Lasik eye surgery

I spent the entire morning at the opthamologist's office being evaluated to see whether I am a candidate for Lasik. I got the thumbs up and will have the procedure on the 28th.


Has anyone else had this done?

I have wanted Lasik for years....how much does it cost now? I know the price has dropped quite a bit.

i have had 3 of my friends and my nephew have it done and they are doing great, they said it wasnt bad at all, and are glad they did it, my nephew said it was wonderful to wake up in the morning and see the clock with out his glasses on. so good luck to ya and hope things go well for ya im sure it will , i didnt ask how much they paid to have it done, but ive heard its not to bad anymore.

I had LASIK done in September of 2000. At that time, I paid $2000. It was the best money I ever spent. I had worn glasses or contacts since the 6th grade. Did they mention to you that you may possibly need to wear reading glasses? I was getting to that point anyway, so for me it was a fantastic trade. I can still read without glasses, unless the print is super tiny.

Lasik averages about $400 per eye here. I went for a consultation but found out I am not a good candidate. My astigmatism isn't bad enough and the only other thing I have is presbeopia (lens gets hard and brittle after age 40 and need reading glasses.) They can't help me with that. They said they could over correct my vision in one eye for reading but they showed me what it would look like and it drove me crazy having one eye different! Plus I would have had to give up some of my distance vision so I said I'll keep my glasses! Bifocals even!

I wish I could afford to do it! It's still rather pricey here (my friend had he's done a few months ago and it cost almost $3000 for both eyes). Plus, my insurance doesn't cover it.
I would love to wake up in the morning and not have to grab my glasses to be able to see. Plus the hassle of dealing with contacts is such a pain.
Maybe someday when it's cheaper or when I'm rich!

I had LASIK done. I remember the day very, very well - December 5, 2000. I had spent the majority of my life legally blind. I had to depend on glasses or contacts since I was in elementary school. I had completely forgotten what it was like to actually see good. Without contacts, I had to feel my way through the house without being able to really see things. If something was moved, chances were, I hit it. Growing up, I prayed every night for good eyesight, not really thinking I would get it. Then about 3 years ago, I was told that I had to have something done, because I was getting to the point where I would not be able to wear my contacts. Glasses just weren't an option for me anymore, because they were so thick. They made my self-esteem hit rock bottom. Since my eye sight had stopped dropping, finally, the doctor told me I was a candidate. After getting information, and being evaluated, they set it up. I had to go six weeks before the surgery without contacts (longest six weeks of my life). The surgery itself only took a few minutes. It seems like your eyeball is going to be sucked out of the socket for a few seconds, but you don't feel it and, don't worry it doesn't actually come out of the socket. The suction keeps it still. There is no pain at all. The only discomfort I felt after the surgery was that it felt like I had sand in my eyes, and I couldn't touch them. I was already reading signs on the way home and looking at things in a whole new way. I felt like the happiest woman alive. Today, I still have 20-20 vision. My prayers were answered with a miracle, payed for by a church.
I would recommend LASIK to anyone. Do it.

I started wearing glasses, at age nine. My vision got progressively worse. Two years ago, I had LASIK and went from worse than 20/400 to 20/20. Of course, at 45, I need reading glasses but that is a small price to pay, for good vision.

The day after the surgery, I drove a car, without glasses, for the first time in my life. I almost cried. I don't have to wear my glasses, while shaving my legs and I don't have to put my glasses, in the same place, every night.

One of the biggies, for me, is that I can see the look in Bill's eyes, during intimate moments.

My doctor charged $1800 per eye but, my ex-husband's insurance paid for it. I got ONE good thing out of that B------!

Wow! It sounds great! I've worn glasses since I was 18 months old and I'm 29 now. I'm not legally blind but, like Lisa, I learnt to feel my way around the house and if a cat happened to be in my path... Well, let's just say that I do a lot of apologising to kitties for stepped-on tails. The LASIK sounds like a godsend - I'd be able to give up the thick glasses and look deeply into my furbabies eyes. Best of all, I wouldn't have the problem of not being able to find my glasses because I can't see because I haven't got my glasses on!

Lisa, Your post almost made me cry. It was beautiful. One of my graduate students had a similar experience. She has had an eye that turns outward her whole life. She was teased horribly throughout her childhood and as a young adult people still stared at her and whispered about her eye. Then out of the blue, someone from Shriners Hospital told her that despite the fact that she is now in her early 20's they would do surgery on her eye to straighten it out. She had it done and came into my office crying in joy because she didn't look "like a freak" (her words) any more.

Deb, I am thinking about having one eye corrected only 40% so that I can read with that one and see distances with the other. The doc would correct the astigmatism in both eyes, so with the 40% improvement plus removal of the astigmatism, she said my distance vision even in the bad eye wouldn't be too off. Hmmmmm....I can't decide what to do about that.

Oh...it costs just under $3000 for both eyes here. Ouch!

No, I haven't but I would like to someday when I can afford it!

Renae:

They discussed with me having each eye done differently, but I just opted for the distance vision.

September 22, 2000

I remember my best friend Kris saying, "Well, take one last good look around..." as I went in.

I remember just as you smell something burning, they finish the eye. You got home with these shields taped to your face, and dark glasses. They tell you to go to sleep right away. It was tough, becuase it was 6:00 in the evening. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and even through the eye shields, I could see the clock clearly! Had to go back at 10:30 the next morning for a post-op check. I DROVE MYSELF! Everything was as clear as could be!

(Here comes the tear-jerker part). I almost postponed the procedure because my dad was seriously ill, and we knew he didn't have long. My sister was here form Texas to see him for one last time. When my dad was lucid during the prior week, he was concerned about the outcome of the LASIK. From the doctor's office, I began to drive to his house, about an hour away. My sister was suddenly calling on the cell phone and saying, "Hurry! Hurry! It won't be long!"

I was driving like a bat-out-of hell, about 90 mph, to get there. I got to the house and went in. First thing I did was go up to my dad, take his hand, and tell him that the surgery turned out well, and that I could see fine. He sort of squeezed my hand, and took his last breath. I know he was somehow waiting to make sure everything was ok.

(And that's my little tribute to my dad: 6/23/1930 - 9/23/2000)

I was offered the under correction option, too. I wanted both eyes done properly, though. It is no hardship to have reading glasses - one pair stays on my computer desk, one pair with whichever book that I am reading and a pair in my backpack for work.

Deb, What a story. It is wonderful that your dad's last thoughts were of you and his concern for you. That really touched my heart.