- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
I had it done when I was 17, which was almost 16 years ago. My prescription was not all that bad to begin with, so I'm not sure if my situation is comparable to yours. However, my doctor said I was basically an ideal candidate, as my prescription hadn't changed in a long time (I think I was steady for about two years, but I'm not certain) and I was young enough that there would be a long interval between the surgery and age-related changes, so I'd be able to enjoy my 20/20 vision for a long time. To date, my vision has remained 20/20, and the only adverse effect I experienced is really mild dry eye, so I use eye drops each morning. If I don't use the drops, my eyes sting and it's uncomfortable, but it's not as though I cannot go without them.
@redherring: My eyes only stabilized about 2 years ago, and I am 25 already! But I know that is one of the main factors. I hear that sometimes it slips later, but even if I got as many good years as you have had, I'd be happy! I think I could handle eye drops compared to the contact case, saline solution and spare glasses I have to haul with me everywhere now in case of emergency.
How was the experience of the procedure itself? I know they say recovery time is minimal. Was it uncomfortable? I hate the idea that I will see them working on me.
I have! Here's a thread I and others commented on that I think is really helpful. :)
@BayStateBride: Thanks for the link! Reading that pretty much confirmed that it is the right thing to do. I googled a center and called before I could think myself out of what I was going. I have a free consult at a place 5 minutes from my house for Monday already! They are the official partner of my university's athletic department, so I trust them to be pretty legit. :)
I had it done almost 5 years ago. It was the best decision ever. No regrets.
I'm sure that this has been addressed a few times but here's a recent post on the same topic:
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/has-anyone-ever-had-lasik
My husband had it done about 6 years ago, and he swears it was the best quality of life bump he's ever had! Also, remember that you can use flex spending accounts (if your employer has that benefit?) to reduce the cost by a lot, if you plan ahead with the contribution and enrollment.
I have mine scheduled for 6/28! I am so excited. It's very expensive, but I know it will be worth it. My only hesitation is my glasses are kind of my security blanket right now - I feel so naked when I don't have them on! I rarely wear contacts because my eyes don't like them.
I had it done about 10 years ago (I was probably 22 at the time). My prescription was similar to yours with astygmatism. I did have some complications (google DLK), and it was pretty scary. HOWEVER! That was 10 years ago and I'm sure things have gotten better. In the last couple of years I've gotten glasses for driving at night and now I'm starting to get to the point where I need glasses again full time (I'll be 33 in a couple of weeks). Would I do it again 10 years ago? Yes. Saved me lots of money in contacts. What do I say now when they offer it to me? No thank you. Then they look at my chart and say "Oh yeah. I can understand that."
My mother has had it done with no problem and my brother is mad that his eyesight is too bad to have it done.
I'm hesitant to do it...the procedure looks like something I'd never want to go through! I hate wearing contacts/glasses though.
Best decision I ever made. My vision was previously -5.25 contact perscription. I don't even remember what glasses/contacts are like anymore!!! Sometimes I have the "halo" effect when driving at night, but it's nothing that causes any major problems.
The procedure itself DID hurt more than I expected...when the clamp/suction the eye. But the whole thing is 10 mins and totally worth it.
Just make sure you do your RESEARCH!!!!!! Don't go for any "deals".
@Lames: I have astygmatism, too, but my regular doctor said that wouldn't rule me out. Sorry about your complications, though.
@crayfish: I'm a grad student. We don't get that. :)
@la boome: Good luck with yours! You'll have to come back and update.
@Schrutebeets: I feel confident the place I am going isn't a cheap lasik factory or anything. I go to a really well known university, so if this place is good enough for my school to send their prized moneymakers, I mean, athletes, I am sure they will take care of my eyes, too.
I get a very slight halo effect right now when I drive at night, so I sort of feel like I can't get much worse at this point. It would be a lot of money for nothing at worst.
FH got it his sophomore or junior year of college and thought it was the best decision ever- however he was maybe -1.25 at worst. My dad was looking into it last summer and his are only slightly worse than mine (-7.5, -6.75) and they told him they would not be able to completely correct his vision.
I personally have not, but FI has. He has worn glasses all his life, and he had lasik about 2 years ago. He is so happy with it. He can see great without glasses/contacts, anything. He didn't have any complications and it has changed his life for the better.
I had Lasik 5 years ago and my vision was -9.25 (R) and -10 (L), with astigmatism. The doctor wasn't able to fully correct the astigmatism, so I still have a bit of it, but it's really not bad. I pretty much have 20/20 vision now and IT'S GREAT!! Literally it's a whole new world, I highly recommend it. I basically paid around $6K out of pocket for the procedure as insurance only covered about $1300. I hear they pay more now though, so hopefully you'll be able to get it done for under $5K. Best of luck!!!
I actually drove my mom to her lasik appointment the beginning of March- she's VERY happy. My mom was blind as a bat. The procedure itself was pretty quick, she said it was not painful at all. What she didn't like was she had to sleep the entire day after the procedure until her follow up appointment the next morning (and her eyes were constantly full of tears). After her follow up appointment they removed her "goggles" and she was already seeing better. She says her vision improves everyday. She paid 2400 for both eyes.
@BayStateBride: & @TamiN: I was going to post this too - i remember Bakerella and I gave fairly in depth experiences.
@Amaryllis: lemme know if you have specific questions, I had it done a year ago :]
I was not elegible when I went for a consult 4 years ago. The Dr. I went to was very well known in sports medicine. At the time he told me "If you really want it, I'm sure you can find someone who will do it but I will not," he also told me to try again in 5 years and hopefully technology would be advanced enough. He gave me a list of reasons of why I shouldn't do it, thin cornea, astigmatism, being near sighted (I think), when he mentioned something about good enough, i started to get nervous but there was 1 thing that he said to me that really killed the idea for me. IT WILL NOT CORRECT A LAZY EYE. Which you wouldn't know that I have with glasses or contacts on.
I have a couple friends who have done it and although happy with it, 1 has mentioned that he would soon have to get it done again.
I had Lasik done this past November and I am absolutely sooo happy I did it!! I've been thinking about it for years because I've worn glasses since the 4th grade (I can't wear contacts...HATE things touching my eyes). About a year ago when I went to my eye doctor, she said my eyes had stopped getting worse each year (I was 20 yrs old). Then when I got engaged last July, I KNEW I wanted to do it before the wedding. We even waited to do e-pics until the weekend after my surgery.
I was SUPERRR nervous about the whole procedure. I'm the type of person who hated going to the eye doctor...I even freaked out about putting drops in lol. But after 3 valium, I swallowed my fears and just did it!! My dad drove me home, I took a 3 hour nap, and then I woke up and reached for my glasses but remembered that I COULD SEE NOW!! BEST DECISION EVER :) I learned to put the drops in myself and was a pro after a few days...If I can do it, anyone can!
I had it done before I started law school, about 2 years ago I think it was. BEST DECISION I EVER MADE!!! I always had trouble with contacs, allergies, etc and reading and sleep, the list goes on...anyway, I can now nap without ruining my contacts, see during pollen season and read as long as I need to! It literally changed my life...It doesn't hurt at all. It is not the most comfortable thing you will ever experience, but it's pretty cool! Just don't take too much valium and fall asleep..hehe
My FI got Lasik done because he hated contacts and needed better vision for his job. It was pretty painful and the first couple days were brutal because he had to stay in the dark all the time.. It felt like his eyes were burning and like it had sand paper in it.. But it totally worked for him and he now has better than 20/20 vision. He is very happy and recommends it :) Definitely changed his life!
My eyes are horrible. I want this done so bad, but my glasses haven't been a steady prescription yet. :( hopefully soon.
It hasn't been around long enough for me. I need to know in 30 years my eyes won't pop out because of it.
Didn't the FAA just recently approve Lasik for pilots?
I had Lasik back in January and I would do it again. My prescription was pretty bad and I was similar to you that switching between the two made me sick. I was also having horrible problems with my contacts. It ended up being $4,800 but my insurance offered a 25% discount bringing the price down to $3,600 and then we used our FSA to take the money out before taxes so we are saving more there.
The first day was pretty bad, I couldn't open my eyes at all and sunlight killed me but it has gotten better ever since. It didn't really hurt, they were just dry. The procedure itself was uncomfortable but not painful. The dryness in my eyes is almost gone, I keep using drops 4 times a day to be safe though.
I got lasik 2 years ago...well actually PRK which is similar but different. Best thing I ever spent money on in my life. I have 20/20 vision now and I love it. It's so nice to be able to read across the room! yay
@Amaryllis: The actual procedure itself wasn't bad, but it HURT when I woke up the next morning, kind of like trying to blink with sandpaper in your eye. The doctor ended up prescribing vicodin, and I slept for the rest of the day. 24-48 hours after the procedure, I felt fine.
I am getting it done on the 18th of April, so I will let you know :) I cannot wait though, I'm only a -2, but it's really annoying not being able to see the tv or street signs or menu boards without glasses. Just make sure you google your surgeon... that's what I did with the surgeon I was supposed to have, and I wasn't comfortable and changed to a better one. Let us know what you decide and how the consultation goes!
My dad got it done in one eye... very strange. He is getting old so he has far away vision problems as well as close up problems. So basically he taught one eye to wear a contact that helped him far away? And then the other eye was for close distance, or something weird like that. His doctor finally gave the ok in January when he got Lasik done. It took him maybe two weeks to recover. The intial recovery was within a few hours. But he had to sleep with special goggles so he didn't rub his eye on accident. I haven't heard any complaints from him, so I would LOVE to do that :)
I had it last year and it was the best thing I ever did! My eyes had become allergic to contacts and so I decided to go for it. The actual procedure is a piece of cake - they freeze your eyes with drops, you stare at a light and it feels like a puff of air! I had to stay in the dark for a day or two. After that, lights seemed really bright and I wore my sunglasses around my house. After about four or five days I could stand the light but my vision was kind of blurry. After a week, I went back to work but had some troubles reading/seeing up close. I would say my eyes were back to normal within a couple of weeks. So awesome. Also, the pain that I was so worried about was quite minimal. Of course there was discomfort for the first few days, and you have to do tons of eye drops, but the result is so worth it.
I just wanted to post an update. I had my consultation today, and unfortunately, due to the nature of my prescription, she was not able to assess on site if I am a candidate or not. Usually, they do a pre-screening, and then set-up the pre-op exam. I basically have to skip the pre-screening and go straight to the pre-op exam for the specific cornea measurements. I was at a branch office, so I'll have to go to the surgery center, which isn't far anyway. I am also stuck wearing my glasses for two whole weeks before that so they can get an accurate measurement. Boo.
But on the bright side, it will cost $4200, which is about an entire thousand dollars less that I expected! Yay on that.
So I have that appointment set up for early May, and if it goes well, I can have my surgery by May 20. I had been thinking I'd wait until after the wedding when things settle down, but they have interest free financing, so I can get it done, make payments and then just pay it all off right after the wedding. So, fingers crossed that I have enough cornea for them to work with!
I used to work as a COA (certified ophthalmic assistant) prior to obtaining my BSN/RN. One of the corneal specialist surgeons did my Lasik back in 2002. I would do it again in a heartbeat. With the new technologies available now, the surgeon has much better control in removing corneal tissue than with the traditional blade, which is what I had done. No pain. My eyes were drier and I did have halos for about 6 months post-op. I used eye drops regularly and was careful about driving at night d/t the halos.
Please PM me with any questions/concerns. My only suggestion is to have a board certified ophthalmologist evaluate, perform the surgery, and complete post-op care. I have heard of people going to Canada and having the procedure to save money and then have their optometrist manage post op care. Not the wisest decision.
Don't hesitate to ask any questions!!
@Amaryllis: I had LASIK a year ago and am SOOOO glad that I did it. If you are on the west coast, I had the surgery with Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute (PCLI). I HIGHLY recommend them! I was thoroughly impressed at their professionalism and how attentive they were. The entire surgery (including all pre-op and post op appts) cost me $3100. Since the surgery is elective, my insurance wouldn't cover any of it BUT I have VSP for my vision coverage and I found out that at a VSP doctor, they will give a 15% discount on the surgery!!!! I was ecstatic!!!!
WARNING ABOUT INTEREST FREE FINANCING: I used an "interest free credit card" called Care Credit which was great IF I paid well over their required amount per month. They conveniently don't tell you how much you have to pay a month to avoid paying interest because if you only pay the amount on your bill, they will tack the interest on at the very end. I ended up paying $400 a month to ensure that they didn't slide any interest in on me. I have heard stories about people not realizing the loop hole and getting screwed. Thankfully, I had received a warning and it was very convenient for me to make monthly payments. I had the surgery almost exactly a year ago and it's already paid off!!!!!
Best decision of my live had -7.5 in both eyes .. awful vision .. 2 years later still 20/20
best 5K ever spent ! :)
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| fivemonthsnotice | 17 |
| ticatica | 14 |
| Mrs. Chai | 12 |
| LammChop | 12 |
| Lyndzo | 12 |
| BellaDee | 12 |
| MrsOliveBird | 11 |
| aussiebee | 11 |
| pinkandsparkly | 10 |
| countrygirl62312 | 8 |
Sorry, there are no users yet.
I have always said that it is a question of when, not if, I will have this surgery, assuming that my eyes meet all the requirements. My regular eye doctor was able to say that I pass the first two of three indicators, but I'd have to go to the specialist who does the procedure to find out if I pass the third indicator.
I would just like to hear others' experiences. It is kind of scary, but I need to do it. My vision is so bad that contacts and glasses run me about $800.00/year if I replace my contacts as recommended (that is to say, I wear really old contacts for a really long time). Also, since my prescription is so bad, the difference between contacts and glasses is huge and I can't switch back and forth for even a day without feeling sick and headachey. I have no peripheral vision in glasses. I lost a contact over the weekend, and it was hell. I have to hold my glasses up against my face when I am reading; I should probably get a strap for the back of my head but my pride won't let me. They're THAT thick, and that is after paying the damn surcharge to get them compressed already. I always see the commercials for cheap Lasik, but for how bad my eyes are, I am looking at upwards of $5k, which I hate to pay up front but considering the cost of my yearly maintenance, I know it will pay for itself and the sooner the better. My prescription power is -10, if that means anything to anyone.
Have any of you or someone you know had this done?