Lasik eye surgery, should I do it?

I had lasik in 2003. Lasted a good 10+ years before I got a bit short sighted and needed reading glasses. Now I wear varifocal glasses pretty much full time for the last year, although distance is still pretty good, it’s up close to a metre or two that is the problem.

For me it was worth it. 10 good years of perfect vision was a bonus.
 
Spizz said:
I had lasik in 2003. Lasted a good 10+ years before I got a bit short sighted and needed reading glasses. Now I wear varifocal glasses pretty much full time for the last year, although distance is still pretty good, it’s up close to a metre or two that is the problem.

For me it was worth it. 10 good years of perfect vision was a bonus.
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Can't the op be done again?
 
ive wondered many many times about lasik, been myopic (shortsighted), most of my life, and been wearing glasses since I was 7,

on the one hand, not having to wear spectacles,is a great thing, especially if you have an active lifestyle, or play any sort of contact sport.
also not having to remember them constantly, or having to clean them, or accidentally break them.

but then again, one only has 1 pair of eyes ever in life, and unless you want to permanently damage them, either by accident or through complications,
sometimes staying with glasses is better then potentially losing or damaging sight permanently.

best advice, is go to an eye specialist (not optometrist) to determine if your a good candidate, a second opinion if you will,
some people like myself make poor candidates for lasik, due to some of the muscles not being developed enough to work correctly.

check before you commit, sometimes its a matter of a few years older and then you can do it quite successfully.
 
If your doctor recommends you do something you should listen to him/her. They don't tend to give advice for their own pleasure.
 
I'm on my 4th year after having PRK eye surgery, so far so good still. It will probably deteriorate eventually but will probably never become as bad as it was before again.
 
Daisy Cloudskitter said:
Think it costs ~ R 16k now.
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Not bad. I thought it would be double that. Did you get yours done in Durbs? Any recommendation re: hospital/doc?

I spend +-R5k a year on contact lenses and solution. So if I got the surgery, it would pay for itself in 3 years. I shall strongly consider it as a birthday present for myself next year. :)
 
Had mine done 10 years ago. Had my eyes tested last week. 20/20 vision. No night blindness, no halo's, nothing. Just perfect vision.

Got mine done at Cape Eye Hospital. Back then, it cost R15k in total. Operation lasted 10 minutes. Went out for a smoke, and I could see for the first time since school. Before the operation, I couldn't read subtitles on a 48" TV from 5m away...

Conclusion: Best money I ever spent in my entire life. Changed my life completely.
 
who.dat said:
Not bad. I thought it would be double that. Did you get yours done in Durbs? Any recommendation re: hospital/doc?

I spend +-R5k a year on contact lenses and solution. So if I got the surgery, it would pay for itself in 3 years. I shall strongly consider it as a birthday present for myself next year. :)
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Sorry can't help with recommendations - I considered Lasik often & do know a few people very happy they had it done, but that was years ago back in Joburg. I was always too scared to go for it :cautious: , stayed with specs and ' throwaway' contacts ( saved solution costs a bit).

Some gen here : http://www.justlasik.co.za/faq.html
 
ponder said:
I had mine done more than 10 years ago and it was the best thing I ever did. I will recommend it to anyone that is suitable for the procedure. There are some initial side effects like halo vision around lights at night and driving at night can be a pain but after about 2yrs it's gone.

I'm no medical professional but honestly cannot foresee any long term side effects but time will tell. The procedure is performed on the cornea which is the outermost layer of your eye. It's a pretty tough layer as it's exposed to the elements and is what gets scratched etc all the time in day to day life. If it was any other layer I would be cautious.

The freedom it provides cannot be imagined and then there is the savings on spectacles & contacts lenses. If you are an active person you will enjoy it even more.
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Necro.

13 years later. How is going?
 
NeonNinja said:
Necro.

13 years later. How is going?
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No side effects. My vision has regressed though, it's been ~27 yrs since the procedure and I got older...

How much has my vision regressed you ask, I passed my eye test at the optometrist for my drivers license in Jul 2020.
 
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24yrs later, no regrets.
I was very shortsighted, and that hasn't degraded yet.
I do attribute the following symtoms to age and not the lasik:
They now disorient a little when trying to read extra small text like serial numbers. Reading books are fine.
They seem to dry out now - lots more blinking needed.
 
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