I am in the military and I am thinking about having Lasik surgery?

Question

I am thinking about having the Lasik surgery and I am just looking for some feedback from people who have already had it. I am trying to figure out what some of the setbacks or negative reactions may be to having this surgery. Any and all helpful and useful comments would be great. Thanks all and have a nice day.

Answer 1

You should defiantly do it. My cost $4000, but was the best money I ever spent. Would the military pay? My vision was really bad(coke bottle lens) I went in for the surgery it took maybe an hour. First you need to find out if your a candidate. The exam should be free. Then if you can do it pick a day make sure you have someone to drive you home. It took me an hour or 45 min. When they were done it felt like I had sandpaper in my eyes and they were real sensitive to the light. I went home took a nap and when I woke up it could see it was a little blurry. Then the next day I woke up and could see perfectly in fact I was able to drive to work. I had to sleep with goggles on because you cant rub your eyes for a while and I also used a lot of eye drops. Docs orders.

Answer 2

I haven't had it but I am studying to be an Optometrist so I know a good deal about it. If your eye sight is extremely bad it won't correct it entirely, but your opthamologist will tell you those details. The down side to it is that it can be painful to see for a few hours because you eyes need to readjust to seeing everything. After all of that though, it is extremely beneficial and you don't have to worry about glass or contacts. In the long run it will save you a lot of money as well. Just make sure you are at an age where you eyes have stopped changing. Otherwise it will be a waste to get it and then your eyes change again.

Answer 3

I had lasik surgery in November 2005. I was "legally blind". My vision was 6.7 in the right eye and -7 in the left eye. Couldn't see far and had to bring stuff to my eyes when without my eye glasses. I wore thick glasses the last 3 years because after wearing contacts for about 25 years my eyes didn't allow them in anymore. I started with soft and ended with gas permeable.

I chose a Dr. with lots of good experience in NYC. The cost was 5000 dollars for both eyes and with a year of follow-up. I had 2 surgeries in the left eye because it was the worst. Today I have 20/20 vision.

Side effects: dry eyes, for me extremely dry eyes. I use eye drops every day to prevent redness and burning. If the allergy season is up then they get red and teary.

I suggest to pick a Dr. with lots of good experience or someone referred to you. My Dr. was referred to me by other people who had surgeries as well. They operated on a woman who was -13 in each eye. Two surgeries like mine, she is 20/20 now. Even if you see ads that say "$300.00 each eye" don't go by them. There is no price for your eye sight. My Dr. used to "fix" what other Dr's in the area messed up with. He had no law suits in the net and only a few things about "the follow ups not being performed by him personally". The paperwork I signed had big bold letter stating that "follow ups may be performed by him or other Dr.s"

I was apprehensive about it at first and I thought "what I go blind?". The dr. told me the risks as in any surgery. Thigs can go wrong, but his experince was over 99.5% sucess rate.

I went in on a Saturday at 10 AM and was out by 1PM. I could see immediatelly after the surgery and ithout my thick glasses. A friend drove me home and they sent me with eye drops to be applied every 4 hours. I had to come back the next day. I drove back to work on Monday morning.

My surgery is the best desicion that I've ever made.

Answer 4

if you go to a reputable eye surgeon, there should be no setbacks or reactions. But, don't have expectations of perfect vision either, most people I know that have had lasik done, still need glasses, just less strong ones.

Answer 5

sure, they will take delivery of you. however to let you know the reality ... if you'll put on glasses to proper your imaginative and prescient for now, it is great to get the surgical procedure when you enlist. the army will pay for that style of stuff. i do know ... my husband and a couple of individuals i do know had the approach performed at no fee to them! i imply, the great factor to do is move speak to a recruiter. you'll be able to get a imaginative and prescient and wellness screening at meps and they will assist you to recognize if you are alright to become a member of. the worst factor they are able to say isn't any b/c of your imaginative and prescient, then you'll get the surgical procedure. however like i stated, if you'll see happy with glasses, i could wait and allow the army pay. well success!

Answer 6

I know of two people in the military that had it done and they never had anything bad to say about it. Only good stuff.
Good luck to ya

Answer 7

I found this informational article. May be helpful for you:

Is LASIK Right for Me?



The subject of LASIK is a very interesting one. There is a lot to investigate and understand about the process of getting your vision corrected through laser surgery. I hope this article helps to point you where you need to go to do the best research. There are both pros and cons to consider before submitting to this type of surgery.


First, if you are already firmly set in your decision to have LASIK, read these pointers:


1. Make sure you go to a doctor who uses the new Interlase laser for making the corneal flap.


Why? Because the Interlase is 100 times more precise than the "old fashioned" method of using a microkeratome to cut the initial flap. Many speculate that most of the problems that come from LASIK surgery have been due to the impreciseness of the microkeratome device used to cut the cornea.


2. Most definitely insist on a custom wavefront laser to do the actual reshaping of the cornea.


Why? Because the custom wavefront can get rid of what is called higher order aberrations.


What does this mean to you? It means much sharper vision after the surgery and a significantly reduced chance of having halos, starburst and other "complications" from LASIK.


Repeating: Make sure you go to a surgeon who is using both Interlase and Custom Wavefront technology to do LASIK surgery. Relatively few practices have these new technologies. Consider that surgeons who invest in these technologies may have more of your interests at heart.


One of the top 5 LASIK surgeons lives in Kansas City. Check out his site: durrievision.com Look at the information on his site including the videos where he explains what LASIK is all about. Compare your perspective surgeons website to his and you may detect a difference.


Next, you should be aware of the potential problems of LASIK surgery as you review surgicaleyes.com you may find that these horror stories came from procedures that didnt use interlase and custom wavefront technology together. See-there is a reason to go with the newer technologies. You can email the people on this site and ask them questions about their procedures and the complications that they faced or are still facing.


One of the problems with LASIK, has been the LASIK 20/20 phenomenon. Some people do technically see 20/20 after the procedure but it is not normal. Instead, it is hazy or blurred. This is probably due to the higher order aberrations mentioned earlier. That is why it is important to get custom LASIK done. The custom wave front lasers can remove those aberrations, hopefully allowing you avoid the LASIK 20/20 phenomenon.


If your doctor says that you dont need the custom treatment, I would ask him if he has a custom wave front machine. There may be a few legitimate reasons to not have the custom procedure done, but I seriously doubt there are many.


If he doesnt have such a machine, I would wonder if his recommendation is based on the best thing for you as the patient. It always pays to get a second opinion anyway and in this case, you should.


These are your


eyes that we are talking about and you owe it to yourself to get educated on every aspect of this surgery before undergoing treatment. The surgical eyes web site mentioned above is worth investigating. You need to know what could go wrong and how to choose a doctor and equipment that will allow you to avoid problems.


I will say it again. Try to go with Interlase to cut the corneal flap and try to go with a custom wavefront laser to reduce your risk of complications! I cannot stress this enough.


I went through a screening process to get LASIK done and was categorized as an excellent candidate. They even wanted me to participate in a study program that would save me about $600. I still turned it down. In the end, I decided that I didnt want to get my eyes lasered.


Of course, there is something to be said about not wearing glasses or contacts anymore and there are many happy patients out there. I just want you to be aware of both the pros and the cons.


Do you really need to have LASIK done? I think its worth it to investigate natural vision therapy and see what you can do about correcting your vision naturally before permanently etching your current prescription into your cornea.


Many people have gotten results from vision therapy. A few have even gotten rid of their glasses and /or contacts forever. An industry insider has informed me that this does happen but not very often.


There are a couple of books to check out on natural vision improvement if you are interested in that alternative. Relearning to See by Thomas Quakenbush is one that comes to mind.


The original pioneer in vision improvement was Dr. Bates. He was an early 20th century ophthalmologist who really stuck his neck out to go against the prevailing theories of the day (that still persist). Many of the people who he helped were very grateful, Im sure.


I have dabbled with naturally improving my vision. I have experienced a decrease of tension, but I have not recovered 20/20 vision. This type of improvement does take work and determination.


That is why there is LASIK today; everyone is different in their wishes and expectations. If you are in a hurry and you dont mind the permanent etching of a prescription in your cornea, LASIK might be for you.


I hope this helps you on your quest to learn more about LASIK Surgery and point you in the right directions to gain more information so that you can make an informed decision before deciding to undergo this often expensive elective procedure.