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Original poster

LASEK with -9.5 prescription

13 replies

athelophobic · 13/10/2015 15:51

DD1 has decided she is sick of wearing lenses (really bad eyesight, -9.5 in both eyes) and wants LASEK surgery. She's okay with the pain, her big worry is what will happen if the laser over or under corrects? She's worried that she'll wind up with a prescription of -4 or +4 and will either need new glasses or not be able to go to work/drive until she's got new ones... obviously not keen on this as she wants perfect eyesight and doesn't want to have to miss work (office based) or stop driving.

We have a consultation booked in December, but right now I worry she's on the brink of going "my eyesight is too bad to be corrected first time around so I'll stick with the devil I know, thanks." Has anyone known of sight this bad to be 100% corrected first time around... or if not, what happens until the over/under correction can be corrected?

OP posts:
MatildaTheCat · 13/10/2015 17:57

I've had LASIK many years ago for a much smaller prescription and it was great ( and still is). That seemed to encourage practically every person I knew to get theirs done! Two people had similar prescriptions to your dad and both were extremely pleased. I think, several years on they may have needed glasses for driving or TV but nothing much and also we are middle aged which obviously makes a difference.

I think your dad does need to temper her expectations a little. Of course she wants perfect vision but realistically nobody will promise her that with her prescription.mshe would be amazed at the difference anyway if it wasn't perfect. I believe they do offer further treatment if it isn't quite right but don't know anyone who needed it.

A tip, I went to a high street chain ( Boots) for a free consultation to check I was even a suitable candidate which I was. I then booked at Moorfields to see the consultant . It was all fine though I did book a week away from work because I was advised to rest my eyes as much as possible and there were lots of drops for the first few days and I was very precious. Overall I am very pleased I had it done.

MatildaTheCat · 13/10/2015 17:58

Not dad, dd. autocorrect.

Original poster
athelophobic · 13/10/2015 18:10

Thank you... she is not expecting perfect vision immediately, I think she is just worried about what happens in between the first surgery and the second one if the first does not work 100%. I've tried to reassure her that even if it's not perfect, she'll still be able to see better than she does now, and all she has to do is get a new pair of glasses (in the new prescription) until she can go through with a second op (I think they have to wait 6 months in between?). However, she's worrying herself sick about what happens in between the surgery and getting the new pair of glasses -she's convinced it's a couple of weeks of not being able to drive or work.

She has a pretty severe anxiety disorder, so not being able to control/predict this is driving her mad.

OP posts:
MatildaTheCat · 13/10/2015 18:23

Why not call up a few high street opticians or her usual one and ask how quickly they could produce new specs? She should know within a few days where she's at. This must happen fairly regularly.Seriously consider getting her to take some time off work to allow her some down time anyway.

I was quite stressed and anxious about the whole thing and am fairly relaxed in general. Is she psychologically up to the stress of this? There will be uncertainty and in the first few days it is quite easy to drive yourself mad with testing your eyes all the time as they are just settling.

curvyredmug · 13/10/2015 19:31

Where is she going? Don't go to any of these high street outfits, the only realnplace to get it done safely is Moorfields.

Original poster
athelophobic · 14/10/2015 20:43

We're not in the UK, but she's getting it done at a reputable private clinic. Everyone we know who's had it done has said it's more than worth it... and deep down I think she wants to do it, it's the uncertainty of the outcome that worries her. She's imagining some 6 months of blurry vision and inability to read/drive.

OP posts:
Karoleann · 14/10/2015 22:36

Eek no.. Lasek is only for low prescriptions and Lasik for higher.

Where do you live? Its very very odd that a first world country would recommend LASEK for such a high Rx. LASIK or a phakic IOL is more likely.

The problem is for the higher prescriptions is that you need to remove more corneal tissue. So for a person who's -2/d is going to lose 28 microns of corneal tissue. someone who is -10.00 will lose 140 microns of tissue. When corneas break down they decompensate.

Personally, I if were my age (40), I'd wait a few years and have an IOL.

If I was 20, I'd have LASIK, but only if the company have a femtosecond laser.

Original poster
athelophobic · 15/10/2015 06:53

Thank you Karoleann We are living in Malta, and will be getting it done at St James... nowhere offers LASIK.

OP posts:
Chchchchangeabout · 15/10/2015 07:00

I second moorfields. David Gant is excellent. Or the equivalent expertise in a different country - I wouldn't go to a high St chain for that prescription

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 15/10/2015 07:07

What is the problem with wearing lenses? I'm -9/-10 and have been wearing them very happily for 30 years, has she tried different types etc? I have to say nothing on earth would convince me that laser surgery was a better alternative, although I might consider it if I had to wear glasses full time instead of lenses.

HippyPottyMouth · 15/10/2015 07:08

I have IOLs and it was the best thing I ever did. It's worth talking through whether it's an option when she has her appointment. I had the surgery on Fridays, a week apart, and was cleared to drive the following day and back to work on the Monday. The most uncomfortable part was the leave-in contact lens I wore in the eye that hadn't been done for the week between the two surgeries.

LittleCandle · 15/10/2015 07:15

I had the surgery in July and am delighted with the results. I was -8.5 in one eye and almost as bad in the other. I had LASEK as I was told I didn't fit the profile for LASIK - it depends on many factors, and not on just the low or high prescription. LASEK can be very sore - I had a couple of days of pain after having the bandage contacts removed. They had adhered to my eyes slightly, despite using the drops correctly. The day after surgery, my eyesight was better than minimum driving level. Over the weekend that followed, i couldn't focus very well and was really anxious about what I had done, despite knowing that this would happen. By the following week, I could see perfectly and was driving again. Even when I couldn't focus properly, my eyesight was still sooooo much better than it had been before the op. I need reading glasses (I'm 50) but who cares about that? It has been so worth it! Good luck to your daughter.

YellowOlives · 15/10/2015 13:00

I had it with a prescription of either 6.5 or 8.5 (honestly can't remember as it was 10 years ago). The dr who did mine, said because my vision was so bad and the cornea is only a certain thickness, that she would do it 50% at a time. Had it done, given disposable lenses for 3 months, checked thickness of cornea and did it again. Perfect vision still 10 years on.

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