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LASIK

drawndrawn Member Posts: 544 ✭
edited March 2002 in General Discussion
Well I won't be reading or writing here for a few days tomorrow I'll be under the laser. Seems I found a silver lining in a 5 year old dark cloud. During the past 5 years our unions faught for restiprosisity(sp) of our health and welfare accounts. During this time I managed to accumulate enough money in one of my 3 accounts to cover the surgery. I past all the candidate tests and with the Lords help should be able to throw away my glasses and contacts for about 20 years!!
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Comments

  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Congratulations! I had the old radial keratotomy surgery done (with tiny blades) many years ago when it was still new and it wasn't a very big deal even then. It was cool to lay back in a chair and watch the ceiling lights come into focus while they worked. Of course there was a bit of swelling at that time and I had to wait a bit to get total clarity after healing. But it held up very well and it's great to be able to see at the beach, in the shower, in the rain, and rolling in and out of bed without grabbing for the glasses. Very best of luck with it. Don't be afraid to ask the doctor if he's got the right and left eyes straight before he starts up the laser. You wouldn't want him to get the prescriptions in reverse!....
    "The 2nd Amendment is about defense, not hunting. Long live the gun shows, and reasonable access to FFLs. Join the NRA -- I'm a Life Member."
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  • mudgemudge Member Posts: 4,225 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Don't let 'em sell you that old "you won't need glasses or contacts" BS. MOST people don't need 'em....but, there are some cases that simply cannot be brought back to 20/20.Mrs. Mudge use to work for a Dr. that does the laser surgery. He told her he couldn't have a Sales Rep. wearing glasses calling on customers so he did her eyes free. Brought her from 20/400 to 20/40. Still has to wear glasses but not the "bottle bottoms" she used to wear.Good luck.....make sure you do ALL the follow-ups and don't hesitate to tell them about the least little problem.Mudge the advisor
    I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!
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  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Let's have some followup on the Lasik surgeryand your results. How much does it cost in your area?
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  • drawndrawn Member Posts: 544 ✭
    edited November -1
    I got lucky being far sighted so I don't have to decide if I want to see better close or far away. The doctor told me my eyes won't be 20/20 but she says no glasses for quite some time. I'm off to get supplies so I won't have to leave the house for a day or two, my sweetie will be out of town so I'll be on my own till Saturday. My Bio mom is taking me to the laser but can't stay very long after so it should be nice and quite around here.
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  • drawndrawn Member Posts: 544 ✭
    edited November -1
    v35 I did some extensive research and I found you get what you pay for, Some places are cheap 5-600.00 an eye but the college kids doing the operations are essentialy practicing on you and there are no followups or touchups if needed. I talked to the top 3 surgens in southernKA they were all about 1750.00 an eye so I picked the doctor I felt most comfortable with not to mention she is a she and if she weilds this laser anything like I see most women shoot I'm in good hands.
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  • badboybobbadboybob Member Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Stupid question from an old fart. What are ya'll talkin' about?I can't shoot anywhere near as good as I could 40 years ago because the sights are fuzzy. Is this an operation to fix that?
    PC=BS
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  • old single shotsold single shots Member Posts: 3,594
    edited November -1
    Sorry badboybob.There is no operation for you, me or all the other old farts.Those fuzzy sights are here to stay.Believe me,I know.
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  • changdaochangdao Member Posts: 43 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I`ve gotten a few pair of bad glasses through the years. I junk the lenses and get a new set from another doctor. What happens if you get a "bad" eye job? (Don`t listen to me; I`m a coward with a capital "C"!)
    No good deed goes unpunished
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  • sandman2234sandman2234 Member Posts: 894 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    This is Mrs. Sandman. I have been an ophthalmic technician for 16 years and have seen many changes in eyecare over that time. I have attended many classes by surgeons doing this procedure plus attended several procedures. Please don't go in thinking that you will never have to wear glasses again. The procedure is designed to make you less dependent on your glasses. It always bothers me to see a surgeon make promises that may not be realistic. I would rather you be surprised that you don't use your glasses as often, than to be disappointed that you occasionally may need corrective lenses.Keep us posted on your outcome. The procedure is a great one and many people have benefited from it.Here in Jax., FL I have heard the price ranging from $1200. - $1800. an eye.The doctor I work for now has chosen not to do the procedure. However, the one I trained with does it and has had great results. She originally did the old RK procedure and now the LASIK. Great improvement.Good luck.
    Have Gun, will travel
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  • niklasalniklasal Member Posts: 776 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I had LASIK done about 10 months ago. I had about 20/400a lso, but now my vision is 20/10. The missus got hers done a months after me, and her Rx was just as bad. Now she sees 20/20. Total cost for BOTH of us: $3,000.I was fortunate to find a good doctor out here who has completed a 2 year fellowship and has lots of experience. Originally it was $1,500 per eye, but I hagled with him a bit. It's true, don't think you will NEVER need glasses, but if you had it as bad as me, any improvement is a big one. I don't care if I can read fine print at 20 feet, but it was so bad I could't recognize a person at 10 feet.If you decide to go ahead, I can give you advice on it and what to expect. It's definetly a weird feeling having your corneas cut and you're wide awake. Doesn't hurt, it still isn't natural.On a personal note... I've noticed that my vision ISN'T quite as sharp as the first week. Still 20/20, but not sure if still 20/10. I do a lot of work on the computer and I have a sneaky suspicion it's related....
    NIKLASAL@hotmail.com
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  • gruntledgruntled Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I had it done about a year & a half ago. Paid a total of $695/eye which included a surcharge because of my prescription & insurance to cover a second surgery if I need it. I started at 20/650 & am now at about 20/30 with some small astigmatism remaining.I NEED reading glasses & I lost the ability to work with very small objects up close without my glasses. (For example there is no way I can thread a needle without glasses.)Now when I get up in the middle of the night I can read the alarm clock & I don't have to grope all over looking for my glasses when I can't find them.For me there was no feeling of pain only some slight discomfort & the stink of burning flesh very much like when a dentist drills your tooth. The big nuisance is the first week wearing the eye guard & useing the medications. There will also be some time frame before your eyesight settles in. Mine took quite a while because of my age & how bad my eyes were. This can cause a serious problem if you have to drive because your old glasses won't work & there is no point in buying new ones every few days. This can also be a problem with work so you may need to use some sick leave. Younger people with less severe eye problems told me they were OK the next day.[[This message has been edited by gruntled (edited 03-20-2002).]
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    All good advice. I wore glasses from childhood. By adulthood my vision was 20/600 nearsighted, and I went to a doctor in Glendale who trained in the Soviet Union and had been an early pioneer in the U.S. He had done a lot of procedures by the time I got there. I was maybe 35 or 36 years old. Disney's insurance covered RK, amazingly enough, so it didn't cost me a thing except maybe a deductible. I had both eyes done one at a time, then a touch up on both eyes for fine tuning. Although I was warned that I might see "starring" of lights at night and other possible side effects, I went ahead with it. They were right. It took a while for my vision to stabilize and the scars around the edges of the cornea did cause some starring of lights at night. Also, once my vision stabilized, Dr. Jensen realized he had slightly overcorrected one eye. He didn't say much but I could tell he was rather shocked. For a long time that was no problem and I did not need glasses at all for years.These days the procedure has improved and recovery is quicker. There are fewer side effects. A bad doctor can still ruin your vision with it, so be sure to get references and ask all the questions you like. It is a surgical procedure, after all. When I returned to Fort Wayne 10 years ago, there was an ophthalmologist just getting into it here who was delighted to examine me and see the work that had been done by my Dr. Jensen. Since then, as I have gotten older, he has had to provide me with reading glasses, then glasses for the computer distance. I finally went to a trifocal type smooth lens: reading/computer/faraway. We have talked about doing touch-ups with his newest laser machine (a brand new process, the machines are a million dollars apiece) because I would guess my vision, while still vastly better than it used to be when I was practically blind without glasses, is probably only about 20/50. All in all, I'm glad I did it. It's not a panacea forever, but if your vision is really bad you won't ever need coke bottles again -- unless something goes terribly wrong. If they're going to mess with your eyes, price isn't the main thing. Reputation is. And lots of experience with the equipment he or she will use on you. It can be a very simple painless process and you'll most likely be delighted with the results immediately, certainly within a day or two.
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  • drawndrawn Member Posts: 544 ✭
    edited November -1
    Damm didn't expect a dry run! Doc couldn't get my eye to dialate past 7cm so the laser wouldn't track. Going to a laser on friday that is the same laser but no need for dialation to track. zanex and welders inspection glasses for the rest of the day, I can still bearly see.
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