is laser eye surgery dangerous? has anyone here done it? should i do it? what are the risks?

Question

what should be the reason for doing it and for not doing it? i want to do it because i am kind of blind (but won't get any worse, most likely), 18 (old enough), and spending money on contacts and glasses. i don't really like wearing glasses because they bother my nose (all glasses do that) and are prone to getting knocked off when playing sports. also, they get wet in the rain. i just feel more free with contacts but in the long run getting surgery will save money and i wouldn't have to worry about the harms contacts can do to my eyes. i wore contacts for two years and finally they are doing good to my eyes. but is the surgery risky and worth it? has it become safer over the years? i just don't want to loose my eye sight or make it worse.

Answer 1

my sister did it. she researched a lot before it tho. she went from pretty much blind to 20/20. you need to speak to several eye doctors about the procedure. ask them the positives and negatives consequences. asking many doctors (but pretending you haven't) can get many more ideas flowing through your mind that you may not have thought of before.

Answer 2

Last year i went for laser eye surgery last year and it was, to date, the best money i've ever spent.

Find a reputable doctor (it's so important to get references). Go for the necessary tests before committing to it and understand all the risks. Yes, there are risks, but it'll be completely up to you if you want to accept them.

When i went for my tests, they did a scan of my eyes to get it's topography readings. As it turned out, my cornea was too thin for the Lasic procedure (the most common practice thesedays). I had to wait about a month while my doctor consulted his colleagues on whether he could still do the procedure.

Lasic wasn't an option for me, but after my doc did a lot of communication with other doctors, he found that an older technique called PRK was a viable option. He found out about patients with similar cornea conditions who underwent that procedure, how they were doing 3 months after the surgery, 1 year after the surgery, etc.

I took the plunge in July 2005 and haven't regretted it in the least. The fact that you have to accept is that the results will not last forever; they do not prevent the natural aging process. I fully accept that my eyes will get weaker again in about 15 years, but i'm fine with it cos i'll just go for surgery again, haha. Lasic and PRK are slightly different technique and the recovery times differ, but at the end of the day, the risks and results are the same.

LASIC
They cut open a section of your cornea, use the laser, close it up again. Recovery time is something like 24 hours.

PRK
They scrape off the top layer of cells on your cornea and then use the laser. You then wear special contact lenses for 3 days while your cells grow back. Recovery time is longer than Lasic, but i was driving after 5 days.

Answer 3

I too am interested in laser eye surgery. Im 24, and the doctors told me that its best to wait a little bit because your eyes are consistantly changing until you are in your late 20s. Once your vision has been at a constant prescription, then you should go get the surgery done. But you dont want to get it done at a young age and then in a couple of years have to go back in to get a touch up becuase you can no longer see 20/20

Answer 4

There is an extremely small chance of loosing your eye sight, probably less than with an infection from contacts. The most important thing is a reputable doctor. I really think it is very safe. My daughter had it done and there were no problems.

Answer 5

Lasik eye Surgery and Laser Eye surgery is very safe nowadays.It is very cheap in India.There is one company that is very famous in India that arranges Eye surgery for foreigners in India.They are called the Forerunners Healthcare.I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and about their patient stories.

I have also read that they arrange financing for american and canadian patients as obesity surgery is not covered by insurance.They also have photos pasted of their International patients.You can checkout their website.The cost savings are incredible.As a doctor i personally believe that your eye surgery can be easily handled in India as the quality of healthcare available here is simply best in the world.The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

My cousin got her Eye surgery in India through the forerunners healthcare .She is more than very happy with the results.She has lost 65lbs in 5 months.She just paid 25% of the amount she was quoted in USA and is all praise for this forerunners healthcare company.hope this helps

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com

Answer 6

Make sure that you do not have dry eyes before laser surgery ;or it could could make your eyes worse; also be sure you don't have any other eye disease like glaucoma or macular degeneration .Everyone is not a candidate for laser eye surgery .