lazzzzzers in my eyezzzzzz!!!

[Rench]

So, strongly considering LASIK, and all the providers come off like car salesmen. Who's got it, who loves it and who hates it?

Obviously riding even at night is a big deal, but I also drive at night for work, sometimes with flashy lights. Also interested in recovery time. Thanks!!

-Rench

[DerGolgo]

I'd ask an actual eye doctor. Ideally, from some sort of eye-clinic. The kind of place people would go if lasik goes wrong.
They should know, if anyone does, how to tell a good lasik place from a bad one. Even if they try to sell you on some particularly expensive treatment their own clinic offers, they might still give you pointers as to what to look out for, how to spot a place to stay away from.

[Bigshankhank]

I'd ask an actual eye doctor. Ideally, from some sort of eye-clinic. The kind of place people would go if lasik goes wrong.
They should know, if anyone does, how to tell a good lasik place from a bad one. Even if they try to sell you on some particularly expensive treatment their own clinic offers, they might still give you pointers as to what to look out for, how to spot a place to stay away from.

I would find a legit opthamoligist (sp) as a lot of the smaller clinics have promotional materials from Lasik shops and that kind of bothers me.

I could benefit from Lasik, but I am too much of a pussy when it comes to people fucking with my eyes. My dad had it done back in 1979, although back then they used scalpels instead of lasers. Yes, they took fucking knives to my dad's eyeballs, and gave him a copy of the videotape of his procedure. Thats probably why I don't like people fucking with my eyes. At any rate, that was almost forty years ago and he still has 20/20 vision well into his 70's, although he needs glasses for nighttime. Additionally, my sister and her husband both had lasik done about five years ago and rave about it. So it is generally a good thing, although they did mention something about how important it is to remove the worm eggs before they hatch.

[urbanscum]

Boo.

I though he had lazer fitted into his eyes.

To burn errant cagers who cross his path.

[Zim]

My dad had it done back in 1979, although back then they used scalpels instead of lasers. Yes, they took fucking knives to my dad's eyeballs, and gave him a copy of the videotape of his procedure.

Radial keratotomy? I still have nightmares since learning about that proceedure.

Rench, I can't offer any help, for while I am as blind as a bat, I just deal with my goggles. That and my optometrist said I'm not really a candidate.

Many years ago my brother in law, a younger fellow, went to Montreal for his lazerz. Before: fairly thick glasses. After: Glasses? Pshaw! Then he recently showed up to a family gathering wearing glasses. Non-prescription glasses. I called him a hipster. He nodded his head and looked ashamedly upon his feet.

You'll still need reading glasses, but instead of bifocals, you would be able to rock some half frames with a chain.

[Jaeger]

I had Lasik about 10 years ago and I'm really, really happy with it -- even though I'm currently wearing glasses while I type this. Here's why:

I had my eyes done separately -- about a year apart. At first the laser mills didn't want to touch me because of my astigmatism. I said fine, fuggit -- what's close to me? Johns Hopkins! They took me no problem and -- for several times the price of the laser mill -- I had the head of the Ophthalmology department zap my right eye. Got the employee discount (long story).

That eye still has nearly 20/20 vision over a decade later. When it was done i had like 20/15. No shit. I wore glasses with one blank lens when I had to read or work on the computer.

With only one eye done I was 80% functional without glasses (previously I was pretty nearsighted). Could drive, ride, fuck, shave -- all the things you don't want glasses. It was lovely.

A year later I had my left eye done by a laser mill. I forget which one -- Laser plus? -- but it's irrelevant. They zapped my left eye and the results were... ok. It was certainly an improvement from before, but it just wasn't as good as the one done by Hopkins. Still, I was able to chuck my glasses completely.

As time went on and I started spending even more time in front of computers I found that my eyes were getting tired and dry after a while, so I wound up getting computer glasses. Strangely, I don't need them nearly as much when I'm reading a book, only when looking at a screen (TV too).

Generally speaking I prefer to go without them when I'm not looking at screens. After wearing glasses for so many years I'd forgotten what it is to really have peripheral vision -- it's much, much better without the spectacles. Better depth perception too, IMHO.

If you're worried about the results (or don't have the dollars just yet) I highly recommend having one eye done -- it makes a HUGE difference.

I also strongly recommend you go with a real hospital, not one of the laser mills. I don't know why there was such a big difference in my results, but if I had it to do over again I'd have had Hopkins do both (even if I had to wait longer to save up more money).

As for recovery, it's not bad. You can't rub your eyes for several weeks, and you need to wear goggles to bed so you don't do it in your sleep. Otherwise, easy-peasy.

--Jaeger

[DerGolgo]

As time went on and I started spending even more time in front of computers I found that my eyes were getting tired and dry after a while, so I wound up getting computer glasses. Strangely, I don't need them nearly as much when I'm reading a book, only when looking at a screen (TV too).

--Jaeger

Nothing strange about it.
A computer screen or TV, even when showing something dark with only little lither bits, is basically a lamp. Everything that isn't black is radiating light. A book will only reflect radiant light, not directly emit it. You're staring into a dim bulb when you're looking at a screen. Dim bulb make head hurt, everybody knows that!
Unless your definition of a "book" includes a kindle. Then, my entire glib explanation breaks down on itself and I stand in my own ridicule. Like a very embarrassed plumber who tried to fix his own toiled but suddenly had to go ...

[JoJoLesh]

I got it done about a year ago. The reason I put it off for so long is because of the dusty nature of my work.
Before, I didn’t have to look for my glasses first thing when I woke up. Nope, looking would have done me no good. I had to just know where I had put them. I was that blind.

Now, I wake up and I can see. I go to bed and I can see. I can read a book and then just drift off…. If I wake up, I can keep reading. The best part? I can see my girl while having sex with her!! No bump on the glasses when we kiss either.

Recovery did take me awhile.

I do have to go back in to have them re-done.

Still WORTH IT

[Sisyphus]

My sister in law had it done about 17 years ago. Apparently she's had no problems.

[roadmissile]

Had mine done a couple years back, figured if they burned one out I could live with no depth perception and a fat check (there was also a plan for attaching a metal plate with sub-dermal magnets in lieu of an eye-patch...), everything went great and I've got no regrets. Halos are never worse than they were looking through glasses and I can still sit in front of a computer for eight hours plus. Worth it to shop around and find a place that has a good rep/the right feel, the place I settled on felt oddly upscale compared to a lifetime of budget doctors and hospitals but they were super cool and the office was full of smoking hot ladies, so bonus!

Recovery time wasn't bad either but you'll have a good chance to get used to eye drops if you aren't already, if you lived closer you could have all my leftover artificial tears.

/RM

[red]

So, strongly considering LASIK, and all the providers come off like car salesmen. Who's got it, who loves it and who hates it?

Obviously riding even at night is a big deal, but I also drive at night for work, sometimes with flashy lights. Also interested in recovery time. Thanks!!

-Rench

If you get it done, share your results. I've thought about it but was concerned about night vision as well.

[Jaeger]

If you get it done, share your results. I've thought about it but was concerned about night vision as well.

Never had a prob with night vision -- had the halos for a few days immediately after the procedure, but not badly and they went away quickly. In fact, for me, my night vision improved significantly (due to correcting astigmatism that was worse in the dark).

--Jaeger