LASIK and Shooting -- My Experience

[DragonRider]

Every year I keep asking my Eye doc. And I keep comming to the same conclusion. With out my glasses I can still shoot COM up to 15 yards. Over that its a little harder. Glasses to me are all the time eye pro and my regular glasses have been very helpful in the situation.

To me eyepro trumps the pain of wearing them. My wife had lasik done on one eye and loves it.

John

 

[loki.fish]

Just another opinion on LASIK. I had it done to one eye back in around 2000-2001. Within the past 6 months or so I've noticed my sight in that eye has diminished. After asking around, I had heard from a few other people that had it a year or so before me and they said it only lasted like 5 years. This is just what I've heard, and have lived myself. After my LASIK, the eye that got it was 20/15. 3 months ago my vision was 20/40. I'm sure it's cheaper now, but when I got it done it costed me just under $2000 for only 1 eye. I've been hesitant to spend the money for another one, just to have it only last 5 years and my vision go back to being crap.

 

[wally]

Anybody here gone the "optimize one eye for distance and the other for close up" route, either with contacts or surgery?

Its called "monovision correction", your brain has to adapt to switching dominant eye with distance. When it works its great, when it doesn't its really bad.

Left eye for me is fine but presbyoptia means I need cheaters. Unfortunately my right eye has developed an astigmatism and is pretty useless now. I've a pair of reading glasses that correct both eyes for near but they distort when not looking thru the "sweet spot" which annoys me greatly so I only use them when I need maximum detail close up, using the cheap off the shelf +1.25 to +1.5 cheaters for computer work and most near things. I've a pair of +1.5 bifocal safety glasses/cheaters/sunglasses from Duluth Trading Co that work great at the range if I tilt my head back a bit.

BTW, I had a friend who had lasik, only he had each eye corrected for different distance. Messed him all up. He hates it.

That's why I'm going to try nothing in the left eye and a contact for near vison correction in the right eye first!

I've a cheap (free, part of the exam covered by insurance) soft contact that corrects near vision but does not correct the astigmatism. This is to see if I can wear the contacts and adapt to monovison. So far so good, but I've trouble getting them in and out. Was very nice to read small print close up without my cheaters. I'm too busy at work next week to mess with new glasses or contacts so I've put the trial on hold until the week before Xmas I'll be much less busy then and can give it a real try. I've an appointment with the eye doc Dec 28 and if I can handle the contacts he'll adjust the correction and I'll get one that fixes the astigmatism too.

Very timely thread for me! If I can't handle the monovision, I'll probably get the surgery to fix only the right eye astigmatism and continue to use cheaters for close up work.

--wally.

 

[44Brent]

www.usaeyes.info
www.lasikfraud.com
www.thelasikreport.com
www.lasikinfocenter.net

 

[Gifted]

I looked at PRK in the AF. Lasik is still not accepted, as they have concerns about the flap coming off, and then the fact that I have really bad nearsightedness with some astigmatism. I'm over seven diopters, which would translate to about 20/2500 using the other system, if they bothered to use it where I am. I haven't done it yet, as I've not bothered to sit down and do some of the research I want to.

I look at it as more of a preparedness thing. Think about it, if something big happens, you can't just go to the Wally World(family joke for Wal-Mart) eye care center and get new glasses if they break, or new contacts when they wear out. Thing is, the risks, and I'm concerned about having to go back in years later for corrections when there aren't any facilities to go to.

I've heard some about other, nonsurgical methods. Biggest one appears on KMOX every once in a while, where they ask you to call in for a video to watch. I don't think the video itself is the trick, but an intro. Excersising your eye is what it seems.

Anyway, I figured I'd do some research on something like that too, then talk to a doctor about the best way, which may combine surgury and some other methods.

 

[wooderson]

Does anyone know of a neutral place to go for doctor evaluations and recommendations? A 'Consumer Reports' of eye surgery, you know?

 

[Kingcreek]

Good thread, great info.
I have been struggling with this issue. I have 2 friends that had the procedures. one hunting and shooting buddy says its the best thing he ever did for himself.
the other guy had something go horribly wrong with his dominant right eye 2 years after the lasix (in a state with a 2 year statute of limitations) and has uncorrectable and permament vision problems. says he wishes he'd never heard of it.
I'm 50 years old and I don't know the numbers, but I can't see squat without my glasses, but I see very well with my glasses. excellent night vision, too. I shoot sporting clays and skeet, shoot rifles and handguns well, and hunt alot, especially archery.
My optomitrist is a family friend, and I've known him all my life, hunted and shot with him too. He advises against it for me at this time, because of the risks and possible longterm ramifications. He tells me I have unusually good visual accuity with correction.
I would love to ditch the glasses but only if I knew I could see as well as I do now, and not have problems down the road.

 

[Jam]

I had cateract surgery in my 30s i am now 43 i had new lenses in both eyes now i cant see nothing far i need glasses all the time 1 eye is worse then the other and i have stigmatizams in both i was thinking about lasik has to be better then glasses every year my wife had it she had really bad and really thick glasses for many years and she has perfect vision now 5000 later next year i am gonna look into it

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I'm getting it done Friday. I'm nervous about having someone mess with my eyes but everyone I've talked to says it's great. I'm -4.0 with slight astigmatism in my right eye, -2.75 in my left.
My optometrist says nearsighted people will usually need reading glasses when they are 50 years old or so where they wouldn't without the surgery because it changes the focal point in your eye to the correct place.

 

[carebear]

Another pleased customer.

I wish I had done it a lot sooner.

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

Had a chance to get LASIK about ten years ago, but the night before the procedure the doctor gave me all kinds of papers to sign totally relieving him of liability if the procedure went wrong and caused blindness. When I read that, I handed the papers back to him and said no thanks. I'll just keep wearing glasses.

Now this is an interesting thread! I am nearsighted with astigmatism. I can focus like a magnifying glass up real close without glasses, but no distance vision at all. I'd like to hear what other guys in their 50's experience is.

That's me exactly. Before I switched to progressive lens glasses (the modern form of bifocals), I would see distances with the glasses, and read by looking under my glasses, or else read by pushing my glasses to the end of my nose and looking through them. By the way, many people can do this and don't know it. Try pushing your regular glasses out to the tip of your nose. They become like reading glasses.

 

[Grampa]

Hey Remander!

Well, how'd it go?

 

[sixgunner455]

I've thought about getting LASIK done a couple of times, but chickened out because I don't want someone cutting my eyes.

I wore rigid gas-perm contacts for my near-sightedness w/astigmatism for...14 years or so. Glasses before that. I remember getting glasses, but not how old I was.

In December, my optometrist encouraged me to try some new version of Toric soft contacts. "They're what I wear", he says. I'd tried some others about 5 years ago, and didn't like them. Didn't correct as well as the RGPs I wore.

These work very well. I can sleep in them. Dust doesn't bother me like it did with the RGPs, and they're more comfortable.

I don't even think about having surgery now. It's like not wearing anything, except having to change them once a month.

 

[ozwyn]

Had it done back in 2000, and I love it. I should probably get my eye re-checked again just to make sure after all these years everything is 100%, but so far for just about everything it has been GREAT.

probably one of the top 2-3 investments in my lifetime.

 

[30Cal]

I had it done 3 years ago. I had halos at night for about 3 months after. It was probably the best money I ever spent.

I was -4.5 left and -2.0 right. Now I'm 20/20 at the worst time of the day, 20/10'ish first thing in the morning.

Ty

 

[Outlaw Man]

I'm glad this thread got bumped. It's been a good read.

I'm -7.5 and -8.5 with astigmatism in both eyes. I've been considering LASIK or PRK for a few years now, but I keep buying too many guns to afford it.

 

[svtruth]

Never had LASIK, but

learned in an older thread here that if I wear my drugstore reading glasses, I'll be able to see the front sight. It worked for this 59 yo's presbyopic eyes.
Good luck.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

My update

It's been a month and a half since mine were done. I was -4.00 in my right eye with a slight astigmatism, and -3.00 in my left eye. I was very apprehensive about someone "cutting on my eyes" but it's not like they do it with a scalpel these days. They do a comprehensive eye mapping scan first with some very expensive looking equipment. Then a small half moon cut is made around the edge of the cornea with a laser (your eyes are totally numb at this point and you have been given a valium to relax), the newly made flap is folded back, and the laser removes a small amount of cornea underneath to bring the focal point of your vision to the back of your eye. That part takes about 10 seconds per eye. The laser tracks small movements in your eye and makes corrections about 1000 times a second (If you move too much it shuts off and they tell you to focus back on the dot. It looks like a laser sight dot ). Afterwards the flap is folded back over and natural hydrostatic pressure holds it on (they give you goggles to wear for the first few days and say DO NOT rub your eyes).

I had a checkup yesterday and tested 20/20 (I was legally blind before without my glasses or contacts). My vision still fluctuates a little but I think that's mostly due to eyes being a little dry at times and the healing is supposed to take around 4-6 months to fully heal. My gf's vision was about the same as mine and she had it done a couple years ago and was seeing 20/15 after 6 months.

I see a little bit of "starbursts" with headlights at night but I did with glasses and contacts also. That's normal for the first 6 months or so I've heard.
Right after the surgery you are supposed to feel some mild irritation (and go to sleep for 8 hours when you get home). I felt like I had been peppersprayed and my eyes wouldn't stop watering. The doc prescribed some eye numbing drops and vicodin. I was fine when I woke up the next day. That was the only discomfort and he said that's the first time it's caused that much irritation after surgery.

It still feels weird going to bed without having to take out contacts or glasses, and waking up and being able to see. I'm glad I did it. $4200 (includes all pre/post op stuff and a year of checkups).

 

[ozwyn]

One thing to remember if it cost you that much _ talk to an accountant on a possible tax deduction.

When I had mine done it was not covered by insurance and was expensive enough to write it off my taxes.... just something to think about.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

When I had mine done it was not covered by insurance and was expensive enough to write it off my taxes.... just something to think about.

Woah! I may owe you a frosty beverage! Our medical insurance doesn't include vision and I'm about to do my taxes. That would be a honey of a deduction.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Well, I'll chime in, although somewhat prematurely.

I went under the knife, so to speak, for my eyes about 2 weeks ago. I did PRK, not LASIK, so my vision is still healing. However, the improvement is amazing. I'll try to remember to post again when things have stabilized.

Anyway, lately I had been thinking seriously about getting it done for a variety of reasons. I'd been putting it off for years due to a number of the concerns listed above, but I decided that I wasn't getting any younger, so I might as well do it now.

Here's my brief story. Upon deciding to seriously investigate it, I asked everyone I knew who did it and knew people that did it if they were happy with it and where they got it done. Then I set out to make some appointments. Just about everyone who does LASIK will give you a free screening. I recommend doing a couple of these.

The first doctor I went to was an eye surgeon and the head of the opthamology department at one of the larger hospitals in the area. He did a few of the scans, looked at my eyes and said he didn't think I was a candidate for LASIK due to a combination of thinner corneas and the shape of my left eye could result in a higher risk of complications. He said he could fix my eyes using PRK, which is another method that is similar, but doesn't use the flap like LASIK. The catch is that it takes longer for your vision to stabilize and is actually quite uncomfortable for the first few days Plus, you're out of service for a few more days.

The second place I went to was a outfit that specialized in LASIK. Then did the same scans and the doctor there told me a I was a perfect candidate for LASIK. I was then shuffled off to a scheduler who told me about their great deal they were having until the end of the year.

So, I went to a third place. This time I went to the eye center of a local research hospital. They did an even more exhaustive exam than the first two and reached the same conclusion as the first doctor. I was not a candidate for LASIK, however, I could get get PRK done.

In the end, I got PRK done. 5 days after the surgery, I had gone from an uncorrected 20/400 to about 20/25. However, it takes from a month to 3 months for everything to settle out. I'm not quite two weeks in, so we're still waiting.

I can give people specific PRK tips if anyone is interested, but since it is so much less common, I'll leave it until my report unless someone wants to hear.

So, in the end, my advice is to go to several places to get screened and try to go to places that don't primarily rely on LASIK as the primary source of income.

Also, if you company has a Flexible Spending Account/Cafeteria Plan, you can put money for LASIK/PRK in it pre-tax. Ask your benefits person about it. That saved me several hundred dollars since I didn't have to pay tax on the money I used. Frankly, if you have any recurring or expected medical expenses, you should look into it.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

And I do believe that it could be accelerated by correcting your vision. I think that correcting your vision brought out the prespyopia that was present, but not noticed when your vision was set for nearsightedness.

This is quite interesting.
I still have 20/10 vision, but the readers are a must at almost 51 years old. I generally use 1.25s but the 1.50s are getting more and more needed, especially in darker areas. I'm told that I should have needed them soon after 40, and I'm quite lucky to have never needed readers until 47. I recently had a visit to my Opthalmologist who gave me a clean bill of health, but I found that my vision seemed to have gotten worse after the visit. (Drops and all that crap they do to you) Probably coincidence, but the 1.50s are needed much more than before the visit. 1.25s are OK for the keyboard, 1.50s needed to read a menu at a restaurant.

Guess there's not much in the way of surgery for me. Not having to wear glasses all my life, I hate readers. Seem to leave them everywhere except where I want them. So far, though, I don't need them for shooting.

 

[Greek]

I'm 59 and considering Lasik

I'm 59 (will be 60 in a few months and I have -7.5 in one eye and -7.25 in the other with astigmatism in both (90 and 87). I'm afriad that my right eye may have the beginning of a cataracht (things not as clear). Anyone get this done with similar eye conditions?

 

[hqmhqm]

It's really weird that they never mention with LASIK that the surgery does nothing to improve the eye's accomodation (ability to squash from near focus to far focus). So adjusting the lens to be focussed perfectly at infinity might make your close up vision worse.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Greek, if you are getting cataracts, they may replace your lens. That lens can correct for refractive errors. I would go get LASIK screenings at some doctors not at LASIK clinics and see what they have to see. LASIK can make it more difficult to calculate the type of lens for you.

It's really weird that they never mention with LASIK that the surgery does nothing to improve the eye's accomodation (ability to squash from near focus to far focus).

Where did you get this idea? Every doctor I talked to and almost every website I found mentions this. They pretty much all explain that you'll probably need reading glasses as you age, just like you would if you had no refractive errors.

If it makes your near vision worse, it would likely be because you had a refractive error that made up for the lack of accommodation.