Have any of you had this done? Was wondering if you were happy with the results and if you would reccommend it?

i haven't, but i've known 2 people that have, and they were both completely satisfied.

I'm also interested in opinions on Lasik as I'm planning to get it done the second week of December. Am legally blind in one eye and pretty pitiful in the other one so improvement is a big step.

I can step in here and speak for my Wife who underwent this about two years ago. Short answer, the results were outstanding, far exceeding even our lofty expectations.

Teri's eyes were way, way out there - I don't recall the numbers (I've always had excellent sight, so the numbers have always been somewhat meaningless to me). She also had astigmatism. Her eyes were so far out there that when we first looked into the proceedure she was told to come back in 1-2 years because the technology wasn't there yet.

According to the doc, most eye corrections take 5-10 seconds of laser pulse. Teri's took 45 seconds for one eye and 50 seconds for the other.

I watched the entire proceedure. I don't think I have ever held my breath for so long at once, and I'm a free-diver.

The worst part according to Teri was the slicing of the iris. They fit this special mechanized cutter over you eye, and it makes a very precise incision cuting the iris from around the pupil, and you watch your vision go wacky.

The actual laser treatment was done by the doc with a joystick, aligning crosshairs on a blowup image of the eye. He hits the trigger and releases, up to the total exposure time. This was intense to watch - even more intense for Teri to sit through.

Some people would advise you to do one eye at a time. Teri would counter that and say do them both at once. Why? She says that she knows after the first proceedure she would never go back to complete the other eye, and she is even more convinced of that now that she has had it done.

In the end however, the treatment was a complete and utter success, and Teri could not be more pleased with the results. She has absolutely no night blindness (the most common problem with this proceedure). Recovery was a little slow, but heck - her eyes were seriously messed with, so that's not surprising. Even so her vision was dramatically improved immediately, and gradually got better and better over the course of the next 4-6 weeks (the doctor over-corrected in this case, since there is some sort of a rebound effect). She sees perfectly now, and doesn't miss the contacts one bit.

It's a miracle surgery, as close to perfection as the medical industry has ever been able to achieve, and worth every penny.

One more thing. If anyone would like more details, PM me and I'll put you in touch directly with Teri who can go into as much detail as you like.

Mountainwoman had it done a couple years ago. Perfect results. I had one bad eye done about 15 years ago with the diamond knife (radial keratotomy)....still perfect after all these years.

<--- HA! I just realized how funny it is for me to be posting on an eye thread

Eric...

Is your avatar before or after the laser surgery??

My wife had it done quite a few years ago. Her eyesight was so bad that we had to go to Canada to have it done since it was not approved for that strong of a correction in the US at that time. This changed a few years after she had it done, but she was very pleased to have it done by someone who has done over 5,000 of these operations.

Very successful. Because of her poor eyesight, they intentionally tried to make her 20-40. She was 20-50, so 6 months later she went in for a 5 minute correction. We made a nice vacation out of it. She was uncomfortable for the afternoon and evening of the day she had it done, but was normal the day after.

BTW, I believe that there is a big advantage to not getting your eyes corrected to 20-20 if you are reaching the age where you may need bi-focals. There may be some disagreement on this, but some people swear by it.

Also, the latest lasik machines are more precise. You may want to ask which model they have.

I had this done 5-6 years ago. I was the 120 th person in the area to have it done. At that time, the USFDA required research protocol consent, which I believe is not necessary today. I see above that GATC's wife needed to go to Canada. That is no longer necessary. As a cosmetic procedure not covered by insurance, this is a cash cow for opthalmologists, so if you know one, chances are he does this. The value of the research forms was that all the published data was unabashedly presented with outcomes. I am a proponent of knowing these. I still wanted to know all that was known at the time. You should too.

I will offer my impressions, not my recommendations. These are my thoughts, not my professional opinions.

The procedure is painless and quick, but can be anxiety producing...the lady prior to me took Valium. Do what you need to do to be calm, but do not be anything less than alert and oriented.

The critical element is finding a doctor who has done MANY WITH GREAT RESULTS, not the best marketer. PRICE IS IRRELEVANT SINCE A BAD OUTCOME IS PRICELESS. Ask patients, and especially other opthalmologists, not your yellow pages. There are now web sites tracking these kinds of info. That may be more than you need, but I suggest at least perusing them. Your vision is your only indispensable sense.

This procedure is effective for myopia (short sighted) and astigmatism (irregular lens curve) but not hyperopia (far sighted). I had the first two. I was 40. If you are over 45, your gains may be temporary since presbyopia (lens hardening) will negate some of the gains and you may need bifocals, glasses etc defeating the purpose of the surgery. The fearsome risks of blindness, infection etc are rare in experienced hands. Myopia and astigmatism actually may protect the lens and decrease risk of presbyopia, though not proven. If you are diabetic, there are added risks and concerns.

Your preop evaluation must have computerized contour diagrams of both eyes, checks for glaucoma and cataracts. There is essentially no blood loss, but if you have a bleeding disorder let the doc know.

My eyesight was -6 diopters, or worse than 20/200 in both eyes. I could only read the E on the chart, but that's because I memorized it. I knew a stop sign, because it was a big red sign not because I could read it. Unless you have BAD vision, you may want to think about the worth of this.

For a sizeable % your vision will be improved but only 20/50 or so. Do not do MONOVISION, unless your vision is bad in ONLY ONE EYE. This may be offered up, especially to the tentative, but it means doing the procedure twice, not including a third procedure tune up you may need anyway (some 15% do); and your eye and brain will adjust for some time beyond 3-6 months, after the second eye is done.
Almost all people I know who have had both eyes done together have had better results, though there may be selection bias here. But consider seeing well out of only 1 eye. Not for me. Do it right once and get it over with.

Your experience may differ. But basically, your will be strapped into a reclining chair and head stabilized by headholder. Your eye will be held open. One eye at a time is done. The keratome cutting the cornea---not your iris---will cause loss of acute vision; at first it will appear like looking out your car window in pouring rain when the hinged window flap is created by the cut, then as it is opened, then vision will go black with a pulsing red light (the laser) appearing in view. It is imperative you not move your eye even though the assistant will stabilize your eye and globe as much as possible beforehand. The computer map done in advance is programmed so that the laser spends only so much time in any one area, the assumption being that your eye position hasn't moved or is not moving! I know a lady who jerked her eye and had less than optimal results. A lawsuit was won in an other case when the computer program was of an other patient. I pretended I was in a fight simulator shooting targets. Initially this was intense, but then kind of fun. The laser lasts 20-40 secs. Any one who has played any video games can hold perfectly still for this time. The window is then closed, apparati removed, then the other eye is done. VISX used to make the best equipment and I even made a very little money on the stock. The stock tanked under patent failings and Japanese competition. But ask if this is the latest and greatest laser. Some have now self adjusting programs.

I got off the chair and went right to the vision chart and saw 20/50 with lots of glare. The vision improvement is immediate, but will get better by the next AM. I suggest a Friday afternoon procedure, so you can recover at home that night and over the weekend without affecting work and giving maximum time to rest and eyes to adjust.

You will be sent home with eye patches, steroid and antibiotic ointments, and sterile saline. DO NOT REACH UP TO RUB YOUR EYE. A surgeon here rubbed his eye after having sex that night and flipped out his cornea. (Insert your favorite surgical comment here) The corneal window will come off easily so treat your treated eyes with care. WEAR YOUR EYE PROTECTION GOGGLES TO BED AT LEAST FOR A WEEK OR TWO, USING YOUR DROPS RELIGIOUSLY. I believe by 3 weeks or so the corneal reanneals so the goggles can be dispensed with. By 6 months, the pieces are microscopically fused.

The next AM I reached for my glasses but stopped as I could read my clock's time. I looked out my bedroom window and saw our inlet's 20 mph channel marker 1/2 mile away. My vision was 20/15 and 20/25 in the office that AM. It still is today.

You will probably experience glare particularly worse at night for several months there after. This can be quite distracting and discomfiting. I suggest getting a good set of polarized sunglasses with antireflective rims on the back if you plan on any late day or night driving. Even today, I use the latest and greatest Maui Jims which cost an astronomic $150 with a 40% sale. Lens and retinal (macular) deterioration are correlated to excessive light through the pupil. I want to preserve this new found vision as long as possible. This glare should resolve over months. Took me 7 months to go all away. Your vision should not deteriorate more than minimally after the procedure. If it does, see the doc. Some people get abnormal corneal bulges , so you should at least get recheck. I had a 1 month, 3month and 6 month check up.

In the best of hands, it will be the most rewarding cosmetic surgery you ever have imo.

Mrs. TJ's sister her sister's husband both got it done a few years ago (can you believe that their health insuranbce covered it fully?). They love the results and have been trying to talk me and Mrs. TJ into it. But it's expensive. One of these days we'll do it though...

Thanks Dr. T - this is exactly the info I was hoping to see.

I have a well-respected surgeon selected for the procedure. One of my eyes is -7 so any improvement would really be a plus. I'm not worried about wearing reading glasses later due to aging because I've been wearing glasses and contacts since age 5.

TJ-
I'm surprised. This is not normally covered by most insurance plans as this procedure is considered cosmetic, just like dental veneers. Your inlaws probably have special provisions. The legality/morality of asking insurance to cover it should be questioned. And you wonder why health insurance premiums are on the rise? After all, the standard treatment for these conditions is GLASSES.

Winetex-

One other thing. Your vision should be basically stable~3 years before undergoing this procedure, for obvious reasons. By 40, my vision was changing minimally if at all year to year over the prior 8 years. In your more youthful age group, you should ensure this is true. AISI, any 20 y-o getting this are being foolish or deceived.

Dr. T - I'm hardly in the more youthful group but this is nice of you to say. The big 4-0 is coming up very soon!

Winetex... 4-0??? You appeared to be MUCH taller than that in NYC!!

Dr. T-- They were very lucky. I think their plan abolished it a year or two later. But frankly, I think it SHOULD be covereed. It is a serious quality of lif eissue. Glasses cannot get me to see 20-20 with my astigmatism. Plus, my eyes keep getting slowly weaker and weaker by using glasses. It seems to me all that glasses are doing for me is slowing down the decay of my vision and not fixing it once and for all. The insurance companies would rather pay out doctor's visits and replacement glasses fees than a one-time event of actually fixing my vioson once and for all.

To me that sounds as stupid as the health insurance companies fighting tooth and nail for wanting to NOT cover birth control pills as a part of prescription plans while at the same time freely paying for as many babies as possible.

JMHO.

Agree tj, there's little rational explanation for items covered or not. The insurance system needs overhaul. So does the way the general population thinks of health care,(though not necessarily you or any individual here per se) For instance, there are cheaper surgical versions including radial keratotomy and the new spring loading device, I forgot the name with nearly as good results.

To get premium Porsche non urgent non life saving care, I believe you need to pony up the dough, not rely on "coverage". The reason you pay $8 an aspirin is because others think health care is "free" or a "right" or some such crap and cheat the system.

In a similar vein, I find it offensive that if I need a lawyer, I have to pay for one while the scumbag sniper suspects (John Allen Muhammad here in VA Beach and Lee Boyd Malvo in Chesapeake) get two of the best in our state, funded at >$1000.00/hr by your and my and jb and lcc and Winetex and JonesW federal tax collections. Absurd.

Bastards who cheat the medical system should be smacked.

My brother had it done about 5 years ago, he too went to Canada because the computerized system that they were using was not yet approved in the US. He is very satisfied with it. He went from a 9 diopter correction (that is about 20/900 in his good eye) to 20/20 vision.

However, my doctor does not recommend it for me. As he said, if I have my vision corrected, I will need glasses to read, just the opposite of now having glasses and taking them off to read.

The bottom line is, if you have very bad vision, it is a wonderful thing as it does correct your vision. However, as you grow older, you may need it agian or start using glasses as your eyes change.