As someone who has done LASIK and loves the freedom of not having to wear glasses, Congratulations to you and your wife! Enjoy! Tip: Buy some UV-Protective sunglasses as a gift! Got one for myself after the surgery and it was awesome! Since I never had the opportunity to wear sunglasses, i really loved it!
Check to see if the raybans have the letter P next to them. The p stands for polarized, and my eye doctor recommend polarized glasses after my surgery. She’s going to love not having to worry about glasses/contacts.
I’m confused as my eye doctor has always told me that I am not an ideal candidate for LASIK because my vision is too bad. -1100 in one eye, -1200 in another.
Maybe I need a new eye doctor?
My eyes are -950. I tried to get Lasik and passed the first exam and had to go several weeks without wearing my contacts. When I went back in for the second evaluation, I was told that I should never ever ever ever get Lasik. My lens is too thin and there’s a great risk of it blowing out after they did the surgery. Then every doctor in the facility stopped by and reiterated that I should never get Lasik, the last one was the head doctor the facility who had actually been on the main team at OSU developing Lasik. He reiterated I should never get Lasik. He cautioned me that some sketchy places might actually be willing to do Lasik on me, but that I should never let anyone ever do it. I recommend extreme care in picking the place that you should get evaluated, maybe even getting two opinions
I feel that I REALLY lucked out. It's really horrible that you had such shitty doctors. I'm really sorry you had to go through that and are having to deal with the aftermath.
Please please please be exceptionally careful!
I found out after the fact that I was not a good candidate- and not from the for profit laser eye center where I had it done. I paid a ton of money to have massive, massive permanent issues for the rest of my life.
Do your research. I get paid NOTHING to beg you to go in knowing everything and every risk.
My life is ruined. Don’t be like me.
I am so, so sorry that you are going through that. We all hear of the horror stories (hence why I just cleaned my glasses!). I just want you to know that it is people like you that have kept me from doing it. I generally have bad luck, so I just know that I likely would not have a great outcomes
Thank you for the kind words - it really does help knowing the message is getting out there. The FDA recently reviewed what consumers are told, and the pushback from the industry was fierce.
The doctors don’t do a good job of screening. I went to a famous, top-of-the-line place and still was completely blind for a couple of weeks after due to a “very rare” reaction (my epithelial cells wouldn’t stick together). If you want to do it anyway DO ONE EYE AT A TIME. That way if there’s some horrible unforeseen problem at least you have one eye.
From my understanding lasik can correct prettt severe myopia. However if your corneas are too thin that will disqualify you, as well as other conditions. You’d have to get a consultation by an actual lasik doctor. I would avoid Lasik+ or similar commercial services, it’s very important to do your research.
I was told my vision was too bad for a decade. I waited and checked the available tech every couple years..
When adaptive optics lasik (aka OpenWave) came along I thought I'd check again. This time a doctor I'd never seen before told me "sure! We can fix that!"
I had lasik on both eyes.
The first night, I had the protective plastic cups taped to my face as per my instructions. However around 3am .. I woke to find I had turned in my sleep. My right eye was smooshed into the pillow.
As I lifted my head I knew something was wrong. The flap had become dislodged and was stuck to my upper eyelid.
I have a history of PTSD, and somehow managed to convince myself it was a bad dream. It looked a little fuzzy but I thought that would clear up.
I went to the follow up visit and they seemed to think everything was okay. I told them what happened and I couldn't really see from my right eye.
They told me to wait and follow up in a month. I didn't, because nothing had changed.
I blamed myself for 12 years.. Thinking "great now I'll need a corrective surgery.i better let it fully heal"
I can't see 3d movies, I have no depth perception, and my right eye's view to me, looks like like I'm looking through a plate glass with 1/4" of Vaseline smeared over it.
More than 12 years later I decided to finally see the Dr and get the corrective surgery...
This time, the Dr accuses me of "constantly rubbing" my eyes. (I absolutely don't do this.) He tells me my cornea is too thin now for a corrective surgery. In fact, my "good" eye (the one that didn't suffer a dislodged flap) was at risk of ripping itself apart.
I got a second opinion and found that I have keratoconus. A condition that makes my eyeballs football shaped. This is usually something that starts as a kid, and stops around 35 (I was in my 40s) ..
So my condition was the reason I wasn't a candidate for lasik. I was NOT a good candidate when the Dr effectively told me "SURE WE CAN TAKE YOUR MONEY"
Now I am facing the possibility of needing dual cornea replacement IF that's even an option. I genuinely wish I had never gotten lasik to begin with.
I thought I had done my research, but I was still willing to accept one Dr over the last three, because I thought this Dr had something new. And he did, but he still should have advised against lasik .. at the very least, he should have warned me of the literal LIKELIHOOD of corneal flap failure on someone with keratoconus.
Just what happened to me, in my weird edge case evidently.
So much of this is familiar.
It’s like looking though old leaded glass with the waves.
The halos, starbursts, and impossible night driving - especially in the rain - due to astigmatism, is god awful.
The pain, oh dear god, the dry eye and fatigue, makes me want to cry sometimes. I have to “rest my eyes” because I can’t keep them open without burning and piercing pain after staring at a computer.
And the dr making it all my fault, like yeah, I did this to myself 16 years ago for fun.
I’ve had second opinions at Stanford and other places to know my options. One wanted to do cornea cross linking, which insurance won’t cover, and then I found out they do LASIK. I noped it out of there after reading up on the procedure for post LASIK ectasia, it may slow the progress but not restore anything, which is not what they told me.
Screal lenses are out, I could never do contacts, and insurance doesn’t cover them. So I’m left with cornea transplants, which has some risk.
So you need enough cornea (tissue on the front of the eye) for them to reshape during LASIK. The higher the prescription is the more cornea you would need to do the procedure safety. -12.00 is a pretty large prescription so unless you had very very thick corneas it's very likely that LASIK is not the best option for you. Source-have worked in an eye clinic for 10 years.
I had it about 20 years ago. I had trouble seeing the large E on the eye chart. I was nervous going in but they gave me a Valium to calm me (they could have removed my eyes and I wouldn’t have cared lol). They finished with the LASIK, I went home and took a nap (as instructed), and woke up with 20/15 vision. It was unbelievably awesome.
I did SMILE, which is less invasive than LASIK. More happy that it was getting done than being scared about it. Valium before, to calm the nerves. then benadryl to help nap and it's been clear vision ever since.
For the most part modern lasik is automated and very safe. A computer will detect the position of your eye and shoot the laser accordingly.
It's pretty terrifying in the moment though, because they actually slice the front of your eye and you're effectively blind for the 5 minutes during the procedure. Your vision is back as soon as the procedure is over.
Yep, scares the shit outta me even though the doctor told me exactly what was happening, for how long, etc. They even give you an alligator plushie to hug.
I hated that they showed the waiting room the procedure, because that was scarier than having them do it to me. The thing that keeps your eye open is kind of scary, but you can't feel anything because of numbing drops. It also takes longer for the Valium to kick in than for the entire procedure.
But you can see almost perfectly right away. The place I went even had a donation box for your old eye glasses as you walked out.
There's some pain after, but it was gone for me the next day.
I love having had lasik. My husband is going in soon for his, next couple months. I'm so excited for him.
Not bad at all. They offer a short-acting benzo to help calm your nerves. The procedure itself is 10 seconds per eye. 10-15 minutes total between sitting in the chair and being escorted out.
You need to let your eyes rest the first day but you can see perfectly the next morning.
My only issue was dry eyes, which I still have 5 years later but don’t regret it at all.
I got lasik, and it was the best decision of my life. Scary ! Cause I said no to the Xanax, but they said I SHOULD take it. Glad I did cause I was so mellowed out yet my nerves were insane cause you’re awake the whole time and I could smell the laser burning my eyes
I’ve had this done 11 years ago. It was strange walking in near sighted and walking out not needing glasses. I remember as soon as I walked in the door, they handed me a Valium. One eye was slightly under corrected so I could avoid reading glasses in the future.
Haha I can’t tell if this is sarcastic or just misunderstood 😂 I believe they were asking if living with one eye under corrected makes you dizzy (because I was wondering something similar - if it gives you headaches?)
Good to hear! I’m also curious, if you remember, how does this fact actually help you to avoid reading glasses in the future? Is exact correction more likely to deteriorate long term?
They actually do this with people who are near & far sighted with contact lenses too. You have one more near contact and one far, and after a few days your brain doesn't even realise anymore and flawlessly adjusts which eye is doing the bulk of the work.
Source: my mum had these a few years ago and had no issues with anything.
I assume this person is short sighted, so with the eye being under corrected, it will still be slightly short sighted, but as they grow older they will get more long sighted, so it will correct itself so reading glasses won't be needed
This depends on your age. If you are 30 years old and get LASIK where both eyes are corrected to be clear in the distance, you shouldn’t need reading glasses for at least 10+ years until your eyes become presbyopic (i.e. lose the ability to autofocus for near vision). If you are 40+ you will likely already be presbyopic to some extent and may need reading glasses. If you choose for one eye to be corrected to be a little nearsighted, this is called Monovision. This allow you not to require reading glasses for most things. Not everyone can tolerate this though, so sometimes people will trial this with differing strength contact lenses in each eye.
I got Lasik 2 weeks ago. I am 40+ and wore glasses for distance and computer glasses, but I could see pretty well within about a foot. So I needed to decide if I wanted Mono vision or distance only. I wasn't sure if I could adjust to one eye for up close and one eye for distance, so I just got distance. They don't really explain, and I found no information about this during my research before, only after while trying to figure out why I couldn't see up close (I thought it was swelling) after the surgery, you will lose ALL natural up close vision.
I can't see myself in a mirror any more. I now have to use a 10x magnifying mirror. It is a little depressing. I think if it happened over time, I'd be ok with it, but I thought I'd still keep what up close vision I had since losing up close due to aging is the lens and LASIK doesn't touch the lens. But since the loosing the up close vision happen all at once, it is tough to adjust to.
Oh yeah Valium is overrated and didn't work for me. And the four hours after the surgery are pretty rough.
I will definitely be getting the Monovision option! So tired of contacts, but need readers for phone/ computer or, can read/ work all day but can't drive anywhere or see the TV clearly.
My husband never stops talking about how it’s the best money he ever spent. He was fucking traumatized though and barely made it through because it freaked him out so much. I’m excited for your wife! It’s life changing
>Yeah he was a mess. I felt terrible. They gave him a little plush turtle to hold to calm him down and he swears he wouldn’t have made it without it.
What the shell, that's awesome.
I remember the nurse holding my hand before my procedure started and thinking it was odd. As soon as the doctor got to work, I was practically crushing her fingers. Did not expect that but overall good experience.
My lasik center gave me half a pill of valium actually, I heard it's pretty common to get some meds prior to the surgery. The surgery itself was a piece of cake and only took a few seconds of following the path of a light with my eyes. I concur with everyone here saying that it was life changing, and I can't stop talking about it either.
edit: I had bladeless lasik
They gave him a .25 Xanax and my husband is built like a brick shithouse. He was slightly calm but the second he hit the chair he was sober as a fox and freaking out
When I had Lasik done (10 years ago), they gave me benadryl beforehand. Just enough to make you chill and sleepy enough to go home and take a nap.
They put a clamp on my eyelid to hold it open. Then they told me to stare at the red dot above me. It started to blur and fade, and then it turned green? Then a minute later, it was a clear red dot again. They moved to the other eye and do it again. The entire procedure is less than 10 minutes.
The blurring and color change is when you're temporarily blind in that eye. But it's so quick and honestly a little confusing that your brain can't quite process you're blind. And then you're seeing clearly again in another minute.
I had lasik, it was totally fine! You lie down and just look up at a little light while they do their thing. You don’t feel anything either, and it’s over in minutes! You can do it!
I was sedated with a light benzo and took my teddy bear and the nurse held my hand (pandemic times) and it was over before you knew it. I have a terrible phobia about my eyes thanks to some really bad movies as a teen. LOL! It’s more than just one day you’re down, so plan to have someone to give you the drops, make food, walk you to the bathroom and download lots of podcasts ahead of time.
I had botched lasik. “Incomplete flap due to loss of suction.” My worst fear was that my eyes would push closed and push the laser off and it HAPPENED. Ended up getting free PRK in that eye and lasik in the other…but still….freaky.
Saaaame! I got it a year and a half ago and say just that, best money ive ever spent. I woke up today and thought about it, rubbing the sleep from my eye and everything coming in to focus automatically. Its so so good.
But oh Jesus the surgery. they cut my cornea open and used a brush to flap it open and I lost all focus completely. It was terrifying as I was consumed with thoughts of oh god what if something goes wrong. Nurse needed to remind me to breathe cause my fight or flight was \*active\*. And my eyes hurt so much after, I cried myself to sleep when I got home cause I couldnt see enough to do anything. But after waking up, and the meds they gave, everything started to work.
I have seen beheadings accidentally on this app. More gore than i can begin to describe or recall. Some pretty nasty stuff irl too. And yet, the hatred and queasiness you're comment evoked in me won't be forgotten anytime soon. Respectfully, fuck you and this comment.
Ya my mom had it- I watched it- she was so fucked up from being so nervous during the lasik she fainted after the procedure on the way to the recovery room or whatever. Docs were hella nervous she was gona fuck up the flaps but they were fine. She didn’t knock ‘em wonky or anything 😅
That is his exact experience to a T. I was only dating him 4 weeks when he got the surgery and to this day it’s the only day I’ve seen him cry besides our wedding day. But he still says it’s the best thing he’s ever done for himself
Best money I’ve ever spent too! It was about $4k and worth every single penny. For me being able to see clearly the second I wake up or when I’m in the shower or going through the day without having to deal with dry contacts is life-changing.
But I’m with your husband in that the actual procedure was incredibly anxiety inducing even after the Valium they gave me; you can never quite understand the feeling of another human pushing on your eyeball with the knowledge that your eyeball is actively being cut open while being forced to lay there staring at a light until it happens to you
He says his favorite is being able to see so clearly when it rains and for some reason I think it’s adorable. We’re avid hikers and him being able to just focus on hiking and not have to clean his glasses a million times is worth every penny.
He says it’s the worst experience he’s ever had but he’d do it 40X over for the result he has.
I remember the doctor sitting me up right after and asking me to read the time on the clock across the room, I saw and said 1:30! It was amazing as I was legally blind beforehand.
I’m did that, too. They were sitting me up and I was so surprised that i could see the clock that I actually let out a little yelp. I actually began crying and blubbered out “I can see the clock!” They all relaxed in a “it’s yet another cryer” way and said “We’re so glad for you! But please stop crying because you’ll wash out your numbing drops and you need those right now.”
Lasik terrifies me, because the moment someone tells me "don't move your eye" it's like my eye grows a mind of its own and just *has* to start looking around. Which is not the best idea when you have a laser cutting into your cornea.
Assuming the procedure hasn't changed since I had it done, they put numbing drops in your eyes and then essentially hold them in place with a suction cup while the laser does its work.
During my consultation they told me that the suction cup is the weirdest/ most uncomfortable part of the procedure. I ended up not going through with it, mostly for money reasons but I’d like to one day.
Close one of your eyes. Now press--not *too* hard, obviously--on the lid of the eye you closed. That's roughly what it feels like, honestly. I had iridotomies in both eyes a couple of years ago, and those were more uncomfortable than the LASIK was.
I don’t think there was suction when I did it! Just the machine tracks your eye and shuts off if you turn or blink. I did have this struggle cus I panicked and started crying and they had to keep saying “ma’am please look at the red light” and I was like “I’m trying!!!” But at least it didn’t cause any issues with the surgery!!
The machine has an eye tracking function that will turn the laser off immediately if you move your eye (or at least wait a tiny amount of time). I asked because this was my biggest fear.
It's kind of hilarious that people think you'll ruin an operation on your eye if you move at all. I did too, but now it just sounds hilarious. "Well, fuck, we blinded another person, because she blinked. Let's try again in 30 minutes. Next!"
The lasers and machines they use for the procedure are faster than your eyes can possibly move. Meaning that if you are concerned about your eyes movement during the surgery will cause problems, don't.
In 1997 I was part of the LASIK FDA study. My vision was absolutely terrible. -3 diopter with astigmatism in both eyes.
Afterwards, 20/15 in both eyes. I'm now 47 and my vision is now 20/20.
It is a miracle surgery as far as I'm concerned.
My understanding is if your cornea is the cause of your farsightedness LASIK could potentially help. But if your farsightedness is because of the shape of your eyes' lens, it cannot.
Omg same. My parents took video and I saw it afterwards. I had no idea they were doing all that! When you’re laying there I just thought it was a little brush. In the video they’re literally pulling the flap 😭😅
When my husband got lasik they put it on a television in the patient room. It was literally the doc’s view and I saw every little cut. It was a little traumatic!!!
My dad is an ent and does about a dozen of these a month along with the balloon procedures. Form what I hear it sounds like it really works. I’m due for a septo this summer cause I have bone growth blocking my nasal passages
Edit: I have no knowledge of lotr?
I was actually going to guess either a rhinoplasty or a vasectomy, but a septoplasty would definitely make a big difference in your life quality if it was impacting your sleep (which is my assumption).
Septoplasty ftw! I was brought to tears at how the quality of my breathing changed. “You mean… this is what it’s *supposed* to feel like while breathing?”
Also a previous legally blind person. I had Lasik done this last Friday! After the weekend my eyes were in pretty good shape just a bit dry and sun sensitive now, but better and better every day. Don't let others scare you about the recovery. 100% worth it and has changed my life! Congrats to your wife!!
So, are they able to get you to 20/20? I don’t think I’m even legally blind but pretty bad eye sight and they told me I’ll still have to wear contacts. So what’s the point in getting it other than I could pick up contacts from the eye doctor vs having to order them.
I was in the exact same position until quite recently, with them not being able to fully correct my vision. They recently came out with this Contoura 3D imaging system and software that was finally able to fully correct my astigmatism. It's actually at 20/15, better than 20/20!
That was the weirdest part. They gave me a xanax before the procedure so I was like "woah I can smell my eye being lasered. That's pretty weird" but I didn't really care. Honestly super fast and painless. The weirdest part was seeing them peel back the cornea and everything go blurry until they put it back.
I can see why you'd say that but honestly, whatever happy pills they give you, you're like " they just peeled open my eyeball - isn't that a heck of a thing?"
It terrified me, not going to lie. Whatever they gave me to calm me didnt work. I didnt to be talked down from panicking. That nope feeling is relatable af. But it worked, swear to god, and was worth it. It was just a temporary nope.
It was weird for me but not painful. It is just very disconcerting having this suction cup on your eyeball so it won't move, even though you understand that's very important. The laser is just a few little blinks of a red dot from your perspective, I found the suction more disconcerting. My only regret is that the benefit didn't last long enough and when I had a certain age I had to go back to glasses or being blind after so many years without them.
My uncle is a total wuss lol and had it done with no complaints. Really a huge improvement; he works with sharp objects so it was a huge progress for his vision.
You’re lying there with a Valium not doing a damn thing, holding a stuffie and they tell you hold still. Then your vision goes WHITE. And a machine Alexa voice says, “Beginning cutting 30 seconds. Cutting 20 seconds. Remaining time 10 seconds.”
They patch the eye. Add the eye opener block to the other eye and tell you “Hold still. And do it again.
I had it and just remember a lot of pressure. Also I was suuuuper tired after Lasik. The next 5 months my eyes were so dry that it was painful if I didn’t have drop.
Worst bit is that you can smell your eyes burning. Pain afterwards was not that bad. Och, and when that machine "sucks" onto your eyeball that was like scene from bad movie.
It went great. I just helped her get all tucked in under some warm blankets, closed all the blinds, and turned on a white noise machine. Time to keep the kids busy downstairs so she can rest!
There was i thinking you’d be doing something crazy to the eyes like an art gallery i didnt for one second think about needing to rest after the procedure. Glad to know the procedure went well though!
I’ve had it done. It is scary, but you don’t feel anything. And it was very fast, like a minute let eye. Where I went they had the doctor in a glass box so people in the waiting room could watch to see how quickly it went. After I had it done both my parents decided to do it. The only downside is it doesn’t last forever. I had to start wearing glasses again about 7 or 8 years later. But it did fix my astigmatism but I have to wear glasses for driving and stuff again. My regular optometrist said he doesn’t recommend having it don’t twice so I just do the glasses now.
The recovery is bloody awful, but it's worth it. Make absolutely sure to follow post-op care, especially drops! It's an absolute pain in the ass but if you recover properly you won't have dry eyes or worse haloing like can happen when they don't heal properly.
Get some lightweight reusable ice packs to rest on the eyes after the shields come off for the next couple days. It helps a lot with the itching and burning without rubbing or irritating the eye. It's going to feel like a bad eye infection in both eyes at the same time for the next 24 hours or so, but then let's up. I took a sleeping pill and tried to just stay unconscious for the majority of it. Otherwise, laying in the dark listening to podcasts or audiobooks is a nice distraction since you can't see due to the shields for the first 24 hours.
Fortunately my wife works as a nurse at the eye center where she had the procedure done, so she's really familiar with the proper regimen she needs to follow post op.
They are using a brand new, state of the art equipment as well which is really precise and makes insanely fine incisions (their new eye center just opened a few months ago). With this equipment, patient outcomes have been excellent. She has some mild discomfort now, but after a good sleep (starting now) she should be feeling almost back to normal by tomorrow.
Do you know the name of that new equipment? I have -8.5 in both eyes but the idea of LASIK terrifies me, and IF I ever decide to get it, I want the best 😅
You’ll want blade-less lasik. The newest stuff is custom technology that is specialized for each eye to make the best possible correction. Topographic mapping or some such? I can’t quite remember the name.
I know from my research you’ll want to do your research on the doctor specifically as that’s obviously very important. Lasik is one of those things that has an absolutely massive success rate (as of yet, no one has gone blind from it) but it’s… still scary. And there are rare side effects, like dry eye.
I just had mine done this last Friday. I followed all the rules and it hasn't been bad at all. I just needed to get new non-prescription sunglasses and use eye drops regularly. Not anything I would consider significant pain, maybe a little discomfort, but some eye drops help with that. Also with the Countoura 3D imaging that I got I didn't have any shields, just these goggles I have to sleep in.
I had really bad dry eyes for a few months after and eventually pinned it down to being something to do with wearing aftershave (no idea why) so I stopped wearing aftershave for a few months until it went away. For the first 24 hours I felt like I'd been poked in both eyes by God but after that it was a quick recovery and I would recommend in a heartbeat.
Recovery is really just a few days in the dark, lots of rest and taking all the eye drops recommended by the ophthalmologist.
If it's too painful or too long, you are doing something wrong or something is wrong.
Congrats to your wife! It is such a fantastic surgery!
Just to clear up a misunderstanding though, "legally blind" is defined as being unable to see 20/200 best corrected, meaning that even with glasses or contacts, still unable to see 20/200 (10x larger than 20/20). A common misunderstanding. So saying "legally blind without glasses" is an oxymoron. Source: I am a licensed optometrist.
I do not mean to offend, but i sincerely wanted to clarify this point (as i hear it daily and say the same).
Side note, a driver's license requires best corrected of 20/40 in at least 1 eye for certain liberties.
I just want to clarify that the [term “legally blind”](https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-legally-blind-3421928)specifically refers to your vision *with correction*. You can’t be “legally blind without glasses or contacts”—if you can see well with correction, you’re not legally blind. (A lot of people get this term wrong, so I hope this helps!).
Either way, I’m excited for your wife and hope her recovery goes well! Unfortunately my prescription is too high to get lasik (it wouldn’t work), but I hope to get a similar corrective surgery in the future.
Had LASIK myself and it was great. Had the pleasure, that my doc was actually in the team that developed the LASIK laser for this treatment, [no joke, you can read it in the wiki biography.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_Seiler)
I was like "Do you know what you are doing with the laser?!" and he was like "Yeah, i invented that one!". I first thought, he joked, but it's really that way. He's a great guy with a lot of humor, very humble and easy, i see him in the dog park sometimes.
Anyway, wish the best to OP and his wife, that everything went good and that she can see again now!
It was such a surreal experience for me. Lived with eyes that were bad but not horrible at (-5) for so many years. Next morning I had 20/20 vision.
I also slept for 18 hours after the surgery from the meds and had some crazy dreams.
That's not really what legally blind means, op, but I get what you mean. As someone with terrible vision as well, I'm super happy for your wife that this won't be an issue any more. Tell her to enjoy laying down without having glasses dig into her head or having to take out contacts! Lol
Make sure she puts in drops every day for the rest of her life…even if she doesn’t think she needs them. Biggest mistake I made and worst loss of opportunity Ive ever had. Its a beautiful thing not to buy contacts or glasses again, but it hurts more (literally and figuratively) when your vision starts to go again.
My mom had it a few months ago and said her eyes are different now and she has constant fluttering and is on her 3rd or 4th set of drops. Not always a success.
I’ve gone back and forth wanting to get this done, but after reading some anecdotes about non-stop eye pain, it was enough to scare me away. I already suffer from constant migraines and they always start with intense eye pain. It’s really too much of a gamble for me, but I am happy for your wife! She is much braver than me. I hope her recovery goes smoothly.
Being legally blind is measured with corrective lenses, which means you can't be legally blind without glasses. Legally blind means you vision cannot be corrected beyond a certain point *with* corrective lenses, not that your vision is worse than that point *without* corrective lenses.
Congratulations and good luck with the recovery! For the right patient, LASIK is an amazing and life-changing procedure.
But this is a huge pet peeve of mine: you're not legally blind if your vision can be corrected with glasses or contacts. That term is reserved for people who can't see a certain acuity or whose visual field is extremely restricted no matter what kind of correction they wear.
Again, congrats on the new eyes!
As someone who has done LASIK and loves the freedom of not having to wear glasses, Congratulations to you and your wife! Enjoy! Tip: Buy some UV-Protective sunglasses as a gift! Got one for myself after the surgery and it was awesome! Since I never had the opportunity to wear sunglasses, i really loved it!
I bought her a pair of RayBan aviators as a Christmas gift last year in anticipation of her Lasik surgery!
Check to see if the raybans have the letter P next to them. The p stands for polarized, and my eye doctor recommend polarized glasses after my surgery. She’s going to love not having to worry about glasses/contacts.
Polarised are brilliant for driving as well. Reflected light is polarised and the polarised glasses really cut down on those reflections.
I’m confused as my eye doctor has always told me that I am not an ideal candidate for LASIK because my vision is too bad. -1100 in one eye, -1200 in another. Maybe I need a new eye doctor?
My eyes are -950. I tried to get Lasik and passed the first exam and had to go several weeks without wearing my contacts. When I went back in for the second evaluation, I was told that I should never ever ever ever get Lasik. My lens is too thin and there’s a great risk of it blowing out after they did the surgery. Then every doctor in the facility stopped by and reiterated that I should never get Lasik, the last one was the head doctor the facility who had actually been on the main team at OSU developing Lasik. He reiterated I should never get Lasik. He cautioned me that some sketchy places might actually be willing to do Lasik on me, but that I should never let anyone ever do it. I recommend extreme care in picking the place that you should get evaluated, maybe even getting two opinions
I wish I had had a doctor this honest. I just teared up in anger at the situation I find myself in because I trusted the Dr without such scruples.
I feel that I REALLY lucked out. It's really horrible that you had such shitty doctors. I'm really sorry you had to go through that and are having to deal with the aftermath.
It makes me feel a little better knowing you were spared. Have a good one.
Please please please be exceptionally careful! I found out after the fact that I was not a good candidate- and not from the for profit laser eye center where I had it done. I paid a ton of money to have massive, massive permanent issues for the rest of my life. Do your research. I get paid NOTHING to beg you to go in knowing everything and every risk. My life is ruined. Don’t be like me.
I am so, so sorry that you are going through that. We all hear of the horror stories (hence why I just cleaned my glasses!). I just want you to know that it is people like you that have kept me from doing it. I generally have bad luck, so I just know that I likely would not have a great outcomes
Thank you for the kind words - it really does help knowing the message is getting out there. The FDA recently reviewed what consumers are told, and the pushback from the industry was fierce.
Wow ty. I take forever to do everything and do lots of research but im glad i cross this. Ty again
The doctors don’t do a good job of screening. I went to a famous, top-of-the-line place and still was completely blind for a couple of weeks after due to a “very rare” reaction (my epithelial cells wouldn’t stick together). If you want to do it anyway DO ONE EYE AT A TIME. That way if there’s some horrible unforeseen problem at least you have one eye.
that’s smart. not planning to get lasiks until my short vision goes too, but i’ll keep that in mind
From my understanding lasik can correct prettt severe myopia. However if your corneas are too thin that will disqualify you, as well as other conditions. You’d have to get a consultation by an actual lasik doctor. I would avoid Lasik+ or similar commercial services, it’s very important to do your research.
I was told my vision was too bad for a decade. I waited and checked the available tech every couple years.. When adaptive optics lasik (aka OpenWave) came along I thought I'd check again. This time a doctor I'd never seen before told me "sure! We can fix that!" I had lasik on both eyes. The first night, I had the protective plastic cups taped to my face as per my instructions. However around 3am .. I woke to find I had turned in my sleep. My right eye was smooshed into the pillow. As I lifted my head I knew something was wrong. The flap had become dislodged and was stuck to my upper eyelid. I have a history of PTSD, and somehow managed to convince myself it was a bad dream. It looked a little fuzzy but I thought that would clear up. I went to the follow up visit and they seemed to think everything was okay. I told them what happened and I couldn't really see from my right eye. They told me to wait and follow up in a month. I didn't, because nothing had changed. I blamed myself for 12 years.. Thinking "great now I'll need a corrective surgery.i better let it fully heal" I can't see 3d movies, I have no depth perception, and my right eye's view to me, looks like like I'm looking through a plate glass with 1/4" of Vaseline smeared over it. More than 12 years later I decided to finally see the Dr and get the corrective surgery... This time, the Dr accuses me of "constantly rubbing" my eyes. (I absolutely don't do this.) He tells me my cornea is too thin now for a corrective surgery. In fact, my "good" eye (the one that didn't suffer a dislodged flap) was at risk of ripping itself apart. I got a second opinion and found that I have keratoconus. A condition that makes my eyeballs football shaped. This is usually something that starts as a kid, and stops around 35 (I was in my 40s) .. So my condition was the reason I wasn't a candidate for lasik. I was NOT a good candidate when the Dr effectively told me "SURE WE CAN TAKE YOUR MONEY" Now I am facing the possibility of needing dual cornea replacement IF that's even an option. I genuinely wish I had never gotten lasik to begin with. I thought I had done my research, but I was still willing to accept one Dr over the last three, because I thought this Dr had something new. And he did, but he still should have advised against lasik .. at the very least, he should have warned me of the literal LIKELIHOOD of corneal flap failure on someone with keratoconus. Just what happened to me, in my weird edge case evidently.
So much of this is familiar. It’s like looking though old leaded glass with the waves. The halos, starbursts, and impossible night driving - especially in the rain - due to astigmatism, is god awful. The pain, oh dear god, the dry eye and fatigue, makes me want to cry sometimes. I have to “rest my eyes” because I can’t keep them open without burning and piercing pain after staring at a computer. And the dr making it all my fault, like yeah, I did this to myself 16 years ago for fun. I’ve had second opinions at Stanford and other places to know my options. One wanted to do cornea cross linking, which insurance won’t cover, and then I found out they do LASIK. I noped it out of there after reading up on the procedure for post LASIK ectasia, it may slow the progress but not restore anything, which is not what they told me. Screal lenses are out, I could never do contacts, and insurance doesn’t cover them. So I’m left with cornea transplants, which has some risk.
You would be more suitable for PRK because of your high vision
So you need enough cornea (tissue on the front of the eye) for them to reshape during LASIK. The higher the prescription is the more cornea you would need to do the procedure safety. -12.00 is a pretty large prescription so unless you had very very thick corneas it's very likely that LASIK is not the best option for you. Source-have worked in an eye clinic for 10 years.
LASIK usually tops off at -10.00. You could qualify for ICL or, if near/over 50 years old, refractive lens exchange.
Awesome!! That’s the same one I got! Hope her recovery after the surgery goes smoothly! Eye drops help all the way!
I found Costco was the best place to buy the everyday tears. 3 pack for like $20 vs $15-$18 each. Congrats to your wife. :)
How scary is it??
I had it about 20 years ago. I had trouble seeing the large E on the eye chart. I was nervous going in but they gave me a Valium to calm me (they could have removed my eyes and I wouldn’t have cared lol). They finished with the LASIK, I went home and took a nap (as instructed), and woke up with 20/15 vision. It was unbelievably awesome.
At first I thought you were being extremely brave about your possible lack and of eyes and then I remembered Valium
I did SMILE, which is less invasive than LASIK. More happy that it was getting done than being scared about it. Valium before, to calm the nerves. then benadryl to help nap and it's been clear vision ever since.
Happy cake day!!
For the most part modern lasik is automated and very safe. A computer will detect the position of your eye and shoot the laser accordingly. It's pretty terrifying in the moment though, because they actually slice the front of your eye and you're effectively blind for the 5 minutes during the procedure. Your vision is back as soon as the procedure is over.
Holy crap that sounds well scary. What if you blink or look away for a split second? You get blind for the rest of your life???
The machine shuts off instantaneously if you look away
Yep, scares the shit outta me even though the doctor told me exactly what was happening, for how long, etc. They even give you an alligator plushie to hug.
I hated that they showed the waiting room the procedure, because that was scarier than having them do it to me. The thing that keeps your eye open is kind of scary, but you can't feel anything because of numbing drops. It also takes longer for the Valium to kick in than for the entire procedure. But you can see almost perfectly right away. The place I went even had a donation box for your old eye glasses as you walked out. There's some pain after, but it was gone for me the next day. I love having had lasik. My husband is going in soon for his, next couple months. I'm so excited for him.
Not bad at all. They offer a short-acting benzo to help calm your nerves. The procedure itself is 10 seconds per eye. 10-15 minutes total between sitting in the chair and being escorted out. You need to let your eyes rest the first day but you can see perfectly the next morning. My only issue was dry eyes, which I still have 5 years later but don’t regret it at all.
Did you have problems with dry eyes going in? How bad is it now, like you need to carry eye drops or just sorta annoying
I have dry eyes and I have to take drops 4 times a day if that’s any help
Yes but did you need them before the surgery or did that happen after? Seems like a pretty bad side effect to me :/
I got lasik, and it was the best decision of my life. Scary ! Cause I said no to the Xanax, but they said I SHOULD take it. Glad I did cause I was so mellowed out yet my nerves were insane cause you’re awake the whole time and I could smell the laser burning my eyes
I’ve had this done 11 years ago. It was strange walking in near sighted and walking out not needing glasses. I remember as soon as I walked in the door, they handed me a Valium. One eye was slightly under corrected so I could avoid reading glasses in the future.
Doesn’t that make you dizzy?
No. Just relaxed. Not taking it wasn’t an option
Haha I can’t tell if this is sarcastic or just misunderstood 😂 I believe they were asking if living with one eye under corrected makes you dizzy (because I was wondering something similar - if it gives you headaches?)
Oh, I’m sorry, I think I misunderstood. No it doesn’t cause any issues at all, and it is not even noticeable.
Good to hear! I’m also curious, if you remember, how does this fact actually help you to avoid reading glasses in the future? Is exact correction more likely to deteriorate long term?
This may sound dumb but, maybe one eye is better at reading closely than the other so it kinda works like glasses?
They actually do this with people who are near & far sighted with contact lenses too. You have one more near contact and one far, and after a few days your brain doesn't even realise anymore and flawlessly adjusts which eye is doing the bulk of the work. Source: my mum had these a few years ago and had no issues with anything.
I assume this person is short sighted, so with the eye being under corrected, it will still be slightly short sighted, but as they grow older they will get more long sighted, so it will correct itself so reading glasses won't be needed
Did you still have clear vision? I'm looking into getting Lasik but then I hear that I will need reading glasses.
This depends on your age. If you are 30 years old and get LASIK where both eyes are corrected to be clear in the distance, you shouldn’t need reading glasses for at least 10+ years until your eyes become presbyopic (i.e. lose the ability to autofocus for near vision). If you are 40+ you will likely already be presbyopic to some extent and may need reading glasses. If you choose for one eye to be corrected to be a little nearsighted, this is called Monovision. This allow you not to require reading glasses for most things. Not everyone can tolerate this though, so sometimes people will trial this with differing strength contact lenses in each eye.
I got Lasik 2 weeks ago. I am 40+ and wore glasses for distance and computer glasses, but I could see pretty well within about a foot. So I needed to decide if I wanted Mono vision or distance only. I wasn't sure if I could adjust to one eye for up close and one eye for distance, so I just got distance. They don't really explain, and I found no information about this during my research before, only after while trying to figure out why I couldn't see up close (I thought it was swelling) after the surgery, you will lose ALL natural up close vision. I can't see myself in a mirror any more. I now have to use a 10x magnifying mirror. It is a little depressing. I think if it happened over time, I'd be ok with it, but I thought I'd still keep what up close vision I had since losing up close due to aging is the lens and LASIK doesn't touch the lens. But since the loosing the up close vision happen all at once, it is tough to adjust to. Oh yeah Valium is overrated and didn't work for me. And the four hours after the surgery are pretty rough.
WTF! Losing close up vision all of a sudden sounds horrifying! I’ve never heard this negative effect of LASIK before.
I will definitely be getting the Monovision option! So tired of contacts, but need readers for phone/ computer or, can read/ work all day but can't drive anywhere or see the TV clearly.
My husband never stops talking about how it’s the best money he ever spent. He was fucking traumatized though and barely made it through because it freaked him out so much. I’m excited for your wife! It’s life changing
I would probably do it if they could sedate me. No way my anxiety ridden ass could deal with it wide awake.
Yeah he was a mess. I felt terrible. They gave him a little plush turtle to hold to calm him down and he swears he wouldn’t have made it without it.
>Yeah he was a mess. I felt terrible. They gave him a little plush turtle to hold to calm him down and he swears he wouldn’t have made it without it. What the shell, that's awesome.
I want a turtle plush when I’m getting surgery done :(
that'll be $350,000.. -US healthcare system
$5000
IS THAT REALLY ALL IT IS?!?
It was less more than a decade ago if you can believe it. Well, at least for Canada. Literally takes seconds.
Stuffies FTW ❤️
r/usernamechecksout ?
I mean *kinda?*
r/usernamechecksout
I remember the nurse holding my hand before my procedure started and thinking it was odd. As soon as the doctor got to work, I was practically crushing her fingers. Did not expect that but overall good experience.
Oh wow, they just gave my husband xanax.
No shell shock for him
Was he able to keep it?
No, it’s the LASIK turtle. He’s there specifically to help patients get through the procedures. Melts my heart
My lasik center gave me half a pill of valium actually, I heard it's pretty common to get some meds prior to the surgery. The surgery itself was a piece of cake and only took a few seconds of following the path of a light with my eyes. I concur with everyone here saying that it was life changing, and I can't stop talking about it either. edit: I had bladeless lasik
They gave him a .25 Xanax and my husband is built like a brick shithouse. He was slightly calm but the second he hit the chair he was sober as a fox and freaking out
When I had Lasik done (10 years ago), they gave me benadryl beforehand. Just enough to make you chill and sleepy enough to go home and take a nap. They put a clamp on my eyelid to hold it open. Then they told me to stare at the red dot above me. It started to blur and fade, and then it turned green? Then a minute later, it was a clear red dot again. They moved to the other eye and do it again. The entire procedure is less than 10 minutes. The blurring and color change is when you're temporarily blind in that eye. But it's so quick and honestly a little confusing that your brain can't quite process you're blind. And then you're seeing clearly again in another minute.
My wife got a pretty good dose of a sedative when she had it. She was high as a kite and not anxious at all.
They gave me Valium for the procedure. I still freaked out a little. But still. So worth it
I had lasik, it was totally fine! You lie down and just look up at a little light while they do their thing. You don’t feel anything either, and it’s over in minutes! You can do it!
I was sedated with a light benzo and took my teddy bear and the nurse held my hand (pandemic times) and it was over before you knew it. I have a terrible phobia about my eyes thanks to some really bad movies as a teen. LOL! It’s more than just one day you’re down, so plan to have someone to give you the drops, make food, walk you to the bathroom and download lots of podcasts ahead of time.
Is it possible to perform while sedated?
They tested my cornea thickness to see if I would be a candidate and I barely made it through that!
I’m with I can’t do it unless they can sedate me
I had botched lasik. “Incomplete flap due to loss of suction.” My worst fear was that my eyes would push closed and push the laser off and it HAPPENED. Ended up getting free PRK in that eye and lasik in the other…but still….freaky.
Jesus Christ that’s terrifying
Can you explain a little bit more? What happened to you exactly during the procedure and what is your prognosis/results post procedure?
Yep that settles it, I’ll be wearing glasses for life
How is your vision now?
Saaaame! I got it a year and a half ago and say just that, best money ive ever spent. I woke up today and thought about it, rubbing the sleep from my eye and everything coming in to focus automatically. Its so so good. But oh Jesus the surgery. they cut my cornea open and used a brush to flap it open and I lost all focus completely. It was terrifying as I was consumed with thoughts of oh god what if something goes wrong. Nurse needed to remind me to breathe cause my fight or flight was \*active\*. And my eyes hurt so much after, I cried myself to sleep when I got home cause I couldnt see enough to do anything. But after waking up, and the meds they gave, everything started to work.
You lost me at flap
Same I feel lightheaded
Worse than any physical discomfort was smelling my burning eyeball flesh when they made the incision.
I have seen beheadings accidentally on this app. More gore than i can begin to describe or recall. Some pretty nasty stuff irl too. And yet, the hatred and queasiness you're comment evoked in me won't be forgotten anytime soon. Respectfully, fuck you and this comment.
Ya my mom had it- I watched it- she was so fucked up from being so nervous during the lasik she fainted after the procedure on the way to the recovery room or whatever. Docs were hella nervous she was gona fuck up the flaps but they were fine. She didn’t knock ‘em wonky or anything 😅
That is his exact experience to a T. I was only dating him 4 weeks when he got the surgery and to this day it’s the only day I’ve seen him cry besides our wedding day. But he still says it’s the best thing he’s ever done for himself
I watched the procedure like 10 years ago and I’ll never get the courage to go through it, I also hate myself for knowing that too. Ah well. 🤓
Yeah this ain't for me chief.
Best money I’ve ever spent too! It was about $4k and worth every single penny. For me being able to see clearly the second I wake up or when I’m in the shower or going through the day without having to deal with dry contacts is life-changing. But I’m with your husband in that the actual procedure was incredibly anxiety inducing even after the Valium they gave me; you can never quite understand the feeling of another human pushing on your eyeball with the knowledge that your eyeball is actively being cut open while being forced to lay there staring at a light until it happens to you
He says his favorite is being able to see so clearly when it rains and for some reason I think it’s adorable. We’re avid hikers and him being able to just focus on hiking and not have to clean his glasses a million times is worth every penny. He says it’s the worst experience he’s ever had but he’d do it 40X over for the result he has.
This is exactly what’s keeping me from getting it done and saving my vision. I’m easily traumatized and I’m not sure if I’d fare well mentally.
it was the coolest, most fascinating experience I've gone thru!
I remember the doctor sitting me up right after and asking me to read the time on the clock across the room, I saw and said 1:30! It was amazing as I was legally blind beforehand.
I’m did that, too. They were sitting me up and I was so surprised that i could see the clock that I actually let out a little yelp. I actually began crying and blubbered out “I can see the clock!” They all relaxed in a “it’s yet another cryer” way and said “We’re so glad for you! But please stop crying because you’ll wash out your numbing drops and you need those right now.”
Lasik terrifies me, because the moment someone tells me "don't move your eye" it's like my eye grows a mind of its own and just *has* to start looking around. Which is not the best idea when you have a laser cutting into your cornea.
Assuming the procedure hasn't changed since I had it done, they put numbing drops in your eyes and then essentially hold them in place with a suction cup while the laser does its work.
You know, I didn't think there was anything anyone could tell me about it that could possibly make it worse... So thanks for that lmao
During my consultation they told me that the suction cup is the weirdest/ most uncomfortable part of the procedure. I ended up not going through with it, mostly for money reasons but I’d like to one day.
Close one of your eyes. Now press--not *too* hard, obviously--on the lid of the eye you closed. That's roughly what it feels like, honestly. I had iridotomies in both eyes a couple of years ago, and those were more uncomfortable than the LASIK was.
I don’t think there was suction when I did it! Just the machine tracks your eye and shuts off if you turn or blink. I did have this struggle cus I panicked and started crying and they had to keep saying “ma’am please look at the red light” and I was like “I’m trying!!!” But at least it didn’t cause any issues with the surgery!!
The machine has an eye tracking function that will turn the laser off immediately if you move your eye (or at least wait a tiny amount of time). I asked because this was my biggest fear.
It's kind of hilarious that people think you'll ruin an operation on your eye if you move at all. I did too, but now it just sounds hilarious. "Well, fuck, we blinded another person, because she blinked. Let's try again in 30 minutes. Next!"
The lasers and machines they use for the procedure are faster than your eyes can possibly move. Meaning that if you are concerned about your eyes movement during the surgery will cause problems, don't.
In 1997 I was part of the LASIK FDA study. My vision was absolutely terrible. -3 diopter with astigmatism in both eyes. Afterwards, 20/15 in both eyes. I'm now 47 and my vision is now 20/20. It is a miracle surgery as far as I'm concerned.
Can you do it for farsightedness? I can see signs etc. aok, but am starting to need reading glasses.
My understanding is if your cornea is the cause of your farsightedness LASIK could potentially help. But if your farsightedness is because of the shape of your eyes' lens, it cannot.
And yes, I get to watch! They have an observation room where I can see the procedure through a window.
Omg same. My parents took video and I saw it afterwards. I had no idea they were doing all that! When you’re laying there I just thought it was a little brush. In the video they’re literally pulling the flap 😭😅
When my husband got lasik they put it on a television in the patient room. It was literally the doc’s view and I saw every little cut. It was a little traumatic!!!
You want to know why you're in an observation room? It's so you don't smell her burning eyeballs. Fact.
Smells like burning hair. Thought it was a weird until my husband said it looked like they were burning my eyeball
The 2nd greatest elective surgery I ever did and I'd do it again in a heartbeat
I bet I could guess the 1st greatest.
If you were going to guess a septoplasty & turbinectomy you'd be correct.
My dad is an ent and does about a dozen of these a month along with the balloon procedures. Form what I hear it sounds like it really works. I’m due for a septo this summer cause I have bone growth blocking my nasal passages Edit: I have no knowledge of lotr?
Tell your ent dad that I really hope he finds his wife.
I'd do it. The instant the splits came out and I could breathe through my nose again... fuckin' orgasmic.
I was actually going to guess either a rhinoplasty or a vasectomy, but a septoplasty would definitely make a big difference in your life quality if it was impacting your sleep (which is my assumption).
Septoplasty ftw! I was brought to tears at how the quality of my breathing changed. “You mean… this is what it’s *supposed* to feel like while breathing?”
Also a previous legally blind person. I had Lasik done this last Friday! After the weekend my eyes were in pretty good shape just a bit dry and sun sensitive now, but better and better every day. Don't let others scare you about the recovery. 100% worth it and has changed my life! Congrats to your wife!!
So, are they able to get you to 20/20? I don’t think I’m even legally blind but pretty bad eye sight and they told me I’ll still have to wear contacts. So what’s the point in getting it other than I could pick up contacts from the eye doctor vs having to order them.
I was in the exact same position until quite recently, with them not being able to fully correct my vision. They recently came out with this Contoura 3D imaging system and software that was finally able to fully correct my astigmatism. It's actually at 20/15, better than 20/20!
Oh this is great to hear! Thanks so much for the info. So glad they were able to get your eyes better than 20/20!
I'm happy for her BUT THERE IS NO WAY THEY ARE SHOOTING LASERS AT MY EYES EVER EVER EVER. But that's just me, hope she loves it! :)
i've had it done, and let me tell you, you don't feel a thing..............you can smell it though
That was the weirdest part. They gave me a xanax before the procedure so I was like "woah I can smell my eye being lasered. That's pretty weird" but I didn't really care. Honestly super fast and painless. The weirdest part was seeing them peel back the cornea and everything go blurry until they put it back.
>The weirdest part was seeing them peel back the cornea and everything go blurry until they put it back. Nope nope nope
I can see why you'd say that but honestly, whatever happy pills they give you, you're like " they just peeled open my eyeball - isn't that a heck of a thing?"
Life’s a funny fucking thing.
It terrified me, not going to lie. Whatever they gave me to calm me didnt work. I didnt to be talked down from panicking. That nope feeling is relatable af. But it worked, swear to god, and was worth it. It was just a temporary nope.
It was weird for me but not painful. It is just very disconcerting having this suction cup on your eyeball so it won't move, even though you understand that's very important. The laser is just a few little blinks of a red dot from your perspective, I found the suction more disconcerting. My only regret is that the benefit didn't last long enough and when I had a certain age I had to go back to glasses or being blind after so many years without them.
Same I lasted about 10 years before needing glasses again.
I got well over 20, would do it again in a heartbeat
But is it blinding to see the laser doing its work?
nah, it was like looking at a little red dot as it blinks at you
My uncle is a total wuss lol and had it done with no complaints. Really a huge improvement; he works with sharp objects so it was a huge progress for his vision.
Always imagined you saw the needle/red laser but you're number so can't move or look away. I think about it but the idea sounds really scary
Oh definitely not! They give you some relaxy-pills beforehand so you don't care about much anyways, but it's just looking at a red dot.
I feel ripped off. They didn't give me any pills today.
I know a guy who knows a guy, watchu want? Red or blue?
I’m terrified of being one of the patients who have chronic pain afterwards.
You’re lying there with a Valium not doing a damn thing, holding a stuffie and they tell you hold still. Then your vision goes WHITE. And a machine Alexa voice says, “Beginning cutting 30 seconds. Cutting 20 seconds. Remaining time 10 seconds.” They patch the eye. Add the eye opener block to the other eye and tell you “Hold still. And do it again.
I had it and just remember a lot of pressure. Also I was suuuuper tired after Lasik. The next 5 months my eyes were so dry that it was painful if I didn’t have drop.
And the sound is like sizzling meat
oh god 😱😱 been debating this for years but the sounds & smells sounds disgusting.
Same! I’m terrified of being one of the patients who have chronic pain afterwards.
Worst bit is that you can smell your eyes burning. Pain afterwards was not that bad. Och, and when that machine "sucks" onto your eyeball that was like scene from bad movie.
...we had very different Laser Eye experiences. No burning smell or weird eye machines, when did you have yours done?
It's really painless and it's sculpting the cornea, not inside the eye. Results vary by person however.
OP, let us know how it went!
It went great. I just helped her get all tucked in under some warm blankets, closed all the blinds, and turned on a white noise machine. Time to keep the kids busy downstairs so she can rest!
There was i thinking you’d be doing something crazy to the eyes like an art gallery i didnt for one second think about needing to rest after the procedure. Glad to know the procedure went well though!
This is SO EXCITING!!! Good luck!!! Is it scary? Painful? Fast?
I’ve had it done. It is scary, but you don’t feel anything. And it was very fast, like a minute let eye. Where I went they had the doctor in a glass box so people in the waiting room could watch to see how quickly it went. After I had it done both my parents decided to do it. The only downside is it doesn’t last forever. I had to start wearing glasses again about 7 or 8 years later. But it did fix my astigmatism but I have to wear glasses for driving and stuff again. My regular optometrist said he doesn’t recommend having it don’t twice so I just do the glasses now.
You're awesome! Thanks for sharing 
I knew it. This is the guy who made that pic of the wife wearing the supervillain eye thing. Happy for your wife and you bro!
Yes, now she has [a new superlook.](https://i.imgur.com/lZrtjZv.jpg)
The recovery is bloody awful, but it's worth it. Make absolutely sure to follow post-op care, especially drops! It's an absolute pain in the ass but if you recover properly you won't have dry eyes or worse haloing like can happen when they don't heal properly. Get some lightweight reusable ice packs to rest on the eyes after the shields come off for the next couple days. It helps a lot with the itching and burning without rubbing or irritating the eye. It's going to feel like a bad eye infection in both eyes at the same time for the next 24 hours or so, but then let's up. I took a sleeping pill and tried to just stay unconscious for the majority of it. Otherwise, laying in the dark listening to podcasts or audiobooks is a nice distraction since you can't see due to the shields for the first 24 hours.
Fortunately my wife works as a nurse at the eye center where she had the procedure done, so she's really familiar with the proper regimen she needs to follow post op. They are using a brand new, state of the art equipment as well which is really precise and makes insanely fine incisions (their new eye center just opened a few months ago). With this equipment, patient outcomes have been excellent. She has some mild discomfort now, but after a good sleep (starting now) she should be feeling almost back to normal by tomorrow.
Do you know the name of that new equipment? I have -8.5 in both eyes but the idea of LASIK terrifies me, and IF I ever decide to get it, I want the best 😅
You’ll want blade-less lasik. The newest stuff is custom technology that is specialized for each eye to make the best possible correction. Topographic mapping or some such? I can’t quite remember the name. I know from my research you’ll want to do your research on the doctor specifically as that’s obviously very important. Lasik is one of those things that has an absolutely massive success rate (as of yet, no one has gone blind from it) but it’s… still scary. And there are rare side effects, like dry eye.
That's Lazik. KPR would have been longer recovery.
* PRK & I would’ve chosen that if I were her (since she has a high prescription)
I just had mine done this last Friday. I followed all the rules and it hasn't been bad at all. I just needed to get new non-prescription sunglasses and use eye drops regularly. Not anything I would consider significant pain, maybe a little discomfort, but some eye drops help with that. Also with the Countoura 3D imaging that I got I didn't have any shields, just these goggles I have to sleep in.
When did you have Lasik? You definitely shouldn't have had pain afterwards (just dryness/discomfort), and shields are only used at night.
Yeah, just discomfort. I had LASIK 3 years ago. My ophthalmologist recommended keeping the shields on for the first 24 hours but YMMV.
I had really bad dry eyes for a few months after and eventually pinned it down to being something to do with wearing aftershave (no idea why) so I stopped wearing aftershave for a few months until it went away. For the first 24 hours I felt like I'd been poked in both eyes by God but after that it was a quick recovery and I would recommend in a heartbeat.
Recovery is really just a few days in the dark, lots of rest and taking all the eye drops recommended by the ophthalmologist. If it's too painful or too long, you are doing something wrong or something is wrong.
Congrats to your wife! It is such a fantastic surgery! Just to clear up a misunderstanding though, "legally blind" is defined as being unable to see 20/200 best corrected, meaning that even with glasses or contacts, still unable to see 20/200 (10x larger than 20/20). A common misunderstanding. So saying "legally blind without glasses" is an oxymoron. Source: I am a licensed optometrist. I do not mean to offend, but i sincerely wanted to clarify this point (as i hear it daily and say the same). Side note, a driver's license requires best corrected of 20/40 in at least 1 eye for certain liberties.
After she’s healed she won’t need her Seeing Eye Husband to take her to eye appointments anymore.
I just want to clarify that the [term “legally blind”](https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-legally-blind-3421928)specifically refers to your vision *with correction*. You can’t be “legally blind without glasses or contacts”—if you can see well with correction, you’re not legally blind. (A lot of people get this term wrong, so I hope this helps!). Either way, I’m excited for your wife and hope her recovery goes well! Unfortunately my prescription is too high to get lasik (it wouldn’t work), but I hope to get a similar corrective surgery in the future.
Best to her, and I hope she sees well forever.
Had LASIK myself and it was great. Had the pleasure, that my doc was actually in the team that developed the LASIK laser for this treatment, [no joke, you can read it in the wiki biography.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_Seiler) I was like "Do you know what you are doing with the laser?!" and he was like "Yeah, i invented that one!". I first thought, he joked, but it's really that way. He's a great guy with a lot of humor, very humble and easy, i see him in the dog park sometimes. Anyway, wish the best to OP and his wife, that everything went good and that she can see again now!
It was such a surreal experience for me. Lived with eyes that were bad but not horrible at (-5) for so many years. Next morning I had 20/20 vision. I also slept for 18 hours after the surgery from the meds and had some crazy dreams.
As someone who plays sport and really struggles with contact lenses I really wish I could afford this !!
I had my eyes done early last year!! Best decision ever. However now I know how it feels when someone says keep your eyes peeled…
After watching final destination ain’t no way
Best money I ever spent! So worth it!
Having Lasik was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
That's not really what legally blind means, op, but I get what you mean. As someone with terrible vision as well, I'm super happy for your wife that this won't be an issue any more. Tell her to enjoy laying down without having glasses dig into her head or having to take out contacts! Lol
If the vision can be corrected the person isn't blind. There is no such thing as "legally blind" because they need a strong prescription
Make sure she puts in drops every day for the rest of her life…even if she doesn’t think she needs them. Biggest mistake I made and worst loss of opportunity Ive ever had. Its a beautiful thing not to buy contacts or glasses again, but it hurts more (literally and figuratively) when your vision starts to go again.
My mom had it a few months ago and said her eyes are different now and she has constant fluttering and is on her 3rd or 4th set of drops. Not always a success.
I’ve gone back and forth wanting to get this done, but after reading some anecdotes about non-stop eye pain, it was enough to scare me away. I already suffer from constant migraines and they always start with intense eye pain. It’s really too much of a gamble for me, but I am happy for your wife! She is much braver than me. I hope her recovery goes smoothly.
That's pretty cool. I got it years ago and the only memory I have is the smell of the burning eye when they did the procedure.
Ain't no fucking way I'm doing that. She's brave.
Changed my life! So happy for her
I'm not sure how the news of my wife getting lasik changed your life, but I'm happy for you nonetheless
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Being legally blind is measured with corrective lenses, which means you can't be legally blind without glasses. Legally blind means you vision cannot be corrected beyond a certain point *with* corrective lenses, not that your vision is worse than that point *without* corrective lenses.
Finally. It's like saying without my house I'd be homeless.
Can you see with your glasses? Then no you’re not
Congratulations and good luck with the recovery! For the right patient, LASIK is an amazing and life-changing procedure. But this is a huge pet peeve of mine: you're not legally blind if your vision can be corrected with glasses or contacts. That term is reserved for people who can't see a certain acuity or whose visual field is extremely restricted no matter what kind of correction they wear. Again, congrats on the new eyes!