I'm considering lasik surgery and wondered what your thoughts may be about it. Anyone had success or problems? Thanks.

LOVED IT!!! highly recommend it!!! well worth the trouble!

a word of caution though....

don't believe all the success stories and ads about 20/20 vision the next day! i'm sure it happens for some people, but for most, it takes a good 3-6 months for your vision to stabilize itself and if you're like me (and most of the others on this board) you'll spend those 3-6 months thinking the doctor didn't do it right, they don't care, they just took your money and now you're blind and on your own, lasik is the worst thing you've ever done to yourself, etc.....

i had my surgery in december '06 and from december to probably march, because i believed all the 20/20 next day hype, i thoroughly regretted my decision to get it done! then my doctor told me my eyes were really dry and to use more tears, and so i did and after that, my vision seemed to clear up a lot faster, and as of june, my vision is 20/12.5 in both eyes! it's the best thing i've ever done! :)

I had it three days ago.

Just before the surgery was very very scary, but there was no pain at all during the surgery, just a tiny bit of discomfort.

My results are disappointing though -- vision is better than the -5.00 I had before, but still blurry in the left eye, with no marked improvement over what it was immediately after the surgery. I am really hoping it gets better.

A question for mcr285: Are you at 20/20 now? How long did it take for you to get there? I am beginning to regret not doing more research on my laser guy (he was recommended by my Opthalmologist and so I went into it blindly, forgive the pun)

I'm considering lasik surgery and wondered what your thoughts may be about it. Anyone had success or problems? Thanks.

Best money I've ever spent! Lasik has changed my quality of life. It sounds corny, but it really has!

Hi - I just had wavefront five days ago. My surgeon and his tech were good at putting me at ease. It was quick and only minor pain. I felt pressure and a little discomfort from the suction on the eyeball and the speculum, but not bad. I could feel the corneal flap being cut but it was more sensation than pain.

I did not get up out of the chair seeing well. Things were blurry. I did not realize the extent of post-op. Most people think ( myself included) you get out of the chair, see great, go back to work and it's wonderful. NOT TRUE. I had no idea how long the recovery is and I was not prepared for the emotional changes. I am a pretty tough guy, well-adjusted, and a strong faith in God. I've been hit pretty hard psychologically by this .

The hourly drops are easy but the constant procedure is exhausting. Not being able to see well is wearing me down. I have halos and double vision in my left eye.

Now, the doc says I will get better and he says the surgery went fine - but bottom line- I can't do my job well and I've tried a dozen pair of readers to function - none good. I can't look at a computer screen long at all.

I'm told a lot of my problem is that I am 51. I was told that AFTER the surgery, not before.

So- be prepared for the possibility of a significant recovery and some emotional challenge. It's major surgery for sure.

I'll come back as a I progress and one day I'll let you ,know if it was worth it - now is not a good time for to answer that! LOL.

Best wishes.

My surgery was 5 years ago and I had very bad vision prior to surgery. Now, the surgery experience was just fine and I followed every instruction exactly for the recovery.
For the last year or so, I have noticed my vision getting worse so I hightailed it to the optomitrist for my annual dialated exam. He said that I had experienced a "shift" in my vision which could happen to a small percentage of lasik patients. The shift is caused by my corneas resteepening- go figure! Well, now I have had 2 shifts and he told me that of the people who experience this phenonomen that 1 or 2 is the norm. Hope he's right!
I am now using contacts and glasses full time again and need to have them to drive again. I also have been experiencing some blurriness and pain in my left eye so I will be calling the opthomologist for a consultation on my surgery and current status this coming week. My optomitrist said that I need to see if I could have an enhancement on my eyes but he also said that this could happen again- wonderful. Up until all of this happened, I was in love with my new vision. I had worn correction since age 12 and this was truly freedom while it lasted. I was told that I was an ideal candidate like everyone else and my surgery was not done in a sideline clinic, it was done in my doctor's surgery center connected to a major hospital.

Sterling06,

Was your vision stable before the surgery? Had you been wearing the same prescription of contact lens/glasses for at least 2 years before having the procedure? You story is a little scary! I'm about to have Intralase and have stable vision but hate the idea of it reversing!!

I had it three days ago.

Just before the surgery was very very scary, but there was no pain at all during the surgery, just a tiny bit of discomfort.

My results are disappointing though -- vision is better than the -5.00 I had before, but still blurry in the left eye, with no marked improvement over what it was immediately after the surgery. I am really hoping it gets better.

A question for mcr285: Are you at 20/20 now? How long did it take for you to get there? I am beginning to regret not doing more research on my laser guy (he was recommended by my Opthalmologist and so I went into it blindly, forgive the pun)


it took me three months (ish) to get to where i could see clearly in both eyes, and by 6 or 7 months i was at 20/12.5 in both eyes, which is where i am now. i do have to say that if i'd done the tears the way my doc recommended AND if i'd rested my eyes more (i had my lasik a week before christmas and spent the following week sewing tag books for my two new nephews and niece... and i was sewing every night until 2-3 in the morning!), i probably would have had clearer vision sooner!

I had gotten the wavefront lasik at the end of January 07. Its best thing ever. Even after about 8 months later i have dry eyes. At night time i see starburst's or hallows. I did notice that, if i don't get enough rest over night, next day will be bad. My eyes would say dry and continiously i have to use the eye drops. Drink plenty of water so your eyes get plenty of moisture. During the surgery you feel little discomfort but no pain. Doctor put drops in which will kill all the pain while the surgery is performed. I had gotten my surgery done in India, now I am back in USA. Surgery cost for me was $500 US.:)