posted 12-06-2001 05:59 PM            

First description of the procedure and then I'll cover what condition I am in now and my feelings.

Oh 2 types of lasers available. Visik or Bausch&Lomb.
Visik is older laser, more for general degrees.
B&L newer some has eye tracking capabilities. For bigger iris and astimagtism. you can check this out
on the various websites.

1) Put on a head cap, with some cotton to absorb the eyedrops as it leaks out.
2) Line in this table under the lazer. and align the laser.
3) The put in some numbing eyedrops..wait for a minute then
4) put in some eye clamps to keep the eye open.
5) Put in a suction type device to suck up the cornea and flatten it.
6) Put in some dark eye drops so that you cannot see.
7) Slice open the cornea so that they can create a flap. : ) yep you can feel them doing it.
8) Peel open the corena ( you can see the flap move and suddenly you cannot focus.
9) They align the laser one more time.
10) Then the laser starts.. takes 10-40 seconds depending on your perscription. Mine too about 15 seconds. Oh you can smell burning flesh as
the laser burns of some underlying cornea.
11) then they put back the flap of the cornea and smooth it out over the eye.
12) Put some more eye drops..
13) Remove the clamps.
14) Then next eye.
15) Tada.. you can see your vision improve immediately although it looks a
little like in a smoky room.
16) You go back and rest. By the next day the vision should clear up quite a
bit. No more smoky
sight..

Care after the procedure:
1) Eyedrops.. 1 antibiotic (which they provide - Quixin). Another which they give you a prescription when you sign up to get (cost about $70)
The antibiotic 4 times a day for 5 days.
The other an anti-inflamatory med. 1st day 4 times,
second/third day-every 2 waking hours. 4th/5th day 4 times a day.
2) precautions: NO RUBBING for 1 month.
3) not hotubs, swimming for atleast 1 week.
4) No bathing the first day (incase soap gets in).
5) No heavy duty excercise, mild aerobics is possible after the second day.

Ok the results:
1st day after the procedure. Had a vision test. I could easily read at 20/20 both eyes had some clarity problems at 20/15 both eyes.
1 week later- another eye test. Now 20/15 text is much
clearer. The doctor says the clarity will improve even
more over the next few weeks.

So far I feels ok.. when I don't focus its blur, its much clearer when I focus on something. My collegue had it done last april and he says that's normal, it takes 2-3 months for that to stop.

posted 06-06-2002 03:43 PM            

He hasn't worked since. He never should have been a candidate because his pupil size was to large. The doctor kept doing correction after correction until his corneas were too thin. The doctor is the pioneer of lasik surgery BTW.

Needless to say, the surgeries have ruined his life (and my sisters too!). He can't see normal out of either eye. He has eye strain, double vision and can't read, watch tv or drive. He suffers every day and has been suicidal.

He regrets ever having it done. He has already had one corneal transplant and is scheduled for another in about a year.

The eye with the new cornea has a terrible stigmatism and we're hoping a contact will correct that. Seems ironic going back to contacts when that's what he wanted to avoid in the first place.

They keep pushing this surgery like it's not a big deal, but it IS a big deal. It's your eyes for goodness sake! Don't do it!!! Your eyes are toooo precious!

posted 07-22-2002 02:08 PM            

I'm seriously thinking of getting laser eye surgery and the place I'm going to is somewhat sketchy.

I am going to Lasik Eye Centre here in Vancouver.

They are promoting their new Wavefront Technology. It's a new improved machine apparently.

posted 08-23-2002 07:17 AM            

I went to "the best" lasik doctor in town. He's done most of the athletes and "stars". I got a lot of referrals. He was considerably more expensive than the rest - being close to $8000. But, it was my eyesight and it was worth the extra bucks for my vision.

I have tested positive for a condition called Sjogren's Syndrome (dry eyes) even though I have been symptom-free my entire life. I voiced considerable concern with the doctor about this - he assured me that if I had worn contacts for 15 years with no problems, that I would have no problems with my eyes afterwards. I passed the Shirmer test fine (testing eye moisture).

Immediately after surgery, my eyes started hurting. My tear ducts were plugged to keep them from draining. That helped minimally - my eyes didn't feel like broken glass anymore, but more like sandpaper. My vision, when my eyes are moist (ie after putting drops in) my vision is pretty close to 20/20. The problem is most of the time, my vision is halo-y and impaired. I have to put drops in constantly. My dry eyes wake me up in the middle of the night several times. It is getting worse and worse over the past 18 months. I've tried every eye drop known to man to help moisturize my eyes. We've even gone so far as to develop eyedrops from my own blood - which was gross and still didn't do much. Because my ducts are closed, tears frequently run down my face when I have eye drops in - makes it rather embarrassing professionally. Forget eye makeup. Next step is to BURN my tear ducts shut. Sounds fun doesnt' it?

And the kicker is - sea water doesn't exactly moisturize your eyes. When your eyes are dry, you don't have much capacity to "clear" your eyes of the salt water. And putting in eye drops at 100 ft underwater isn't exactly an option.

I'm out $8000k for the surgery. The cauterizing is another $2500 a pop - and sometimes it takes several "burnings" to completely get them shut. The eye drops and doctor appointments. My vision. What's it going to be like in 10 years?

I paid an extremely steep price, even though the doctor said everything would be fine. Please think very carefully about what you do - the inconvienence of contacts, retrospectively, was nothing in comparison to today.

posted 10-21-2002 09:34 PM            

Unfortunately, I cannot wear contacts b/c of my allergies. With glasses I do not have depth perception. I've never had it.

I now have 20/20 vision in my good eye and 20/25 vision in my "bad" eye. I have measurable depth perception for the first time in my life. I know what time it is when earthquakes wake me up in the middle of the night. I can fall asleep reading in bed.

I too found out that I have sjorgenson's syndrom. I have plugs only in my bottom tear ducts. Yes, it gets uncomfortable sometimes, but it is worth all the discomfort. I CAN SEE!

Like a lot of you, I saw the Discovery Channel show and I saw Hardcopy. I knew people who had Lasik early on or at scketchy centers who had problems. I went to my doctor at Jules Stien Institute at UCLA for an outside opinion. He said that while he doesn't usually recommend patients have Lasik he thought I was a good candidate. He also told me all about the possible side effects and that I might have to wear glasses at night b/c of my double vision.

posted 11-11-2002 02:27 AM            

“Many refractive surgeons claim that this diagnostic tool will allow patients to undergo corrective surgery that could result in 20/10 super-vision.” Ming Wang M.D., Ph.D., Director, Vanderbilt Laser Sight Center

“There is no question in my mind that … all procedures will be done with Wavefront. It is a much, much better technique” Jeffery J. Machat, MD, national medical director, TLC Laser eye Centers

“More important than better vision results is improved safety, reducing the chance for losing best-corrected vision and increasing the chance of restoring best-corrected vision.” Custom Lasik

Here some of the benefits of Wavefront LASIK include:
§ Greater chance of achieving 20/20 vision
§ Greater chance of achieving better than 20/20 vision
§ Reduced chance of losing best corrected vision
§ Reduced chance of losing visual quality or contrast sensitivity
§ Reduced chance of night vision disturbances and glare
§ Increased ability to restore best corrected vision if healing problems develop

After checking out their website, I'm going to Lasik Eye Centres in Vancouver.