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Anyone gotten LASIK done?

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Brown.Eyed.Girl

Brown.Eyed.Girl

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I went in for my consultation today, but I didn''t realize that I would need to be out of my contacts for 14 days for one eye that wears a toric lens and 7 days for the other. So I''ve scheduled another consultation for January and will hopefully get the surgery sometime soon after.

I''m 22 and I''ve been wanting LASIK for a few years (been wearing contacts for about 7 years now), but up until now, my optometrist recommended I wait a little longer for my eyes to finish developing.

So my questions are, have any of you gotten LASIK? If so, how do you like it? Did you do standard LASIK or did you do the Intralase thing too? And about how much did it cost you, and did your insurance cover it?

And finally, would you recommend it?

Thanks!

-B.E.G.
 
I would wait! You are too young and your eyes are still changing. I had PRK when I was 20...my night vision is terrible AND now I need glasses. My sister got LASIK when she was 23...her night vision is terrible AND currently wears glasses (her doc said something about not being able to wear contacts b/c her eye shape changed). My SIL got LASIK at 22, has been wearing glasses for the last few years. My dad got LASIK at 50 something...his eyes are still perfect. Go figure. Do a search. There have been lots of happy and unhappy PSers on this issue. I think age DOES matter.
 
Not sure about the age issue but when I turned 40 last year, I decided that I was going to get it done, and I did!

I can say that it is the BEST $4500 that I ever spent! My only regret is that I did not get it done sooner :-)

I had my procedure done at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA - I am afriad to go to those places that advertise $499/eye - not saying they are bad, its just a risk I was not willing to take.

My procedure was the custom Lasik/blade-free Lasik, whereby they also use a laser to create the flap on your cornea vs. a blade which is typically what causes complications/halos/blurred vision with patients. I had my procedure at 2pm (lasted about 30 minutes total), took a valium and napped when I got home, woke up at 7:30pm, and was watching American Idol at 8pm with 20/20 vision. Its been 11 months for me, and everything is the same.

Insurance did not cover it, although I was given a "discount card" that I presented at UCLA. Without it, my procedure would have cost $6500.

Good luck! Once again, am not sure about any age issues so please make sure you check with your doctor on that. I was told that due to age, I am likely to need reading glasses in a few years anyway, and there is nothing that can be done about that. At least, I will only need it when I am reading.
 
BEG~ I worked in the optometric field for several years. This is my opinion.

1. You are young enough that your eyes may still change and it would be an awful waste of money if you end up still in glasses. I''m 29 and my Rx just changed by half a diopter which is definitely enough to notice.

2. If you decide to get it, LISTEN to the pre-surgical and post-surgical instructions. A toric lens really messes with the shape of your cornea and if it''s not back to "normal", the surgery will fail. You may feel like you have sand in your eyes during the healing stage.

3. Many people suffer some sort of dry eye or night blindness problems at least temporarily. Some people never recover from it.

4. When you reach the age for "readers", you''ll still need them. That''s just natural aging of the eyes and cannot be corrected before it occurs.

5. Make sure you check into your surgeons past. Find our how many surgeries he''s/she''s done and in particular how many of YOUR surgery he/she has done. They should be able to claim at least 5000 or they really don''t have enough experience.

6. Find out where your post-surgical checks will be. This can be co-oped through an optometrist.

7. The average cost (in my area) for both eyes is $5000. Remember, these are your eyes, so don''t go looking for a deal!

8. I''ve been waiting for the surgery myself so I know how much you want it. Being able to pee in the middle of the night, shave in the shower, swim under water, etc, would be great! But these surgical procedures are changing so fast and some of them are so new, I want to have a bit longer to perfect them. As of right now, my goal is to have the surgery in the Spring of 2010. It''s kind of a long way off, but I would regret it so much if there ended up being a problem that could have been avoided if I had just waited.



Good luck to you!
 
My eye doctor knew how badly I wanted this done and after several years of waiting for the right procedure, the right doctor and for my eyes to finally settle he said I could do it. Yeah!!!

I had in done in 2001 and it''s definitely at the top of my list of greatest things I''ve ever done for myself. A year later hubbs had his done by the same doc and he feels the same way. Both his sister and mother had it done about the same time also. We were mid 30''s and have not had any problems at all. I can say that I do know now when my eyes are actually tired. Our Doc was a top cornea transplant doc and had several thousand procedures logged.

I can''t believe how much some of you paid, mine was $1400, husbands was $1500, we were told that was the "corporate price" after being quoted something much much more. I said I wanted to know why it was so expensive....they gave me a better price and I signed up the next day.

I''d do it again.
 
Yes! About 3 weeks ago. I''d say my vision is atm about 90% of the best vision I had before with glasses/contacts, and hopefully should get even better in the next couple of months. I haven''t had any real discomfort, dry eyes, light sensitivity. I paid AUD4500, not the cheapest but I went with a clinic that have a great reputation. I''ve just turned 40.
 
Thanks everyone!

I realize I''m right on the threshold as far as age goes. I''ve been waiting the last year for my prescription to remain steady, which was a big factor. At my consultation yesterday, I was told that I''m a good candidate based on what they test for (swelling of eyes, which was a little high due to my contacts but which will probably get lower when I return for my re-test), and my corneal thickness (which they said was plenty).

I''m going to wait until January when I go back to re-test before deciding, but after hearing what you guys have said, I might wait a few more months until I''ve started working my summer job, and I''ll have the money to make sure I get the blade-less surgery, rather than standard LASIK. I''m not as worried about life-time guarantees, since I''ll be moving in a couple years anyway.

But I''d love to hear from more people about their experiences, and thank you to those who have already responded!
 
SO got it a year or 2 ago, so he was 21/22 and said it was the best thing ever, he had terrible vision and now sees perfectly, his sister got it done as well and also raved about it. Unfortunately insurance didn''t cover it, don''t remember the exact price but it was a couple thousand.
 
I had LASIK done at 23...absolutely the best decision I''ve ever made.

I wore glasses/contacts for about 14 years...My contact prescription was -7.00 - I was terribly blind and was frustrated...

LASIK was a blessing - Had it done, my eyes burned a bit directly after the surgery, hubby drove me home, I took the sleeping pill, woke up the next day with BETTER than 20/20 vision. Simple as PIE!

Find a great doc and you''ll be great!
 
My DH had LASIK done when he was around 22. He''s very pleased with it and his eyes are still perfect.
 

I am 24, and I got it done a little over a year ago (23). I used the a guy in Houston (apprx $2100/eye), and it was worth any amount of money they could have asked. I was near-sighted, with toric lenses, and couldn''t see more than 6 inches in front of my face without glasses/contacts.


My FI''s dad had it done about 10 years ago (45 yrs old ish) and he had to have updates to his eyes this past summer. To be honest, I think if your eyes aren''t changing anymore, then it doesn''t matter how old you are. You could still get it done even if they are, but there''s a chance that they could adjust after the surgery. I''m sure I will have to have updates, but it has been completely worth it.

 
My husband got Lasik approximately 4 years ago. He needed follow up surgery: he had ghosting that made it tough for him to drive at night, watch movies, etc. He had a follow up surgery last year which had complications in healing (and which scared the both of us silly), which necessitated another follow up surgery. He still has issues with his night vision, and blurred vision when reading, and while the doctor recommends another follow up surgery for the other eye, he''s leery, and I''m with him - at the end of the day, this is surgery on your *eyes.* If it goes wrong, it can have severe consequences. I know a lot of people are incredibly happy with this, but watching what he''s gone through, and having asked him if he''s happy he did it ... I know I wouldn''t do it, not in a million years. He says if he could go back in time, he wouldn''t either, hindsight (at least) being 20/20.
 
Thanks everyone again! I''ve forgotten to come back to old threads, and just remembered this one. I''m going in for my second appt. to see if I''m a good LASIK candidate on the 9th (no contacts for me until then
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).

The person who referred me to this particular place apparently got a fantastic deal a few months ago - $1500 for both eyes, laser instead of blade, customized instead of standard LASIK. I think it''s about $4000 now for both eyes to get that (with no specials going on) so I''ll have to see.
 
I was told to wait too, so I did, until I was 28. I had been told that I was infertile, so I went ahead (thinking I couldn''t get pregnant), and then I got pregnant TWICE!

My eyes changed while I was pregnant... and now I feel like I need glasses again!!!

I got the more expensive better detail intralasik done...which was top of the line back then (I''m 33 now), and it took me from 20/400 to 20/15... WELL worth the $3600 I paid (back then)!!!

If you plan on having kids... wait! Pregnancy can alter a lot of things, including your vision!
 
Date: 12/29/2008 2:25:30 AM
Author: LuckyTexan
I was told to wait too, so I did, until I was 28. I had been told that I was infertile, so I went ahead (thinking I couldn''t get pregnant), and then I got pregnant TWICE!


My eyes changed while I was pregnant... and now I feel like I need glasses again!!!


I got the more expensive better detail intralasik done...which was top of the line back then (I''m 33 now), and it took me from 20/400 to 20/15... WELL worth the $3600 I paid (back then)!!!


If you plan on having kids... wait! Pregnancy can alter a lot of things, including your vision!
Click to expand...


Very good and practical advice! But I''m thinking it will be a long while yet before children are in the cards, and with my impatience of youth speaking (
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) I''d love to have it done before starting work in a year and half (don''t want to deal with dry contacts when I''m staring at the computer all day!).

Hopefully I''ll still be a good candidate - my first exam results weren''t helpful since I had been wearing my contacts (one toric) up until then.

I feel like I''m flip-flopping a lot on this though. On one hand, I''ve heard lots of horror stories that makes me rethink LASIK. On the other hand, I''m trying to be rational, and I''m thinking that of course I''ll usually hear about more bad experiences than good, and for every bad experience, there have been many many more good ones. But on the other other hand, what if I''m one of the unlucky few???

Sigh.
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Oh and for everyone who has replied, thank you again!

And if you don''t mind, if you or husband or boyfriend or friend has gotten LASIK, would you mind telling me if you went with blade or laser? Anything else customized, or just basic LASIK? Intralase?

Thank you!
 
Date: 12/5/2008 6:54:07 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I would wait! You are too young and your eyes are still changing. I had PRK when I was 20...my night vision is terrible AND now I need glasses. My sister got LASIK when she was 23...her night vision is terrible AND currently wears glasses (her doc said something about not being able to wear contacts b/c her eye shape changed). My SIL got LASIK at 22, has been wearing glasses for the last few years. My dad got LASIK at 50 something...his eyes are still perfect. Go figure. Do a search. There have been lots of happy and unhappy PSers on this issue. I think age DOES matter.
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I was told basically this exact same thing (wait until you''re older) even the last time I went when I was 24.

I have horrible, horrible, vision and can''t wait to get this done.. but am a little scared!!
 
Date: 12/29/2008 3:00:19 AM
Author: swedish bean
Date: 12/5/2008 6:54:07 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

I would wait! You are too young and your eyes are still changing. I had PRK when I was 20...my night vision is terrible AND now I need glasses. My sister got LASIK when she was 23...her night vision is terrible AND currently wears glasses (her doc said something about not being able to wear contacts b/c her eye shape changed). My SIL got LASIK at 22, has been wearing glasses for the last few years. My dad got LASIK at 50 something...his eyes are still perfect. Go figure. Do a search. There have been lots of happy and unhappy PSers on this issue. I think age DOES matter.
Click to expand...

I was told basically this exact same thing (wait until you''re older) even the last time I went when I was 24.


I have horrible, horrible, vision and can''t wait to get this done.. but am a little scared!!
Click to expand...

I think it''s more rate of eye development, maybe? I mean, there''s a definite correlation between eye development and age, and the younger you are, the greater the chance that your eyes aren''t done developing. On the other hand, just because you are on the younger side, and that could be 21, 22, or 25, doesn''t necessarily mean that your eyes aren''t ready yet.

I''ve had a very consistent prescription for the last couple years. I think the only major change my eyes went through was when one of my eyes corrected itself of astigmatism and I didn''t need toric lenses in that eye, and that was well over a year ago.

But as someone said earlier, it IS your eyes - not something you want to be playing around with! So I don''t know. I won''t wait past law school (I''ll be 24 when I graduate and start work) so it''s not like I won''t be young then either.
 
Mine has improved more in the last month or so, I''m excited about my next appointment in about 2 weeks, absolutely no regrets so far.
 
I got mine done when I was 29 (April of 2008). It cost me $4000, no insurance coverage. I got custom, which is not bladeless, but the laser is a different laser than the "normal" LASIK. There was no corporate discount or any other discount to be had, but I found the whole pricing process to be a bit shady, akin to bargaining for a used car...so you might do better than I did. I suck at flea markets, too.
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My vision was 20/1000 in both eyes. My contact prescriptions were -7.5 and -8.0. The doc told me that one should not get LASIK til one''s eyes settle (which is to say, they haven''t changed prescription in three years). Else you pay for the process and then your eyes change again, and then you''re back to square one. It''s not so much that your eyes are "developing", more that they''re degenerating. Unfortunately. Mine finally bottomed out, so I went forward with it.

I went to TLC in Reston, VA (the doc who did my eyes did Tiger Woods'' eyes, guess he''s good enough for me.) I had to do what you are having to do: 14 days of glasses so that my corneas went back to their normal shape, then a consultation, and then THREE WEEKS of glasses again before the surgery itself. The worst part of the whole experience was having to wash my face with antibacterial handsoap for three days prior, it wrecked my skin. Otherwise, it was pure fun and joy. I saw 20/15 the next day, and, after 9 months, I am 20/20.

Best of luck! Hope you end up getting it done someday, even if you have to wait a bit longer.
 
*sigh* My eyes get worse every year (I''m 26). And so...I must wait... and wait... and wait... until the I stop getting more blind!!!
 
My husband and I both want to have it done. However, I have a "thing" about eyes..it''s only been recently that I''ve been able to watch anyone even put contacts in-it would make my skin crawl and my hands sweat-so I worry I''d have some sort of panic attack or something!! My cousin had it done about 2 years ago-she''s 38 now I think, and she raves about it.
 
Hi there, this thread is so timely, I just called to make enquiries last Friday and after discussing with my hubby, I will be calling tomorrow to make an appointment for the review. I will be going to a head of the eye centre of a group of hospitals here in Singapore. I didn''t shop around for a good deal for this, I think I will be concerned if I was offered a discount, so I just headed straight to a surgeon who is recommended by colleagues who went to him. I hope I am suitable for LASIK and hope to get it done before end of Jan.
 
I haven't read through all the responses yet, but wanted to put my 2 cents in. I had Lasik done 7.5 years ago and it was, by far, the best thing I ever did for myself. I was 32 at the time, so my eyes had finally reached "maturity" or whatever. I would not recommend it for someone your age, however. I would wait a few more years, as I know that my eyes changed a LOT over my younger years.

That being said -- here are the positive and negative aspects to my experience:

* The procedure itself was painless. They put these numbing drops in your eyes that make it so that you don't feel a thing. This was a HUGE relief to me, as I am a very Nervous Nellie about anything that might cause me the slightest bit of pain.
* They gave me a Valium before the procedure, which I appreciated. But...in all honesty they should have given it to me AFTERWARDS, because no one warned me that by the time I got home the numbing drops would wear off and my eyes would burn constantly for 4 HOURS!!!! Had I had the Valium afterward, I probably would have slept right through it, but I was wide awake and crying for 4 hours straight, wondering what I had just done to myself. So...Rule #1: Take a sedative or a sleeping pill AFTER the procedure to ensure that you sleep through this part.
* I had my procedure done in early 2001, before they perfected the laser flap. My flap was cut, with a scalpel, which means I still have halos at night.
* As a result of above, it's difficult for me to drive at night.
* I had an extreme astigmatism, and the Lasik corrected MOST of it, but I've noticed on days that I haven't had enough sleep or am extremely stressed, the astigmatism is still noticeable.
* My vision (at my last check up 6 years ago - I was bad and didn't follow up yearly like I was instructed) was 20/15


Even with the negatives, I am very grateful that I can see my alarm clock in the morning, and don't need to fuss with contacts or worry about my glasses getting broken. Overall, it was a very positive experience!

BTW, I paid $1900 in Chicago in 2001.
 
SimplySplendid, good luck! I hope it goes well! How long have you been considering LASIK?

LilMisfit, thanks for replying! I actually had an appointment with my regular optometrist today. My prescription in my right eye has held very steady over the last 4 years, but my left eye has changed a bit this time around (the astigmatism has gotten stronger), so I''m not sure if I should wait. My optometrist said that it''s hard to say, since I''m at that cusp age where my eyes could develop/deteriorate more over next couple years, or it could be pretty much done and any changes would be minimal. She said she definitely would say to wait if I were 18, but right now, it could go either way. So I''m going to present the LASIK center with about 5 years worth of prescriptions in a few days and ask again
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I AM a little worried about seeing halos - it seems that that''s a fairly common after-effect. A friend of my recommended valium after the procedure too! Weird that they gave one to you before but not after! Oh, do you remember where in Chicago you had yours done?

Packrat, I hear ya. I''m good with contacts and eyes in general, but there are some things...I HATE the eye pressure test (the one where they puff air into your eyes). Hate!

Geckodani, aww
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I hope it steadies out soon! How bad are your eyes now? It seems like your eyes should be about done changing!

Julianna, I''m glad you''re happy with your experience! My prescriptions are currently at -2.5 in one eye and -5.25 in the other (weird that they''re so disparate). Ugh, I hate waiting!

MishB, when did you get your procedure done?
 
Oopsies double post
 
At the time, they were called Lakeshore Eye Physicians, I think, but they''ve since changed their name and are doing more than just eye procedures. They are located at the corner of Touhy and Western.
 
I''ve wanted it done for years, but I am too much of a wimp to actually do it. Maybe one day I will work up the courage!
 
Date: 12/30/2008 8:11:54 PM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl
SimplySplendid, good luck! I hope it goes well! How long have you been considering LASIK?


LilMisfit, thanks for replying! I actually had an appointment with my regular optometrist today. My prescription in my right eye has held very steady over the last 4 years, but my left eye has changed a bit this time around (the astigmatism has gotten stronger), so I''m not sure if I should wait. My optometrist said that it''s hard to say, since I''m at that cusp age where my eyes could develop/deteriorate more over next couple years, or it could be pretty much done and any changes would be minimal. She said she definitely would say to wait if I were 18, but right now, it could go either way. So I''m going to present the LASIK center with about 5 years worth of prescriptions in a few days and ask again
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I AM a little worried about seeing halos - it seems that that''s a fairly common after-effect. A friend of my recommended valium after the procedure too! Weird that they gave one to you before but not after! Oh, do you remember where in Chicago you had yours done?


Packrat, I hear ya. I''m good with contacts and eyes in general, but there are some things...I HATE the eye pressure test (the one where they puff air into your eyes). Hate!


Geckodani, aww
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I hope it steadies out soon! How bad are your eyes now? It seems like your eyes should be about done changing!


Julianna, I''m glad you''re happy with your experience! My prescriptions are currently at -2.5 in one eye and -5.25 in the other (weird that they''re so disparate). Ugh, I hate waiting!


MishB, when did you get your procedure done?
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Mid November - so about 6 weeks ago. The procedure and recovery were really pretty without drama. They gave me a few days supply of sedatives, the only problem I had was trouble sleeping when I stopped taking the sedatives. And boredom during the week I was off work. At first my close vision was a little blurry, but it has improved to what it was before, my right eye was a little weaker than my left, but now I think it is just as good. My vision now is as good as my corrected vision was before, without the negatives of wearing glasses or contacts.

PS- my right eye was significantly weaker than my left, that''s not uncommon.
 
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