Laser Eye Surgery

[roup42]

I am only slightly near-sighted. My prescription is only half a whatever-the-unit-is in one eye, and one w-t-u-i in the other. I need my glasses for driving to read road signs (I can see cars and such ahead of me just fine) and watching tv/movies (to see fine detail, big shapes are clear). Reading and the computer I always take off my glasses, I

Comments

[fancycwabs]

I had Radial Keratonomy done on my right eye when I was in college (1992, I think) which improved the vision in that eye to something like 20/60 so I can read the clock across the room in the morning. I still need correction on that eye, however. Now that procedures have improved, I may have my left eye done with LASIK or somesuch except it's a bit more expensive than the hundred bucks the first one cost (insurance covered the rest). I think it's under a thousand bucks an eye for laser surgery now.

RK, incidentally, is done with a scalpel, slicing the cornea in a star pattern as if it were a pizza, so a laser would be no big anything in comparable squick factor.

[mschilepepper]

Lucy had LASIK, so you could ask her about her experience. I know it's most effective on those who don't need a high degree of correction, althoug as I understand it, the tech has improved a lot in the past few years. Best thing to do is go in to a clinic and see what they say.

I know some folks experience night-vision issues, such as auras, but all the people I know who've had it done have been incredibly happy with their results.

I wish I could get it done, but there's no way any of them would touch me with the proverbial 10-foot pole.

[fancycwabs]

Maybe if you could turn off the heat vision once in a while, folks wouldn't be so scared of burning their fingers.

[mschilepepper]

Heh, was that aimed at me? Alas, I wish the reason were that I have heat vision capabilities. The real reason is that my eyes are tremendously defective, and I'm already legally blind due to severe macular degeneration. Yay. :-/

[fancycwabs]

I'd assumed something of that nature, but heat vision is much more fun to imagine.

[grendelyn]

I had LASIK a few years ago. It hurt like a mofo for about the first four hours, but after that it was fine, though night driving was a bit iffy for a week or two.

The worst part was all the waiting. I had to wait hours and hours for my appointment. I didn't like that part.

[johnnycanuck]

I dunno if I'd ever do it. I like my glasses. They add character.

[tenlegspider]

(Are you good up close? If so you're short sighted. Near sighted means you need two pairs of specs, or bifocals.)

[johnnycanuck]

It seems to be diferent in l'Amerique du Nord, Ambi. Near sighted has always meant "good close up" for my entire visually-challenged career.

[tenlegspider]

So, do you have a term for people who are fuzzy up close and far away? (Apparently it's what us young myopics can expect when we get old, *then* I'll go for sugery.)

[violentvixen]

I think that's astigmatism.