View Full Version : Would you have laser eye surgery?
Would you have laser eye surgery to correct your vision?
This is not about whither you actually need to have laser surgery for long or short sightedness, or even if you have been assessed and told that it is not suitable for you, or if you do or don't currently wear glasses.
I was just wondering would you have it done?
DANESKA18
01-02-2009, 14:37
Hi MTP - not only would I have it done but I have!! I had bi-lateral epi-lasik on 22nd September last year and although at the time it was pretty traumatic, now I have better than 20/20 vision and it was worth all the discomfort. Can I ask why you started the poll??
Interesting question as I would love to have it done, but as I am short sighted and also now struggle to read close, need to investigate further.
thornton
01-02-2009, 15:14
If I was younger I would certainly have it done, but can't now as I have had a cataract op in one eye.
clairemca
01-02-2009, 15:35
I would love to have it done, I'm abit scared about having it done and have never really found out enough about it to actually go ahead with it. Everytime the ad comes on the tv for it I say I'd love that done - no more contact lenses!
jimiansville
01-02-2009, 15:39
I would love to have it done but the fear factor kicks in and stops me in my tracks. Not fear of the procedure from a pain point of view but a real fear of something going wrong. Also, I still see a lot of opticians and other people connected with the business wearing glasses. When they pluck up courage I will join them!
caroline
01-02-2009, 16:13
I'm undecided, I'm a bit eye phobic so not sure if I could go through with the treatment[msnscared]
I would love to have it done but as others have said would worry something may go wrong but if I was convised that it would all be ok them I would jump at it
mr flibble
01-02-2009, 16:46
Hi
I would like to but I am worry about the risks ! What are the risks of losing your sight etc.
[msnscared]
sundowner
01-02-2009, 16:49
I voted yes if I needed it done. Our friend had it done and before that his glass lense was extra thick and cost him a fortune.
thornton
01-02-2009, 17:10
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jimiansville
I would love to have it done but the fear factor kicks in and stops me in my tracks. Not fear of the procedure from a pain point of view but a real fear of something going wrong. Also, I still see a lot of opticians and other people connected with the business wearing glasses. When they pluck up courage I will join them!
[/quote]
Don't forget that no everyone is suitable for laser surgery. I know many people who would have it done but for one reason or another have not been able to. I'm one of them but fortunately I now have one normal eye(because of a cataract operation) and one short-sighted one.
I have voted yes though I am a bit sqemish about it but I hate wearing glasses for reading and so I would have to be brave I think!
heathercobbett
01-02-2009, 18:07
I would not.
I am worried about what might happen more years down the line or being one of the small percentage for whom it goes wrong. I could not imagine not being able to read.
And yes, I too am squeemish about my eyes.
So for the minute I will be shelling out for glasses every couple of years.
Yes I would have the surgery but am also concerned about the 0.1% of people who have problems. Our optician says I shouldn't have it done yet due to changes going forward.
I have wearing glasses for golf and tennis would love to be able to read a car numberplate at 30 yards without glasses.
I would not take the risk because if it goes wrong your sight is damaged for ever
I know someone who had it done about 4yrs ago Great at the begining but now has to wear glasses again
Carol
athurstance
01-02-2009, 18:32
I had it done 2 years ago and am so glad I did it. I went from long-sighted with a severe astigmatism in my right eye which meant that without my glasses the best I could do on the optician's chart was the bit 'A' at the top. I now have perfect vision in both eyes.
It's obviously a very personal decision. I had to have lasek rather than lasik due to my small eye sockets and the recovery is slightly longer - and I did experience some serious discomfort in the first 48 hours - but it was absolutely worth it.
I wear contacts and have done for 30 years -now I have reading glasses but would like to have laser treatment but am a real wimp when it comes to pain so would have to say no.
I wlll let you know when my daughter has had it done in half term. She has had no end of problems with eye infections mainly caused by her contact lenses, and she has tried many many different types so has decided this is the best way forward.
I just wish i could wear contact lenses but can't and am too much of a coward to risk an op.
luckylady
01-02-2009, 23:25
I would have laser eye surgery to correct my vision tomorrow, but my concerns outway the desire to take the initial first steps.
Hi
I had it done 3 yars ago and its the best thing ever!!
Dianne
orlandodaze
02-02-2009, 02:20
I gave it some thought but I now require reading glasses so I dont really see the point and the expence ,Ill keep the money and take another Florida break instead .
Thanks for the comments, votes and posts folks. To me this seems to be quite a polarised topic.
Not sure I'd be suitable because of other eye problems but I'm really squeamish about eyes and the thought of having surgery on them. Still I get fed up keep reaching for glasses every time I want to read something small so maybe I'll think about it.
Euan, I think it's done quite a bit in the US but do you need a lot of follow-up afterwards?
Agree that I would like the benefits but not the risks.
Why do you never see surgeons and opticians without glasses?
Once asked an eye surgeon this and he admitted he would not take the risk....
The typical follow-up period is 6 months. For the most common procedure, LASIK, you would have a 1-day, 1-week, 1 or 3 month and 6 month follow-up. After that it is routine eye examinations as per normal, every year or every 2 years.
The most important thing, IMHO, is to make sure that expectations are realistic - ie is the desired outcome achievable. If someone wants to be without glasses for the rest of their life and have perfect vision, I would not consider them a good candidate. I think the other factor is, if you are considering it, at what point do you buy in. It is a bit like computer technology, it is always advancing and improving, if you wait a while then you can be sure that there will be a 'new and improved' just along, however, in the meantime you are without the benefits available.
brendawilliams
02-02-2009, 04:22
Not for me - hate anything to do with eyes and can't even face trying contact lenses.
normajohnp
02-02-2009, 12:04
Although I have said no ( just putting mascara on makes me cringe ) I have to say that the experience my next door neighbor had at the eye laser clinic in Newcastle Upon Tyne was very uplifting. He went to have his eyes tested etc and was given a date for them to do it. The cost £3500.00. He arrived at the clinic and the surgeon who was doing it came and asked him why he was wanting it done. After he had explained about having to keep changing glasses ( not sure why but bifocals are no good to him and he uses his contacts when not at work )the surgeon said that if it was himself getting it done he would not bother as the surgery would not really make much difference and he would still need to use his glasses for some aspects of his work.
BUT it was so nice to hear of a company that was honest enough to tell him that while he would have a little benefit it would not be great and in the words of there surgeon not worth spending that amount of money. If I did need anything done to my eyes I would not hesitate in using this company as they could have took his £3,500.00.
christhear
02-02-2009, 14:02
i voted yes and have had it done.
It must have been 4 - 5 years ago and I had it done for 2 reasons, one was because we were going to discovery cove and th eother was for work.
I am a swimming teacher and work in the water with young children some days. I could not see without my glasses and they were constantly covered in water. I had prescription goggles but you can't really teach in these.
I did suffer a lot of discomfort and blurred vision in one eye for just over a week, but eeverything has been fine since.
My sister also wanted this done but due to her early artheitus could not.
No thank you.
I have just recently started wearing glasses for reading and I'm really enjoying it. They're a very handy prop; I hadn't realised the feeling of power you get when you lower your head and glare at someone over the top of them. It's great to sigh, pointedly remove the specs with an arrogant gesture, rub your forehead and point them accusingly at people in meetings.
Wouldn't give them up for anything.
SteveandJan
03-02-2009, 00:36
I would love to have it done
My wife had it done 5 or 6 years ago in the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and I can honestly say her life changed to the better overnight. The quality of life increased untold.
If you can afford it go to a specialsed eye doctor with a good reputation.
TOM
I am always amazed by people that are considering having their eyes sliced open and then blasted several hundred times by a laser and are looking for the cheapest option!!! Some money saving websites have threads about this!! SCARY!! It's like wanting to scrimp on your vacation rental [msnwink].
caroline
03-02-2009, 03:13
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by MTP
<span style="color:red">I am always amazed by people that are considering having their eyes sliced open and then blasted several hundred times by a laser</span id="red"> and are looking for the cheapest option!!! Some money saving websites have threads about this!! SCARY!! It's like wanting to scrimp on your vacation rental [msnwink].
[/quote]
OMG I knew I was squeamish, but if that's how they do it then not only wouldn't I pay to have it done but you couldn't pay me enough to ever submit to it[xx(]
Well, not perhaps sliced open, more just a flap being lifted on the cornea - think of it like topping an egg, but not cutting all the way through. I was surprised, though, when I sat in some procedures just how many laser shots there are, for some reason I had always imagined that it was like one zap, but it is hundreds of very small, exceptionally controlled zaps.
AmberSaxon
06-02-2009, 04:42
I had Lasek on 08/08/08 & I am thrilled with it. I was -6.25 in my left & -4.75 in my right.
I opted for mono-vision instead of full distance sight. In doing this..... which is the dominant eye, the right, has full distance vision, but the left has only 1/2 vision ..... I now don't need reading glasses unless the lighting is very dim. When I am in the car driving on a straight road ahead, I can see clearly for at least 1/2 mile maybe further.
I am 61 & have been wearing glasses since I was 6 years old & hard contact lenses since I was 23.
I made enquiries about 5 years ago & was told by the specialist from Moorfields that I was not a suitable recipient for this operation. I have had laser repair surgery to my right retina about 8 years age & he was concerned this would be affected.
My husband booked me into Vision Express at Reading for a consultation & then 2 months later they performed the op. Took 30 seconds on my right eye & 45 seconds on my left.
Yes, there was discomfort for about a week wth the 3rd & 4th days being the worst.
My reasoning was that I'd worn glasses for so long that if anything went wrong & I still had to wear glasses afterwards, albeit a different perscription than before, then that was an acceptable risk & I did not allow myself to think that the worst would happen because if you think like that, you would never do anything in this life.
The cost was £1095 per eye even though the adverts on TV say from £395, but maybe that's why I'm pleased with my op & some people aren't.
Andrea
AmberSaxon, great to hear your story, can I just check one point? I may be wrong, but I don't think it was Vision Express???
AmberSaxon
06-02-2009, 15:05
Sorry, you are right......it was Optical Express.
If you look at the time of my posting, it was just before I went to bed & my brain got there before my typing hand.
Andrea
I just didn't think VE had got into that game, but often the multiples will try something locally first to see how it goes, so wasn't sure. Hey-ho.
Come on folks, would love to get the vote above 80, or even 100.
Albert the Frog
09-02-2009, 02:21
I had it done in 2002 and have never looked back-pardon the pun-driving,swimming,watching the footy-all brilliant.
athurstance
09-02-2009, 11:33
I had mine done at Optical Express in Milton Keynes. They were very thorough both in pre-op and post-op checks which did inspire confidence. It is not the kind of proceed to have done by someone on the cheap. It cost if £3500 for both eyes so as Andrea says you can ignore the £395 per eye - no idea if anyone ever gets it at that price. I had some kind of computerised tracking version due to my severe astigmatism. It has not only improved my normal eyesight it has done wonders for my night vision too - which had always been poor even when I was younger.
With lasek you don't have a flap cut - they use some kind of acid on the eye to remove the surface. This then grows back. They give you absolutely masses of information on it so you are very well informed by the time you actually have the op.
Well my daughter had it done yesterday. Her vision is great she can read better than the bottom line with both eyes. She had Lasek which has a longer recovery time but it means she has a chance to have it redone later in life if she needs it. Her cornea was too thin if she had the other type to be able to have it redone should she need it. She did go for the most expensive option which followed the contours of her eyes when they did the laser treatment.
She did get interest free credit over 3 years so although over £3000 it made it an affordable option. She went to ultralase. All over in less than 30mins total and apparently there was only a few seconds where she didn't like what was being done the rest was much better than she expected.
tony2000
10-04-2010, 08:27
I would be worried what might happen to my eyes
Tony
CarolAnn
12-04-2010, 20:47
Just read all the posts on this with great interest. A friend just told me last night on the phone she had it done, and she is over the moon! Something I have wanted for years, but "fear factor" definately gets in the way for me. I think I would want to be put to sleep for a start, and then there is the long term issue too? To be fair , as an MS patient I guess i am reluctant to mess with anything in case one think affects another [msnscared] That said, I now have Bletharitus in my eyes (eye drying condition) , which I am sure does not make me a candidate any longer anyway. On top of that I now have to wear glasses all the time, no contacts , and i can honestly say, I hate it!!! Never thought it would bother me, but it REALLY does..ho hum[msncry]
Good Luck to anyone considering the option.[msnsmile2]
I had Conductive Keraplasty (CK) After 4 years I was just starting to need reading glasses again. I went back to Harley Street and had 1 eye lasered for FREE. He said it was all about customer care and as I was his first patient/customer there would be no charge. I was really taken aback !
I went ahead had it done 3 weeks ago, daughter in law had hers done 2 weeks ago. She had always worn glasses -6 and -5.20. I paid for her and received a £300 discount. The difference to her is amazing - she is now full of confidence, a bright and bubbly girl.
Dave (husband) also had his lasered 4 years ago and still has 20/20 vision.
They are so clever nowadays nothing is impossible - all you have to do is ask and pay:)
I would say to anyone thinking about it - just do it. Harley Street have Interest free credit as well.
I would have it done tomorrow if they could give me a 100% promise that it would work and nothing would go wrong, they will not do this and with me if anything can go wrong it probably will[msnsad] The thought of going blind freaks me out more than having very bad eyesight, so I guess I will stick with the glasses.