Has Anyone Tried Lasik or Prk? Let's Share Experiences

[dannyzmom]

Info?
Feedback?

 

[DebbieJ]

Carolyn, I have a friend who works in the field. I will ask her if you can email her.

 

[Kathy's_Kitchen]

Had lasik almost two years ago; love it! Haven't had a single problem and can see wonderfully

 

[paigev71]

2 of my friends have had it....both love it.

 

[rebeccastt]

I had LASIK about 4 years ago and it was THE best thing I have ever done for myself. I wish I would have done it earlier, but I was too afraid. It turns out it was nothing, and I'm a BIG wimp. My husband also had it done after me and he really loves it too. We still talk about how great it is to see without wearing glasses or contacts.

 

[susanr613]

I had LASIK 5 years ago and am thrilled I did. It was mentally uncomfortable (ok stressful), but it lasts just a few minutes, was painless, and I had 20/20 vision a day or two later. It is great to just wake up and SEE!

go for it!!!

 

[heat123]

I soo want to get it! The two people who I know have had it, love it! One day perhaps!

 

[pmpdRRT]

I had it done about 5 years ago and love it. My vision was 20/15 the next day and went to work as well. It has been wonderful to be able to go swimming or to a waterpark and be able to see. Go for it.

 

[chefann]

I had it done 6 years ago; DH got it 2 years ago. Find a reputable office - don't just go on price or which local celebrity endorses them. I was not thrilled with the follow-up I got; nor with the attitudes of the staff where I went. But I didn't know any better. DH went to a different office and was happier with his experience.

 

[Kodeysmom]

I had it about 4 years ago. LOVE IT. But like Ann said do your research. I had a wonderful experience. Where I went if they have an upgrade I will be abole to go in and only pay the difference in what I paid and the cost of the upgrade. If there is ever a problem they will fix it no charge. Basically mine came with a warrenty. My sister on the other hand had it done about 9 years ago-she never even had a follow up or anything. Had the procedure done and has never seen or heard from them since. I had i think a whold year of follow ups.
I got lucky-this was the company that my insurance had a discount through -i did no research either.

 

[letscook04]

I wish that my insurance would cover it. It would cost me over $4,000

 

[ChefLoriG]

I've had it done, best thing I've ever done!! Go with a reputable doc, makes all the difference.

 

[chef131doreen]

My DH and I had it done the same day , crazy I know , BEST thing we both ever did my dh had very thick glasses now NOTHING h did somthing called mono vision this is for reading and far away togther . I need to use cheater glasses sometimes but I may go back to fix that.
I did call our insurence and the they did take off 1000.00 the rest we paid like a regular payment that the doctor offered

 

[SLDOWDY1978]

my brother in law had it done a couple of months ago and he loved it. he did have to stay home for a week because he is a mechanic and they didnt want any dust or anything getting in his eyes while they were healing. he is very happy about it.

 

[baychef]

I wish that my insurance would cover it. It would cost me over $4,000

Seriously, travel to Kingston Ontario. I had mine done there 8 years ago. They are VERY thorough and they have done far more surgeries than US doctors. It cost me about $1100 US and I had to pay a little more because one eye has an astigmatism (SP??).

These doctors will re-examine you the morning of the surgery. If there is even a slight hesitation...they will postpone or cancel your surgery. This is good because my boss who has the money did not do as I suggested. He went to a US doctor. They have not done enough of these yet. He had a condition that would not make him a good candidate. The Canadian doctor would have not done surgery on him but the US doctor did. He had dry eye problems for a very long time. I think he is fine now because he would whine about it now and then!!

It was worth every penny for me. It has paid for itself. When you are in your 40's or late 40's, you WILL need reading glasses. It is aging of the eye...everyone gets it. They do not have surgery for this.

I can use over the counter glasses to read right now. I don't need glasses except for reading.

The worst part of Lasik is the aniticipation!!! Honestly, the recovery is minimal and relatively fast.

 

[heat123]

I wish that my insurance would cover it. It would cost me over $4,000

Exactly why I have to wait!

 

[DebbieJ]

Carolyn, I emailed you my friend's email address for you to get in touch with her. She works in the field and can give you the research data.

 

[etteluap70PC]

My DH had lasic 9 years ago and LOVES it. He says it was the best thing he ever did. My BIL also has had it done 3 years ago and 10 (or so) years ago the doc's told him it was not an option since he had had some brain / nerve injury and hearing loss due to a tumor. He is just fine.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

my husband had it done 4 years ago when he turned 40 he never has had any trouble, it wasn't covered by insurance but it was the best thing he has ever done for himself.I agree though find a reputable Dr. (from other people's reviews you know and trust) not just one who pays the $$ for commercials

 

[ChefEileen]

I had LASIK about 4 years ago and it was THE best thing I have ever done for myself. I wish I would have done it earlier, but I was too afraid. It turns out it was nothing, and I'm a BIG wimp. My husband also had it done after me and he really loves it too. We still talk about how great it is to see without wearing glasses or contacts.

Rebecca,

I also had Lasik done 4 years ago this December. My husband was away on a hunting trip and called me to check in and just said do you still want to get your eyes done? I said yes! and as soon as I hung up the phone, I got the phone book out and started calling doctors to check prices.

My husband had his done the following September (before hunting season, so he could see through his scope without glasses).

I was scared also, but it really was no big deal. I couldn't believe how well I could see the very next day :sing:

 

[letscook04]

Seriously, travel to Kingston Ontario. I had mine done there 8 years ago. They are VERY thorough and they have done far more surgeries than US doctors. It cost me about $1100 US and I had to pay a little more because one eye has an astigmatism (SP??).

These doctors will re-examine you the morning of the surgery. If there is even a slight hesitation...they will postpone or cancel your surgery. This is good because my boss who has the money did not do as I suggested. He went to a US doctor. They have not done enough of these yet. He had a condition that would not make him a good candidate. The Canadian doctor would have not done surgery on him but the US doctor did. He had dry eye problems for a very long time. I think he is fine now because he would whine about it now and then!!

It was worth every penny for me. It has paid for itself. When you are in your 40's or late 40's, you WILL need reading glasses. It is aging of the eye...everyone gets it. They do not have surgery for this.

I can use over the counter glasses to read right now. I don't need glasses except for reading.

The worst part of Lasik is the aniticipation!!! Honestly, the recovery is minimal and relatively fast.

WOW!! That is cheap!!! How far are you from NewFiland?(sp?) My husband has relatives that live in NewFinland(sp?).

 

[IAmChefJ]

I ditto everything already said -- best thing I ever did, waking up seeing was amazing, yada yada yada.

When I had mine done several years ago it was $1800, and they offered some sort of 12 months same as cash financing options. There are lots of companies that finance medical procedures that insurance companies don't cover - from lasik to boob jobs!

That makes it much more affordable. If you get a good quality office, they'll be able to help you finance it. And it more than pays for itself over the long haul.

 

[ChefEileen]

Speaking of pricing, if you have a flex account attached to your insurance you may be able of offset the cost of the Lasik with the money there. I only had to pay half which was 1500, the flex account paid the rest.

 

[chefann]

That's a good point. Lasik is a qualified medical expense for reimbursement accounts (separate from flex spending). When I knew I was going to be getting it, I had the money pulled from my paychecks (pre-tax) and put into my HCRA (health care reimbursement account). After I paid for the procedure, I submitted the receipts and got the money back. Depending on your tax bracket, that can save you 20-40%, because of the income tax savings.

 

[Shawnna]

I have been wanting to do this. I have worn glasses for about 25 years. I have contacts, but can't wear them all the time because of my allergies. I can't see a thing without my glasses or contacts. My doctor told me I would be a good candidate for this surgery but he also said once you hit 40 your "up close" vision begins to go and I would eventually have to have reading glasses. I will be 41 in 2 months...maybe I should get this for my birthday. Glasses are just such a pain!! I can't keep my clean working in the restaurant. There is always water or tea or soda splashing on them or a greasy film from being in the kitchen by the deep fryers...gross!

 

[cltrinity]

I agree with Ann, the surgeries are done more thoughly with more expience than in the US. I had mine done in Curry,BC eight years ago. Before my sight was 20/30. It only takes a few days-weeks depending on your healing time to recover.

I now wear glasses b/c just don't have the time to have them fixed again and after my first child, sight begin to change but didn't see a dramatic change until the second child. So the length of vision and healing process depends on the person.

 

[chefann]

It also won't completely negate the need for reading glasses as one gets older. That's a function of the eyes not being as "elastic" and able to change focus easily.

 

[jillbean]

Had Lasik done 7 years ago. They didn't get my astigmatism fixed exactly right so things aren't as sharp as they could be but I had a really bad one in BOTH eyes. I have halos a bit at night and all that. They can't fix it because they did so much the first time around. The office were I got mine done averaged about 20 a day between 2 doctors as that was all they did. So, I felt VERY comfortable with them and would still recomend them! They said the actual proceedure usually took 10-15 seconds per eye and mine took 3 minutes 55 seconds on my right eye and 4 minutes 10 seconds on my left.
No, they didn't get everything as well as I had hoped but I knew that was a chance going into it and I still chose to do it. And, I would do it again today! I couldn't function without glasses before and now I have 20/20 vision (even with the halos). I LOVE it! No more getting shampoo and conditioner in different colored bottles so I can tell which is which.
As for the cost, they did it based on your perscription and wether or not you had an astigmatism...the worse your eyes the more extensive the surgery...therefore the cost went up as did your perscription.
Mine was $799 an eye...I was the next to the highest level. But, I thought that it was very inexpensive considering I was giving $50 for contacts every 3 months, plus the cost of the cleaning and other supplies and glasses once every four years or so.
I could have the same surgery for about $599 an eye today.

 

[baychef]

I have been wanting to do this. I have worn glasses for about 25 years. I have contacts, but can't wear them all the time because of my allergies. I can't see a thing without my glasses or contacts. My doctor told me I would be a good candidate for this surgery but he also said once you hit 40 your "up close" vision begins to go and I would eventually have to have reading glasses. I will be 41 in 2 months...maybe I should get this for my birthday. Glasses are just such a pain!! I can't keep my clean working in the restaurant. There is always water or tea or soda splashing on them or a greasy film from being in the kitchen by the deep fryers...gross!

Shawna...you sound like me!!! I have had allergies all of my life and wore glasses since the second grade. I had my eyes done at age 41!!! I am now 49 and will be 50 in just a couple months But, I did not have to wear reading glasses every time I have to read until about 5 months ago. I have worn them off and on when needed, but must be the "old" has set in to my eyes!!! I also have a 35 year career in food service!!! How about going in and out of the freezers with glasses on!!!:yuck:

 

[baychef]

I agree with Ann, the surgeries are done more thoughly with more expience than in the US. I had mine done in Curry,BC eight years ago. Before my sight was 20/30. It only takes a few days-weeks depending on your healing time to recover.

I now wear glasses b/c just don't have the time to have them fixed again and after my first child, sight begin to change but didn't see a dramatic change until the second child. So the length of vision and healing process depends on the person.

They tell you everything up front...and yes, blindness is mentioned, as is death when you go in for any kind of surgery...no matter how insignificant the surgery is.

They told me that some people do have to return in a few years because vision may revert back and they eye needs to be done again. Luckily, I have not had that happen.

 

[TROADFUSS]

My husband had the PRK last year, The recovery time is a little more than the lasik but well worth it. He is so happy he got it done and I think i am going to do the Lasik this year.

 

[Jennie4PC]

My sister had the PRK done also and it was a little longer healing but they were honest with her and told her that she was not a good candidate for lasiks.
I totally plan on doing this soon. I was told to wait till I was done having kids because having kids changes your eyesight.

 

[chefcaroline]

I had my lasik surgery done 6 years ago and would do it again even though I had a problem with my cornea being thinner than some with both eyes. They just didn't do both eyes on the same day and put a "band-aid" contact on my eye after surgery that I had to wear until I went back the next day. I had my left eye done first and then my right eye was done about 2 weeks later. I could see fine during those 2 weeks as long as I had my contact in my right eye.

 

[PamperChefCarol]

Had Lasik, it must be heading toward 10 years. Best thing I have done!!!! Should have done it years before!!!!

In case you don't understand, I love it. But then again, please do research on your Dr, make sure he is skilled and doesn't do just anyone. Some people just are not good candidates for this.