Eyes

[hiro51]

Has anyone had laser eye surgery? I would love to have it done before my next cruise, but I am very nervous. I would love to hear about anyone's experiences with it - the good or bad.

[Chigirlcruzin]

Did it 8 years ago. Best money ever spent. Had a bit of haloing for a week, but that went away. My eyes are more sensitive when cutting onions. That is the only incredibly minor drawback.

[lara_lox]

I also had it done a few years ago and it's fantastic! No more switching between my glasses, normal sunglasses, prescription sunglasses and contact lenses on holiday is fantastic. Just remember that initially your eyes are more sensitive to light and you mustn't get water/sweat/suncream etc in them at all so it's not recommended that you go on holiday right away. You need plenty of time for them to heal. But go for it!

[critterchick]

Did it 8 years ago. Best money ever spent. Had a bit of haloing for a week, but that went away. My eyes are more sensitive when cutting onions. That is the only incredibly minor drawback.

 

I had no halo-ing (had it done in 2003) but I have the same extra sensitivity to onions.

 

OP, I am still thrilled with my Lasik surgery 9 years later. I do have to wear reading glasses, but that's way better than dealing with contacts and readers. And the surgery was far less painful than a corneal abrasion, in fact, it was just a bit uncomfortable.

 

I am in the great minority, but I was nervous enough about the procedure that I scheduled one eye at a time just in case something went horribly wrong. The doctor told me that, of the thousand or so procedures he did in the prior year, only 5 patients opted for that - three doctors and two lawyers (I was one of the lawyers:)).

 

Make sure that you get a thorough evaluation to qualify as a candidate - and don't go to the place that advertises "we can do your surgery in 7 minutes!!!" I shake my head every time I hear that ad on the radio. They're my EYES, dude - take all the time you want.:rolleyes: Get a recommendation from your ophthalmologist, not from the girl at the nail salon (although, ironically, she used the same doctor that my opthalmologist recommended to me).

 

Oh, and if you are at an age where you need reading glasses, you can either do a monovision correction where one eye is corrected for distance and the other for close up (try it out with contact lenses; it didn't work for me) or just live with reading glasses. I have prescription sunglasses with progressive lenses - no distance correction but 2.00 for reading. Works like a charm.

[RedHeadTexan]

I had lasik 6 years ago and it changed my life! I was extremely near sighted where I could not function without my glasses since I was a 8. Contacts always bothered my eyes, so I wore them rarely. So, at 34 I decided to research lasik and the surgeons. I found a great doctor that was affiliated with UT Southwestern Medical Center and went for it. My only issue was it took about a week for my left eye to heal completely...depth perception was off for a week.

 

9 months after lasik I got certified in scuba. That is something I would never have done pre-lasik. With my horrible vision I was worried about the what if's...what if a contact popped out and I couldn't see the boat? :eek:

 

6 years later I am still very happy that I had lasik. If you decide to move forward with this, I recommend that you really research the procedure and the doctors in your area.

 

Lisa

[TrqoisWtrs]

Unfortunately, I am one of the "bad." Only needed it in my left eye. Never had issues before, but when they made the cut to the cornea, I turned out to be a "bleeder." So because of the extra 'moisture' the laser wasn't as accurate as it should have been. I did end up getting a second procedure done, but eye still wasn't the best. But that was when they had to cut and make a flap. I've heard now that there is no cutting involved?

 

So don't really think my experience would apply now, but you wanted the bad stories too. :) Good luck.

[Alrana Eris]

I am not a good candidate for the surgery went to 2 eye doctors both said same thing. So I wear glasses. I don't do contacts. If you got the opportunity to do laser eye surgery do it. I wish I could. But such as life..

[Hibiscus13]

I had Lasik in 2004. I consider it to be one of the best investments I've ever made. I used to wear contacts and glasses and could not enjoy water activities or snorkeling without fear of losing expensive lenses.

 

I'm still at better than 20/20 vision with no issues.

[PrincessStar]

Hi

 

I had lasik about 8 years ago and I love it!

 

It took me about 1-2 weeks to heal, but I could see right away - it was incredible! I had some dryness, but just increased the eye drops.

 

As other posters have said - do your reasearch and good luck! :D

[TootyJane]

Had Lasik about 10 years ago. Unfortunately I am now back to wearing contact lenses :( I could have it done again but once was enough for me.

Lisa :)