Laser eye correction - feedback?

[eblend]

Originally posted by r0g3r
have anybody actually gone blind from a laser eye surgery, I'm actually contemplating getting this, glasses/contacts are really annoying. Is there any side effects afterwards? like night vision, halos etc. I've read most of this thread but just skipped to the end.

I think all your worries are from the old days of laser surgary. Get an assesment done and they will tell you everything. Halo and stuff like that is not an issue anymore and night vision is actually improved (for me at least, was part of an extra changer for enhanced night vision at gimble)

[lasik_dude]

I had lasik done almost 4 months ago at Lasik MD. While I now have better then 20/20 in both eyes, there are some problems. I suffer from mild dry eye, floaters in both my eyes as a result from the surgery and mild starbursts/halo at night. All are pretty annoying. While the pre-op stuff was great at Lasik MD, the post -op has been nothing short of terrible. In my opinion this is where the difference in clinics most likely is. Also, I don't know how the other clinics in town treat the patients, but in hind sight, I realize that the doctor really sugar coated the risks. I have much larger then average pupils which is known to be the main factor in night vision problems, however I was told the risk for me was very low and he didn't think it would be a problem.

I know 4 or 5 people who had gone to Lasik MD and had no complaints, even one who was sent home bc he wasn't a candidate, so I followed suit. I don't think the price is much different from the sound of things. I got the custom wavefront (zyoptix) and paid about $3300 for both eyes. Did some research on the different equipment used here in Calgary, and all are newer technologies with very comparable results. The head surgeon at Lasik MD is very experienced with over 60,000 surgeries. However all of the post op care is pawned off to the technicians who do not seem to be very experienced, or helpful for that matter. However, there is no way for me to compare this to other clinics here in town.

Typical healing can take 6 months, so I am hoping my dry eyes are still healing. overall my problems aren't debilitating or anything, just annoying, but it is a far cry from the miracle I thought it would be.

I have done a lot of research and talked to a lot of people with problems aver the past few month. Advice I would give in hind sight:

Don't do it if you have dry eyes before hand. it will be worse after.

Do you have trouble wearing contact lenses bc they are uncomfortable? 9 time out of 10 this is bc your eyes get dry while wearing them. Ask lots of question about dry eyes.

PRK / Epi-LAsik / AST seem to be better/safer options in the long run. Less chance of dry eye (corneal nerves aren't cut like lasik), no flap to worry about, less corneal tissue removed (more is always safer), haze is now very rare. Sure it has a longer healing time but what's an extra few days to a week.

What size are your pupils in dim light? will they be bigger then the ablation zone? (treated zone). If so that will most likely cause some degree of night problems no matter what the doctor says.

Sorry about the long post, but I thought I'd share my experience.

[r0g3r]

thanks for your input lasik dude, I hope your side effects go away within the next 2months.

I've only recently been thinking about it because my eyes are so irritated from contacts, now that you mentioned the dry eyes thing, I will probably wait a bit longer until new technology comes out. I'm not in a hurry, but it gets annoying when you play sports and cannot see clearly.

[lasik_dude]

I hear you about the sports thing. I wore contacts for about 10 years and for the last few years i found them very annoying. They irritated me and would sometimes fall out in the middle of a game. I mentioned my frustrations to a couple optometrists and they would tell me I was probably developing an intolerance to them. What I didn't know was that the intolorence was most likely some sort of mild dry eye issue. I had no signs of these problems with just glasses. Anyways, i should also point out that Lasik MD did not perform a Shirmer's test (tear test) before hand, which from what I've read is a pretty standard pre op test and is a major factor for being a candidate.

If you're thinking about getting it done though I would just make sure to get a few opinions like a lot of people around here did. Take your time and do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions. They make it sound like a minor procedure before hand, but there is nothing minor about it. You are having your corneas cut and lasered, and while the majority have great results, it is irreversible. I don't mean to sound negative about it, I don't fully regret having it done or anything, however it is not something to take lightly. One thing i've read many times since i've had it done is that the patient shouldn't expect perfection which i still think is ridiculous.

Here is a list of 50 questions to ask your surgeon. It's probably not practically to ask all these questions, but its good to go through it and understand everything. Then you can ask whatever you are concerned about.


http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/las...-questions.htm

[cdnsir]

^^

Thanks dude, that's an awesome list. I'll for sure be asking a few of those when I'm doing my round of consultations.

[FujiSyuuske]

Originally posted by cdnsir


Did you get a chance to ask the performing surgeons about their past 20/20 success rate?

Nope didn't have a chance - I will definitely ask a shitload of questions when I go back. Will check out Gimbel and Mitchel to see what they say as well! Keep ya posted

[Kloubek]

According to my testing at Gimble, they did say that there was a higher chance of dry eyes for an indefinate period of time after surgery, although the issue was generally worse for those who already had dry eyes on a regular basis.

Halos and issues of the like are much much less likely now than before. There are many tests that they do, and they will tell you where you fit in the "range" of each test. Those with questionable factors (such as larger pupils, heavy astigmasisms (sp), thick or thin corneas, etc) have a higher chance of developing issues as a result. However, if you fit inside all the ranges perfectly like I do, the results are nearly always favorable.

Roger - I would go and get tested. It's free, and only takes an hour and a half; maybe two. You will know how you fit into their ranges, and what your reasonable risk is for side effects.

[FiveFreshFish]

Even if I had to pick a surgical method today, I would still go with ICL.
http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.p...r=2#post882847

In less than a week, it will be 4 years since I had the procedure done. Rock-steady 20/15 vision and no dry eyes. Couldn't be happier.

[cdnsir]

I'm booking my rounds of first consultations right now. I've called 3 places so far. Are these 3 clinics pretty much it for Calgary?

1. Michell Eye Center
2. Lasik MD
3. Gimbel Eye Center

[FujiSyuuske]

Originally posted by cdnsir
I'm booking my rounds of first consultations right now. I've called 3 places so far. Are these 3 clinics pretty much it for Calgary?

1. Michell Eye Center
2. Lasik MD
3. Gimbel Eye Center

Those seem to be the main/credible ones. I hit up exactly the same ones. Let me know how it goes!

[FiveFreshFish]

Here's another:

http://www.demong.com/lasersurgery/index.aspx

[khtm]

Originally posted by cdnsir
I'm booking my rounds of first consultations right now. I've called 3 places so far. Are these 3 clinics pretty much it for Calgary?

1. Michell Eye Center
2. Lasik MD
3. Gimbel Eye Center

Let us know what order you're able to get your consultations in. I'm curious if Gimbel still has a 4 month waiting list like when I emailed.

[cdnsir]

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish
Here's another:

http://www.demong.com/lasersurgery/index.aspx

Thanks bro!

Originally posted by khtm

Let us know what order you're able to get your consultations in. I'm curious if Gimbel still has a 4 month waiting list like when I emailed.

Mitchell - Guy who does first consults is on vacation till next week, so we have to wait until then to book

Lasik - ~2 weeks

Gimbel - Did preliminary over the phone, they will call back for a time for me to go in (didn't give me ETA tho)

[cdnsir]

Quick Update on first consultations

Mitchell - 2 Months wait list

Lasik - 2 weeks
- Because of my astigmatism and farsightedness, they recommended me for Zyoptix Lasik because it'll take less cornea off. It can be performed within a month after the first consultation, and it's going for $3400.

Gimbel - 2 Months wait list

[BBabe]

I got AST Surgery done about 47 days ago and I TOTALLY REGRET IT!!!!! I am not happy with it at all and am not impressed with the apathy that I have received from the Doctor and his employees.
I have chronic headaches where I did not get headaches before, I cannot drive (even though I was told I could by the Doctor because I possess a license), I cannot work..

I was NOT told about the possible side effects that I am experiencing and I am very upset.

Be careful who you go to..

[khtm]

Sorry to hear that! Out of curiousity...

1. Where'd you have your surgery?

2. What was your prescription prior to the surgery?

3. How old are you?

[BBabe]

I'm 28 years old, active female.
My perscription was -4.85 & - 5.5 astigmatisms in both eyes as well.. I was told by Dr. Mitchell himself that I was a great candidate for the AST procedure.
The night of the surgery I was in super amount of pain, cried for hours, day after surgery I was also in a lot of pain, I could not see very well or deal well with life.
I was promised that 4 days after the surgery I would be back to life as normal.. it has not happened yet and the apathy from the doctor is appalling.
I now also suffer from chronic headaches and instead of getting better.. they are getting worse.

[khtm]

That's terrible. I wonder if it would have gone better if the LASIK flap was cut?

I had a much lower prescription than you (-1.25 with slight astigmatism) but did LASIK with Zyoptix and was driving the day after the surgery. No headaches, no halos at night, perfect 20/20.

[aznexec]

wow..VERY sorry to hear that..

my experience at his evaluation 4 yrs ago was good..wanted to get a second evaluation done now that they have AST - this scares me....

do you get headaches daily, non stop?
Is your vision corrected, but you have these bad side effects...or is your vision still bad too?

what is their explanation at this point in time?

[BBabe]

"Everyone heals differently"

That is the explaination that I receive. Dripping with Apathy.

My naked eye before the surgery compared to my naked eye now: 60% improvement. So I can see SOME THINGS better.. however not good enough to drive, work, live.

My headaches are constant. I went to my physician yesterday and was told that my left optical nerve may be swollen which caused tunnel vision, numbess in my left arm and left side of face on friday- THAT WAS SCARY TO GO THROUGH!!!!!!!!!! So I am off almost right now to go to my family eye doctor and get his opinion..

The operating surgeon just tells me to wait it out.. it's been 47 days.. these headaches have GOT TO GO!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRR....

I do wish anyone who is thinking of surgery good luck.. BUT ALSO WARN CAUTION!!! Know everything you can and don't expect your doctor is telling you everything. I was not told the risks. I was told over and over '4 days and you'll be back to life as normal'....