What do you think about laser surgery for vision correction?

cornea ulcer, abrasion??? Good point, I've had an ulcer and I don't even wear my contacts for long periods of time. If I got another one.....I'd get the surgery done....pronto. My ulcer wasn't in my line of vision, but when I was at the doctors office, I saw some bad ones. Supposedly it's rare to get...but I don't believe that. Next time anyone goes to their opthamologist office check out the doctors.....they wear glasses or they've had surgery.....they do not wear contacts. I have a guess that they make big $$ off contacts.....I mean they are a piece of plastic and probably cost pennies to mass produce. Something's stinky. My son is seeing a new eye doc today. I'll let you know if he/she wears glasses or not.

Also, there IS cutting involved. They cut a flap of outer cornea that is peeled back so the laser can hit your inner cornea. The flap is self-healing, no stitches. You feel nothing. I had the anesthetic drops and Xanax and was all w00ty w00t. Should you opt for this, wavefront mapping is the way to go.

hmm, this information was left off the the website. :|

I second this. I know many people that have done it and they all RAVE about it.

Laser corneal surgery to correct vision is a very common procedure that most people are very happy with.  However, there are a few things to keep in mind:

- It permanently changes the corneal structure, and will make it much more difficult to have an ideal result from cataract surgery (which most people will eventually need).  If you get corneal surgery, get a copy of your medical records and all refractions and measurements done before the surgery, and keep them.  Eventually you will probably need cataract surgery, and having those records can make the difference between having good vision afterwards and not.

- Laser corneal surgery works best for very minor amounts of correction and people with small pupils.  Those with large pupils or who need larger amounts of correction are more likely to have side effects such as glare, halos, and less predictable outcome.

- An alternative procedure is the Visian ICL, which is an implantable lens that gets placed in the eye, where it corrects myopia or hyperopia, including moderate and high degrees of correction, and is completely reversible.  It does not change the structure of the eye and can be removed.  However, the version approved in the U.S. is an old version that is not as good as those approved in Europe, so it's ideal for people who live in Europe or don't mind going there for a quick procedure.

you should have it done. Check out other options though...like lens implants as you are so young. My sister had lasik and then had to wear glasses again in two years. When you approach 40, your vision will change and that's why some people opt for the replaceable lens. I don't know too much about. My brother opted for mono vision. He uses one eye for nearsight and one eye for far sight. He's now over 50 and doesn't need glasses for that old age near sight loss.

I have 4 family members have it done
older brother- the one described above with mono vision....loves
another older brother- hates it, regrets having it done....because of bad night vision. He never had problems with contacts and wishes he still put contacts in every day.
younger sister- happy she had it done....now wears glasses for driving anyway at night....due to that poor night vision thing
husband-- happy he had it done....isn't thrilled
all 4 had terrible vision....the kind that stumble around at night. Thus, why I haven't had it done.....I can function in the morning without correction. I can't watch tv, drive, or read fast-food menus without correction.

I was legally blind without correction - they couldn't measure it in 20/anything. It was "feet from the E". Seriously, in the chair I could see a light but couldn't tell there was anything in it. I had to be THISCLOSE to it to see.
Peripheral rocks. Seeing an alarm clock rocks. But it's not a decision to be made lightly - it's your eyes, for Pete's sake. If I were in your situation, probably wouldn't do it. Yes, contacts are a pain, but possible blindness would be, too. Once I heard I couldn't wear contacts, I carefully weighed the risks and decided I couldn't live in glasses (because you're half blind with them, like sleeping, showering, swimming, etc. and they affected my athletics so much).
I have heard of horror stories, but only from "the early days".
Sue - I had viral conjunctivitis. The first time it was the top two corneal layers deep; the second time through all three. The big danger was that if this led to corneal erosion (which was a possibility with me) and the third layer ruptured, my eyeballs would have collapsed because the liquid inside would have leaked out. I couldn't wear contacts again after that, and was on antibiotics for a long, long, time. Also, the need for glasses at 40 is usually age-based and entirely different from the vision problem for which you'd get LASIK.

I'm quite surprised that a surgeon would perform LASIK on someone with that degree of refraction. Normally, LASIK is contraindicated in high degrees of correction because of the amount of tissue that must be removed, and the significantly higher risks of complications. Did your surgeon discuss alternative surgical treatments, such as ICLs? Those are additional lenses that are implanted into the eye to correct vision. It's completely reversible, doesn't remove tissue, doesn't change the shape of your eye, and much safer and more predictable, especially in someone with a large amount of refractive error.

I would consider it sometime well in the future, after it's been perfected, if you will. Call me old fashioned, but I don't trust newfangled biological technologies.

I have a coworker who got RK back before lasik and I realize they are different procedures but he got the worst botch job of all time. He can't see as well as he did before the procedure, and that is with his coke bottle bottom glasses. Makes me rethink anyone doing anything to my eyes evah.

@cherylpf,

I'm sorry to hear about your coworker. He might want to investigate the RK repair procedure offered by the Codet Vision Institute, which is highly regarded

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Name me one medical procedure that's perfected. ONE.
With LASIK, as with any medical procedure, you have to look at the percentages. As time goes on, and doctors are getting more experience, the success rates are climbing. But you'll never have it perfected.

I'm pretty satisfied with how they draw blood. I've never heard of anyone having lasting effects from having blood drawn. Sure they may miss a vein and have to poke you 9 times but it won't affect you in the long run. Sure, the example is a stretch but I didn't mean perfected as in no mistakes ever. I just don't feel it has been proven enough yet.

I'm not satisfied with that at all, but it think it has more to do with the skill of the mosquito. I usually come back from the VA with 4 or 5 bandaids. One on each elbow crease one on the back of both hands and one on the side of my wrist where there is a prominent vein. From years of observation I can tell them they need to use a butterfly needle but they DON"T LIKE THAT. Don't tell me how to do my job!!!! I thought I got lucky the last time with only one stick and a little bit of probing around in there trying to get in the vein. HA! the next day I had a hematoma the size of my little finger above the crease in my elbow and another one half that size below it. They went down after about a week or two. One time I was in a drug study where their phlebotomist was the best I ever met. He used a butterfly needle and he never missed, one stick and done. Sometimes I think I'm their first live human after they got through on the oranges.

I would like to have lasik if I could afford it.Everyone I know who has had it done is thrilled with the results. I had 20/15 when I was young and I miss it terribly. I don't have glasses for driving but I do have a stigmatism in both eyes. My mother had it done when she was in her 90s and to remove cataracts. She was thrilled to not need glasses anymore.