LASIK and Shooting -- My Experience
- Thread starter Grampa
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The more the merrier, had it friday...
The more the merrier, had it friday...
24 hours later I was seeing about 20/25.
48 hours later I took a 12 hour CCW course.
It was outdoors, I would not have done it at an indoor range that soon.
I had discomfort during the procedure when they propped my eyes open and used the suction device, but aside from that it was quick and easy. The results are amazing. I'm seeing at least 20/20 now, if not better. It varies some though, so it is obvious I'm still healing. The actual procedure took about 5-7 minutes. They put drops in, patched the opposite eye, slid plastic pieces under my eyelids, popped in the speculum (in my eye, duh), used the suction thingie, then when he cut the flap it looked like he used a butterknife to spread vaseline across my eye. 19 seconds of laser, flip the flap back over, tuck it in, more drops, then head to the next eye. Lather, rinse, repeat. Then they sent me right home with clear shields taped over my eyes for a 4 hour nap.
Oh yeah, the stats: 32 years old, -1.75+, astigmatism, wore glasses since age 13 or so. I went with "CustomVue", one of the many customized versions available that involve a more detailed map of the eye that is input into the laser.
Highly recommended.
gp911
The more the merrier, had it friday...
24 hours later I was seeing about 20/25.
48 hours later I took a 12 hour CCW course.
It was outdoors, I would not have done it at an indoor range that soon.
I had discomfort during the procedure when they propped my eyes open and used the suction device, but aside from that it was quick and easy. The results are amazing. I'm seeing at least 20/20 now, if not better. It varies some though, so it is obvious I'm still healing. The actual procedure took about 5-7 minutes. They put drops in, patched the opposite eye, slid plastic pieces under my eyelids, popped in the speculum (in my eye, duh), used the suction thingie, then when he cut the flap it looked like he used a butterknife to spread vaseline across my eye. 19 seconds of laser, flip the flap back over, tuck it in, more drops, then head to the next eye. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Then they sent me right home with clear shields taped over my eyes for a 4 hour nap.Oh yeah, the stats: 32 years old, -1.75+, astigmatism, wore glasses since age 13 or so. I went with "CustomVue", one of the many customized versions available that involve a more detailed map of the eye that is input into the laser.
Highly recommended.
gp911
glockman19
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gp911,
Congrats.
Congrats.
Im 38 years young, and I just got Lasik 3 days ago. I've been wearing glasses since I was 11 or 12. My vision is on top now with 20/20. I had some conserns but I was very excited. I always thought i looked a little dorky :B. In the process of getting surgery, it was alot of pressure. And then I was done. It's pretty simple to do. But the thought of someone shaping your eyeball isn't, I should have gotten a little more conserned more than I was. I was just very exquisit. Vison is something thats very dependable.
As for you, JesseJames:
Quote:
I've thought about getting that surgery myself but stories of the negative aftereffects instilled some serious doubts.
That is true, Lasik really is a choice if you need it AND if you want it.
-Tuesday, August 7, 2007
-amprecon's daughter (shh)
and I just got Lasik 3 days ago. I've been wearing glasses since I was 11 or 12. My vision is on top now with 20/20. I had some conserns but I was very excited. I always thought i looked a little dorky :B. In the process of getting surgery, it was alot of pressure. And then I was done. It's pretty simple to do. But the thought of someone shaping your eyeball isn't, I should have gotten a little more conserned more than I was. I was just very exquisit. Vison is something thats very dependable.As for you, JesseJames:
Quote:
I've thought about getting that surgery myself but stories of the negative aftereffects instilled some serious doubts.
That is true, Lasik really is a choice if you need it AND if you want it.
-Tuesday, August 7, 2007
-amprecon's daughter (shh)
Lasik
I too suffer with glasses, contacts, misplacing, rain, fog, swimming. Does this list seem familiar from an early age.
Several years ago a tool spring broke striking me in the r eye. Did that hurt.
Cut the Cornea, and for awhile; plum dang miserable.
Find out later Cornea cut in two places
Find out later; durn near did what Lasik could. 20-25 right eye, now
Not a candidate for further treatment.
Being able to see the Target, Sights WOwW. Am I happy.
I can only begin to say how good it is.
Only to add: this is one of the BEST threads I've followed.
Thanks
I too suffer with glasses, contacts, misplacing, rain, fog, swimming. Does this list seem familiar from an early age.
Several years ago a tool spring broke striking me in the r eye. Did that hurt.
Cut the Cornea, and for awhile; plum dang miserable.
Find out later Cornea cut in two places
Find out later; durn near did what Lasik could. 20-25 right eye, now
Not a candidate for further treatment.
Being able to see the Target, Sights WOwW. Am I happy.
I can only begin to say how good it is.
Only to add: this is one of the BEST threads I've followed.
Thanks
Devonai
Member
One year ago, on the first page of this thread, I wrote this:
I am very happy to report that over the last year this glare has become greatly reduced. I don't think it will ever go away entirely, but under most conditions I don't notice it anymore.
I am very happy to report that over the last year this glare has become greatly reduced. I don't think it will ever go away entirely, but under most conditions I don't notice it anymore.
the morning after
well, i had lasik (the expensive wave thing one) yesterday. not a pleasant experience. they said out of 15,000 patents, I won the award for the tightest squeezer. (trying to keep my eyes open was an adventure)
but this morning, i can make out individual bricks in the houses across the street (from inside my house). i can see blades of grass in my front lawn. my close-up vision is still a little wacky. i'm finding it very difficult to read my pc screen. but i assume this will improve.
i havent peered through my NM sights yet, but that's high on my list of things to do this afternoon.
well, i had lasik (the expensive wave thing one) yesterday. not a pleasant experience. they said out of 15,000 patents, I won the award for the tightest squeezer. (trying to keep my eyes open was an adventure)
but this morning, i can make out individual bricks in the houses across the street (from inside my house). i can see blades of grass in my front lawn. my close-up vision is still a little wacky. i'm finding it very difficult to read my pc screen. but i assume this will improve.
i havent peered through my NM sights yet, but that's high on my list of things to do this afternoon.
If you are older than about 40 and were nearsighted before, you may find that your reading vision is a little worse now. My consent form said because I was over 40 I would need reading glasses after the surgery, but so far I do not.
But lots of healing and changes happen in the first days and weeks after the surgery. Your close vision may be much better in just a short time. Patience, and good luck!
glockman19
Member
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taliv,
Congrats.
Congrats.
wally
Member
If you are over 40 and don't need reading glasses, you will eventually, I was on the upper end of the curve and made it to 50, but now I've developed bad astigmatism in the right eye so lasik is in my future.
Tried a contact in my right eye to fix the astigmatism and it worked pretty well but I can't stand putting the lens in and taking it out. Also doesn't stay put with fast eye movements giving short periods of very bad vision until it rotates back where it belongs.
I don't have enough accomadation range for monovision to work. Tried a contact in my right eye to fix the astigmatism and give near vision but when strong enought to read the computer screen I have a "dead zone" about 5-8' away where neither eye sees clearly
--wally.
Tried a contact in my right eye to fix the astigmatism and it worked pretty well but I can't stand putting the lens in and taking it out. Also doesn't stay put with fast eye movements giving short periods of very bad vision until it rotates back where it belongs.
I don't have enough accomadation range for monovision to work. Tried a contact in my right eye to fix the astigmatism and give near vision but when strong enought to read the computer screen I have a "dead zone" about 5-8' away where neither eye sees clearly
--wally.
glockman19
Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,700
It's one of the tests they perform to see if you are a candidate.
Has anyone here had lasik eye surgery? I have been researching lasik information for a few months and I think I am ready for the surgery. Any suggestions?
glockman19
Member
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- Mar 16, 2007
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- 3,700
You obviously haven't read the thread.
The answer is an astounding YES. Best thing I've ever done.
Car Knocker
Member
Thought this might be relevant to this thread:
LASIK eye problems may be underreported
By Sabine Vollmer
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: October 6, 2007
RALEIGH, N.C. — Millions of Americans have undergone laser eye surgery to correct bad vision, and along with the procedure's popularity something else is coming into focus: its hazards.
Advertising stresses the surgery's safety, and most procedures are successful. Tiger Woods, who relies on keen eyesight as the world's best golfer, pitches it as a quick and painless way to restore sharp vision. Even the U.S. Air Force, long skeptical of the surgery, changed its policy last May to let people who had LASIK apply for pilot training.
But every year thousands of Americans who undergo LASIK are left with chronic pain, dryness of the eyes, distorted night vision and even blindness, according to Food and Drug Administration statistics.
LASIK — which stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis — uses lasers to cut and reshape the cornea. It can improve eyesight without complications, but equipment flaws, a surgeon's error or a failure to screen out patients whose eyes are ill-suited for the treatment can cause the operation to go awry.
The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, which represents about 9,000 ophthalmologists specializing in laser eye surgery, estimates that only 2 percent to 3 percent of the more than 1 million LASIK surgeries each year are unsuccessful. But FDA records of clinical studies show that six months after the surgery, up to 28 percent of patients complained of eye dryness, up to 16 percent had blurry vision and up to 18 percent had difficulty driving at night.
The Triangle, home to two medical schools, is a hot spot for LASIK, where 11 eye centers will perform LASIK on about 8,000 patients this year, according to market research.
One of the leaders is Duke Eye Center, whose LASIK surgeons are among the best-trained and best-equipped in the field. But even surgery at Duke's level has damaged a few patients' eyes beyond repair.
One of those patients is Matthew Kotsovolos, 38, of Raleigh. He had more reason than most patients to feel confident about undergoing LASIK. He was the Duke Eye Center's head of finances. As an employee, he said, he was promised "red carpet treatment" and the procedure would be free.
The surgery June 8, 2006, gave him 20-20 vision, but it left him with intensely dry eyes and excruciating facial pain. He wakes up with sore eyes every morning, puts on special goggles to preserve eye moisture and wonders when the pain in his face will start to kick in.
"I traded in my glasses for permanent head pain, eye pain and these things," Kotsovolos said, pointing to the goggles.
Nine months after his surgery, Kotsovolos quit his job at the Duke Eye Center, took a 25 percent pay cut and started work as business manager in the Duke University Medical Center's gastroenterology division. He is organizing a support group for LASIK patients with complications.
"It may help inform people that this is a surgery with real risks that are understated by LASIK surgeons," Kotsovolos said.
How many LASIK patients develop post-surgery complications is obscured by a lack of regulation and reporting. Because health insurers don't pay for LASIK, they generally don't track complications. The Food and Drug Administration doesn't require reports from doctors, and regulatory enforcement has been largely limited to recalling malfunctioning lasers.
Evidence of problems is accumulating. Some of the strongest is the growing market for contact lenses designed for people who have undergone LASIK and still have vision problems, some seeing worse than before the surgery. One of the leading post-LASIK lens makers is MedLens Innovations, a Front Royal, Va., company founded in 2000.
Robert Breece, an optometrist and MedLens' president, said his company provides hard contacts to more than 2,500 post-Lasik patients annually and business is increasing about 10 percent every year. Breece said his company serves more than 200 people per year who have been seriously disabled by the surgery.
"I don't get to talk to happy LASIK patients," he said.
By the end of the year, SynergEyes of Carlsbad, Calif., plans to bring to market the first line of contact lenses designed specially for laser eye surgery patients with complications who cannot tolerate hard lenses.
A trial version of the SynergEyes contact lenses have given Paula Cofer, 49, of Tampa, Fla., some relief from dry, itchy eyes and night vision so distorted that she sees up to eight moons.
The specially fitted contacts cost $300 every six months, Cofer said. Contact lenses solution, sterile saline solution, artificial tears and lenses rewetting drops run another $150 to $160 per month.
"Life was very simple then," she said about the 30 years she wore glasses. "Now, it's very complicated."
Patients with complications are starting to fight back on the Internet and through support groups. Medical research in the past three years has come up with insights about LASIK worrisome enough that some eye surgeons have begun to ease away from the procedure.
"We've learned the limitations of LASIK," said Dr. Stephen Pflugfelder, professor of ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
An expert in laser eye surgery for more than 15 years, Pflugfelder is increasingly falling back on an older, less invasive procedure known as photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, which involves only the surface of the eye.
In the past three years, the number of LASIK procedures at Baylor has dropped from about 70 percent to about 50 percent of all laser eye surgeries.
At Duke, LASIK makes up about 80 percent of all laser eye surgeries. Dr. Alan Carlson, head of the Duke Eye Center, is comfortable with that.
"Dry eye hasn't been a big problem," Carlson said.
The university buys the most sophisticated lasers on the market, he said. Patients are screened for risk factors and informed of what they can and cannot expect from LASIK. A surgeon might even do LASIK on one eye at a time.
Those precautions did not prevent Lauranell Burch, a former Duke medical researcher, from suffering a serious complications after undergoing LASIK at the Duke Eye Center.
Burch, 47, said that since the surgery March 31, 2004, her eyes sting and burn all the time, eye tissue is wrinkled like a Ruffles potato chip and her night vision is distorted.
"(The damage) is noticeable and on the front of your mind all your waking hours," Burch said. "There's no escape."
In the winter, she takes an anti-anxiety pill about 15 minutes before she drives home in the dark from her job in Research Triangle Park. She compares the distortions she sees at night, also known as star bursts, to explosions of light without a bang.
Burch cut short her follow-up treatment at Duke, became an avid patients' advocate and started to take on LASIK surgeons on Internet Web sites.
Federal privacy laws prohibit Carlson from speaking about an individual patient's case. But the head of the Duke Eye Center acknowledged that LASIK can cause serious complications.
"It's imperfect surgery in an imperfect world," he said.
© 2007 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved
http://deseretnews.com/article/content/mobile/0,5223,695216268,00.html
LASIK eye problems may be underreported
By Sabine Vollmer
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: October 6, 2007
RALEIGH, N.C. — Millions of Americans have undergone laser eye surgery to correct bad vision, and along with the procedure's popularity something else is coming into focus: its hazards.
Advertising stresses the surgery's safety, and most procedures are successful. Tiger Woods, who relies on keen eyesight as the world's best golfer, pitches it as a quick and painless way to restore sharp vision. Even the U.S. Air Force, long skeptical of the surgery, changed its policy last May to let people who had LASIK apply for pilot training.
But every year thousands of Americans who undergo LASIK are left with chronic pain, dryness of the eyes, distorted night vision and even blindness, according to Food and Drug Administration statistics.
LASIK — which stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis — uses lasers to cut and reshape the cornea. It can improve eyesight without complications, but equipment flaws, a surgeon's error or a failure to screen out patients whose eyes are ill-suited for the treatment can cause the operation to go awry.
The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, which represents about 9,000 ophthalmologists specializing in laser eye surgery, estimates that only 2 percent to 3 percent of the more than 1 million LASIK surgeries each year are unsuccessful. But FDA records of clinical studies show that six months after the surgery, up to 28 percent of patients complained of eye dryness, up to 16 percent had blurry vision and up to 18 percent had difficulty driving at night.
The Triangle, home to two medical schools, is a hot spot for LASIK, where 11 eye centers will perform LASIK on about 8,000 patients this year, according to market research.
One of the leaders is Duke Eye Center, whose LASIK surgeons are among the best-trained and best-equipped in the field. But even surgery at Duke's level has damaged a few patients' eyes beyond repair.
One of those patients is Matthew Kotsovolos, 38, of Raleigh. He had more reason than most patients to feel confident about undergoing LASIK. He was the Duke Eye Center's head of finances. As an employee, he said, he was promised "red carpet treatment" and the procedure would be free.
The surgery June 8, 2006, gave him 20-20 vision, but it left him with intensely dry eyes and excruciating facial pain. He wakes up with sore eyes every morning, puts on special goggles to preserve eye moisture and wonders when the pain in his face will start to kick in.
"I traded in my glasses for permanent head pain, eye pain and these things," Kotsovolos said, pointing to the goggles.
Nine months after his surgery, Kotsovolos quit his job at the Duke Eye Center, took a 25 percent pay cut and started work as business manager in the Duke University Medical Center's gastroenterology division. He is organizing a support group for LASIK patients with complications.
"It may help inform people that this is a surgery with real risks that are understated by LASIK surgeons," Kotsovolos said.
How many LASIK patients develop post-surgery complications is obscured by a lack of regulation and reporting. Because health insurers don't pay for LASIK, they generally don't track complications. The Food and Drug Administration doesn't require reports from doctors, and regulatory enforcement has been largely limited to recalling malfunctioning lasers.
Evidence of problems is accumulating. Some of the strongest is the growing market for contact lenses designed for people who have undergone LASIK and still have vision problems, some seeing worse than before the surgery. One of the leading post-LASIK lens makers is MedLens Innovations, a Front Royal, Va., company founded in 2000.
Robert Breece, an optometrist and MedLens' president, said his company provides hard contacts to more than 2,500 post-Lasik patients annually and business is increasing about 10 percent every year. Breece said his company serves more than 200 people per year who have been seriously disabled by the surgery.
"I don't get to talk to happy LASIK patients," he said.
By the end of the year, SynergEyes of Carlsbad, Calif., plans to bring to market the first line of contact lenses designed specially for laser eye surgery patients with complications who cannot tolerate hard lenses.
A trial version of the SynergEyes contact lenses have given Paula Cofer, 49, of Tampa, Fla., some relief from dry, itchy eyes and night vision so distorted that she sees up to eight moons.
The specially fitted contacts cost $300 every six months, Cofer said. Contact lenses solution, sterile saline solution, artificial tears and lenses rewetting drops run another $150 to $160 per month.
"Life was very simple then," she said about the 30 years she wore glasses. "Now, it's very complicated."
Patients with complications are starting to fight back on the Internet and through support groups. Medical research in the past three years has come up with insights about LASIK worrisome enough that some eye surgeons have begun to ease away from the procedure.
"We've learned the limitations of LASIK," said Dr. Stephen Pflugfelder, professor of ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
An expert in laser eye surgery for more than 15 years, Pflugfelder is increasingly falling back on an older, less invasive procedure known as photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, which involves only the surface of the eye.
In the past three years, the number of LASIK procedures at Baylor has dropped from about 70 percent to about 50 percent of all laser eye surgeries.
At Duke, LASIK makes up about 80 percent of all laser eye surgeries. Dr. Alan Carlson, head of the Duke Eye Center, is comfortable with that.
"Dry eye hasn't been a big problem," Carlson said.
The university buys the most sophisticated lasers on the market, he said. Patients are screened for risk factors and informed of what they can and cannot expect from LASIK. A surgeon might even do LASIK on one eye at a time.
Those precautions did not prevent Lauranell Burch, a former Duke medical researcher, from suffering a serious complications after undergoing LASIK at the Duke Eye Center.
Burch, 47, said that since the surgery March 31, 2004, her eyes sting and burn all the time, eye tissue is wrinkled like a Ruffles potato chip and her night vision is distorted.
"(The damage) is noticeable and on the front of your mind all your waking hours," Burch said. "There's no escape."
In the winter, she takes an anti-anxiety pill about 15 minutes before she drives home in the dark from her job in Research Triangle Park. She compares the distortions she sees at night, also known as star bursts, to explosions of light without a bang.
Burch cut short her follow-up treatment at Duke, became an avid patients' advocate and started to take on LASIK surgeons on Internet Web sites.
Federal privacy laws prohibit Carlson from speaking about an individual patient's case. But the head of the Duke Eye Center acknowledged that LASIK can cause serious complications.
"It's imperfect surgery in an imperfect world," he said.
© 2007 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved
http://deseretnews.com/article/content/mobile/0,5223,695216268,00.html
not a candidate
Carl Knocker: Sir; thanks for a comprehensive piece. I am unfortunately/fortunately not a candidate; yet I have followed many different thinkings. Risk abound with life; would I risk my less than perfect sight for other eyesight woes? Not being a candidate has not stopped me from exploring, and wondering what it might be like to wake; look across the room, and see the clock.
Again; thanks for the information; we all need good; quality, concise, qualified, responsible information, and you have provided another piece.
Carl Knocker: Sir; thanks for a comprehensive piece. I am unfortunately/fortunately not a candidate; yet I have followed many different thinkings. Risk abound with life; would I risk my less than perfect sight for other eyesight woes? Not being a candidate has not stopped me from exploring, and wondering what it might be like to wake; look across the room, and see the clock.
Again; thanks for the information; we all need good; quality, concise, qualified, responsible information, and you have provided another piece.
glockman19
Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,700
Just had my 3 month post operative exam and am happy to report 20/15 in each eye.
Once again I'd highly recommend this procedure to anyone who wears glasses.
Once again I'd highly recommend this procedure to anyone who wears glasses.
goemado
Member
You may need some patience on this. I had the surgery a few years ago. My vision was terrible for several months - it eventually became better than 20/20. During this healing time, I could barely read a computer screen or read the newspaper. It was pretty bad. But it recovered and now near and far are great.
Hopefully that's all you'll need too - some time. It'll all be worth it the first time you sit in a tree and your glasses don't fog up - or hang in your face net - or you don't have to cock your head just so to see the peep sight and pin. I don't miss any of that - at all!
Good luck.
Hopefully that's all you'll need too - some time. It'll all be worth it the first time you sit in a tree and your glasses don't fog up - or hang in your face net - or you don't have to cock your head just so to see the peep sight and pin. I don't miss any of that - at all!
Good luck.
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