Does eye surgery really worK?

Question

My glasses are a nuisance and my contacts hurt my eyes. Pls give me some details on the procedure itself and if it worked for you personally or someone you know. Thank you :)

Answer 1

I had the surgery done about 8 years ago and I have had no problems.

You cannot enter the procedure without accepting that there are going to be risks associated with it. I have personally not known anyone whereby these risks have manifested, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Technology is getting better every day, mind you, and personally I would feel comfortable with most practices out there.

Choose someone you feel comfortable with. Get an assessment done at a few places.. you can usually get a good feel of which clinics take the most care of their patients.

The LASIK procedure has advanced since I had my eyes done. But virtually the concept is that they need to temporarily lift part of the cornea and then use laser technology to change the depth of the lens/cornea so that the image will focus on your retina more easily. The procedure itself sounds a little scary, but once you actually get it done, it is not as bad as it seems. You cannot really SEE anything getting done. It is just really blurry. and they use an anaesthetic, so you do not feel anything. You may consider asking for a sedative if you feel anxious.

With all that said, I feel very happy with the results. My vision is great even today. I would gladly do it again. Life is so much easier because of it. Also I've eliminated the risks associated with contact lens (infections) and glasses (inability to use glasses in all situations.. ie. swimming, physical activity). And aesthetically, I feel I am presenting myself to everyone the I way want to.

But don't forget to do your research. You'll feel better about your decision in the end!

Answer 2

Eye surgery (Lasik) really works. I wore, first, glasses for about 15 years and wore contacts for another 10 years and let me tell you I hated wearing both.

One day (somehow) I got an eye infection due to my contacts/contact solution. That day was the turning point for me. I immediately checked into Lasik. Let me tell you, it does work! You must do your homework by checking out the doctors and how their office is. Make sure you don't go to a clinic where the doctor's name is not part of the name of the clinic. The other thing, make sure the doctor doesn't have a bunch of assistants because afterwards you want to be able to continue seeing the one doctor who performs the surgery and not pushed to see ONLY the assistants.

Looking back that's the one thing I wish I could have done better. I went to a clinic in Laguna Woods, CA. I was lucky that the surgery worked to correct my problem. But, I only met this doctor during initial examination and during surgery. After my surgery I had some problems with dryness & not seeing clearly that I felt were abnormal. Well, when I was having these problems, I was pushed to see medical assistants/other MDs within the same clinic. I was very frustrated. Then I was basically told that my problems were not really problems and was given drops and other over the counter stuff to buy. My frustration grew because not only was my vision not improving after so long, I wasn't let to see the doctor....and I saw only assistants.

Since my vision was at stake I became very angry. So, I advice you to check the doctor very CAREFULLY. Some doctors only want your money and (some) tend to have assembly-line like clinics so they can do more surgeries = MORE $.
Luckily for me and THANK GOD, after 1 1/2 year of dryness/cloudiness, I started to see the light and day by day my vision got better after a long time. Today I can see 20/20 without any problem and looking back I'm glad I had the surgery done. So, I know in my case the surgery WORKED. I think if I wasn't made to feel like a number at the Laguna Hills, CA doctor's office and seen by the orginal MD, I would've healed quicker. Know & write down what the after-surgery problems are: dryness, cloudiness, blurriness, redness & scratchyness. Each problem may be less severe or more severe depending on how old a person is or if one is naturally dry or not.

Overall, I'm glad I had the surgery done. I just wish I would've done more research on the eye doctor.

Good luck in finding the doctor for your surgery.

Answer 3

I had Lasik done almost two years ago. At the time, I had been wearing glasses for over twenty years and without them, my vision was 20/1000. I went into the procedure telling the doctor that as long as I can function in normal life without needing glasses, I would be happy. To be a little more specific, I didn't mind if after the procedure I needed glasses to drive, read, do small work, etc. But, when just doing yard work or watching TV or going swimming, I didn't want glasses.

The procedure was simple and painless. They even gave me a Valium. I think I was more excited than nervous. I couldn't even remember what the world looked like without wearing glasses.

Everything went well and now I have 20/15 vision. I guess they overshoot the 20/20 part to allow for some reversal to stop at 20/20. Well, I started with 20/40, went to 20/10 over the following month and it stopped at 20/15. I am amazed and would suggest it to anyone.

If you go in with a realistic goal, you will love it.

Answer 4

Hold On- Let me tell you of possible side effects...I had Lasik surgery about 6 years ago. First of all, it will correct your vision. In most cases to 20/20 or better. However there are side effects which I did get. The first is called a Halo effect. Now when I look at lights at night there is always a haze circling the light. This is very minor, but noticeable. The more serious side effect is what is called star bursts. I have that as well, although it has improved over time. This is where it appears that rays of light are shooting out from the source. That made it very difficult to drive at night, because in some cases it is has a blinding affect. I also know air traffic controllers who had to change jobs because star bursts from lights on runways made it hard to concentrate on what they were doing. This happens in 5-10 percent of those who have the surgery. I just thought you'd want some of the downsides

Answer 5

It absolutely works and I would suggest it to anyone that a) can afford it & b) needs it for reasons other than vanity.

My wife had it done. For the first day she couldn't tolerate even the smallest amount of light. I put up dark blankets on the windows and she spent the entire first day sleeping. It wasn't until the third day that she could even handle looking across the room, but she said it was still very blurry. Less than a week after the procedure, she was out and about looking for her first pair of non-prescription sunglasses!! It has been a little over two years now and her vision is better than mine and I am at 20/20. Her new nickname is bionic-eyes and she loves being out from underneath her coke bottles.

I wouldn't suggest it though, unless you have someone to support you, be it family or close friends that will be willing to be with you 24 hours a day for the first couple days. I couldn't imagine hurting like my wife was with no one to help!

Answer 6

1) Whether or not you are suitable for laser surgery depends on quite a number of individual eye factors. Only an eye doctor who has personally examined your eyes can answer this question. 2) Laser surgery is a substitute for glasses, it cannot make your vision better than it is with glasses. If the best vision you have with glasses is 20/50 then the best you can expect with laser surgery is 20/50. And that is not good enought to be a firefighter if they want 20/30.

Answer 7

Yes, I had Radial Keratomy done 11 years ago and the only problem I have experienced was I went from being right eye dominant to left eye dominant. My left eye is a 20/20 and my right eye is 20/25. I'm now 50 years old and I am just starting to need reading glasses. I would do it again in a heart beat. Good Luck!

Answer 8

yes, it does work but some have side effects. night vision may be a problem due to the starburst effect. for instance, when i'm driving at night any bright light doesn't appear clear. a little bit of a double vision and starburst effect. other than that, it's been great. i got lasik about 7 years ago. the procedure isn't bad at all. the prep time is a couple of hours but the procedure itself is less than 5 minutes. no pain involved. afterwards you will fill discomfort like you have sand in your eyes for a couple of days. overall, it's worth it.

Answer 9

yes, you'll pay anything from $1000 to $1500 per eye, but it is really worth it, and the experience is very, VERY easy. no pain at all. its actually really fast too. i would recommend it to anyone.

you go in about 2-3 times for various tests before the actual procedure. then the day of the procedure, they give you drops to numb your eyes and dialate your pupils.

then they lay you down, they slice the top layer of your eye off (which you dont feel) and they smooth part of your eye down with the laser (which you dont feel, either). then they fold the surface of your eye back down and put a bunch of drops in your eyes to keep them moist. then they hand you sunglasses and tell you to go home and keep your eyes closed for a day.

your vision will be immediately better, and will continue getting better over the next month or two.

good luck!

Answer 10

My daughter, who is a veterinarian wore glasses since she was in about fourth grade. Later she got hard contacts. They made her eyes sore, even though she wore them for years. Next she went to soft contacts. Better but still a bother.
Finally, she had laser work done. She doesn't need glasses any more, and completely satisfied with her vision.