Lasik and Riding

[Jetbrett]

I had Lasik in 1999.  I was 20/400 or worse with bad astigmatism....basically I couldn't see anything w/o glasses or contacts.  I'm now 20/10 in each eye.  I hated wearing glasses and/or contacts and loved the result.   At night I get crowns on bright lights and halo's on indoor lighting.  Its pretty much the same as  to wearing soft contacts, so I certainly can't complain.  I'd do it over again in a heartbeat. 

[Willwork4aMonster]

Had Lasik done about 8 years ago.

Like many others, I wish I'd done it sooner.

I did have some issues with dry eyes, and used wetting drops for a couple of months.  Really not much different then when I was wearing contacts.

Had some halo issues at night, and also noticed that my eyes seemed a little more sensitive to bright lights.

Knowing what I know, and what I went through I'd do it all again tomorrow if I had to.

That being said, I wasn't riding at the time I had Lasik performed, but I did race Mt bikes, and didn't have any problems other than keeping drops handy.

Good luck!

[sugarcrook]

My doctor suggested I take NKO (neptune krill oil) fish oil pills.  Despite the smell, they help with dry eyes and also reduce inflammation.  I ordered them from here: http://www.mercola.com/

I still suffer from dry eyes, but apparently I had severely dry eyes before my LASIK.  My right eye is great, but my left is still IZ_.  If things don't improve, I'll be going back for a tune-up. 

[Cucciolo]

My doctor suggested I take NKO (neptune krill oil) fish oil pills.  Despite the smell, they help with dry eyes and also reduce inflammation.  I ordered them from here: http://www.mercola.com/

I still suffer from dry eyes, but apparently I had severely dry eyes before my LASIK.  My right eye is great, but my left is still IZ_.  If things don't improve, I'll be going back for a tune-up. 

Sorry to hear.. when did you have it done and what procedure?  Did the doctor recommend an enhancement for the left eye? i hope you get 20/20 soon 

[CDawg]

I have a buddy who is a regional sales manager for Bausch & Lomb's lasik machines.  He wears glasses and refuses to get lasik.  Also, FDA is (was?) in the process of doing a more in depth survey on post-op patients' satisfaction.  Article suggests current dis-satisfaction rate is understated.  If I remember correctly, industry literature suggests ~1% dissatisfaction whereas it could be closer to 5~10%.  I won't try to bias this post so do your own google search for FDA and lasik to reach your own conclusion.

[sugarcrook]

Sorry to hear.. when did you have it done and what procedure?  Did the doctor recommend an enhancement for the left eye? i hope you get 20/20 soon 

I had LASIK done in May 2008.  I looked into an enhancement but I wasn't a good candidate.  The left eye is pretty good, just not as crisp as I would like.

[sugarcrook]

I have a buddy who is a regional sales manager for Bausch & Lomb's lasik machines.  He wears glasses and refuses to get lasik.  Also, FDA is (was?) in the process of doing a more in depth survey on post-op patients' satisfaction.  Article suggests current dis-satisfaction rate is understated.  If I remember correctly, industry literature suggests ~1% dissatisfaction whereas it could be closer to 5~10%.  I won't try to bias this post so do your own google search for FDA and lasik to reach your own conclusion.

I looked into this as well.  From what I could tell, a lot of the dissatisfaction is from people that had the procedure several years ago, before the technology fully matured.  I guess it's the early adopter curse. 

[Triple J]

I have a buddy who is a regional sales manager for Bausch & Lomb's lasik machines.  He wears glasses and refuses to get lasik.  Also, FDA is (was?) in the process of doing a more in depth survey on post-op patients' satisfaction.  Article suggests current dis-satisfaction rate is understated.  If I remember correctly, industry literature suggests ~1% dissatisfaction whereas it could be closer to 5~10%.  I won't try to bias this post so do your own google search for FDA and lasik to reach your own conclusion.

I would bet a lot of disatisfaction is from 2 types of people:

1) The ones that purchased the $450/eye special. I can't believe it when people see a billboard for something like eye surgery...and think saving a few $$ is a good idea. Screw that...do your research, talk to your eye doctor, and go to the best place possible. Who cares what it costs...it your eyesight!

2) Perfectionists. Everyone gettting LASIK or PRK needs to understand you probably won't see 100% perfectly when you're done. You might...but there are no guarantees. You should be able to function without contacts/glasses, but your vision will still probably be a little off. This is more true the worse your eyesight is pre-surgery. This was stressed to me by my eye doctor, as well as the LASIK doctor. My eye doctor was adamant than if I couldn't come to terms with this concept, then I should just continue to wear contacts. I'm at -0.25 in both eyes now, and that is fine with me. Trying to correct that to zero is impractical, and could actually result in me being far-sighted...which would absolutely suck.

[swampduc]

I would bet a lot of disatisfaction is from 2 types of people:

1) The ones that purchased the $450/eye special. I can't believe it when people see a billboard for something like eye surgery...and think saving a few $$ is a good idea. Screw that...do your research, talk to your eye doctor, and go to the best place possible. Who cares what it costs...it your eyesight!

2) Perfectionists. Everyone gettting LASIK or PRK needs to understand you probably won't see 100% perfectly when you're done. You might...but there are no guarantees. You should be able to function without contacts/glasses, but your vision will still probably be a little off. This is more true the worse your eyesight is pre-surgery. This was stressed to me by my eye doctor, as well as the LASIK doctor. My eye doctor was adamant than if I couldn't come to terms with this concept, then I should just continue to wear contacts. I'm at -0.25 in both eyes now, and that is fine with me. Trying to correct that to zero is impractical, and could actually result in me being far-sighted...which would absolutely suck.

Agreed on point 2. The most common cause for dissatisfaction that I see is unrealistic expectations. If you see absolutely perfectly with your glasses and only perfection will do, you should take that into account before you do anything. I personally haven't had this done because I'm 20/15 with contacts and my ability to do microsurgery is dependent on having perfect vision- if I was one of the very very few that couldn't see 20/20 with correction afterwards, my career would be over. This is primarily a concern for ophthalmologists, plastic surgeons, and pilots, and I know several pilots who have had Lasik.

[Cucciolo]

I ended up having the Wavefront bladless LASIK. It has been 6 days and I am really surprised and pleased with the results so far, although it is too early to say I'm on the clear free from post op complications.  I can see 20/25 for now, but the doc said that It should improve with healing. To me, this is already fine! I can see just as sharp as when I was wearing my glasses. The bad part is that I am experiencing a little bit of dry eye mostly on my right eye. I had dry eyes before the surgery as well, so this was expected. The doctor decided to put the silicone plugs on both eyes and on both eye lids (top and bottom) before the surgery ..so my tears have no drainage!! between my natural tears and all the prescription drops I have to use every other hour, my eyes are constantly wet.. like I am crying all the time! Doc said that is better for healing vs having dry eyes. I also have the halos at night and during the day, but only for certain types of lights.. in example a certain type of car headlight. My wife had it 2 days after me and she has the halos as well and no dry eyes! I am looking forward to a complete recovery with no complications. I've looked into the FDA public hearings held in April of 2008 and Lasik has been devastating for some. I hope me and my wife are the lucky ones! I will update the post with my progress. This will be a good reference for anyone thinking about having LASIK.

[DucatiBastard]

This is one of the best threads I have read through, thanks Cucciolo! Good luck on recovery and keep the updates coming!

[swampduc]

Congrats, Cucciolo, glad it's going well. Be patient, you've got lots of healing left to do. It'll get better, and you have to wait at least to that 3-4 month mark before you know what you have finally.