.....one year ago this month! And it's one of the BEST thing I've ever done in my life! It was very well worth the $$$ I spent! There is nothing like waking up, opening your eyes and seeing the alarm clock clearly all the way across the room! I had always worn glasses ever since I could remember so this was and still is a great feeling! Another great thing is being able to wear ANY sun glasses I want to! No more prescription sun glasses in which I was limited in my selection, etc. Going for eye surgery is a BIG thing, so you have to weigh the risks with the rewards. You also have to do your research and find the "best" doctor to do it (you only have one set of eyes) and keep in mind that you get what you pay for. But once you've done all that and you've had your surgery, the whole world will look very different through your "new" set of eyes.....
Is there some routine check for this? An acquaintance had her retina detach several months ago. She was seeing floaters and went to the doctor, but he didn't think it was a big deal at the time. Then the retina pulled away. The surgeries after that didn't go well and she lost most of the sight in that eye. Most of us are probably too young to have that happen, but it's a scary thought.
Well, I am not an opthalmologist, but a very close relative is...also, I don't know the right terms in English, but basically, I think that if you have strong myopia, your risk of having your retina detach is higher (because your eyeball is enlarged, which is also the reason for your myopia, since the light focuses in front of your retina). After LASIK surgery, your subjective impression is that your eye is "normal" because your vision is fine, so you might think you never need to have your retina checked. Since the cause of the higher risk of detachment of the retina is still there, however, you should still have a dilated retinal examination once in a while, depending on the extent you are at risk.
ESource, I have another question, are you in any way more sensitive to bright light at night? E.g., when you drive a car? I am asking because I am myopic myself and would be in the range where lasik eye surgery would be possible/make sense in terms of correcting vision. However, my relative and some close friends in the field keep cautioning me. Even though the risk now seems relatively low, there are no reaaallly long term studies, plus, if there is anything I really do not mess with, it is my eyesight...
I'm 4 years into my Lasik, I had astigmatism. It worked great, I drive, work on the computer, watch movies and play golf with no glasses but as I get older (50) I need stonger and stonger reading glasses. It's natural and they told me I would before surgery. I 'm real glad I had it.
I have a detached retina. It was hereditary. It sucks. I'm supposed to go blind by the time I hit 30 in my right eye.
yea that sucks,my little sister is only 12 she was in a car accident 2 years ago and lost all her vision from her left eye.She constantly has surgery on the eye too.
Geez. That about floored me. I know anything I say will be damn near pointless, but sorry to hear that.
I actually had a new procedure called LASAK done in early February and it's gotta be one of the best things I've ever done. I was at 20/200 and 20/400 in my eyes before the surgery and was considered nearly legally blind in my right eye. The surgery took about an hour total and about 3-4 days recovery time. I'm now at 15/20 in both eyes and my night vision is about 3 times better than before. The only problem is that occassionally my eyes are a little dry when I first wake up in the morning but that goes away after a few minutes. Great procedure and highly recommended. Since it's still kinda new it's a bit pricey but ask your opthamologist about it.
How were the surgeries? I think it'd be kinda freaky having someone slicing around on your eye while you're awake.
Hey, if it happens it happens. I comfort myself by knowing that medical science has been wrong in my diagnosis in the past. Doctors told me (when in high school), that one direct shot to my eye would cause instantaneous blindness. My parents were freaked... didn't want me to play sports anymore. Once they realized that wasn't going to happen (after five seconds of logical thought), they made me wear these HUGE dorky looking goggles. I felt like such a freak playing football with 5" thick goggles. I used to take them off instantly, when playing sports with friends (in my youthful stupidity about wanting to "look cool")... I have taken about 5 good shots square to my eye with a football, basketball, baseball, and tennis ball over the past 7 years... and the eye has only gotten slightly worse... so far, so good. (knocks on wood). Sorry about derailing this thread fellas. Carry on.
I was a little sensitive for a couple of months after the surgery. However, I have no problems driving at night now which is good considering I'm a night owl! It's a BIG decision to get it done no matter how prevalent it is nowadays. It took me 5 years of going back and forth before I finally convinced myself to do it so I know where you're coming from. Hope you make the right decision for you! To drapg: I too am sorry to hear that.....
drapg, Sorry to hear about that. But you never know what medicine will be capable of in our lifetimes.
