Astronomy related... Lasik eye surgery?

Question

I'm very near- sighted, so I either have to wear my glasses or contacts if I wish to share the views with my neighbors (without re- focussing the telescope).

The neighbors, while interested in seeing really cool things through the telescope, aren't very good at focussing for themselves.

With my eyes being the way they are, I can't focus FOR them...

Now, I've heard that the surgery is GREAT, but the treated area extends out to only 4 or 5 mm from the center of the eye(s).
A fully dark- adapted pupil is dilates to ~7 or 8 mm...
I've read in the past that this 'undertreatment' of the eye(s) will result in vignetting of images when the pupils are fully dilated.

Does anyone out there have experience with this?
Does anyone KNOW anyone who has experience with this?

I'd really like to have this proceedure done... The only thing that's stopped me in the past is what I've mentioned above...

Any help would be MOST appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Bobby

Thanks for the answers so far...
Cosmo and B.,
would you please drop me an email, so that I might discuss this in more detail?
Please email through my profile page...
I would GREATLY appreciate it!
THX
B

Answer 1

I had Lasik in 1999 and then I was re-treated again in 2000 so I have actually had it done 2 times now. I was a -750 in one eye and -775 in the other. It doesnt get much worse than that. the first time they didn't go far enough, my doctor moved and the new doctor thought that they could do better---and he did. I had no complications or problems with either time. I would do Lasik again if I needed it. It was the very best thing that I have ever done for myself.

No, I do not notice any distortion of images. I have heard of earlier side effects called starring which is that lights seem to have star like effects but I have not experienced any of that either.

I have been into astronomy for years but I am not a professional. I do it for my enjoyment. I have 2 refractors and 1 reflector scope.

Just make sure that you have a very good doctor and you should be fine. Tell your doctor about your concerns and the doctor can even make adjustments to help you, in addition to easing your mind. Do it for yourself. You wont believe how much you have missed in life until you have been given freedom and the gift of sight.

I will someday need to get glasses again when I get older but this time it will be for reading and they will never ever come close to the degree of correction that I once needed. I will be able to go to those one hour places and actually get them in an hour instead of waiting for a couple weeks like before. The same is true for nearly everyone.

Yes, I do recomend that you do it.

Answer 2

Yes, this is something of a problem in Lasik patients. The area of correction may not extend to the full area of the dark-adapted eye. The result is a sharp image of an astronomical object, surrounded by an out-of-focus "halo" of light from the same object. This will also occur when looking at distant lights while driving at night.

It's not a serious or disorienting effect, just a mild imperfection of vision that occurs only in the dark. It's similar to the chromatic aberration that occurs with eyeglasses (e.g. the apparent blue halo around mercury-vapor streetlamps). I would argue that using an astronomical telescope after Lasik is still somewhat better than using one with eyeglasses, and about the same as using one with contacts.

One thing to realize is that it takes about two years for the eye to fully recover from Lasik, and that there may initially be small oddities of vision that disappear as the cornea heals and smooths out over time.

You might discuss this issue with the Lasik surgeon.
A bit of advice: go to an experienced surgeon, don't try to save money by getting it done cheaply. And be sure to faithfully follow the program of eyedrops, etc.

Answer 3

Hi. I have read that the radial lines used in some procedures will show up as radial artifacts under some conditions. This was supposed to be not too bothersome. A pin-point light source such as a star may have 'spikes', but so do all Hubble shots! (The new optics actually have two sets of four diffraction spikes due to the support needed for the corrective optics.)

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Well I have no answer but i am starring this one because I myself have stigmatizm in both eyes and can not see without glasses,, Interesting and essential question Bobby;

SG.