Lasik Eye Surgery?

Question

what are the pros and cons (but more of the pros pls) about lasik eye surgery. i need to the positive things and should i be doing this? im a little scared because of all the negative issues that are emphasized but im also tire of wearing glasses and contacts.

Answer 1

The Pros first:
If your myopia (nearsightedness) is low to moderate (i.e. -7 D or less), then you have a 96% chance of achieving uncorrected visual acuities (i.e vision without glasses) better than 20/40 (i.e. driving vision), however you have only 72% chance of achieving vision equal to or better than 20/20. (reference: The Eye Digest http://www.agingeye.net/lasik/lasik.php)

If you get wavefront-guided LASIK, then your chances of achieving 20/20 vision are higher .

If the myopia is high (i.e. more than -7 D ), then 89% patients achieve uncorrected visual acuities better than 20/40, however only 48% of patients achieve vision equal to or better than 20/20.

Therefore, most - but not all - people will have 20/20 vision after LASIK without glasses. Some people will not be able to "get rid of glasses" to see 20/20. Taken together, this means that LASIK will almost certainly reduce your dependence on glasses and contact lenses, however, there is no certainty and there can be no guarantee that you will be able to achieve perfect vision without glasses. You have 90 to 95% chance of passing the vision test to get a drivers license without glasses (i.e 20/40 vision) and therefore 90 to 95% chance that you will be able to legally drive without glasses after LASIK.

The Cons:
Serious complications from refractive surgery are rare, as evidenced by the low rate of loss of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity. However, before undergoing any refractive procedure, you should carefully weigh the risks and benefits based on your own personal value system, and try to avoid being influenced by friends that have had the procedure or doctors encouraging you to do so. Remember that, even though rare, complications do occur.

Answer 2

Positive? Waking up the next day and being able to see the clock without putting on your glasses! Being able to go swimming! Not having to buy contacts, contact solution, new glasses.....Negative? My eyes were super dry the first few weeks, and I was miserable but it was still worth it! Have you been tested to see if you are a candidate? I know a couple people who have gone through other surgeons and had the surgery 2 weeks after their first appointment. That scares me. I went through TLC and it was about a month after my first appointment before I had the surgery. There were tests to make sure I was a candidate, then around 4-5 pre-op tests and vitamins and eyedrops the drs wanted me to use to prepare my eyes. Lasik can be scary and I was scared too, but I did my research and chose a reputable doctor. Yes, he was more expensive and didn't have the deals the other doctors had, but I wanted the best for my eyes.

Answer 3

As you say, this is a subject with a lot of debate. However, many thousands of people have had successful lasik surgery and a lot more is being published about this procedure.

Check out this website which is a very well balanced overview of the whole topic of lasik eye surgery. I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I was about 20/250 before Lasik surgery last year. The procedure was painless, probably due to the Valium they gave me. The ride home (as a passenger, of course) was fairly uncomfortable, mainly due to light sensitivity. The doctor gave me dark goggles, but the light was still too bright. I was in some pain once I got home (maybe 3 hours post procedure), but I had some left over Vicodin, and took two doses of that. The Vicodin took the edge off. Slept fine that night. Woke up the next morning, and I COULD SEE FINE! Hallelujah! I was jazzed up about that. I drove myself to my one day check up (an 2 hour round trip) with no problems. For that check up, I was seeing at 20/25, less than 24 hours after the surgery. I went to work that afternoon (doing ultrasound which really requires you to use your eyes). For my one week check up, I was seeing between 20/20 and 20/15. Other than the touch of pain I had post procedure, before I went to bed for the night, I had no other problems. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Just one other thing....I went to a doctor who used computerized, lazer equipment. No knives were involved. But, it cost me a pretty penny. I paid $5500 for both eyes, but I was not comfortable going to a doctor that advertized in the newpaper for $500 per eye. Sometimes you get what you pay for! Good luck to you!

Answer 5

It is highly successful. Like all surgery, lasik is not guaranteed safe. www.eyesite.com

Answer 6

1

Answer 7

Im debating the same thing.From the people I've talked to,they all say it's the greatest thing they've ever done.But you should keep in mind,it is your eyes theyre working on.