I haven’t done it yet—I am on daily contacts.)
moduspol 1y ago
Unless things have changed, be sure you keep the little note they give you at the end that tells you your measurements. Supposedly if you end up needing another round later in life, it may be necessary to have those measurements. They apparently need to know exactly how much corneal tissue was there originally to know how much more they can remove. And be sure you do your annual check-ups. The place where I had mine done guaranteed any follow-up procedures would be free for life, but only if I could show I'd been doing the annual check-ups. That's about all I can remember. After the procedure, you go home and take a nap. For me, I woke up the next morning and could see clearly.
samch 1y ago
My wife had PRK done on both eyes over a decade ago, and it was great. At the time, she had the choice between LASIK and PRK (I’m not sure that everybody has both options given their particular conditions). After reviewing the long-term prognosis and possible side effects of both, she went with PRK. It’s been a fantastic decision for her, but that just one person’s experience.
whartung 1y ago
Just be prepared for the waiver you have to sign. After all of the advertising about how amazing and safe and wonderful it is, the rubber meets the road with the release you sign. Essentially “we’re about to shoot LASERS into your eye and if we manage to not BLIND you, that’s a good outcome.” All routine, of course, but it’s still a scary form to sign.
- moduspol 1y ago
  Indeed. They also don't seem to let you schedule each eye separately. Maybe they will if you complain enough, or are willing to pay more.
snvzz 1y ago
Many acquaintances dating decades back to high school days have gone through LASIK. They were lucky enough to be happy at first (not everybody is). Long term, they all regretted it. The statistics agree. I would personally not consider LASIK.
- jonplackett 1y ago
  What went wrong and in what timeframe?
  - zdragnar 1y ago
    I'm not who you asked, but my family and one of my friends were all the same. My mom sees halos around lights at night, so much so that she can't drive after sunset. Her eyes are so dry that she gets plugs inserted into her tear ducts to help retain moisture. My friend who had it done also has severe dry eyes, to the point that he constantly uses eye drops. In all four cases I know of, the good vision only lasted a few years. Eventually, glasses will be needed again to keep 20/20 vision.
  - rtkwe 1y ago
    It's pretty common for your vision to revert somewhat back to needing glasses over the span of a couple years. Usually it's still better than it was but often natural aging and a bit of regression combined means you still wind up needing glasses. Took my friend about 5 years until he started needing some corrective lenses again.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  I know only two people who've had LASIK and they both had not-so-great results. One had severe "dry eye" feeling (described as "sand in my eyes") for a long time and needed to use drops. The other had distorted vision and needed multiple follow-up "corrections." I'm staying with contacts and glasses, personally.
- bri3d 1y ago
  > The statistics agree Citation? It’s hard to find independent studies on LASIK since it’s big business, which is indeed a good cause for suspicion, but every follow-up survey I can find indicates net satisfaction in the 80-90+% range after 20 years, and the technology has massively improved so I’d expect the rate to go up even more over time. If we’re doing anecdotes, my father got very early LASIK and is extremely happy he did, over 20 years later his vision is just starting to degrade again and he had only extremely minor halo issues (which are also less prevalent today due to the use of lasers instead of a knife to cut the eye open, leading to less scarring). I’ve been considering laser eye surgery soon and it seems that all available technologies are decent. Based on my survey, SMILE>PRK>LASIK in terms of outcomes and risk, but SMILE works on a much more limited range of eye issues and PRK requires a somewhat lengthy and uncomfortable recovery period requiring time off work and caretaker support, so LASIK is still a good fallback option.
phyzome 1y ago
It has some underappreciated side effects, such as reduced night vision. Even if everything else went perfectly, I don't think that's an acceptable side effect for me.
- jonplackett 1y ago
  How exactly does it affect night vision? I already have mild cataracts which make night vision annoying. Definitely don’t need it getting any worse!
  - typewithrhythm 1y ago
    Starburst and halo artifacts are the keywords to get an idea. The specifics are hard to estimate, since severity is fairly subjective, but it's pretty common for things like traffic lights at night to show them.
  - stretchwithme 1y ago
    They can replace your eye's clouded lens with a corrective lens now.
    - lsaferite 1y ago
      They can even do bifocal lenses when replacing them. My mother just had this done and I was surprised to see that as an offering.
- cmrdporcupine 1y ago
  So as a getting-older-over-halfway-done guy, my night vision is already pretty crap. Are you saying it will get even worse?
  - thfuran 1y ago
    They reshape an area smaller than a fully dilated pupil, so night vision is affected because you're seeing light that passed through the corrected area and light that passed through the uncorrected area (and the boundary itself might mess things up in a more complicated way). Whether that sort of distortion is "worse" than entirely uncorrected vision is kind of subjective. Also, I think that effect diminishes with age because the pupil stops dilating as fully.
mickeyr 1y ago
Severe side effects may not be common, but they can be very very severe. I had it 20 years ago and had no issues myself. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7431709/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7431709/
gastonmorixe 1y ago
Don’t. Watch “Broken Eyes” before https://youtu.be/V9g4tnLL2r4 https://youtu.be/V9g4tnLL2r4
7e 1y ago
Don’t get LASIK. Get Wavelight Plus ray-tracing guided LASIK. The outcomes are incredibly improved.
aardvarkr 1y ago
I had it done in late 2022. The doctor does close to zero work and it’s all in the laser. I called almost every lasik specialist in the city to figure out what laser they use and what their price is and then narrowed that list further with in person consultations. Don’t go for the absolute cheapest but there’s zero reason to pay quadruple. At the time it was about $1k per eye and of course vision insurance sucks and won’t make a difference for lasik. My company even had a lasik benefit ($1k/eye) but the offices that worked through insurance cost $2.5k/eye. If I recall correctly there’s three major laser brands and they’re on the fifth generation lasers. The buzzword at that time was waveform technology. Overall it has been AMAZING and everyone should do it. Literally can’t express how wonderful it is to no longer need contracts or glasses. It’s probably paid for itself already as well but the quality of life improvements are worth it even if there was no break even point.
- trallnag 1y ago
  Everyone should do it? Without any research or consulting a doctor? This is really bad advice.
  - ToValueFunfetti 1y ago
    This is needless; it is impossible to get LASIK without consulting a doctor or doing research and no advice can change that.
konfusinomicon 1y ago
best 3 grand i ever spent. my vision was so bad prior I couldn't see the largest letter in the test and afterwards i felt like i could have gone a few levels past the smallest on the test with no issue. after 7 years and my last exam showed I still had 20/20 vision. I can relate with the night driving halos but I had trouble driving at night prior to it too so ymmv. waking up the night of the procedure and walking the dog it was like a whole new world of clarity with the amount of detail I could see of the leaves on the trees backlit by streetlights. the first month is a pain because you can't touch your eyes and you gotta wear goggles to sleep. and being able to see in the shower is pretty cool too.
makeworld 1y ago
Get SMILE instead.
- Buttons840 1y ago
  Yes, for any considering eye surgery at least research SMILE, and other alternative surgeries and upcoming surgical techniques.
SwamyM 1y ago
This is something I am considering as well, so I am definitely interested in hearing feedback from other users that have gotten LASIK or have looked into it. If it matters, I have slight astigmatism in both my eyes.
Aurornis 1y ago
The equipment they use matters a lot. It's surprisingly automated. The best thing you can do for yourself is call every provider and ask exactly what model machine they will use. As long as the doctor isn't grossly negligent, the one using the most recent and advanced machine will be your best option.

Anything to look out for for someone considering going for LASIK in the next few months?

by fnands 1y ago

Anything to look out for for someone considering going for LASIK in the next few months?

Do your pros and cons versus ICL. It's pricier. But it comes with fewer side effects, is fully reversible and allows for refinement down the road.

cmrdporcupine 1y ago
Looks like ICL isn't generally available after the age of 45.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago
  > ICL isn't generally available after the age of 45 It’s essentially cataract surgery, so not for safety reasons. FDA doesn’t recommend it past 45, I believe, because if you have age-related eye degeneration ICL won’t help where LASIK might and because it’s most studied in the 21 to 45 age group. Would be surprised if a surgeon said no due to age alone.
mmmpetrichor 1y ago
My cornea was too thin for lasik, they offered me ICL but it was like 13k vs 5k. And the surgery seems scarier. And apparently they had complaints about the previous generation ICL causing hightened corneal pressure, so the current one with a hole in the center is pretty new. I kept my contacts.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago
  > the surgery seems scarier It’s cataract surgery. Apart from infection practically all the risks are lower than with LASIK. The principal downside is cost. (That said, I haven’t done it yet—I am on daily contacts.)

moduspol 1y ago

Unless things have changed, be sure you keep the little note they give you at the end that tells you your measurements. Supposedly if you end up needing another round later in life, it may be necessary to have those measurements. They apparently need to know exactly how much corneal tissue was there originally to know how much more they can remove. And be sure you do your annual check-ups. The place where I had mine done guaranteed any follow-up procedures would be free for life, but only if I could show I'd been doing the annual check-ups. That's about all I can remember. After the procedure, you go home and take a nap. For me, I woke up the next morning and could see clearly.

samch 1y ago

My wife had PRK done on both eyes over a decade ago, and it was great. At the time, she had the choice between LASIK and PRK (I’m not sure that everybody has both options given their particular conditions). After reviewing the long-term prognosis and possible side effects of both, she went with PRK. It’s been a fantastic decision for her, but that just one person’s experience.

whartung 1y ago

Just be prepared for the waiver you have to sign. After all of the advertising about how amazing and safe and wonderful it is, the rubber meets the road with the release you sign. Essentially “we’re about to shoot LASERS into your eye and if we manage to not BLIND you, that’s a good outcome.” All routine, of course, but it’s still a scary form to sign.

moduspol 1y ago
Indeed. They also don't seem to let you schedule each eye separately. Maybe they will if you complain enough, or are willing to pay more.

snvzz 1y ago

Many acquaintances dating decades back to high school days have gone through LASIK. They were lucky enough to be happy at first (not everybody is). Long term, they all regretted it. The statistics agree. I would personally not consider LASIK.

jonplackett 1y ago
What went wrong and in what timeframe?
- zdragnar 1y ago
  I'm not who you asked, but my family and one of my friends were all the same. My mom sees halos around lights at night, so much so that she can't drive after sunset. Her eyes are so dry that she gets plugs inserted into her tear ducts to help retain moisture. My friend who had it done also has severe dry eyes, to the point that he constantly uses eye drops. In all four cases I know of, the good vision only lasted a few years. Eventually, glasses will be needed again to keep 20/20 vision.
- rtkwe 1y ago
  It's pretty common for your vision to revert somewhat back to needing glasses over the span of a couple years. Usually it's still better than it was but often natural aging and a bit of regression combined means you still wind up needing glasses. Took my friend about 5 years until he started needing some corrective lenses again.
SoftTalker 1y ago
I know only two people who've had LASIK and they both had not-so-great results. One had severe "dry eye" feeling (described as "sand in my eyes") for a long time and needed to use drops. The other had distorted vision and needed multiple follow-up "corrections." I'm staying with contacts and glasses, personally.
bri3d 1y ago
> The statistics agree Citation? It’s hard to find independent studies on LASIK since it’s big business, which is indeed a good cause for suspicion, but every follow-up survey I can find indicates net satisfaction in the 80-90+% range after 20 years, and the technology has massively improved so I’d expect the rate to go up even more over time. If we’re doing anecdotes, my father got very early LASIK and is extremely happy he did, over 20 years later his vision is just starting to degrade again and he had only extremely minor halo issues (which are also less prevalent today due to the use of lasers instead of a knife to cut the eye open, leading to less scarring). I’ve been considering laser eye surgery soon and it seems that all available technologies are decent. Based on my survey, SMILE>PRK>LASIK in terms of outcomes and risk, but SMILE works on a much more limited range of eye issues and PRK requires a somewhat lengthy and uncomfortable recovery period requiring time off work and caretaker support, so LASIK is still a good fallback option.

phyzome 1y ago

It has some underappreciated side effects, such as reduced night vision. Even if everything else went perfectly, I don't think that's an acceptable side effect for me.

jonplackett 1y ago
How exactly does it affect night vision? I already have mild cataracts which make night vision annoying. Definitely don’t need it getting any worse!
- typewithrhythm 1y ago
  Starburst and halo artifacts are the keywords to get an idea. The specifics are hard to estimate, since severity is fairly subjective, but it's pretty common for things like traffic lights at night to show them.
- stretchwithme 1y ago
  They can replace your eye's clouded lens with a corrective lens now.
  - lsaferite 1y ago
    They can even do bifocal lenses when replacing them. My mother just had this done and I was surprised to see that as an offering.
cmrdporcupine 1y ago
So as a getting-older-over-halfway-done guy, my night vision is already pretty crap. Are you saying it will get even worse?
- thfuran 1y ago
  They reshape an area smaller than a fully dilated pupil, so night vision is affected because you're seeing light that passed through the corrected area and light that passed through the uncorrected area (and the boundary itself might mess things up in a more complicated way). Whether that sort of distortion is "worse" than entirely uncorrected vision is kind of subjective. Also, I think that effect diminishes with age because the pupil stops dilating as fully.

mickeyr 1y ago

Severe side effects may not be common, but they can be very very severe. I had it 20 years ago and had no issues myself. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7431709/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7431709/

gastonmorixe 1y ago

Don’t. Watch “Broken Eyes” before https://youtu.be/V9g4tnLL2r4 https://youtu.be/V9g4tnLL2r4

7e 1y ago

Don’t get LASIK. Get Wavelight Plus ray-tracing guided LASIK. The outcomes are incredibly improved.

aardvarkr 1y ago

I had it done in late 2022. The doctor does close to zero work and it’s all in the laser. I called almost every lasik specialist in the city to figure out what laser they use and what their price is and then narrowed that list further with in person consultations. Don’t go for the absolute cheapest but there’s zero reason to pay quadruple. At the time it was about $1k per eye and of course vision insurance sucks and won’t make a difference for lasik. My company even had a lasik benefit ($1k/eye) but the offices that worked through insurance cost $2.5k/eye. If I recall correctly there’s three major laser brands and they’re on the fifth generation lasers. The buzzword at that time was waveform technology. Overall it has been AMAZING and everyone should do it. Literally can’t express how wonderful it is to no longer need contracts or glasses. It’s probably paid for itself already as well but the quality of life improvements are worth it even if there was no break even point.

trallnag 1y ago
Everyone should do it? Without any research or consulting a doctor? This is really bad advice.
- ToValueFunfetti 1y ago
  This is needless; it is impossible to get LASIK without consulting a doctor or doing research and no advice can change that.

konfusinomicon 1y ago

best 3 grand i ever spent. my vision was so bad prior I couldn't see the largest letter in the test and afterwards i felt like i could have gone a few levels past the smallest on the test with no issue. after 7 years and my last exam showed I still had 20/20 vision. I can relate with the night driving halos but I had trouble driving at night prior to it too so ymmv. waking up the night of the procedure and walking the dog it was like a whole new world of clarity with the amount of detail I could see of the leaves on the trees backlit by streetlights. the first month is a pain because you can't touch your eyes and you gotta wear goggles to sleep. and being able to see in the shower is pretty cool too.

makeworld 1y ago

Get SMILE instead.

Buttons840 1y ago
Yes, for any considering eye surgery at least research SMILE, and other alternative surgeries and upcoming surgical techniques.

SwamyM 1y ago

This is something I am considering as well, so I am definitely interested in hearing feedback from other users that have gotten LASIK or have looked into it. If it matters, I have slight astigmatism in both my eyes.

Aurornis 1y ago

The equipment they use matters a lot. It's surprisingly automated. The best thing you can do for yourself is call every provider and ask exactly what model machine they will use. As long as the doctor isn't grossly negligent, the one using the most recent and advanced machine will be your best option.