Lasik? (Page 2)

I get your point, but a majority of medical procedures are to save a life, are they not? With Lasik, it's optional for nearly 100% of people, and most people have their vision fully corrected with contacts or glasses. Any risk at all, to your vision no less, for something that is completely unnecessary is just too much in my book.

Like I said before, my issue is that the industry accepts a lot of alterations to your vision as part of the normal 'consequences' of the procedure- things that you would never have had to deal with if you hadn't had it done. I am not talking about the worse case scenario, doctor screwed up kind of things- I'm talking about the dry eyes, imperfect vision, halo's- those consequences that aren't really tallied or understood by the industry.

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Really? The majority? I know I just pulled my first sentence out of my a$$, are you? I have no idea what is the actual majority of surgeries, but that wasn't really my point. I still think your point jives with mine, though, in that in all the examples you quoted, something is still wrong to begin with. With Lasik, for MOST people, your vision can be corrected, and it is not necessary to undergo a treatment with risks to your vision in order to see- almost everyone can already see.

My boyfriend had the (slightly) updated version of PRK, LASEK, because of the lower probability of complications. He wouldn't recommend it unless you have a very compelling reason not to go the flap route. He had significant dryness for several months, and some starburst/halo issues that I think resolved pretty quickly, but the main reasons he recommends not doing LASEK are the pain and inconvenience. It hurt. A lot. For the first few days after the procedure he was laid up in a dark room, either in pain and very bored (couldn't watch tv, look at a computer screen, read, etc. and was very light-sensitive) or passed out on vicodin.

It's also much more drawn-out than LASIK. With LASIK you typically go home, go to sleep, and wake up with improved vision. With LASEK you're out of commission for a few days with the first eye, have an intermediate period where you only need corrective lenses for one eye, then another intermediate period where you need corrective lenses for only one eye but can't use contacts because that eye's about to be zapped, and then another period of being out of commission for a few days while your second eye recovers from being zapped. He got it over with relatively quickly, having his surgeries about a week and a half or two weeks apart, because his first eye healed quickly. His optometrist says it's usually more like a month-long process.

That said, he's very happy with the results. No more forgetting to bring/wear contacts for swimming and not being able to see a darn thing, no more needing to bring all the contacts paraphernalia when he travels, no more accidentally wearing glasses to the climbing gym or a climbing trip (risking knocking them off and having them fall hundreds or thousands of feet). At this point, about a year after having it done, he has only minimal dryness and, as far as I know, no more halo/starburst issues at night. Sometimes he rubs his eyes the wrong way and they hurt. Other than those things, no lingering complications, and his vision's about as good as mine (which is to say very good)

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OK, I really didn't know the % so that's interesting to know! I've also never had any type of surgery, so the idea of it does freak me out.

And Derek- I totally agree that if people can deal with the inherent risks and potential consequences, then it seems like a relatively 'safe' procedure. I just don't think there is enough information out there about what can go wrong- even acceptably wrong- especially if you just get the info from the doctors. Having dry eyes or halos or 20/40 vision is still considered a perfect procedure so when Lasik surgeons say 99% successful- they aren't counting those people. When I asked the doctors what % get any of those symptoms they have no clue- even some of the best doctor's in La Jolla that had operated on all the Chargers players....that just didn't sit right, knowing that personally, I would have a hard time dealing with adverse consequences.

On the other hand, if you really have that difficult of a time with contacts that they bother your everyday living, then sure, maybe halo's aren't so bad and you can get it done.