5 ms·

If they invented this for shortsightedness, which I have very slightly, I would pay a huge amount of money (in European medical cost terms) for it. I mildly di

by cianmm 1y ago

If they invented this for shortsightedness, which I have very slightly, I would pay a huge amount of money (in European medical cost terms) for it. I mildly dislike wearing glasses but need them or I have a headache within an hour, I can’t overcome my blink reactions to put in contacts (after several hour long sessions with my optometrist) and my shortsightedness isn’t strong enough to convince myself to go for laser eye surgery.

HWR_14 1y ago
There are new non laser surgeries either in the testing or just released stages. I only know about them because they were on HN in the past 6 months. Easiest link I found: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44938818 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44938818
- ceejayoz 1y ago
  I suspect the issue is less the "laser" bit than the "eye surgery" bit.
rr808 1y ago
US has a few look at Vuity - which is for age releated.
- alborzb 1y ago
  Vuity is just Pilocarpine -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilocarpine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilocarpine Not something that is recommended for ordinary bad vision - as it mostly works to treat eye pressure (one particular type of age related vision correction).
nickjj 1y ago
I've been wearing glasses for short sightedness for my whole life and also don't wear contacts because the idea of putting them in freaks me out. I always think about it from the point of view of what would happen if I want to do extended travel. Which method minimizes risk around something going wrong. For example: If you put your contacts in luggage and that gets lost or stolen now you have a really big problem with your sight in a foreign country. If you're dependent on drops, it's the same problem as contacts. In both cases, even if you do things to minimize losing them they have a limited supply. What if you want to travel for a year, are you comfortable getting the same type you have at home sent to you in a foreign country? If you're dependent on glasses, typically you wear them all the time so the risk is them getting broken somehow which is rare. I've been wearing glasses my whole life and have never once broke or damaged them. The biggest risk is falling asleep with them on and rolling over them so it's critically important to move them off to the side somewhere. That also means being extra careful if you're sleeping on a bus or outdoors, you need to be really mindful of where your glasses are at all times if you're not wearing them. The downside to glasses is they can prevent you from experiences. Casual swimming is annoying, especially alone where you also want to watch your bag that could be hundreds of feet away. Also practicing martial arts with sparring is a problem. Showering without being able to see clear isn't too bad in practice but it's a daily thing. Surgery has the highest potential upside since you effectively become "normal" but the surgery has to go well so there's a risk factor to think about now. I only know 3 people who have gotten lasik in the last ~15 years. 1 of them sees massive halos at night time with lights so they can't drive at night. 1 of them has to use eye drops for dryness even 2 years after surgery. 1 of them had it done about 10 years ago and has no negative side effects but the effects of the surgery are slowly wearing off to where they will need another surgery in the next few years since their eyes have changed. Personally if I knew surgery had a 99.999% side effect free success rate and at worst I would only need to do it every 10-15 years I would do it but I just can't get past the risk factor. Sight is just too important. I look forward to a day where this is a fully solved problem in a non-invasive way. Until then I compromise with glasses.
- terribleperson 1y ago
  The travel risks of contacts are manageable. Always travel with a fresh spare pair, a contacts case (to store the old pair), and a pair of glasses in a hard case. The glasses go in your personal bag, not your luggage.
  - secondcoming 1y ago
    But then you need to make sure you have access to clean water in order to put in your lenses.
    - terribleperson 1y ago
      I don't use water to put in lenses. It might be troublesome to clean my hands without clean water, though...
      - mathgeek 1y ago
        I assumed GP meant for the handwashing part. General advice I've always seen is to wash your hands before touching contacts.
        secondcoming 1y ago
        Yes, exactly this.
  - Telaneo 1y ago
    If the risk management strategy of contacts involves having a pair of glasses on hand, why not jump straight to that (unless you don't like glasses in the first place and only use them if all else fails)? Then again, my eyesight isn't bad enough for me breaking my glasses on a holiday to be a potential problem. I've never broken any of my pairs before, and even if they were lost, I'm still able to read and get around. It's just more unpleasant to do so. But I still prefer glasses and wear them pretty much at all times.
basisword 1y ago
I had a similar issue with lenses. Those appointments are hell and counter-productive. Firstly, it's a difficult thing to do under pressure. Secondly the more you attempt it the more your eyes get irritated and the more difficult it becomes. Eventually I managed to sort of just shove it in when the optometrist wasn't looking. Then they gave me some to take home and I was able to practice in a less stressful environment and finally got the hang of it. Saying that, if I stop for a while and then go back to them it can take a couple of days to get the reflexes to slow down again. If you can order a pack online without a prescription I'd say it's relatively safe to do that and practice at home provided they've already explained the hygiene basics and you know how to put them in/out, you're just having issues with the blinking.
summarity 1y ago
EVO ICL. Or even pinned ICL. Just got it recently, would recommend. LASIK/SMILE/etc were never and are not safe. At least ICL is fully reversible. Note that is the current version (EVO) I’m referring to, not the older (Visian) which still involved irreversible steps. Info: https://eyewiki.org/Implantable_Collamer_Lens https://eyewiki.org/Implantable_Collamer_Lens Patient info (simpler language): https://www.rcophth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phakic-Intraocular-Lens-Implantation-Patient-Information-1.pdf https://www.rcophth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phakic-... (I paid out of pocket for this and have no affiliation with any clinics)
- dghlsakjg 1y ago
  I wouldn't say that cutting a hole in your eyeball and putting a foreign object inside is 'safe'. Perhaps safer than LASIK, but I have a hard time believing any surgeon that would claim there are no risks.
- Pooge 1y ago
  > LASIK/SMILE/etc were never and are not safe. At least ICL is fully reversible. Citation needed. All people I know and feedback I've heard that took LASIK or LASEK have said that it was a live-changing surgery. I myself underwent LASEK and have nothing bad to say. I've never heard that it was unsafe. Quite the opposite, actually. Then again, when I hear feedback from Americans it sounds like a different world. I live in a wealthy and medically-respected European country, though.
  - blueone 1y ago
    [dead]
lbourdages 1y ago
Have you looked into orthokeratology? Basically, contact lenses you wear at night (which could perhaps be tolerable for you). Then, your vision stays fine during the day (mostly, it worsens gradually but it's manageable). I don't use it myself but I have a relative that does and they love it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthokeratology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthokeratology
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- cianmm 1y ago
  The issue is getting the lenses in and out of my eyes. I simply can’t. I tried really hard for about 4 hours with a consultant and I think that I got it in successfully once, and she had to remove it for me while I held my eye open.

by cianmm 1y ago

HWR_14 1y ago

There are new non laser surgeries either in the testing or just released stages. I only know about them because they were on HN in the past 6 months. Easiest link I found: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44938818 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44938818

ceejayoz 1y ago
I suspect the issue is less the "laser" bit than the "eye surgery" bit.

rr808 1y ago

US has a few look at Vuity - which is for age releated.

alborzb 1y ago
Vuity is just Pilocarpine -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilocarpine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilocarpine Not something that is recommended for ordinary bad vision - as it mostly works to treat eye pressure (one particular type of age related vision correction).

nickjj 1y ago

I've been wearing glasses for short sightedness for my whole life and also don't wear contacts because the idea of putting them in freaks me out. I always think about it from the point of view of what would happen if I want to do extended travel. Which method minimizes risk around something going wrong. For example: If you put your contacts in luggage and that gets lost or stolen now you have a really big problem with your sight in a foreign country. If you're dependent on drops, it's the same problem as contacts. In both cases, even if you do things to minimize losing them they have a limited supply. What if you want to travel for a year, are you comfortable getting the same type you have at home sent to you in a foreign country? If you're dependent on glasses, typically you wear them all the time so the risk is them getting broken somehow which is rare. I've been wearing glasses my whole life and have never once broke or damaged them. The biggest risk is falling asleep with them on and rolling over them so it's critically important to move them off to the side somewhere. That also means being extra careful if you're sleeping on a bus or outdoors, you need to be really mindful of where your glasses are at all times if you're not wearing them. The downside to glasses is they can prevent you from experiences. Casual swimming is annoying, especially alone where you also want to watch your bag that could be hundreds of feet away. Also practicing martial arts with sparring is a problem. Showering without being able to see clear isn't too bad in practice but it's a daily thing. Surgery has the highest potential upside since you effectively become "normal" but the surgery has to go well so there's a risk factor to think about now. I only know 3 people who have gotten lasik in the last ~15 years. 1 of them sees massive halos at night time with lights so they can't drive at night. 1 of them has to use eye drops for dryness even 2 years after surgery. 1 of them had it done about 10 years ago and has no negative side effects but the effects of the surgery are slowly wearing off to where they will need another surgery in the next few years since their eyes have changed. Personally if I knew surgery had a 99.999% side effect free success rate and at worst I would only need to do it every 10-15 years I would do it but I just can't get past the risk factor. Sight is just too important. I look forward to a day where this is a fully solved problem in a non-invasive way. Until then I compromise with glasses.

terribleperson 1y ago
The travel risks of contacts are manageable. Always travel with a fresh spare pair, a contacts case (to store the old pair), and a pair of glasses in a hard case. The glasses go in your personal bag, not your luggage.
- secondcoming 1y ago
  But then you need to make sure you have access to clean water in order to put in your lenses.
  - terribleperson 1y ago
    I don't use water to put in lenses. It might be troublesome to clean my hands without clean water, though...
    - mathgeek 1y ago
      I assumed GP meant for the handwashing part. General advice I've always seen is to wash your hands before touching contacts.
      - secondcoming 1y ago
        Yes, exactly this.
- Telaneo 1y ago
  If the risk management strategy of contacts involves having a pair of glasses on hand, why not jump straight to that (unless you don't like glasses in the first place and only use them if all else fails)? Then again, my eyesight isn't bad enough for me breaking my glasses on a holiday to be a potential problem. I've never broken any of my pairs before, and even if they were lost, I'm still able to read and get around. It's just more unpleasant to do so. But I still prefer glasses and wear them pretty much at all times.

basisword 1y ago

I had a similar issue with lenses. Those appointments are hell and counter-productive. Firstly, it's a difficult thing to do under pressure. Secondly the more you attempt it the more your eyes get irritated and the more difficult it becomes. Eventually I managed to sort of just shove it in when the optometrist wasn't looking. Then they gave me some to take home and I was able to practice in a less stressful environment and finally got the hang of it. Saying that, if I stop for a while and then go back to them it can take a couple of days to get the reflexes to slow down again. If you can order a pack online without a prescription I'd say it's relatively safe to do that and practice at home provided they've already explained the hygiene basics and you know how to put them in/out, you're just having issues with the blinking.

summarity 1y ago

EVO ICL. Or even pinned ICL. Just got it recently, would recommend. LASIK/SMILE/etc were never and are not safe. At least ICL is fully reversible. Note that is the current version (EVO) I’m referring to, not the older (Visian) which still involved irreversible steps. Info: https://eyewiki.org/Implantable_Collamer_Lens https://eyewiki.org/Implantable_Collamer_Lens Patient info (simpler language): https://www.rcophth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phakic-Intraocular-Lens-Implantation-Patient-Information-1.pdf https://www.rcophth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phakic-... (I paid out of pocket for this and have no affiliation with any clinics)

dghlsakjg 1y ago
I wouldn't say that cutting a hole in your eyeball and putting a foreign object inside is 'safe'. Perhaps safer than LASIK, but I have a hard time believing any surgeon that would claim there are no risks.
Pooge 1y ago
> LASIK/SMILE/etc were never and are not safe. At least ICL is fully reversible. Citation needed. All people I know and feedback I've heard that took LASIK or LASEK have said that it was a live-changing surgery. I myself underwent LASEK and have nothing bad to say. I've never heard that it was unsafe. Quite the opposite, actually. Then again, when I hear feedback from Americans it sounds like a different world. I live in a wealthy and medically-respected European country, though.
- blueone 1y ago
  [dead]

lbourdages 1y ago

Have you looked into orthokeratology? Basically, contact lenses you wear at night (which could perhaps be tolerable for you). Then, your vision stays fine during the day (mostly, it worsens gradually but it's manageable). I don't use it myself but I have a relative that does and they love it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthokeratology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthokeratology

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
cianmm 1y ago
The issue is getting the lenses in and out of my eyes. I simply can’t. I tried really hard for about 4 hours with a consultant and I think that I got it in successfully once, and she had to remove it for me while I held my eye open.