My LASIK Experience Start-to-Finish

[Brown]

take their valium and go home and go right to sleep. your eyes will burn like never before. think liquid lava. All of that and I would still do it over again for the sight without glasses and contacts. you will not regret it

 

[Scutter01]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt6Zyb7zOeU

 

[lovemachine]

Even get an picture video to share with your friends....





Here is a photo montage from my procedure, note red eyes at the end, no I was not having a party!

Animoto - David's LASIK 05.07.2010

Huh. You don't look anything like your avatar.....

 

[printcraft]

Huh. You don't look anything like your avatar.....

That was 2010...... I've grown my hair out since then....

 

[Kedric]

My little sister just had this done right before Christmas of last year and loves it. It's definitely on my short list of things to get done this year. The optometrist I go to for my glasses said I was a good candidate, but since they aren't experts, I'll get a second opinion before getting too excited.

 

[Rookie]

I did it in 2001. The worst thing about the procedure was signing off on the potential horror stories before the actual procedure. The worst thing all together was the stupid guards you have to wear when you're sleeping.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I'm not particularly squeamish about things touching my eyes, and there's something about knowing its a very short procedure that helps.

Pffft, try hours on the table while a knife is probing your eye.

Don't forget, sushi at Kona Jack's is mandatory.

 

[Scutter01]

I did it in 2001. The worst thing about the procedure was signing off on the potential horror stories before the actual procedure. The worst thing all together was the stupid guards you have to wear when you're sleeping.

Yeah, but then you can pretend you're Bill Laimbeer.

 

[jeremy]

I have said it before and I'll say it again. BEST MONEY I HAVE EVER SPENT!!!

 

[esrice]

I called Dr. Price's office back this morning and scheduled my full exam. It lasts 2-3 hours and I'll be dilated, so they suggested I bring sunglasses for the drive home.

At that time I'll be able to schedule my procedure, which should be mid-to-late March. Can't wait!

 

[Scutter01]

Get pics of the dilation. It never fails to be hilarious.

 

[printcraft]

Take along some artificial tears to wash that yellow crap out of your eyes
when they do a pressure test on your eyeballs. It stings as well.
Stain or numbing drops or whatever else it is.

 

[Mackey]

Yeah, it's not like when the Urologist tells you the Vasectomy won't hurt. Those guys are lying SOB's.

YES. That's what I'm saying. I thought I was the only one.
Felt like I'd been kicked in the begonias.

There's no way in hot hell that I'd get my eyes chopped on unless I couldn't see otherwise. It's costs me next to nothing for contacts. For the price of the procedure I could keep myself in disposable contacts for 15 years (and throw them away more than I currently do).

 

[jwdecour]

It is best to do Lasik in your early 20's. You will get a longer time without having to wear glasses. Once you hit your early to mid 40's your distance vision will still be good but the up close will be blurry due to your eyes not being able to focus like they once did. The biggest down side post surgery is dry eyes, and glare at night. Good luck on your surgery.

 

[esrice]

***UPDATE***

Yesterday I went back up to Dr. Price's office for my full exam.

I re-did all the same tests from last week plus several more. They took all kinds of pictures and scans of my eyeballs from every which way, and deemed my eyes quite healthy and a great candidate for the LASIK procedure.

At the risk of sounding like a total noob I asked the attending doctor to fully explain "20/20, 20/40, etc", so I could accurately understand the difference in my vision post-op.

This is essentially what she said: Visual Acuity: What is 20/20 Vision? | American Optometric Association

20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. If you have 20/100 vision, it means that you must be as close as 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 100 feet.

I currently have 20/100 vision. Projected post-op vision is 20/20 or even 20/15.

I was then shown an interactive video on all the potentially negative aspects of laser eye surgery. It covered all the possible problems that could occur during the surgery itself and what to expect as my eyes age. This was their version of "informed consent". After the video I still felt that the positives far outweighed the potential negatives.

I then sat down with a LASIK consultant and she again went over the various tiers and payment options. I told her which option I had decided on and she scheduled my procedure (next Tuesday! ). She also went over the pre-op and post-op care routine.

Pre-op care is pretty simple and straight forward. Starting yesterday I started a 4x daily vitamin supplement that helps stave off dry eyes. I was also ordered to wash my eyelids and eyelashes twice a day with a special solution. The supplement cost me $30 and the wash $20.

Post-op care includes various things like wearing special goggles while I sleep to keep me from rubbing my eyes in my sleep, using some special eyedrops for a while, and continuing the vitamin supplement for a month.

Just before I left I opted to fill out a brief survey about my experiences wearing contact lenses. This helps with Dr. Price's ongoing research, and it got me a small additional discount. The total time for the full exam was just over 2 hours.

The cost of yesterday's exam was $150. The vitamins and wash added another $50. I got a $25 discount for taking the survey. So my out-of-pocket for the visit was $175. The LASIK procedure is $1,990 for both eyes, and includes my office visit. Therefore I will owe $1,840 on the day of my procedure, with my total pre-op out-of-pocket cost being $2,015.

As a treat to myself and my new eyes, I decided to get some new sunglasses. My wife and I spent Monday evening downtown, and I got to visit the new Oakley store in the Circle Center Mall. I decided I'll be getting a pair of Flak Jackets and a pair of Tightropes, both with polarized lenses. What would an experience like this be without some new gear, right?

My next update will be just after next Tuesday's procedure, when I'll be able to see the screen without my glasses!

I also want to say a special thanks to lovemywoods, who will be driving up from Brown County to take me to the north side of Indy to be my chauffeur for the day.
​

 

[CindyE]

I was interested in it, glasses bug me, and i tried contacts, but never could get them fine-tuned enough to read some of the small print. In my late 40s, I was told I'd still need glasses to read, which is what i do now, so i wouldn't gain anything with surgery. I know my ex had it done some years ago and loves it, as he had to wear glasses or contacts constantly, ever since he was a kid. i keep hoping the technology will make it better, and i would consider it then.

 

[Scutter01]

Did you opt for the X-Ray feature? Make sure they fine-tune it correctly. It should only go through clothes, NOT skin. Trust me on this.

 

[WebSnyper]

"In March, associate surgeon Dr. Tenkman is offering a deep discount of $995 per eye. This is for the exact same procedure, but does not include the special financing deal, and the post-op "warranty" is limited to 90 days and does not include the potential second procedure."

So just curious, what does the "post op warranty" include if not a second procedure?

How would they go about making it right under the warranty without a second procedure? Return your $ ?

Just curious.

Good luck Esrice and thanks for the great write up.

 

[esrice]

So just curious, what does the "post op warranty" include if not a second procedure?

How would they go about making it right under the warranty without a second procedure? Return your $.

That's why I put "warranty" in parentheses. While it does not include a second procedure, it does include any additional after-care up to 90 days. I suppose this could come in handy if there were lingering issues with pain or infection or anything that required additional visits to the office.

 

[Menace67]

Thanks for the info.