Hi, I want Lasik! I am -2 in both eyes which isn't bad. I am really scared to have the surgery.... I am considering intralasik where they use all laser, no blade. Any advice? Comments? Thanks
redripeapple@aol.com

I would think very hard before doing anything to your eye. Before I had lasik done my vision was -2.25 and -1.75. After Lasik I was -.5 and -1.5. I had to re lasik one eye. Two years later i bagan to have dry eyes and RCE once or twice a year. Now I have to put in eye drops to combat dryness many times a day. If I would have known all this would happen I would never have done LASIK. Ps do your eyes turn red after six hours of contact lens wear? If you do your eyes may be prone to dryness. DO NOT GET THEM DONE.

Here is an excellent website for information:

surgicaleyes.org. Just put surgicaleyes
into Google and their website should come up.

Hi Moon,,,
I had it done 3 yrs ago...I "shopped" around,,talked to 4 diff. dr's,,& a few patients. I had wanted this done for 20 yrs! I wish I had done it sooner..(but $$ was an issue) http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif
They did slice the eye, so it folded over & then they lazered it,,,took about 10 minutes,,I really needed a Gravol b/c Im a bit quesy. I healed fast. Must be sure not to rub/scratch your eyes after!!!
My sight is about the same as before,,but I do have some night glare.

I also heard if your prone to dryness DONT do it!
You get what you pay for,,so do your research..
Good luck to you~~

Hi - are you saying your vision is the same as before you did it? Or can you see 20/20 now? How much did you pay? Thanks!!!

Hi Moon...
I dont know what my vision was before ,,But, I wore VERY thick glasses (near sighted)...My vision is good enough that i dont need any glasses for distance or reading..
I paid 2000.$ in Hamilton (laser eye institute)
Dr. Sher.

I had LASIK done last year, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wore thick glasses from ages 6 to 41, having severe myopia and more severe astigmatism, with my right eye being worse. An optometrist once told me my vision was equivalent to about 20/800. One day after LASIK, my right eye was 20/20 and my left was 20/25. In ONE DAY. To say I was thrilled -- I still am! -- is a huge understatement.

I think I'm an unusual case, because they warned me I would need a lot of artificial tears while healing, but I really didn't. There is a protocol you have to follow... sleeping with eye protection, using two kinds of medicated drops and artificial tears so many times per day for two weeks, so I did do that... but I never felt my eyes were uncomfortably dry. The one side effect that I did develop, and they warned me about it, was "halos" at night. Street lights and signals all looked really "glowy." It made it super-difficult to drive, but it only lasted about two weeks. It gradually went away completely. And I only get dry eyes if I've stay up real late. The one thing I've changed is I don't rub my eyes anymore, even though it's safe again.

During my follow-up exams (I paid for lifetime enhancements and care), I eventually learned my left eye had been overcorrected, so oddly, I was now farsighted in one eye. That was bizarre after a lifetime of nearsightedness! But anyway, I had an enhancement on my left eye, meaning a second LASIK procedure. It went just as great as the first, though the healing took a few days longer that time around. But the very next day, I was 20/20, and I'm having no troubles whatsoever.

You should realize not everyone will have my results. All I can say is if you are pretty severely visually impaired, AND if you have a highly skilled and experienced surgeon (mine had done 20,000 procedures) with state-of-the-art equipment, AND he feels you are a good candidate for the procedure, you might want to go for it. If you are not so visually impaired but just sick of wearing glasses or contacts, well... in my opinion, this is not just cosmetic surgery. It is a serious operation, and should be used by people who really can't see at all without glasses.

Just don't pick a doctor who is offering some kind of cut rate deal. That spells trouble. Doing it the right way is expensive, and it should be. It will change your life. The equipment is extremely expensive and the doctor's skills don't come cheap. You get what you pay for, so save up. It will be worth the expense and the little bit of discomfort... IF you're as fortunate as I was.

Best of luck!

Hey there! Everyone has offered great advice. My vision was -3.50 in both eyes. I just had my 4 year checkup last week and I'm STILL 20/20! It's the best thing I ever did. And I'm glad I did it in 1999 because my doctor said that they (TLC-The Laser Center) has become even more strict about screening candidates. She said I probably wouldn't be one today because I have "enormous" pupil! ha ha

Results vary w/each individual. And don't go w/a cheap deal--

Good luck!~

Ok - I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOOOO

1 week post op and I am seeing 20/15 and today I read the 20/10 line on the eye chart!!!! I LOVE IT!!

LASIK was a miracle for me! I did regular lasik, love the dr. love the surgery, love everything!!!!

Thanks for all your support!

I had LASIK last week and love it! After 20 years of wearing glasses, I'm thrilled. At night, I'm still in the habit of reaching to take my glasses off...lol.

My contacts are -4.25 in each eye....would I be a good candidate? I dont ever use drops for dry eyes right now so I dont believe that would be an issue for me.

No one can tell you on the internet if you are a good candidate based only on your prescription. They have to take into consideration, your age, your health, the amount of correction needed, astigmatisms, pupil size and many many other factors. All doctors will offer you a FREE evaluation to see if you are a good candidate. Go to a reputable doctor who has a lot of experience and you will probably be happy with your results. I am one month post op and I love my lasik even though I had a bad experience with the laser and am having some halo problems. I did not achieve 20/20 and am only 20/40 in each eye but it is so much better than 20/400. Read of my experience under Painless procedures if you want to know what happened. I am still thrilled beyond words. Not everyone gets to be 20/20 and that doesn't mean that the surgery was not a success.

Oceanmama1.