LASIK thursday, wish me luck! UPDATE 1wk

[Strazos]

I'd have to pull a medical exam file from my room somewhere, but just from closing one eye and then the other, pretty sure I am right handed/left eye dominant.


Which sucks, because how am I supposed to be an elite sniper when the zombie hordes come if I can't snipe left-handed?

[Nerf]

It's not as bad with pistols cheddar, but I'm also cursed without the ability to close my left eye (wierd, huh?), so when I go out trap&skeet shooting or playing with rifles, I have to shoot southpaw.
That being said, I can drop some fucking clays southpaw.

[Cheddar]

It's not as bad with pistols cheddar, but I'm also cursed without the ability to close my left eye (wierd, huh?), so when I go out trap&skeet shooting or playing with rifles, I have to shoot southpaw.
That being said, I can drop some fucking clays southpaw.

OK That makes sense.  I was honestly confused (having shot plenty of firearms) as to why this would be so detrimental. 

[schild]

It's not as bad with pistols cheddar, but I'm also cursed without the ability to close my left eye (wierd, huh?), so when I go out trap&skeet shooting or playing with rifles, I have to shoot southpaw.
That being said, I can drop some fucking clays southpaw.

If we ever meet, I'm going to be staring at your left eye.

Just a warning.

[Signe]

I understand how he feels.  I can't whistle. 

[Ookii]

That being said, I can drop some fucking clays southpaw.

Ya'll, I dun shoot 'em southpaws like no other sonofabbitch.  Me and my Remi and a fifth of jack, and that's what I call a hoop-hollerin' goodtime.

[MrHat]

So how much did it come to Nerf?

[Trippy]

It's not as bad with pistols cheddar, but I'm also cursed without the ability to close my left eye (wierd, huh?), so when I go out trap&skeet shooting or playing with rifles, I have to shoot southpaw.
That being said, I can drop some fucking clays southpaw.

If we ever meet, I'm going to be staring at your left eye.

Just a warning.

I had this problem as a child. I can't remember which eye it was now but I could only wink one of them. On a long plane flight to Asia I started practicing winking the other one using my fingers to help "train" the muscles (using them to keep the one eye closed while forcing the other to stay open) and by the end of the flight I could wink either eye.

[Nerf]

So how much did it come to Nerf?

$3000

[Jayce]

That's about what it cost me in 2001, but you probably got a fair amount more advanced procedure for your money.

[Jimbo]

I'm cleared for take off @ 3:20pm today!   
Hopefully I can throw my glasses away after having to wear them since fourth grade.   

[Signe]

Good Luck!  I like you so don't die! 

[Yegolev]

Have you priced out cornea transplants?  You know, just in case?

[Nerf]

So did the flap cutting really fucking hurt for you too, am I just a little girl?

And good luck, let us know what your numbers are after your morning apointment.

[UD_Delt]

So did the flap cutting really fucking hurt for you too, am I just a little girl?

And good luck, let us know what your numbers are after your morning apointment.

Mine didn't hurt while it was happening but for about 2 days afterward it felt like I had been punched in both eyes. Not blinding pain but definitely sore.

[Jimbo]

Just got back, right eye (OD) is 20/30, left eye (OS) is 20/25, together (OU) is about 20/20.  It is amazing!  My doc said it should keep getting better and better each week (I was one of the candidates that might improve to 20/15).  No pain today, the first cut was weird feeling and more a startle than a hurt, the second eye was easier since I knew what it was, but then I'm a great patient, hell I let the student nurses and paramedics start IV's on me and keep cheerful and encouraging as they do it.  The hardest part for me was not to giggle, OMG Valium is a trip (and I kept it undercontrol and didn't hit on his cute nurses).  I was 4.05 in the right eye, 4.15 in left, something like 20/300 or 20/400, I couldn't see anything without my glasses (but hey it was easy to party till she's cute, i just had to take off my glasses), It is so wonderful to see!  Oh I got what was called custom view and a lifetime guarantee (if it changes as I age he or whoever buys his practice will re do them) for $3900.  As soon as my kid stops growing I'll pay for his (he is 12, and freaking growing and eating like a weed!), this is so much better than lugging around glasses.  Of course I'll never have the picture of me fresh out of basic training wearing my "catch me fuck me glasses, or BCG's" anymore.

[MrHat]

That's awesome man.  Congrats! I'll start researching and get mine done sometime this summer I think.

[Morat20]

As soon as my kid stops growing I'll pay for his (he is 12, and freaking growing and eating like a weed!),

Happy Birthday, Son. This man is going to shoot you in the eye with a fucking laser. :)

I'm just waiting to have the money to pay up front for mine -- your vision sounds slightly worse than mine, so I'm hoping for similar results.

[Signe]

Eye surgery sounds like the new pet rock.

[UD_Delt]

Eye surgery sounds like the new pet rock.

Huh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgC0UpAFgk4

My eyes sound more like Jack Johnson.

[Nerf]

Gratz jimbo, and welcome to the club, i was almost exactly the same one day out, expect 20/15 next week.

My only question is..an IV?  The place I went to just had me pop a valium pill an hour before the surgery, no needles, and only a topical anesthetic drop for each eye right before the laser hit.  I'm assuming they gave you the valium via a drip, which is probably why the cutting laser didn't hurt nearly as much (:

My only advice is while you have to be super careful not to rub your eyes, make sure you very lightly kind of wash around the eyelids with at least some warm water, at the most some baby shampoo so you don't end up with a stye, getting rid of this thing has been a pain in the ass.

Good luck mate, keep us updated next week!

[Selby]

...so you don't end up with a stye, getting rid of this thing has been a pain in the ass.

Run hot water over a metal ring (like a wedding band, etc) and gently touch\dab the ring in the middle of the stye for a few minutes while the ring is still warm.  It will go away or at least severely reduce itself within a day.  I used to have them all the time until I was told about that method and haven't had one last more than half a day since.

[MrHat]

...so you don't end up with a stye, getting rid of this thing has been a pain in the ass.

Run hot water over a metal ring (like a wedding band, etc) and gently touch\dab the ring in the middle of the stye for a few minutes while the ring is still warm.  It will go away or at least severely reduce itself within a day.  I used to have them all the time until I was told about that method and haven't had one last more than half a day since.

Wash the ring first.

[Nerf]

I'll give that a shot, I've been heating up one of those lavender eye packs that israelis sell you in malls in the microwave, and holding it there on the stye for a few minutes, but maybe it's just not localized enough.  It *has* gone down signifigantly though, when I first went to the doctor for it I was expecting spiders to burst forth or some other horrible thing, it's barely noticable now.

[Jimbo]

Oh hey, I'll clear it up a bit, was still excited I could see.

I got oral Valium and Motrin about 1 hour prior to the eye surgery.  The Valium pill made me giggle and feel good, I was captain of the carpet ship.

As far as hurting, no not really, it was more a startle response on the first eye, then real easy on the second eye.  But I suck @ judging pain, since I let students poke me with sharp objects.  Hell, when I had a bad GI bleed from 2 ulcer and ended up in the hospital and needed 5 units of blood, I thought that pain wasn't as bad as the time I broke my 3 biggest toes on my right foot.

The dry eye part is about the only thing weird, but my hospital is really dry anyway, so I'm just using more of the lubricating drops.

[Stewie]

Arise Mr lasik thread.....

I am thinking of getting custom wavefront lasik done in the next few weeks. I just had a consultation and it is only $1580 for both eyes. The girlfriend's medical covers $500 an eye and mine covers $200 total so the end cost for me out of pocket is only $380. It seems like a no brainer for that cost.

I was just curious if anyone else has had Lasik or this particular procedure done and how their experience was? Especially Nerf and Jimbo now that its been ~5 years, any regrets? Issues?

Also I am a good candidate for monovision correction. I am now getting to the age where my glasses actually hinder my ability to read up close. This procedure is where the do my dominant eye(my right) 20/20 and then my other eye a bit less. This will allow my right eye to do most of the work for distance vision and my left eye will do most for up close and will prevent the need for reading glasses.  I was advised that no matter what as we all get older we will eventually start to need reading glasses, this should just put this off for another ~10 years. I am not sure this is the route I want to take though. Has anyone had this procedure?


*edit, fixed url

[Ghambit]

I can't have any of this shit done due to my lifestyle.  Flying and Diving don't combine well with piercing holes in your eyeballs.   
I found out in the military if you get it done they'll dismiss you btw.

[Viin]

I have Lasik and I fly and dive. Not wearing contacts while diving is awesome.

No issues here, except I am worried about my eyesight when I get into my 40s .. expect to wear reading glasses *and* near sighted glasses, which sucks.

If I were to go back in time, I wouldn't do it again. Wearing constant wear contacts worked just as well for me, without the weakening of your eyes from Lasik.

[KallDrexx]

I got lasik 3 years ago.

It's amazingly awesome not having to wear contacts or glasses every day, especially to see the clock on the other side of the room at night.

On the other hand, I know my eyesight is getting worse slowly and I don't know exactly when it will stop.  When I first had lasik I was 15/20 (or 20/15, I forgot how that crap works).  The next year I was 20/20 and last time I went I was 25/20.  Still Great eyesight, but I definitely notice that it's not as clear as day 1 (especially in my left eye).  My wife keeps saying she wants it, but I'm kinda holding off a few years to see if it will stabilize for good.
 

[Stewie]

KallDrexx did you have any side effects? halos? dry eyes?
Did you just have straight up lasik? Not sure if the custom wavefront (or whatever other companies may call it) was available for you?

[Nerf]

Don't really have any regrets here, afaik I'm still 20/15 (blended, 20/20 in one eye and 20/10 in the other).  I think what they did on mine was the wavefront as well.
No issues with halos or dryness or anything, the only thing that's annoying is you don't realize how much contacts actually help to 'shield' your eye from certain discomforts.  Smoking while wearing sunglasses for example - without contacts, the smoke can sometimes get wisped behind the glasses and sting your eyes a bit, whereas it never happened with contacts.  Same thing with campfires/bonfires/grilling/etc, smoke in your eyes is a real PITA without contacts there to block it.
Totally worth it though.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Also, plenty of folks in the military have had corrective surgery, even pilots.  I can't remember off the top of my head if LASIK is approved for pilots now or if it's still PRK only.

[KallDrexx]

KallDrexx did you have any side effects? halos? dry eyes?
Did you just have straight up lasik? Not sure if the custom wavefront (or whatever other companies may call it) was available for you?

I'm assuming I had straight up Lasik, since I never heard of "custom wavefront" but I dont know 100%.  I didn't have any halos or side effects really, and I (stupidly) drove home the same day.

To be clear, I definitely don't regret it (especially with 2 year no interest financing).  I just worry a little bit on how well it will hold, but to be fair I spend 8 hours at work staring at my computer screen and more at home, so part of it could very well me not exercising my eyes properly (I try to adjust to far away objects every half hour or so though I odn't always remember).

[Morat20]

Pretty sure wavefront is just lasik, except it's got a leading laser that (1) maps your cornea precisely and (2) adjusts for minute eye twitches. (IIRC, the software and math behind it were developed for telescopes to adjust for minute tremors and such).

I think it can correct a few things better because it's got a custom, on-the-fly map of your cornea -- things like astigmatism and such.

I've been "meaning" to have LASIK for 10 years now. Still haven't. Still want it.

[Selby]

I think it can correct a few things better because it's got a custom, on-the-fly map of your cornea -- things like astigmatism and such.

This is pretty much the truth of it.

I had it over 6 years ago and am still 20\15.  No dryness, halos, etc.  I actually see much better at night now.  My eyes have always been sensitive to light, but that's just me.  The price of $1500 for both eyes seems cheap to me, but maybe the procedure has come down quite a bit since I had it done.  It was still relatively newer back then.

[Morat20]

I don't think it's come down in price that much -- speaking for myself, I'm not going to the cheap "shoots you in the eyes with lasers" place. :) Luckily, we have the Mann Eye Clinic down here, and they're supposedly top-notch.

I think all the new bells and gizmos basically just make it quicker to heal, safer, fixes a few more things, and has fewer side effects. I get the impression it's entirely automated these days. You lay down, they numb your eye, the machine then stamps it with some markers, the eye guy tells the machine "Go go gadget!" and it does like everything.

Controls the laser. Maps your cornea and works out the correction factor (again, thank NASA -- space telescope stuff!), locks onto the guides, and then the machine itself cuts and raises the corneal flap, zaps your eye, and drops the flap back. (So heals super quick, less chance of getting crap under the flap, etc). Then it does the other eye. I think the eye doctor pretty much just sanity checks the machine and applies your eye drops.

I mean, I'm sure there's lots of technical stuff and learning and stuff behind "sanity checking it" and maybe doing some choices and stuff, but I get the impression the laser robot with scalpels does all the hard work.