LASIK concerns...

[jnl82]

I wanted to know if anyone considering surgery has gotten lasik surgery.

Is there any long term side effects of getting lasik surgery done ?

Especially as a surgeon who performs long hours of focused tasks... is that gonna be a problem?

 

any input would be nice !

[sv3]

I wanted to know if anyone considering surgery has gotten lasik surgery.

Is there any long term side effects of getting lasik surgery done ?

Especially as a surgeon who performs long hours of focused tasks... is that gonna be a problem?

 

any input would be nice !

 

I'm a pre-med so not close to being a surgeon but thought this may help. I had my eyes done in 2002 at the Bochner Institute in Toronto. Got it done b/c as an investment banker (back then, now an MCAT slave) I was looking at a screen 16 hrs a day, and slept 5-6 hours a day and my contacts were too drying and i dont like glasses. I can honestly say I have no regrets. My eyes were sensitive before to heat and wind and they are now too, but not more so.

 

Keep this in mind - do not go anywhere offering "Deals" or "sales". Sales are for socks and underwear, not eye surgery. I paid ~2500/eye, so 5k in total. Another place i visited said i could do it for 1200 total, but since my pupil size is larger than average their laser diameter wouldn't get my entire lens, and id have night vision problems - i honestly thought i was dreaming but that actually happened.

 

TLC and Bochner use the best technology and i wouldn't reccommend even looking elsewhere. You likely want to look at those two places and choose accordingly. I can't comment on how exactly being a surgeon would influence your decision but i would be surprised if it mattered (after all, Tiger Woods endorses TLC after they did his eyes......)

 

hope it helped.

[Jochi1543]

 

any input would be nice !

 

Glasses are hawt...

[jnl82]

i am just concerned whether it will hinder my depth vision which can be needed in some surgeries...

 

c'mon ppl ! inputs plz !

[Jochi1543]

i am just concerned whether it will hinder my depth vision which can be needed in some surgeries...

 

c'mon ppl ! inputs plz !

 

Why don't you just consult a LASIK specialist? I'm sure things depend on your individual situation.

[sv3]

i am just concerned whether it will hinder my depth vision which can be needed in some surgeries...

 

c'mon ppl ! inputs plz !

 

What's wrong with you? You want advice on a message forum for eye surgery?

 

you do know this isn't like buying an MP3 player right?

 

I get this is the surgical board but you likely only want to speak to people specializing in this type of procedure.

 

gluck

[shaolin_28]

My advice is part anecdotal (gasp!) and part scientific. I did my PhD in corneal research at an Eye Institute, and after attending many conferences, and talks, there are many things about LASIK that are troublesome. First, the laser ablation causes neuronal death in the cornea, which takes time to come back (up to 2 years to "normal"). During this period, you might experience epithelial problems, which can result in dry eye syndrome, requiring the need for artificial tears. Other people experience seeing halo's during the night, and their night vision is not as good. I realize this is not the situation for everybody, and people who have received LASIK or PRK generally love it. However, it really hasn't been around long enough to determine what happens to somebody who gets surgery at 20 years of age when they reach their 60's. Now, the anecdotal part, is all the ophthalmologists I have known do not get laser eye surgery. They all wear glasses, and even shun contacts, due to the increased damage and risk of infection that contacts cause. If you do decide to get LASIK, don't go for the cheap option.

best of luck!

[jnl82]

What's wrong with you? You want advice on a message forum for eye surgery?

 

you do know this isn't like buying an MP3 player right?

 

I get this is the surgical board but you likely only want to speak to people specializing in this type of procedure.

 

gluck

 

i ask here cuz if i go and ask a lasik specialist, then of course they are gonna say "go ahead, it is safe... more surgeries more money for us."

 

i wanna know if any surgeons / surgeon-hopefuls have done it and what they think about it. that is all.

[sv3]

i ask here cuz if i go and ask a lasik specialist, then of course they are gonna say "go ahead, it is safe... more surgeries more money for us."

 

i wanna know if any surgeons / surgeon-hopefuls have done it and what they think about it. that is all.

 

True, the above poster had good info to add. I went to Bochner b/c it isn't a public company (TLC is). I figure this would reduce pressure to get as many through as possible. You'll have to ask around but the reason my optha sent me with confidence is b/c they turn away people all the time. Also, (and i dont want this to sound like an ad) but Bochner are eye specialists - not just laser eye specialists. This was huge for me. If i had an underlying issue, they would likely catch it or moreso than others. Also, if something did go wrong, they were likely best suited to fix it. The fact they do everything with respect to the eye was the determining factor for me.

 

Def do the homework and take your time.

[krgregg]

what city are you in? i saw an ophtho in edmonton who does laser surgeries. dr. leong sit - he's very conservative, and actually told me he wouldn't do my eyes because he wasn't sure he could be happy with the outcome.

newest technology in the city as well.

[Neville Bridger]

This surgery is responsible for creating a revolution in the field of eye surgery. The basic requirement of lasik surgery is a small tear in the eye for curing the defect in eye. In this way, this surgery eradicates all the possible chances of damaging the cornea. The recovery of the patient after lasik surgery is fast as compared to other eye surgeries. You may find that the requirement of medicines is very less in this surgery, because Lasik eye surgery cures the defect from its root.

[bluekazoo]

My advice is part anecdotal (gasp!) and part scientific. I did my PhD in corneal research at an Eye Institute, and after attending many conferences, and talks, there are many things about LASIK that are troublesome. First, the laser ablation causes neuronal death in the cornea, which takes time to come back (up to 2 years to "normal"). During this period, you might experience epithelial problems, which can result in dry eye syndrome, requiring the need for artificial tears. Other people experience seeing halo's during the night, and their night vision is not as good. I realize this is not the situation for everybody, and people who have received LASIK or PRK generally love it. However, it really hasn't been around long enough to determine what happens to somebody who gets surgery at 20 years of age when they reach their 60's. Now, the anecdotal part, is all the ophthalmologists I have known do not get laser eye surgery. They all wear glasses, and even shun contacts, due to the increased damage and risk of infection that contacts cause. If you do decide to get LASIK, don't go for the cheap option.

best of luck!

 

I did research for two years at a large ophthalmology department and the consensus there was definitely wait and see. Beyond what's already been said by shaolin, I think there is also a good likelihood that there will be further innovations in the technology used over the next few years. If you can afford to wait, why not see how people who are 10-20 years post-surgery do, and reap the benefits of a further-refined technique?