Eyes - laser surgery.

[Finless]

I am getting really pissed off now that my eyesight has started to deteriorate beyond its previously stable shortsightedness. Up until about a year ago I've used the same strength contact lenses for 30 years or more.

I assume I've been shortsighted all my life but it wasn't discovered until I was at junior school. Hmmm, maybe it just went bad. I just wondered if being short sighted from birth would be the reason for my appalling facial recognition ability?

Anyway, my Mum spotted an article in the Daily Mail about Z-Lasik treatment. I assumed it to be a newish development in the field of laser eye treatment? The initial cut in the eye's surface is made using a laser as opposed to the previous use of a scalpel and is therefore better, more accurate and quicker to heal etc.

I just wondered if anyone on YD had heard of it (good or bad) or had had the treatment or knew anything about it.

Can you go back for repeat treatments if your eyes deteriorate again. I'm finding the ned to switch to bi/varifocals a PITA. I've given up wearing lenses and I'm forever taking my normal glasses off in order to be able to read.

In other words, in 'survival of the fittest times' I would now be dead.

I can't wait until they develop bionic lens with a diving HUD! That would be moist!

[NeilB]

I don't know anything about how the Z-Lasik works but I know a lot of people who have had it done. My friends had it done in December - the cowered sent her husband first to see if it works. He gave it such a glowing review that she got it done 3 weeks later. Now neither of them wear glasses.

Cost 1000 quid here.......

[frosty the snowman]

Well I'm blessed with good eyesight, in fact it's the only one on my faculties that actually works properly but I did spend a couple of years working in an eye surgery unit. This was for eye medical problems such as cataracts, detatched retinas etc rather than vision correction but the surgeons who worked ther were all rather cautious about recommending laser corrective surgery. Yes, the results can be good but it's still pretty new and there isn't too much hard data about the longer term effects or benefits. If I needed my eyesight to be corrected, I wouldn't personally do it in a way that involved damaging my cornea. Not yet anyway.

[MattS]

Originally Posted by Finless

I assume I've been shortsighted all my life but it wasn't discovered until I was at junior school. Hmmm, maybe it just went bad. I just wondered if being short sighted from birth would be the reason for my appalling facial recognition ability?

I have the long sightedness myself, with added severe astigmatism. When I started Junior school the class was arranged in alphabetical order so I was sat close to the back of the room. Thankfully someone suggested an eyetest a little before they transferred me to the remedial class :OMG

I just wondered if anyone on YD had heard of it (good or bad) or had had the treatment or knew anything about it.

I have always dreamed of being able to fall asleep with a book in my hand, without the risk of an expensive bill in the morning. I enquired with my optician about laser correction but it seems my astigmatism makes me somewhat incompatible. Most of the people I know that have had it done rave about it but I know a couple people that had painful complications which left them pretty much blind for a few months.

Can you go back for repeat treatments if your eyes deteriorate again.

As I understand it yes, but the laser is used to scrape bits of the lens away so eventually you run out of lens. I should find a good optician and ask them for an opinion. There are still a few good opticians left amongst the Specs U Like sausage factories.

[Tony Jay]

Originally Posted by Finless

Can you go back for repeat treatments if your eyes deteriorate again. I'm finding the ned to switch to bi/varifocals a PITA. I've given up wearing lenses and I'm forever taking my normal glasses off in order to be able to read.

two points
1. You are getting old !. Lazer surgery will now not make you glasses free. The liquid in your lensesis is hardening and the muscles can no longer pull in thin enough. When we are very young our muscles can pull on soft lenses and overcome small amounts of short sightedness (loads of people suddenly start needing glasses in when they are teenage to early twenties). You need glasses to change your focal range. I guess your best out come is to have your short sightedness corrected and just wear reading glasses.

2. I had lazer surgery 2 years ago , flap created without laser. It went terribly wrong and my eye sight is so bad I can't read with one eye (and thats with glasses, the damage in not correctable by glasses). I'm going in for my 3rd repair op this week (last chance saloon - with the clinical director). So I'd say go for anything which reduces risk. If I had my time again i'd go for Lasek.

Tony

[Paul Oliver]

One of the guys at work had Lasek the other week, i met him a week after the surgery and he did not stop on about how fantastic it was. He is only about 30 or so though.

[Carlb]

I had my eyes zapped in June. I went for the full works of Lasek, custom view and intralase. Cost me £3000 altogether. I am 50 years old and the now have perfect eyesight for a 50 year old - which means that I need reading glasses. My Mrs curses me for having it done as we now have numerous pairs of cheapo reading glasses dotted about the house rather than just one very expensive pair sitting on my nose all day! However I think it is one of the best things I have ever had done.

I started wearing specs when I was 13 and was quite short sighted (-3.75 in one eye and -3.5 in the other) and had a mild astigmatism. The procedure was mildly uncomfortable and took 10-15 mins. Once the anesthetic wears off there is a mild irritation that lasts a few hours, but it is quite easy to sleep through this. You need to take 3 or 4 different types of eye drops for the first week and wear a special pair of goggles at night when you go to bed to stop you rubbing your eyes. The results of the surgery are pretty near instantaneous with things being in perfect focus within a few hours. I experienced some halos around areas of high contrast and glare from lights at night, but these soon settled down and disappeared. The after care I received was excellent and I believe that if further surgery is required this is covered and can be done after waiting 6 months after the initial surgery.

For me the biggest shock was that the price was about £1000 more than I was expecting, but I decided that this was something that I only planned on doing once so I might as well go for the best, and this need to be compared to my last 3 pairs of specs costing £500-£700 each. I had been changing specs every 18 months due to changes in my reading prescription. Now I can just go down to the local chemist and buy a cheap pair of readers.

So in summary, don't be too suprised at it costing about £3000 - this seems to be the norm (a friend of mine had hers done recently and it cost her pretty much the same) and note that you will more than likely still need reading glasses. I don't know what sort of work you do, but I has taken me a while to adapt my way of working to using them. I have a desk job that requires me to look at lots of paperwork and use a computer all day.

Anyway, best of luck whatever you decide to do.

[Finless]

Originally Posted by frosty the snowman

Yes, the results can be good but it's still pretty new and there isn't too much hard data about the longer term effects or benefits. If I needed my eyesight to be corrected, I wouldn't personally do it in a way that involved damaging my cornea. Not yet anyway.

Long term benefits? I'm 50 and falling apart at the seams!


Thanks to all for your replies. Pretty much a vote for every available option or problem. In such a small sample of replies that statistically means I have about a 1 in 6 chance of getting my eyes f*ck*d up.

I had heard/read somewhere that replacement lenses are available which are nice and elastic?

I don't know what to do. More research, I guess.

[Arfie]

A mate of mine had it done about 10 years ago and he had proper bad eyesight. He was back to almost 20/20 vision after. But it doesn't stop your eyes getting worse, just resets you. he now needs a prescription stronger than mine. I asked him was it worth it and he says if he could go back, he would still have it done.

My understanding is that you can have the proceedure done twice. I fully intend to have it done as my prescription has only changed by 0.25 in 18 years, so it's got to be worth it.

Arfie

[wilbo]

I had it done 9 years ago when I was 27. best money I've ever spent..

there was no scalpel involved either finless..

The treatment was called PRK - alcohol drops to soften the epithilium, then a 'dough cutter' type object was placed on top to make the cut, the surface peeled back and the laser applied. The eye was cleaned up and then the fold of epithilium placed back.