Eyes - to laser or not to laser

[crystaltips]

Have you had your eyes lasered ?
Was it a success or not ?
I soooo want it done - but I am terrified ( and broke )
How much did it cost ...
Thanks

[popsycal]

my friend has worn glasses/contacts since the age of 8 - now 34...got eyes done just over a year ago....
she says it is fantastic!

[popsycal]

ooo - and so did dh's mate...
but that was about 7 years ago...and in the last few years, he has to wear glasses for reading again.....apparently quite common over time....

[GeorginaA]

I looked into it quite seriously at one point, but I dug up some quite disturbing info about people who it had gone very wrong for. Although they're in the distinct minority it did freak me out a bit, and reminded me that if it did go wrong then it's quite an important part of me that's damaged - my sight.

I decided that my short sightedness wasn't a pain enough for me to take that risk.

After making my decision, I started to notice just how many optometrists wear glasses - obviously even the professionals are rather wary!

Sorry this is such a negative posting, I'll try and find those sites for you and then leave everyone else to provide a more balanced, less scaremongering view

[crystaltips]

GeorginaA - that's just how I feel ... and because of all that feel rather sceptical in taking the plunge ....

Saw on Trisha today ( whilst exercising in the gym ) how one woman spent £4500 on a tummy tuck - only for it to go wrong .... if that happens to your eyes - there's no going back.

I am waiting for the positives to outweigh the negatives though !

[marthamoo]

GeorginaA - it is funny how many optometrists wear glasses - nearly all of them, in my experience. Perhaps if you have 20/20 vision it's less likely to occur to you as a career choice? I remember as a child (extremely short sighted since Primary School) thinking it would be really cool to be able to play with the eye testing equipment - the different lights and funny specs etc. Then found out you had to be a whizz at physics

Crystaltips - I've found, through my life, that blurred vision has its advantages - can be helpful during certain intimate moments. Everyone looks gorgeous when you're short sighted!!! (Like beer goggles but without the hangover!)

[GeorginaA]

Okay, here's a few things I've dug up. As I've said, I'm being the skeptical negative cynic person, so please take all of this with a large pinch of salt and make up your own mind!!

Eye Surgery Patients Unite To Warn Others (general news article about issues)

Surgical Eyes (this is the site that changed my mind - it's basically a support group for all those patients who have suffered complications from their treatment).

As a slightly more positive comment, if I had glaucoma or cateracts then I would not hesitate to have any surgery necessary. If I did decide to go for it for more cosmetic reasons, then I would not choose the cheapest, I would book myself into a proper eye hospital which deals in many cases for things like glaucoma/cateracts and has lots of experience and damn good aftercare. I'd also want to know their statistics in terms of success rate/after surgery problems (in particular night vision issues) before making up my mind.

[GeorginaA]

LOL marthamoo - love the beergoggles analogy

[GeorginaA]

Ah HA - found the site I was looking for! (Don't you hate it when you remember reading something and just can't find the damn thing afterwards?!)

Ten Reasons Why You Should NOT Have Lasik

[SueW]

Two of my cousins have had it. One gets stars around lights at night.

My sister has also had it (in the past year or so) but I have to admit I've never really talked to her about it since. AFAIK, she's ok. She'd tell me if it wasn't IYSWIM.

I wouldn't have it done now for a few reasons:

• I believe your prescription has to have been the same for a number of years - and mine hasn't
  
  
• I wear contacts with no problem and those I know who have had it done have developed problems with ctc lens usage
  
  My sis paid around 2k for both eyes.
  
  She had to have someone drive her home from her appointment. And she had to use synthetic tears for a while. She wasn't allowed to rub her eyes for a certain length of time afterwards (I remember her remarks that it wasn't something she did anyway so that wasn't a problem - it prob would be for me).
  
  If you want to know more, I'll gladly ask her.

[Evansmum]

There are real concerns about rates of serious complications ... see Laser eye surgery report in Health Which?, Consumers' Association, Feb 2003,
trial.which.co.uk

[Furball]

A friend of mine has had it done about 2 years ago. She says her eyesight is not perfect now but good enough to live without glasses and if they do get worse she would have it done again, no questions. I asked her about side effects like night glare and she says she had that before so doesn't really know any different. It's still not enough persuasion for me to change my mind and go for it.

Anyway I wouldn't be able to remove my glasses and read This with ease

[SoupDragon]

DH had it earlier this year (May) and thinks it's wonderful. He said it didn't hurt at all but is right at the top of his list of Most Unpleasant Experiences. He is a complete coward with things like this and incredibly squeamish so it was a big deal for him to go through with it.

[bundle]

the surgeons who do it always seem to wear glasses (ie never have it done to themselves..)

[StressyHead]

message withdrawn

[wilbur]

I long to get rid of my glasses and have looked into Lasik but would not be a good risk as my corneas are too thin and they would not be able to make a correction if the first procedure didn't make the exact correction. I did lots of research though, and talked for a long time to a girl whose father did Nasser Hussein's eyes and he also did his own daughter's eyes and she is thrilled with it. I don't believe a surgeon would let his child have a procedure he didn't think was safe. He is also the man who set up Boots' eye surgery clinic, which is where I went to get assessed and although I was disappointed not to qualify, I was impressed that they turned me away as they could easily have done the op and then said, oops we can't correct it (they gave me the statistics that about 15% need a second go for a correction). A lot of people in the press who have had nightmares have gone to these little clinics that charge only about £500 per eye, but I think as it's your sight you should go to the most reputable top top person, or not at all. Boots was going to cost about £1000 per eye, worth it for me as my glasses cost me about £350 a time, plus about £25 per month for lenses.

[motherinferior]

I am too much of a coward.

[StressyHead]

message withdrawn

[anto]

If anyone is still interested in this thread, I have a consultation booked at Moorfields on 11 Feb - shall I report back? It's with David Gartry, who is apparently the leading LASIK expert in the UK and who helped draw up the Royal College of Opthalmologist's LASIK guidelines.

[Nome]

Oh, yes please. DH is having a dither about having his eyes done and it would great to hear it from the inside.

[adell]

I spent a year working in the Bristol Eye Hospital on a research project and met quite a few people who had the procedure and were really pleased with the results. However, both the optometrists on the project wore glasses/contact lenses and one of them commented that she wouldn't have it done as she had seen too many patients who problems after it. That was a few years ago though, might be different now.

[nutcracker]

I have worn glasses since i was 13 and was considering laser surgery but decided to first try contact lenses. Although i hate wearing my glasses, i just could not get used to how i looked with out glasses. Everyone told me i looked fine but i thought i looked weird, so i treated myself to 2 new pairs of glasses instead.

[tabitha]

Yes anto, please report back. I am seriously considering lazer surgery and want to know all the details, good and bad. I'm too vain to wear glasses and hate all the hassle involved with contacts, not to mention the cost.