# Problem with Lasik???



## TonyM (Apr 17, 2006)

*Love It*

I had my eyes done in 1998 using Lasik and I have had no problems. I still have 20/20, kayak, mtn bike, kiteboard, kick boxing, snowboard, moto, no issues at all, it was a life changing surgery. I went from dunking my head above class v to clear my glasses to actually being able to see where i was going, what a difference!


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## funkins (Jun 24, 2005)

"The center 90% never ever heals. This is why they don't recommend Lasik for people who do contact sports and why the air force bans it. "

The Air Force has lifted the ban on LASIK for most pilots, the only one's that can't get it are fighter pilots and pilots who fly missions unpressurized above 13,000ft (not sure about the reason for the 13,000ft rule, I think it is a hold-over from older procedures where patients had difficulty at altitude). However, the USAF will allow all pilots to get PRK (an older version without the "flap healing" problem, but with longer recovery time).

My brother just had LASIK performed and he's having no problems on the river. 

I've got a friend with LASIK who has lost his goggles while skydiving several times and has never lost his corneal flaps....

I think they just want you to be aware that there is a slight risk involved...


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## benrodda (Mar 27, 2004)

The other deal with the flap thing is that if you do loose it you are really screwed. There is no way to heal it or fix it. He had the option between lasik and PRK and went with PRK instead. The healing time was not that bad for him. 

benrodda


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## mvhyde (Feb 3, 2004)

*I had it done in 2005...no problemo*

The only precautions I had were that they did not want me in the water for a couple weeks, and then only with swim googles. If I remember correctly, it is like 95% healed after about 6 months or so..shit, I can't remember it all now I think. Anyway, I had mine done at IkonLasik on Colorado Blvd. It will never fully heal, but it go to 95% after a few months. You might want to stay out of warmer waters where heavy amounts of bacteria form.


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## Deputizer (Jun 6, 2006)

I had PRK done in January, per Air Force Regulations, because Lasik is still not accepted for any STS positions. I am not sure about Pilots, but they prefer them to have PRK. To get completely clear vision in both eyes post procedure it took about a week and a half. It is kind of scary to have good vision immediately after the surgery and have it decline for a few days before it gets better. I stayed out of the water for a few weeks, and had no major problems. I now have 20/15 in both eyes. Statistically PRK is a safer procedure, it is just more painfull and has a longer healing time. All other branches of the military except the Air Force are accepting LASIK and have done extensive research. I/E wind tunnel with out goggles, Deep Sea Diving and the works. They still approved LASIK so I don't forsee you having too many problems. Just my two cents.


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## erdvm1 (Oct 17, 2003)

I got LAsik done in 1997. No problems. (Knock on wood) Go for it


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## yodakiva (May 12, 2005)

*lasik doesn't always do well*

I had lasik about eight years ago. I have 20/30 in one eye. The other didn't do as well. Without glasses the vision is 20/200 and I have multiple images and ghosting. With glasses best correction is 20/60. If I wear a hard contact I can get 20/30, but I got the surgery because I was never comfortable with contacts.


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## abron (Nov 19, 2004)

I got lasix in dec 05, was 20/10, am now 20/20 and have had no problems with water or wind, even direct splashes. (i do wear sunglasses when its bright tho, which reduces splashes) the only seemingly lasting side effect is waking up with dry 'scratchy' eyes, which is resolved with moisturizing drops. even that has declined over time. i think the best insurance is going out of your way to find the best surgeon in your area, with the best track record. I went with Dr.Coleman (@Colemanvision) in ABQ because he has done 20,000+ successful surgeries,(also used to be in the air force fwiw) and offers a lifetime warranty on his work, should you need adjustments. it is fricken expensive, but it is worth it. since you can't just grow another pair. 
it's been miraculous. i really appreciate not having to deal anymore with glasses ,4 lens foggles, etc... i think it is totally worth it and cant wait to actually see the sets next time i make it to the ocean. 
also i think its fair to say that the technology has improved, and i honestly had never heard of the flap problem. i think the procedure Coleman does is called radial kerotomy (sp?) if thats a any different. If i remember correctly he just shaves cells off the oblong part of the eye to make it round again, thus eliminating the flappy dealy (technical term)and correcting vision...
it sounds scary (and is !) but its actually really precise, and plus they give you xanex, so youre definitely kind of stony, and it becomes a bit less freaky.....


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## jennifer (Oct 14, 2003)

Abron, you probably had some version of lasik or lasek or prk, by not radial keratotmy (rk). Rk is the most tragic thing anyone could do to their eyes, and it was phased out in the USA about 10 - 20 years ago. 

True, the flap doesn't ever completely heal, but the only flap dislocation I've heard of years post lasik involved the person going through the windshield of a car in an accident. The windshield took off most of the guy's face too. I'm not saying it's 100% save though. You could loose perminant vision like yodakiva. That's a more realistic concern. 

Jennifer


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## Waterwindpowderrock (Oct 11, 2003)

My wife got lasik a few years ago, she's a full contact fighter, kayaker, sledder, snowboarder & whatever else we are dumb enough to try. It took 2 trips to get it perfect (or close enough) but zero problems since then.


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## abron (Nov 19, 2004)

yeah, my bad, i got regular lasik, idon't know why i thought of radial kerotomy, anyway, its been virtually flawless..... 
For anyone in NM (ABQ) this guy does it right, pays for a hotel thats right across the parking lot, so you can stumble over, take a sleeping pill, pass out, and do your check up next morning. (although it may be almost twice as much as some other lasik people, I wouldnt have wanted anyone but the best putting lasers near my eyes...)
ColemanVision: LASIK laser eye surgery, Albuquerque, NM


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## matts (Oct 29, 2003)

I do not regret LASIK and would do it again if I had to repeat history. I did it in 98 right after Gauley Season (in November) so I didn't miss too much boating or boarding. They told me about a month of nothing, I think, so the off season worked out well.

A couple of things to keep in mind: Your eye WILL be very dry - especially if you live in the mountains of CO. I became very picky about the eye drops I used as a result. I have also become finicky about the sunglasses I wear. Also, man-made lights starburst for me, but not for everyone. 

Give-er.

Matt


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## kclowe (May 25, 2004)

*Wish I had done it years ago*

I had lasik over the winter and I really wish I had done it years ago. One of the best decisions I have ever made. It's really cool not having to run blind while the contacts swim around in my eyes after taking a wave in the face. I am seeing better than 20/20 and I love it. My night vision also improved a lot. I do get some "halos" around tail lights and stop lights, but I don't even notice it most of the time. I went to Spivak and they were great.
Good luck! Also, I wouldn't bargain shop for this. Get consults from many surgeons and find the one you are comfortable with.

Kim


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## Livingston (Jan 8, 2004)

Abron,

Did you mean that you went from 20/100 to 20/20? I think 20/10 is actually better than 20/20. I hope you didn't get worse!

I have heard that vision corrected with surgery can never correct as well as glasses or contacts. And once you get the surgery, you can never quite get quite as good vision even with corrective lenses on top of the surgery. These comments come from amateur astronomers who are quite concerned about minute details though. Any comments there? 

-d


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## abron (Nov 19, 2004)

I was near-sighted w/o glasses (so roadsigns, incoming sets of waves, any thing at a distance) was fuzzy to to a general shape to pretty much unseeable; so it was 20/20 only with glasses (i hope). my first vision test after lasik i was 20/10, and that adjusted over the next year to @ 20/15. 20/10 is as good as it gets (like fighter pilot status) so i am still very pleased with 20/15. the trade off with very clear distance vision is i did lose my super up close vision a bit, which the doc said would happen... i have to hold books a good foot or two away to read comfortably. of course every persons vision stigma is different, and i was told i was a perfect candidate, with a straightforward correction to be done, unlike some people, unfortunately. the less round and more football shaped ones eye is, the more it affects the light traveling through it (i think thats the basics of it) so the worse ones vision is , the more that has to be corrected by shaving cells off the cornea so there is diminishing returns on surgery.... havent used a microscope /telescope, so i couldnt tell you @ that. all i know is i can see way better now.


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## abron (Nov 19, 2004)

also, contacts conform your eyes to a different shape, so you have to stop wearing them for a minimum of two weeks prior to getting your eye 'mapped ' for lasik, or having the surgery.....


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

Yo, I had lasik in may 2004. Unreal. I'm 20/20 in each eye individually, but 20/13 together as of yesterday. My correction was not huge (-1.6), but I did have some astigmatism. I've had no problems except for dryness and halos at night. Both of these have gotten a lot better over time and I don't use eye drops routinely anymore. My surgeon was Karen Heuer in Denver. Get it done now or you'll be kicking yourself in the ass two years down the road when you finally do get it done. It's a must for paddlers. Oh, and the surgery corrected my vision better than contacts or glasses. 
Joe


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

So I know there is the argument that your shouldn't bargain shop for the surgery, but what is a reasonable price. Joe what did you pay in Denver? The range from 300 or 400 all the way up to 4000 and eye is quite a range. Any ideas out there, average price for a good surgeon. Also I read a long time ago when my mom got the surgery that some doctors share lasers and they are transported to different offices every now and again, and that to make sure the machine doing your surgery had been in one office since it was built and delivered. I guess the moving of the laser machines screws up the laser and over time and many moves can be enough damage to cause poor results. That problem may be one of the past, this was 7 or 8 years ago but it still makes sense. 

P the K


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

P, yea, I think mine was +/- 4 Gs. Graduation present. She promised 20/60 or better, otherwise she would correct it further. That also included about 10 follow up visits. I know lots of surgeons in denver use the same laser as she did. I have no idea if it had been moved around or not. My one thought is that you probably don't want your eyes in the hands of the lowest bidder, unlike space shuttles. It's sweet - you lay down and cant see a thing, then you smell your eyes burning, sit up and you can read the clock on the wall. 
Joe


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## funkins (Jun 24, 2005)

Update to my previous post...the Air Force has just approved LASIK for all pilots, so I guess they aren't worried about the altitude problems or pulling 9 G's and having your corneal flaps fall off...or losing them when you eject at 500mph....


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## darinm (Nov 7, 2005)

I had PRK done in fall '05. My vision was really bad, legally blind without glasses and at best saw 20/25 with contacts or wearing glasses. The healing time was a bit longer for me, for a month I could see moderately well while it slowly improved, PRK can take as long as 3 months to see the final results, which for me are 20/25 and I loooove it. With PRK you also only have to wait two weeks to get back on the water, because there is nothing to knock loose. I think I paid around 3k to have it done, one of those things where I didn't want to go low budget 

I did want LASIK originally, but they switched me to PRK because my astigmatism was so bad there was a chance my eye would totally loose shape when they made the deeper cut for the flap.


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## criddle b (Jun 2, 2006)

*Love it too!*

I had PRK about 2 months ago. I chose PRK because it is a bladeless surgery and the results are typically more successful. I also chose PRK because with Lasik you need to stay out of the water for up to 3 months. With PRK you are back in action after 2 weeks. I chose a clinic in Vancouver, Canada because my surgeon had more experience, the latest equipment and it was half the price. I highly recommend PRK.


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## tboner (Oct 13, 2003)

yeah i did PRK and it was great. you're out of commision for three days. get AWSEOME sleeping pills so those three days were about the most relaxing days of my life. you wake up and everythings all trippy and shinny and lights have a cool aura around them. but unfortunatly that wears off in a month or so.


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