Laser eye treatment - who's done it?

[Vexr]

If the myopia hasn't changed much then that's not correct as myopia isn't fixed by presbyopia. Presbyopia is simply a limit on the range of focusing closer due to lens hardening and weaker muscles.

If your mother has always been myopic then she would have always been able to see well up close and closer than when wearing (non varifocal) glasses or compared to someone with perfect vision when she was not wearing glasses. However being myopic means that you can still see closer than someone with 6/6 vision once presbyopia occurs and this can give useful close vision. However mid/distance will still be affected by the myopia.

So what happens with presbyopia is the lens begins to harden as you mention. This has the effect of slightly countering myopia as you age. It will only work if your myopia is fairly low grade, and it will eventually get cancelled out — it just means you won't need readers for longer than most (say, into your 60s instead of 40s). But he is correct that your inability to see in the distance will improve somewhat while this process is ongoing.

Quite frankly, having 20/20 vision is worth it for the inconvenience of readers.

I believe my mother's myopia was only something like -1.25, so much less than my own. She says that with age she's been cured of all vision issues and has no troubles / need of correction for close up or distance.

Interestingly, key jobs in the UK military and civil aviation excluded anyone who had laser eye surgery, no matter how successful, while still taking those with uncorrected vision up to -5.0. I think that's changed recently though.

I'll admit, if contact lenses didn't exist and it was just glasses vs surgical correction, I'd be going for the latter. I truly detest glasses, but as it turns out contacts are again working well for me, and I'm living the dream of it feeling like I have nothing in my eyes / no complications / 100% vision correction, I just need to put them in in the morning and remember to take them out at night.

I think a future of matching various lenses to the climate / situations I'm in is on the cards. I'm also a keen swimmer and never understood the strict rule to not wear contacts while swimming. I wear goggles - job done. Sometimes a trickle of chlorinated water might breach the seal, but this has never been a problem for me. I think I read once that it was even inadvisable to wear contacts whilst taking a shower. I've worn contacts for 99.9% of my showers in my adult life with no issues whatsoever. All these issues sound like extended wear problems for those using lenses all day and night, including sleeping with them in, which I'd never go for.

More interesting testimony. The risks and consequences if you're one of the unlucky ones is off-the-chart life changing / ending.

 

[Tephnos]

I believe my mother's myopia was only something like -1.25, so much less than my own. She says that with age she's been cured of all vision issues and has no troubles / need of correction for close up or distance.

Interestingly, key jobs in the UK military and civil aviation excluded anyone who had laser eye surgery, no matter how successful, while still taking those with uncorrected vision up to -5.0. I think that's changed recently though.

I'll admit, if contact lenses didn't exist and it was just glasses vs surgical correction, I'd be going for the latter. I truly detest glasses, but as it turns out contacts are again working well for me, and I'm living the dream of it feeling like I have nothing in my eyes / no complications / 100% vision correction, I just need to put them in in the morning and remember to take them out at night.

I think a future of matching various lenses to the climate / situations I'm in is on the cards. I'm also a keen swimmer and never understood the strict rule to not wear contacts while swimming. I wear goggles - job done. Sometimes a trickle of chlorinated water might breach the seal, but this has never been a problem for me. I think I read once that it was even inadvisable to wear contacts whilst taking a shower. I've worn contacts for 99.9% of my showers in my adult life with no issues whatsoever. All these issues sound like extended wear problems for those using lenses all day and night, including sleeping with them in, which I'd never go for.

More interesting testimony. The risks and consequences if you're one of the unlucky ones is off-the-chart life changing / ending.

A lot of these risks can be completely mitigated if you just do your research and go to a reputable doctor, like the London Visual Clinic, and NOT the high street brands. The biggest reasons you will see post operative issues are 1.) your pupil expands beyond the correction area. This leads to night glare, double vision in dim conditions, etc. A good doctor will tell you if this is going to happen to you and you can decide from there. 2.) is simply the nerves that control the production of tears not fully repairing once they have been damaged, leading to dry eyes which often needs drops for. This can be mitigated in the majority of cases by closely following your doctor's instructions and applying the post-op eyedrops religiously as told.

Also, the more degree of correction needing done, the higher risk of issue simply due to the larger amount of tissue that needs to be removed. I'm personally a -0.5 and -0.75, so if I got my eyes lasered the risk would be completely miniscule compared to someone trying to correct from say, -8D or higher.

 

[hornetstinger]

Not worth it. I'd only do it it I was already near blind. To go from wearing specs, to having and distorted effect where you see that baby?

Not a chance in hell I'd risk that.

 

[Vexr]

A lot of these risks can be completely mitigated if you just do your research and go to a reputable doctor, like the London Visual Clinic, and NOT the high street brands. The biggest reasons you will see post operative issues are 1.) your pupil expands beyond the correction area. This leads to night glare, double vision in dim conditions, etc. A good doctor will tell you if this is going to happen to you and you can decide from there. 2.) is simply the nerves that control the production of tears not fully repairing once they have been damaged, leading to dry eyes which often needs drops for. This can be mitigated in the majority of cases by closely following your doctor's instructions and applying the post-op eyedrops religiously as told.

Also, the more degree of correction needing done, the higher risk of issue simply due to the larger amount of tissue that needs to be removed. I'm personally a -0.5 and -0.75, so if I got my eyes lasered the risk would be completely miniscule compared to someone trying to correct from say, -8D or higher.

I note a Lithuanian colleague of mine who returned to Lithuania for her laser eye surgery at some ridiculously cheap price (hundreds of pounds per eye, not thousands).

Maybe that turned out well for her (she was certainly fine immediately after, but then I left the company). However, there can be issues with the nerves regrowing back in to the new lens and all sorts of long-term problems.

There's testimony and video footage of 'good doctors' at the most expensive British clinics calling the procedure fool proof and conversationally dismissing the possibility of side effects / risks you'll have to agree to as nothing but formalities on a consent form.

Interesting many talk of going from glasses -> laser eye surgery correction (with some regretting it). Yet there seem to be fewer who went from contact lenses -> laser eye surgery.

From what I can tell, the right contact lenses at their best are 99% as good as a 100% flawless laser eye surgery.

 

[Tephnos]

I note a Lithuanian colleague of mine who returned to Lithuania for her laser eye surgery at some ridiculously cheap price (hundreds of pounds per eye, not thousands).

Maybe that turned out well for her (she was certainly fine immediately after, but then I left the company). However, there can be issues with the nerves regrowing back in to the new lens and all sorts of long-term problems.

There's testimony and video footage of 'good doctors' at the most expensive British clinics calling the procedure fool proof and conversationally dismissing the possibility of side effects / risks you'll have to agree to as nothing but formalities on a consent form.

Interesting many talk of going from glasses -> laser eye surgery correction (with some regretting it). Yet there seem to be fewer who went from contact lenses -> laser eye surgery.

From what I can tell, the right contact lenses at their best are 99% as good as a 100% flawless laser eye surgery.

Contact lenses run the rare risk of infecting your eye and damaging it, or leaving you permanently unable to use contacts anymore (like when new blood vessels grow within the eyeball due to lack of oxygen supply). Everything has risks.

Except glasses.

 

[hornetstinger]

Contact lenses run the rare risk of infecting your eye and damaging it, or leaving you permanently unable to use contacts anymore (like when new blood vessels grow within the eyeball due to lack of oxygen supply). Everything has risks.

Except glasses.

Glasses are also all day eye protection. A few times stones wasps etc have hit my glasses lenses and could have resulted in eye injury.

 

[Vexr]

Contact lenses run the rare risk of infecting your eye and damaging it, or leaving you permanently unable to use contacts anymore (like when new blood vessels grow within the eyeball due to lack of oxygen supply). Everything has risks.

Except glasses.

Sounds similar to my earlier posts. Just recently I went from issues with maximum water content (+ oxygen starvation) monthly contact lenses, to complete recovery of GPC symptoms within days by adopting fortnightly contact lenses. A minor adjustment from the trusted lenses I'd worn for over a decade, but the improvement in my eye health has been swift and massive.

Glasses are also all day eye protection. A few times stones wasps etc have hit my glasses lenses and could have resulted in eye injury.

Your concern matches your user name

Wear sunglasses when cycling - has worked for me

 

[kosymodo]

Interesting many talk of going from glasses -> laser eye surgery correction (with some regretting it). Yet there seem to be fewer who went from contact lenses -> laser eye surgery.

From what I can tell, the right contact lenses at their best are 99% as good as a 100% flawless laser eye surgery.

I went from contact lenses -> laser eye surgeribly

Whilst it's true to say that contact lenses are great, they are still an inconvenience which disappears if you opt for surgery. Plus, if you're using weating contact lenses responsibly, the scrabling aroung on the nightstand for glasses in the morning is something which also disappears. These things don't sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but it's something anyone who has gone through surgery will appreciate

 

[I kill Bunnies]

I will never let some barely minimum wage hoodlum blast friggin' lasers into my eyes.

 

[Vexr]

I went from contact lenses -> laser eye surgeribly

Whilst it's true to say that contact lenses are great, they are still an inconvenience which disappears if you opt for surgery. Plus, if you're using weating contact lenses responsibly, the scrabling aroung on the nightstand for glasses in the morning is something which also disappears. These things don't sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but it's something anyone who has gone through surgery will appreciate

Fair enough plus point. Probably one of the few plus points left for laser surgery in comparison to my rapidly improving experience with contacts

My morning routine used to consist of dealing with a lot of gunk in my eyes, then inserting contacts would be a 5+ minute job of putting them in, taking them out, rinsing the gunk they just picked up off my eyes in solution, put them back in, take out, rinse, and literally repeat 4-6x until they're clear. Would certainly need to repeat that later in the day as my vision would be greying out and eyes drying up, despite my old contact lenses being all about high moisture retention.

Now I put in contacts once only in the morning, taking about 30 seconds. 14+ hours later I still have flawless vision and comfort, and I feel I could compete with a non-lens wearer in a staring contest. Unimaginable with my old monthlys.