Pros and Cons of Lasik

We've got some other threads on this, will search. Most people are tremendously pleased, from my reading, and statistics probably bear that out. I do have a friend who had troubles, requiring an hour or two in the morning for things to unfuzz. Haven't talked with him lately to find out if that is still going on. Another friend had both eyes done at once, and one wrinkled somehow, and she had a second surgery that fixed it.

I'm unusual in that I've had six eye surgeries for other reasons, the first one, a simple cataract surgery, famously short and easy, going spectacularly awry. So, for sure I'd never do an eye surgery because of not wanting to futz with glasses. You can consider me an outlier, though.

Ah, thanks for that. I did a quick search for 'Lasik' which came up empty so I figured I would start one up.

I'd be interested in hearing more about the unfuzzing bit if you do catch up with that friend.

I'm in email contact, more with his wife, will check.

here's some past threads -

http://able2know.org/topic/103091-1
http://able2know.org/topic/57555-1

Thanks Osso. These help quite a bit.

I had lasik more than 10 years ago (can't remember exactly) and it was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

The pros are daily, I had a heavy script and I couldn't even find my glasses if I took them off and mislaid them.

The cons, well, the concern that it would go ok. I did a tremendous amount of research, chose my doctor carefully, etc. However, I couldn't ignore that some people have had terrible results/problems. Kathy Griffith, the comediene, is basically blind in one eye, she speaks of it on her website.
However, for a lot of reasons I trusted the opthamolgist and the next day when I woke up, I was seeing 20/20.

The only problem I have today is that I'm really not found of driving at night. It's hard to describe, my vision just isn't as good. I mean, I do drive at night when I have somewhere to go, and I don't feel unsafe, it's just not the same as during the day. Driving on overcast, cloudy days ditto. Just off somehow.

When I first got it done, I had to increase the size of everything on my computer for about a week, then could put it back. Your eyes are just adjusting.
One time, within the first month, I guess I had a rough day anyway, but I had this headache, my eyes felt grainy, I felt like I couldn't focus well either close or far. I remember getting home, not comfortable watching TV, or reading, or bright lights, and I put my head back I the couch and thought "Oh no, did I make a mistake?"
I went to bed, got a good nights sleep and when I woke up everthing was fine.

I can read fine with no assistance, like contracts or papers at work. However, if I'm going to be sitting and reading for pleasure for a couple of hours, I use a pair of the lowest power non-perscription glasses, like you can get at the drug store.

I have a question for you questioner....How old are you?

You should get lasik done when you passed a certain age, when your eyes aren't changing much anymore.

It's important to remember that lasik puts your vision back, but it's not going to stop the process of aging.
If your perscription changes every year, than this isn't the time to do it.

Unless you don't mind glasses, and just want to get back to square one.

heh, I just read what I wrote in the other thread, I sound like a broken record.

Re the crystal lens, if I was having this done today, I believe I would do a lot more research on that as an option.

I'm 35, I've had glasses now for 4 years. My eyesight isn't 'horrible', but I do require my glasses to drive. I've not heard anything about crystal lense, I'll have to look into that. I have to say, if it's a fairly new process I'm less inclined to give it a shot. I do have some trepidation about Lasik itself, let alone something newer.

Don't go see the latest Final Destination film, Final Destination 5: from the trailer, there is an implication of death by lasik,
http://finaldestinationmovie.warnerbros.com/index.html

Don't say you haven't been warned!

Evil. You're just evil.

hee hee heh....

I know someone who had that done. She's very happy.

Actually (I'm not sure but I'll look it up tomorrow), having a crystal lens put in is probably an easier procedure.

When you have cataracs, the doctor removes your lens, and replaces it with an artificial one. Easy japanesy. They do that every day.
Just using a different lens.

It was the lens transfer that blew my first surgery. For some years I accepted that that was part of having my other eye stuff. My present doc (md, phd, senior to the first in repute) says 'nah'.
He didn't say the words **** up, but was still clear.

I'm not against going for lasik surgery.

I'd want to do it an eye at a time, and I figure that this is not usual or allowed, for obvious financial reasons and med reasons, re adjustment. I suppose I'm wrong on this, but it's a reactive response.

That is my point. My easy cataract surgery went plotz, followed by five more. In many ways, that day changed my life, including but not limited to making me poor.
Plotz, like, four retinal tears, with a ride through the forest trying to hold down the eye pressure, emergency surgery on a sunday.

If I remember, Phoenix has had a similar but fixed problem.

Eye surgery is not without risk. Not that you are all saying it isn't, but just to underline.

I had it done about 5 years ago. I was fortunate to not have had any issues. The first 2 days after having it done were pretty painful and I had to take Oxycontin to tame the pain/burning/irritation. I would do it all over again, though, for the freedom I have from contacts now. I had some astigmatism, and they were still able to do the surgery with no complications. The astigmatism had made wearing contacts quite uncomfortable before.

There is definitely a risk, but if you are okay with that risk, I say go for it. If you are really nervous about it, some doctors will do one eye at a time. I had both of mine done during the procedure.

I find it highly unlikely that you had to take a controlled substance like oxycontin for lasik.

Next you'll tell us the physician wrote a script for it before you even had it done.

Any burning or irritation would have been from dry eyes, which artificial tears would have taken care of.

I will gracefully apologize if you can find any material stating anyone has ever had oxycontin perscribed for this procedure.

He wrote out the prescription the day I had it done. He warned me that I would be uncomfortable. In spite of taking 3-4 oxycontin pills over the next few days, I was still in a lot of pain and discomfort. He didn't seem like a disreputable doctor - he was known as one of the very best in the area and there were no other complications. He also put some drops into my eyes just before the procedure that he said was a form of liquid cocaine. That was why I felt absolute no pain during the procedure. I had a false sense of euphoria at first because my vision was only a little bit blurry and I felt so good until the effect of the drops wore off.

It might have been hydrocodone, but I'm pretty sure it was oxycontin. I was pretty surprised that he prescribed such a hardcore painkiller, but took it as a sign of what might be to come. My husband joked that I could sell the rest on the street to make a little money.

Okay, you got me wondering. I just dug up the prescription bottle. I actually had the Lasik surgery on 3/29/07, which was almost 4 1/2 years ago, when I was living in another state. The prescription is for oxycodone/apap 5 mg-325 mg tablets - take one table by mouth every 4-6 hours as needed for pain. Dr. O. Omar. Quantity: 20, I have 12 left, I guess I took more than I thought! They are most likely no longer effective.

BTW, he did give me drops which I used faithfully, but there is no way they would have been enough if even the oxycodone wasn't. I remember that he used a different procedure for the Lasik than the way it is usually done. He explained the two different methods and why he was using the method he did - which was PRK. I am not very knowledgeable in this area at all. It had something to do with not cutting a flap over the cornea or something like that. It seems so long ago.

Okay, I found something on a website:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18226799

"Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate oral gabapentin for postoperative pain after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).

DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial.

METHODS: In additional to a standard regimen of topical antibiotics, topical steroids, and topical tetracaine as required, all PRK patients at our laser vision center were treated after surgery for pain for a two-month period with Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen) [Endo Pharmaceuticals; Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, USA] 5 mg/325 mg as required for three days (control group). Patients completed a pain assessment survey using a faces pain scale (from zero through 6) on the evening of surgery and each subsequent morning and evening until postoperative day 3. A successive cohort of patients received Neurontin (gabapentin) [Pfizer, New York, New York, USA] 300 mg thrice daily (first dose administered two hours or more before the procedure) as an oral pain medication for three days, and the same survey data were collected.

RESULTS: Data were collected on 141 patients in each cohort. Successful pain management score (defined as faces zero through 2 on the scale) differences did not reach statistical significance between the two cohorts except on the morning of the second postoperative day, when gabapentin was superior. On all postoperative days, patients in the oxycodone/acetaminophen cohort used significantly less tetracaine eye drops as required. The percent of patients rating overall pain experience as better than expected was 35% and 36%, those rating pain experience as about what was expected was 50% and 49%, and those rating pain experience as worse than expected was 15% and 15% in the oxycodone/acetaminophen and gabapentin cohorts, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: We found no difference in overall subjective pain management ratings between gabapentin and oxycodone/acetaminophen for postoperative PRK pain, although gabapentin was associated with significantly more frequent use of anesthetic eye drops as required."


I am glad you brought this up because I would have been disappointed to find out that a doctor prescribed something he shouldn't have and he was very reputable. If you knew me at all in person, you would know that I am generally into holistic methods of healing, etc. and prefer to not use prescription drugs, although of course there are times when they are necessary.