Corrective Eye Surgery

DampCat

DampCat

DampCat

Soldato
Joined
26 Feb 2007
Posts
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Leafy Cheshire
Have any of you had it done?

I'm hugely scared of having any form of irreversable precedure carried out on my body, especially on something so crucial as my eyes. I really enjoy wearing glasses and i think they look good on me (not the ones in my sig, i need to update my bespectacled ninja pictures). If it were my choice, i'd never have it done. I'm a firm believer in keeping things natural.

I've just discovered, however, that due to my shockingly poor eyesight, i am no longer elligible for my dream job; Cue Little Miss Sunshine style fury.

They do however make exceptions for people who have had corrective laser surgery and will consider applicants after a 1 to 1 personal examination.

I hear horror stories of it screwing up your night vision, which would be inconvinient. A good excuse to buy Night Vision Goggles, but a pain otherwise. Also isn't there like a 1 in 10 chance they can burn right through your head? (dont take me literally).

I just want to hear other peoples experiences before i go researching into this.

Thanks
 
Well my sister had laser eye surgery last Wed, and as far as I know it went fine, haven't had a chance to speak to her about it yet.

Also someone I know on another forum had his done yesterday...

SonicDM said:
For those that dont know i had Laser Eye Surgery yesterday.
The appointment was for 12:00, but i didnt go in until 1:10, so i had an hour and 10 minutes to stay calm and try not to think about it.
The treatment can be described as wierd and uncomfortable, though not painful, and took between 15 and 20 minutes. Straight after the procedure my vision could be said to be good but foggy.
30 minutes after the op the anesthetic drops started to wear off, and the pain set in. Also i couldnt keep my eyes open, but i was in a taxi so thats ok. For those that wear contact lenses the pain was like grit in your eye, and this lasts about 2 hours. After which time it starts to faid and i was able to sleep for a couple of hours. My eyes were still sore so i had barely opened them since the op, i just stuck my IPod on and lay on the bed.
By about 10:00 i was able to keep my eyes open longer, but i was wearing sunglasses because of the light sensitivity. This morning my eye sight is pretty good but is still settling down, and the drops are glooping my eyes up a bit, but they arent as sensitive to light.
Got my first check up this afternoon at 3:00, but all feels on track and my eyes arent sore or bloodshot.
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Other than that, I'm no use, sorry.

InvG
 
My other half is a laser tech (and in Dublin today, on the offchance that any of our guinness-slurping brethren are visiting OpEx today...) - I'll pester her for answers to any of your questions when she gets back.

*n
 
I had lasek done on 23 Dec 2003 at respected London chain clinic - with lasek you have one chance to get it right and the clinic pretty much blew it and overshot it. My eyesight never reached 20/20. Right eye -0.50/-0.50 sphere, left eye -0.25/-0.50 sphere, so all over the place with astigmatism. About 1/3rd of the original prescription. Recovery process was very, very long, with many prescriptions changing almost monthly. It was painful, pricey and effectively - pointless. Each doctor goes through up to 10 people a day in those clinics, it's considered procedure, like a quick bottox, not every one of them is House M.D., if you know what I mean. And so effectively if you have small and simple correction to be done - up to 1.50 dioptries there is a very good chance they will get it right - if you have anything above -2 and astigmatism it pretty much turns out lottery and fairly imprecise science. Interestingly enough - Before you enter the room you sign papers releasing them from any, and I mean, any responsability. And you get no warranties past the P.R. blurb.
 
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I'll avoid that then.

I have pretty serious Spherical dioptres of -4.75 left eye and -4.50 right eye. My cylindrical dioptres isn't so bad.
 
penski said:
My other half is a laser tech (and in Dublin today, on the offchance that any of our guinness-slurping brethren are visiting OpEx today...) - I'll pester her for answers to any of your questions when she gets back.

*n
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Would be awesome, thanks :)
 
v0n said:
I had lasek done on 23 Dec 2003 at respected London chain clinic - with lasek you have one chance to get it right and the clinic pretty much blew it and overshot it. My eyesight never reached 20/20. Right eye -0.50/-0.50 sphere, left eye -0.25/-0.50 sphere, so all over the place with astigmatism. About 1/3rd of the original prescription. Recovery process was very, very long, with many prescriptions changing almost monthly. It was painful, pricey and effectively - pointless. Each doctor goes through up to 10 people a day in those clinics, it's considered procedure, like a quick bottox, not every one of them is House M.D., if you know what I mean. And so effectively if you have small and simple correction to be done - up to 1.50 dioptries there is a very good chance they will get it right - if you have anything above -2 and astigmatism it pretty much turns out lottery and fairly imprecise science. Interestingly enough - Before you enter the room you sign papers releasing them from any, and I mean, any responsability. And you get no warranties past the P.R. blurb.
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Whilst your experiences are terrible, try not to tar the entire industry with the same brush.

You had a bad experience. Millions don't.

My girlfriend does 20+ procedures a day, 21+ days a month and has done so for three years. In all of that experience, she has seen literally less than half a dozen complications and all have been the result of the patient not following aftercare and being foolish.

Statements such as 'if you have anything above -2 and astigmatism it pretty much turns out lottery and fairly imprecise science' are flat-out lies and certainly 'Interestingly enough - Before you enter the room you sign papers releasing them from any, and I mean, any responsability. And you get no warranties past the P.R. blurb' is also a lie.

You had your eyes butchered by a cowboy. Get over it. Don't put down an entire industry because of it.

*n
 
DampCat said:
I've just discovered, however, that due to my shockingly poor eyesight, i am no longer elligible for my dream job; Cue Little Miss Sunshine style fury.

They do however make exceptions for people who have had corrective laser surgery and will consider applicants after a 1 to 1 personal examination.
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If your job is dependent on your eyesight then you should really, really consider it carefully. For example when you go to see these guysthey will not have had it done to themselves in fact most of them will be wearing glasses, now that is something to ponder!
 
Bill101 said:
If your job is dependent on your eyesight then you should really, really consider it carefully. For example when you go to see these guysthey will not have had it done to themselves in fact most of them will be wearing glasses, now that is something to ponder!
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Yet another lie.

I know about a dozen surgeons personally. Those that could have the procedure, have had it done.

What you need to remember is that the procedure does not stop the natural degredation of eyesight that occurs as you grow older. Most surgeons are in their mid-forties or older; they wear glasses for the same reason that most people of that age wear glasses.

It's difficult to have a rational discussion of something when retards like you who are completely ignorant of the subject spout off with myths, lies and half-truths.

:rolleyes:

*n
 
penski said:
My girlfriend does 20+ procedures a day, 21+ days a month and has done so for three years. In all of that experience, she has seen literally less than half a dozen complications and all have been the result of the patient not following aftercare and being foolish.
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Well, that only proves how mass industrialized it is, 20 procedures a day, I don't think even dental hygienists go through that many people a day. By the way - the outcome of my procedure wasn't a complication, I was talking more about expectations vs reality.

Statements such as 'if you have anything above -2 and astigmatism it pretty much turns out lottery and fairly imprecise science' are flat-out lies and certainly 'Interestingly enough - Before you enter the room you sign papers releasing them from any, and I mean, any responsability. And you get no warranties past the P.R. blurb' is also a lie.
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These are not lies. You do sign release before procedure. On the day of procedure. It's a standard practice. And I'm sure your girlfriend will confirm as well that no one in clinic, exept P.R. people actually guarantee you 20/20 vision if you have more than -2 dioptries and more. And you get no warranties bar "good enough for driving" (which quite frankly is not that great unless you were originally blind as a bat). Patients might be under impression they will have sniper vision, they might hope to not wear glasses, but the actual figure of people recovering to 20/20 from -2 or more is much lower than P.R. served figure of 98% (which is based on vast majority of procedures being corrections of relatively small miopias). She will also tell you the proper way is to do one eye at the time, but the patients are encouraged by salesmen to do both in one day.


You had your eyes butchered by a cowboy. Get over it. Don't put down an entire industry because of it.
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I don't get to "get over it". It will remain on my nose till the end of my life, you see. They - Optimax - are one of the finest "butchers" in town. And at the end of the day I'm not even saying "don't go for it" - just don't base your decision on P.R. blurb - be aware that the outcome might not be perfect. If, for example, I was told before procedure that I have more than 50/50 chance to end up with 20/40 vision (actually only one eye as well) , have halo effect around lights for two and a half years and hazing, which is still noticeable, and floaters (don't get funny ideas) I would probably spend my £1000 on something else.
 
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badbob said:
And your household income depends on your gf job. So you're biased and not going to give out negative stories are you?
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The fact Penski works makes that post rather stupid, and isn't that a bit of a personal attack?

Some people like to wear glasses, so they won't have had it done, and as Penski pointed out, eyes degrade over time anyway, so it's just not worth the older surgeons etc. getting theirs done.

InvG
 
badbob said:
And your household income depends on your gf job. So you're biased and not going to give out negative stories are you?
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Our finances are completely seperate; her income is of no consequence to me.

I've told you of the negative stories; all caused by the patient.

She has more experience of the procedure under her belt than you ever will; I trust that more than I trust 'a friend of a friend of a friend' stories.

*n
 
v0n said:
Well, that only proves how mass industrialized it is, 20 procedures a day, I don't think even dental hygienists go through that many people a day. By the way - the outcome of my procedure wasn't a complication, I was talking more about expectations vs reality.
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It proves nothing more than the efficiency of a close-knit and efficient team who incidentally were awarded the accolade of 'best surgery team' (I forget the exact wording) last year...Not only in OpEx but in the industry as a whole in the UK. Christ, you only have to look at the lasikeyes site to see what kind of reviews they get.

These are not lies. You do sign release before procedure. On the day of procedure. It's a standard practice. And I'm sure your girlfriend will confirm as well that no one in clinic, exept P.R. people actually guarantee you 20/20 vision if you have more than -2 dioptries and more. And you get no warranties bar "good enough for driving" (which quite frankly is not that great unless you were originally blind as a bat). Patients might be under impression they will have sniper vision, they might hope to not wear glasses, but the actual figure of people recovering to 20/20 from -2 or more is much lower than P.R. served figure of 98% (which is based on vast majority of procedures being corrections of relatively small miopias). She will also tell you the proper way is to do one eye at the time, but the patients are encouraged by salesmen to do both in one day.




I don't get to "get over it". It will remain on my nose till the end of my life, you see. They - Optimax - are one of the finest "butchers" in town. And at the end of the day I'm not even saying "don't go for it" - just don't base your decision on P.R. blurb - be aware that the outcome might not be perfect.
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Like I said, you had a bad experience with a bunch of cowboys.

I know fully well of the release forms.

If you had chosen to go with a group of people who actually care about their patients rather than getting people through the door then you wouldn't have even seen a 'PR person'. There are no salesmen in my girlfriend's team; you are assessed by a qualified and experienced Optom, you have the entirity of the procedure explained to you with all options and you are left to make your mind up. Everyone in the team is contractually obliged to be completely honest about the procedures, what can be achieved, what can't be achieved and what the patient should expect.

Prescriptions are checked, checked and checked again at many levels, patients are fully briefed on the procedure on the day and ultimately, the surgeon makes the decision whether to go ahead or not. If he or she does not feel 100% about it, they will not do the procedure. If they think you have done the slightest thing wrong (last worn contacts an hour too early et cetera) then they will not do the procedure.

*n
 
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