Having worn glasses since I was 8, I had both eyes done in the mid '90s (year, not age). Came out with 20/5 in one eye 20/10 in the other. Yes, I had superpowers!
As others have said, this doesn’t prevent your eyes from aging-- my distance acuity is still in the 20/15 - 20/20 range, but presbyopia waits for no man… I now have an awesome collection of cheaters/readers throughout my house, car, & office for when I need to read my computer screen, books, etc.
The starbursts/halos at night are caused by the difference in the index of refraction between the flap incision and the rest of your cornea. In most cases, they will fade over about a year.
All of this is predicated on the patient’s suitability for the procedure. My prescription had been stable for about 5 years, so zapping my eyes was a reasonable risk. If you have had to have a new Rx every year (or even once in the past 2-3 years), I’d highly recommend getting a second opinion.
My glasses haven’t been updated in 10ish years and they’re barely different than my current prescription. Both docs I’ve been to said I was a good fit. I’ve got an astigmatism that needs to be smoothed out and once that’s gone I should be in that 20/5 20/10 range with you
Yeah, I definitely would’ve taken the trade off of being able to function the next day. As it was I was finding myself wondering if this was my new normal weeks later, barely able to read street signs as I walked to work. Fortunately that wasn’t the case.
Also, get ready for at least a few days, if not weeks, of reaching for glasses on your face and nightstand only to remember that you don’t have them anymore.
I do that when I’ve been in glasses and switch to contacts. I’m sure I’ll jab myself in the bridge of the nose for weeks trying to push glasses that aren’t there back up on my head
Are the halos any worse than the ones I get from contacts? Seems like they stem from similar reasons. I’m pretty used to lights at night being starburst/haloed I don’t actually know what they would look like without them
I was considering it until I saw the Final Dstination 5 movie. Just scared metoo much (so don’t see that before you get it done). I’ve heard goood things about it though from people wh have had it done. Good Luck !
I got mine done in San Francisco. When they were walking me through the procedure they mentioned that there were sensors to detect the slightest movement and shut off the laser immediately, so there was nothing to worry about if there was an earthquake while they were working. I hadn’t even considered that before hand, and couldn’t stop thinking about it afterward.
Oh man, I’ve been wanting to look into LASIK for years!! I’ve had glasses since elementary school and contacts since not much later, as sports + glasses = broken frames and cuts on the bridge of my nose lol. Maybe I’ll finally try for a consultation…good luck @millersw.628!
Similar story. I started martial arts a couple years after I started wearing glasses and you just can’t mix those two. But you also have to be able to see to avoid getting feet in your face at high speeds. Contacts were amazing. But I want to be able to see without all the hassle
Ok, so here is the story that I’ve told anyone who was interested. I HATE anything coming at my eyes so I put off LASIK for quite awhile. I also had astigmatism in one of my eyes which disqualified me for awhile as well.
The day of the procedure I came into the office and was given Vicodin and then told to sit and watch TV in the waiting room for about 30-45 minutes and told to not wear my glasses (So I watched fuzzy blobs talking to each other, still don’t know what show I ‘watched’). I had no idea what the Vicodin was supposed to do, but they needed time for it to take affect (spoiler: it makes you not care about stuff coming at your eyes, I think it’s a relaxant of some sort). They finally called me into the room and had me lay down on a table.
They put a plastic ring to prevent me from blinking, but the first ones were too big for my eye sockets so they had to use smaller ones (that was the ONLY part of the procedure that had pain, and it was too much pressure pain). I was rolled under the first machine and told to look at the green light. There was a humming sound and a slightly burning odor and then it was done, a flap had been “cut” on both eyes. I was then wheeled out and they “lifted” the flap (THIS is when I figured out what Vicodin did. I didn’t care in the least what they were doing to my eyes). I was then wheeled under the second machine and there were a series of 5 green lights. One in the center and 4 on the sides, and told to focus on the one in the center. It was fascinating as the lights went in and out of focus before finishing up in focus. After each eye was done they wheeled me out and had me stand up. I COULD SEE. It was as if the room was filled with fog, but for the first time ever I could see more than 5 inches and make out the chair across the room. I sat in another chair as the doctor used this little squeegy looking thing to put the flap down and back in place (THANK YOU VICODIN). They taped clear plastic shields over my eyes and I was done. About 10 minutes from walking into that room to walking back out. No pain whatsoever. Went home, slept for about 5 hours. I could have driven the next day but I took it off and took it easy instead.
Still took about 8 months for the starbursts to go away, and now I look for the starbursts and grin when I realize that I’m not seeing them. I had been seeing them on every pair of headlights, streetlight, and window light at night. It was nuts at first, but it did go away.
The lady told me they would offer me a Vicodin if I wanted it and I really can’t imagine NOT wanting some sort of sedative. Again I’m no stranger to pain and I’m not scared of it but who willingly lies down and let’s someone squeegee their eye! Taking it easy the next day is why I opted for Friday. I plan on sleeping it off Friday night and then doing mostly nothing till Saturday evening. Thanks for the story though that’s pretty much what I was hoping to hear
My good friend had it done and he wound up with super vision. Over the years it has faded back to normal vision. So use your new powers for good while you can.
I’ve had elk sausage on a pizza. And moose sausage. Not the same pizza. I made the pizzas, my friend supplied the sausage. I mainly hunt birds, never got into large mammals.
I do that when I’ve been in glasses and switch to contacts. I’m sure I’ll jab myself in the bridge of the nose for weeks trying to push glasses that aren’t there back up on my head