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Who has has Laser eye surgery?


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I'm seriously considering have laser eye surgery this winter. My dad had it about 18years ago, and has been excellent since. My eyes aren't nearly as bad as his were, and technology has come a long way, so I'm looking forward to never having to wear glasses again.

 

If you have had the surgery, or know someone that has, can you relate to me any positivies or downsides to the surgery? Who performed it? What was it like, how long was recovery, what did it cost you, etc?

 

I'm thinking of going with Lasik, and I think it'll run me between $3-$4k, from what I've heard.

 

I'm ready to schedule a meeting/consultation with some doctors this coming week, to get some answers and more definite costs.

 

Thanks for any insight guys...

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I've heard of it being very simple and painless. Just a few clicks looking into a light and your done. Been considering it myself for a while now. There is a place in columbus that I've heard of once that charged 300/eye! Cheaper is not going to always be better but I think 3-4k is a little much in this day and age. BTW Matt, Hoblick tells me that your old man owns a storage garage somewhere downtown. Got any openings that you know of? Need a place for the stang :cool:
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from what i understand, there's quite a few different procedures

 

the expensive route these days involves a digital cutter, which tracks the movement of your eye and will cut with precision

it severely diminishes the possibility of you ending up being blind, because a computer is tracking if you eye moves slightly or you flinch or whatever

 

as opposed to some of the other, cheaper procedures where it's more manually controlled...which introduces a possibiliy of error (even if it's small)

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I have had it. You need to know a few things before you get started.

 

Most of the problems that occur post-op are related to getting the surgery done on the wrong machine. Not all offices have every type of machine so they will "sell" you on the machine they have. If you have a bad astigmatism you probably need a NADAR machine, if you have a large pupil diameter, you need a Bausch & Laumb Technolicas machine, etc...

 

So I suggest NEVER going to the $299/eye place because they only have a visx machine and those are the cheapest and only fit about 10% of candidates. Get more than one exam (they are free) and make sure they are telling you about the lasers.

 

I had mine done at Lasik Plus, they have 3 different machines (though the NADAR is in Cincy) and they seemed very good at what they do.

 

Here is how the surgery works.

You do a pre-op appointment where they check your exact problem out, then they make sure your corneal thickness can withstand the surgery. Then they come up with a suggestion on which surgery/laser you need and give you a quote on pricing (with some options).

 

You come in on operation day, fill out some paperwork, take a vallum and wait for them to be ready. They take you back into the operating room and you lay under the laser. They patch one eye and put a device on the eye they are operating on. This device first draws a vaccum on your eye-ball and you go completely blind, then it inserts a scalpel and makes a horse-shoe shaped cut into your cornea. This is where it gets strange, they release the vaccum and flip your cornea back. You are basically blind but can make out some light etc... You are told to look at a red light and the laser starts firing. Depending on how much you need done the laser runs for a few seconds up to a minute or two. Basically it is burning a new prescription into the meat of your eye-ball. Then they flip the corneal flap back down and move to the other eye.

 

I started out 20/400 and finished 20/15. The procedure took 5 minutes total for both eyes and I can honestly say it is the best money I have ever spent. I have 5 or 6 friends that all had it done and they say the same thing.

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There's another thread on this with alot of responses and information.

 

Aside from looking that thread up I'll second Akula's statement: DO NOT go for the $300 per eye shop. DO NOT go cheap on your eyes. $3000 is NOT too much to spend on your eyes. After all you get one shot at this.

 

I went with TLC and am very pleased. My sister, dad, and wife have all had it done years ago (me just last year) - best thing you can do for yourself ever. But for god's sake don't go cheap.

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I had it done at revision on Polaris. It came to around 4500, I do believe, and is worth every penny. That price included all the before/after checkups (around 5 appt's) and I went with the wavefront custom laser. It corrected any imperfection in my eye and was at 20/25 the very next day. By the end of the first week, I was at 20/15.
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Vision insurance usually just gives you some type of discount ~15% the rest is up to you. If you have an HCSA you can use that and write the surgery off.

 

None of the procedure hurt, the post-op feels like snowblindness. Your cornea has amazing healing abilities, they give you some dopey glasses to wear to bed for a few nights but the cornea reattaches in like 24 hours. I was 20/25 immediately as well, could have driven home except for the dialation drops.

 

The best feeling was throwing my glasses away right after the surgery and walking out to the car able to see.

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I'll admit Akula, that description made me queasy to my stomach, almost sick. I really want to do it, but I guess I'm a puss because that scared me. No way I'm going to cheap out on my eyes, that's one thing I'm definitely scared of, going blind. Never seeing my daughter grow up, etc. I have an appt with TLC this week, trying to schedule as many as I can to get a feel for everyone.

 

Thanks guys, I'll report back later this week after my first consultation.

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i had it done about 2 years ago at Bloomburg in Newark since most of my family went there and had no problems. i think i got out of there for about $850 with the insurance so if it needs done when i get older it doesn't cost me a thing. went in with 20/200 and next day was 20/20 and week later was at 20/15.
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no way i couldnt move my eye....no way

 

Actually you can move your eye all you want, so long as you are looking at the tracking light. Flying spot technology means the laser follows your eye movement.

 

I wasn't trying to gross anyone out, you need to know what is happening and what the $299/eye guy isn't telling you.

 

I have seen this surgery make one mistake amungst the 6 people I have sent in, and they fixed him on the next pass. He had to wear glasses for a couple of weeks while the first surgery healed. But, he went with the least expensive option.

 

Put it this way, if you where blind, what would you pay to have sight?

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I went as far as the cornea measuring procedure on the pre-op consult. It was the weirdest thing seeing your cornea "implode"

 

I think guys that wear contacts and touch their eyes all the time may have a little bit easier of a time.

 

I'm holding out until the price either goes down more or Insurance picks up most of the tab.

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If you plan on joining the military EVER make sure you do the research. If you plan to fly or do any form of combat over FL180, one of them will eliminate you from the program. I can't remember if it's PKI or Laser but one DNF's you FOREVER AND you have to do it while IN THE SERVICE. You can't have it done prior and then join up, that also eliminates you.... :(
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I have considered it also....i am -6.5 in both eyes....my doctor said I should get it and that was like 5 years ago and they keep getting worse...but im used to it.....that scares me to think about someone cutting my eye....kindof makes me sick....but if my insurance will pay some then its seems like its worth it.
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If you plan on joining the military EVER make sure you do the research. If you plan to fly or do any form of combat over FL180, one of them will eliminate you from the program. I can't remember if it's PKI or Laser but one DNF's you FOREVER AND you have to do it while IN THE SERVICE. You can't have it done prior and then join up, that also eliminates you.... :(

 

While this used to be true, the military has embraced laser surgery as a better alternative than glasses (cause you can wear any gas mask etc...). Photo-Radial-Karatectomy is a disqualifier but laser is widely accepted. Like he said, do some research. I am putting in for a commisioning package right now and they just wanted my post-op report for my med file.

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I would be very careful telling them you have had laser surgery done to your eyes. I don't know what branch you are looking into (USAF here) but I know of several people that were disqualified BECAUSE they had it done prior to completing pilot training. They were withdrawn from pilot training on the spot. Get through training with your contacts/glasses, whatever and then have the military pay for it if you ever plan to go that route.... ;)
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Ok, so I had the "1st" free consultation a few days ago, the ran a bunch of tests and whatnot, and basically said my eyes aren't that bad so I can probably just go with the normal, run of the mill procedure. He mentioned oblivation or whatever, asked if I was going in army/police, etc, and set me up for the 2nd "free" consulation at TLC, which is the "The Laser Center" It's off polaris and I go in on Monday. Anyone had their surgery done there? I'll tell you, he put drops in my eyes and they burned like a mother, and he scared me a few times with him talking about statistics and what not, and how most peoples eyes DO change after the surgery but unless its enough of a change that THEY feel you need glasses/correction, they won't cover it, and its only covered for like 5 years i think?

 

Anyways, I left there quite scared and with a bunch more questions and some answers. I guess I'll see what tehy say at TLC on monday before I decide, I just have a bad feeling about I guess. Which really sucks because I've wanted to get it done since I was like 16, and now that I'm 99% sure I can, I'm not sure if I want to, lol.

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