Any Advice on LASIK / Laser Eye Surgery?

Actually the last question was the most important, and he got a lot of positive answers to that one.

I think you got that mixed up with Flipper, he's the one with the automated Sonar.

 

I'm having my eyes done April 2. My wife had hers done in January. I'm having Custom Cornea done with the Alcon product. The VISX product is not the same as the Alcon product for tracking. I'm using Intra-Lase to cut the flap (more precise cut-better healing -less chance for error than using the blade). Bottom line is good corneal thickness (if they are too thin try LASEK), not too large pupils, astigmatism not to severe. The Alcon product is due to receive FDA approval for a wider range of treatments in the near future before a large vision meeting ASCARS I think.If you suffer from dry eyes before LASIK you will have it after . Plan on paying several thousand dollars for quality care. If your a geezer consider a new treatment where they replace your IOL lens and replace it with a lens with your correction in it. The upside is it will cover all three types of vision (close, mid-range, distance). A small 2 mm incision is , your cornea is left intact. Key thing is do your homework ,have several doctors offer you a solution to your problem. LASIK is not the be all end all solution a good doctor should offer different alternatives. Good luck Magoo.

 

Ken Rentiers (from the other Ferrari list) did my eyes in 2001. Best money I ever spent. Three years later I am still 20/15. Only problems I have is that my eyes will dry out at night slightly. Well worth it, but find the right doctor and have the exams before you commit. Take your time in doing your homework.

Cheers,
Erik

 

Erik,
Check out the silicone plugs for the drain ducts in the bottom eyelids. Worked great for me. Two minute procedure, can't feel them. no side effects.

 

Quite right....I have personally seen several patients who have keratoconus, ( a steep and thin corneas, that usually results in a transplant later in life...) , and it was either not diagnosed correctly, or went ahead and had LASIK....(really risky, trust me...) .
There are however, some mild cases of keratoconus that can be candidates for PRK, rather than LASIK. Case by case, however, and only trust a surgeon who has done a few, and is not afraid to say no.

hps

 

Dave, you are right....the bottom line is, that if you are not 100% comforatbel with the surgery, and accepting that it does, and always will have some risks, then don't do it. Night vision problems is the most common side effect of laser surgery lately , and every patient needs to be assessed for their level of risk of these problems, and most importantly, does the surgeon have a laser system that will allow treatment larger than your dilated pupil. Patients need to be made aware of this, and unfortunately part of this is the fault of the laser surgery industry. A good surgeon will advise patients properly, and like I said before in this thread....say "no" on occasion.
Remember, nobody sees perfectly at night...this is why the lightbulb was invented....the goal is not to make it any worse by having laser surgery.

Do your homework...

hps

(ps.....yes, I work in the Ophthalmic / Laser industry....)

 

Teak is right, these work really well, and we use them when necessary.

hps

 

GTO , colour perception is a retinal function, (back of the eye ) and other than specially tinted eyeglass lenses that can restore some ability to distinguish color, there really isn't much you can do , other than marry someone with good color perception that can help you not dress like a test pattern....

On the subject of surgeons making a second cut after messing up the first....a good recpie for disaster.
Remember, the average cornea has the thickness of a credit card, so there is not a lot of room for second guessing.
Charachter and experience are everything. No matter how good the equipment, it is ony as good as the person using it. Much like Ferraris....anybody can buy one, but fewer can use them properly.

hps

 

Im bumping this thread to the top as my wife is about to undergo PRK surgery on Thursday.Can anyone tell me more of PRK.Apparently her cornea? isnt thick enough for LASIK.

Joe

 

I'm not sure of the acronyms, but after repeated pre-surgical exams by my eye dr., on the day of the actual "procedure," the operating doc took one look and said he was going to use a different technique, because of the thinness of corneal tissue in one eye. Thought it was referred to as "lasek" rather than "lasik," actual procedure seemed to take a minute or two for each eye, but the healing process was much slowerthan with Lasik. (Apparently, the corneal tissue is abraided rather than sliced into, so it heals more slowly). While others (who did the Lasik treatment) appearing the next morning for their post-op check could remove the eye shields and get away with sunglasses, and actually see, i was still too photophobic-light sensitive, and required a solid 48-72 hours before the scratchiness, tearing and blurring subsided.(I took pain killers, slept and listened to right-wing talk radio- it was actually an enjoyable weekend).
After that, my vision continued to improve for weeks and there were no noticeable side effects. This was about 14 months ago. I had checked beforehand with my wife's uncle, who is a well-known eye guy at Wills in Phila. He knew the surgeon who worked on me in NY and highly recommended him, and had nothing negative to say about the procedure.

 

Thanks.Should I stay home with her or just go to work and let her sleep?

Joe

 

She won't be able to drive, cause she won't be able to see real well. You'll need to make provisions to get her home from the doc's. Once comfortably resituated at home, with all the necessities, she probably won't need you, so....

 

I had my eyes done about 5 years ago and I absolutely love it. I would highly recommend the procedure.

 

My mom did it she loves it

 

Hi ;

PRK is a good option , if there is not sufficient corneal thickness to perform LASIK properly.
Lasik involves a surgeon creating a flap on the cornea, and by making that flap, the cornea is already made thinner...then , depending on the patient's prescription, corneal tissue is removed by the laser as it reshapes it. The more near of far sighted the patient, is, the more tissue is removed. The goal is to have a sufficiently thick cornea to correct the entire prescription, treat larger than the pupil, (so as not to affect the patient's night vision quality..), and most importantly, not leave the cornea too thin. This will result in what is known as ectasia, or a bulging cornea, as the internal pressure in the eye, causes a thin cornea to bulge...not a good thing. In cases such as these , PRK, which uses the exact same laser as LASIK, but does not involve making a flap, is a good option. Rather than create a flap, the surgeon removes only the cornea's epithelium..(the thin, skin-like outer layer of the cornea, that re-generates constantly...much like your skin...) The outer cornea's layer will grow back, or heal after 3 -5 days, and a protective contact lens is worn until the cornea is healed. This means a slightly uncomforatble patient, longer healing, and not great vision until the lenses are removed. A good analogy is like going to Florida, you can fly, or drive....either way you will get there. Remember, flaps do not correct vision, lasers do...and the laser is not used any differently for either PRK or LASIK. The outcome is typically the same. The option of PRK will leave her with the peace of mind that if she needs an enhancement, she will most likely be able to have one....As far as "LASEK" is concerned....this is sort of a cross between PRK and LASIK, where rather than a traditional flap being created, the surgeon rolls back a very thin flap, and again uses a contact lens to allow healing.....it takes about as long to recover from LASEK as PRK....it would be up to the surgeon to use whatever technique he / she feels comfortable with. At my facility in Toronto, we have done a few LASEK cases, but find the the PRK method is easier to manage post operatively. Either way, if the surgeon has recommended not doing LASIK, you are dealing with a good , cautious surgeon who is more concerned with the patient's well being, than volume or money....you have chosen wisely.
When a surgeon opts to "try" lasik, knowing the cornea is thinner than what is needed..that is when problems occur, such as poor night vision, under-corrected patients, still needing glasses, ectasia etc. Never accept compromises when it comes to your eyes.......it just is not worth it.

Take care of her....make sure she takes her eye drops, and keeps her hands away form her eyes....she should feel OK physically, but she may have some sensitive eyes for a few days.....this will pass, and she should do just fine.

Cheers !!
hps

 

Are you awake when the doc slices your eye? Creeppyyy! But I'll probally get it done sometime ahead.

 

Technically, yes, you are awake. The eyes are anaesthitzed with topical eyedrops, completely numbing the eye, and in most cases the patient is offered a mild sedative, or valium. Although it is popular to describe laser eye surgery as "painless", there are many sensations felt during the procedure. While "pain" is not one if them, it can be a bit uncomfortable.
If you have ever seen "A Clockwork Orange", you will know what a lid speculum is.....
Patients feel, pressure for a few seconds, but pain is not common. As long as the surgeon uses plent of drops, and makes sure you are as comfortable as possible, then it is better than going to the dentist, but worse than having your photo taken.....

hps.

 

Thanks for the replies.It was very interesting as I got to watch the entire surgery on the TV.It was over in about 15 minutes.She could actually see me right away but now is suffering from some discomfort.They told her it could take up to 72 hours to heal.(I guess for the tissue to grow back) She said it feels as if someone is squeezing a lemon in her eye.Ouch.I just keep reminding her that it will be over soon.Once again thanks for all the info.Tomorrow morning we go in for post op.

Joe