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I've been wearing contacts for about the last 7 years but of late have had to change to silicon based ones (no idea the difference or nuances of them).
They have been giving me problems though and the overall experience of contacts whilst ok is getting somewhat tedious.
Has anyone gone for laser eye surgery? If so what was your experience of it, would you recommend it and are there any downsides?
Ive heard "night blindness" is a common side effect.

Heres a few random eye facts whilst Im here:
Your eyes are the most complex organs you possess except for your brain.
Your eyes are composed of more than 2 million working parts
The average person blinks 12 times per minute - about 10,000 blinks in an average day
Your eyes can process 36,000 bits of information every hour.
Only 1/6th of your eyeball is exposed to the outside world
The external muscles that move the eyes are the strongest muscles in the human body for the job that they have to do. They are 100 times more powerful than they need to be.
Colour blind people do see color but confuse certain colors in certain conditions.
Red and Green are the most commonly confused colours among colour blind people.
Colour blindness is 10 times more common in males than females
The eye is the only part of the human body that can function at 100% ability at any moment, day or night, without rest.

Not sure I would trust someone flashing a laser in my eyeballs. I mean, I'm sure it has an exemplary safety record but what if something did go wrong? What if I was the unlucky statistic of operations that got screwed up? If it was an operation on my leg and I had to have it amputated, I could manage without it - I wouldn't be happy but its not the end of the world. Being rendered blind though is a different kettle of fish...

That being said, I have considered it in the past but not yet taken the plunge. I was told that the UK Armed Forces didn't accept anyone who had had it done when I was joining up so that was one reason I never got it done. There has been some debate as to whether the correction is permanent or whether it only lasts 10 years or so.

I have a friend who has joined the British Army in the last year or two and has had laser surgery done a couple of years previously.

I can't see that it's worth it unless your eyesight is so bad that it's becoming a problem even with glasses. I don't know why my friend had it done, his reasoning didn't seem very clear other than he just fancied having it done, his parents couldn't seem to give any rationale either given the cost of it. But it was his money to spend, it's not something I would do on a whim.

Howard A Treesong wrote:I have a friend who has joined the British Army in the last year or two and has had laser surgery done a couple of years previously.

I think they have dropped their objection to it in the light of more recent medical evidence - that and the fact that more and more people are having it done these days.

I just can't see it.

I had it done while stationed in Panama in the 90's. Best thing I have ever done. The ability to not be tied to glasses or contacts is amazing.

My wife had hers done about three years ago at the Army hospital on Ft Stewart. Even the Army provides it for active duty troops now. She loves it.

Jake

I would get one eye done at a time, just to make sure that your vision isn't worsened or permanently damaged. Simply wear a contact in the eye that hasn't been surgically corrected until you're absolutely sure (I'd give it about two weeks to a month) that you have suffered no adverse effects from the surgery.

I'd much rather have a glass eye than be completely or legally blind.

I can definitely see the draw in corrective laser surgery. Glasses and contacts are both a pain in the ass. As long as you can afford it and take the right precautions, why not?

Sorry to go OT but this could be an interesting option for you?

For the last 5 or so years I have been wearing hard plastic lens at night that correct your eyesight so that in the morning you do not have to were glasses or lens for the following 3 days. Its called ortho K I think, approximately the same cost as regular lenes I think (I pay £600 a year but I also get the services of a private optician and insurance included).

Heres a link to my opticians, its in London but other opticians do offer this product so you can find somewhere near you. I highly recommend it if your prescription matches the criteria.

http://www.cityeyesopticians.com/

Never worn anything else other than glasses and even then only rarely.

As for Laser surgery, my uncle recommended it but when he told me about the proceedure (you're awake while they cut a window across your eye then poke the laser about) and the fact that it is not permanent (every 7 years?), I passed on it. There are also very slight other risks of damage so I'm told.

filbert wrote: I was told that the UK Armed Forces didn't accept anyone who had had it done when I was joining up so that was one reason I never got it done. There has been some debate as to whether the correction is permanent or whether it only lasts 10 years or so.

It was my understanding that only pilots were excluded when I was looking at the RAF.

Anyway...

Had it done Sept 07. Prior to that I was short-sighted -10. Best thing I ever had done. Was told it would last about 15 years. I had it done at Moorfields in London, one of the world's leading eye facilities (no more expensive than the high street).

Your night vision takes longer to recover, typically a few months and you get a halo effect around lights during that time.

Baragash wrote:

filbert wrote: I was told that the UK Armed Forces didn't accept anyone who had had it done when I was joining up so that was one reason I never got it done. There has been some debate as to whether the correction is permanent or whether it only lasts 10 years or so.

It was my understanding that only pilots were excluded when I was looking at the RAF.

Quite possibly. I joined up 10 years ago so they have probably changed their stance in the interim. The justification for refusing people with it given at the time was that the correction wasn't permanent and that the person's eyesight would degenerate over time.

If you're that tired of contacts, I'd say go for it.

And this seems somewhat relevant....

Thanks for the advice peeps.

@notprop Fascinating, I wouldnt have even thought it possible but will certainly look into it.
I drop about €500 on standard contacts each year so the price seems reasonable.
How well do they work? Do you find say at the end of the 3rd day your vision getting worse/blurry.
Have you experienced any bad side effects/problems?

snurl wrote:I just can't see it.

AH!



Thread won!

Well I'm happy wearing my glasses,but there have been times I wish I didn't have them. Like paint-ball,swimming or when I'm with my girlfriend.

My cousin is in politics,and she got the zap,and she says it's great,now she can get up and not worry about losing or breaking her glasses.
She also said it was great for her confidence,and that she feels better without them.

I'd go for it, but I don't really have a problem with wearing glasses. Nothing worth surgery, anyway.

I despise wearing glasses, my eyesight issues are very minor but that means that I end up not wearing (and thus losing) my glasses fairly consistently. Were it not so expensive I would get laser eye surgery.

Ratius wrote:Thanks for the advice peeps.

@notprop Fascinating, I wouldnt have even thought it possible but will certainly look into it.
I drop about €500 on standard contacts each year so the price seems reasonable.
How well do they work? Do you find say at the end of the 3rd day your vision getting worse/blurry.
Have you experienced any bad side effects/problems?

I only notice after quite a few days when I might start to squint at some wording on the TV or something like that.

The only problem I had was getting used to wearing hard lenses at first (having never worn any type of lens before).

The only know side effect (as far as I know) is a bit of ghosting with bright lights at night but this subsides in time. I barely noticed it.

I am quite surprise why these are not more popular and allot of people seem to think that they sound like a good idea. What tends to put them off is the thought of wearing lenses at night while they are asleep. My Mrs thought that they would slip behind my eye in the night (not actually physically possible BTW!).

I also have the claim to fame that I share an optician with Phillip Schofield! I know I'm awesome aren't I!

ShumaGorath wrote:I despise wearing glasses, my eyesight issues are very minor but that means that I end up not wearing (and thus losing) my glasses fairly consistently. Were it not so expensive I would get laser eye surgery.

This was pretty much my sentiment so when I had money left over in my flex spending account several years ago, I used it to get laser eye surgery.

For what its worth, it has been about 7 years and it was a wonderful improvement. Not sure if I have lost any of the correction but I do know I still see better than before the surgery.

One point to note, last I heard it still does not correct or delay the natural deteration of the eye that comes with age so if you are over 35 or so, the benefits may be considerably muted.

My friend got his eyes done while we were at university. He was pretty blind without his glasses but ended up with perfect vision.

Just remember that the price you hear in adverts for laser eye surgery is pretty much impossible to get and is for their older treatment programs. You will be looking at a small fortune for each eye, depending on what problems you have with them.

I won't be getting it done.. for the simple reason that I look better with glasses.

Got dark circles under my eyes, and my eyes are quite small. Glasses make them look bigger and hide the dark circles. Glasses rock and have become a much cooler thing to wear over the years.

Thanks guys and ladies, interesting stuff

Darn late over here so I'll ask a few more Q's...ASAP (post-hangover!)

It's amazing stuff, and from everything I've read and talking to eye doctors the current techniques are simply amazing, the risk of any complication (as long as you use the drops like they tell you to) is less than 'wisodm teeth removed' or 'appendectomy', and those are considered routine. I had it done earlier this year, vision is now 20/20 and the only issue is dry eyes, which was expected for around 6 months. From my doctor's experience, it's permanent, they've had patients who had it done in the early 90s and are showing no signs of it wearing off.

I'd stay away from the 'lowest bidder' places, they have a tendancy to accept people that are on the borderline of good candidates (or even that they shouldn't), and will probably try to play games with 'addons' that you really need or charging for stuff like individual follow-up appointments. The place I went with uses tighter criteria for accepting people than the official ones, and while their up-front price was higher, the amount I paid included the treatment, as many follow-up visits as needed, a second treatment if I still needed glasses after the first one (I didn't), and any treatment for anything related to the surgery for a year afterward.

A few of the little things:
Can wake up and not fumble around for glasses, or go through the whole rigamarole for contacts.
Can crash on a friend's couch without having to find a spot for them and worrying about someone stepping on/knocking over them.
Can see while swimming, can go to the beach without messing with them.
Can wear cheap sunglasses while fishing/boating and not worry if they get lost.
Can see in winter without breath fogging them (this was especially annoying when wearing a face mask).
Can fall asleep reading or watching TV without bending them up, and can watch TV laying sideways.
Never have your vision get worse over the day because they get dirty.

Howard A Treesong wrote:II can't see that it's worth it unless your eyesight is so bad that it's becoming a problem even with glasses. I don't know why my friend had it done, his reasoning didn't seem very clear other than he just fancied having it done, his parents couldn't seem to give any rationale either given the cost of it. But it was his money to spend, it's not something I would do on a whim.

I don't think it's at all hard to understand that someone who lives with a disability would like to take a simple procedure and stop being handicapped, even if the disability is easily managed with prosthetics. If he's wearing contacts, the surgery will probably pay for itself in a few years, especially once he gets to an age where his close vision goes and he'd have to mess with bifocals of some sort.

Laser sounds like something only las cannons should have

BearersOfSalvation wrote:I
I don't think it's at all hard to understand that someone who lives with a disability would like to take a simple procedure and stop being handicapped, even if the disability is easily managed with prosthetics. If he's wearing contacts, the surgery will probably pay for itself in a few years, especially once he gets to an age where his close vision goes and he'd have to mess with bifocals of some sort.

I don't think that wearing glasses is a disability - is it?

Phototoxin wrote:I don't think that wearing glasses is a disability - is it?

I'm not sure if this is one of those 'gotcha' question, so just in case I'll answer literally: "Wearing Glasses" is just putting a particular object on your face - anyone can wear glasses, and you can stop wearing them by removing them so obviously it's not a disability, it's just choosing to wear something. Having vision bad enough to require that you wear glasses is certainly a disability - it fits the dictionary definition, and is specifically listed in the Americans with Disabilities act (and presumably similar laws in other countries). It's easy to correct with a prosthetic (glasses or contacts) and is common enough that people don't generally need to ask for any special accommodation - no one says 'you're not allowed to wear glasses on the job', and protective gear like goggles are normally made to fit around glasses. But the fact that it's easy to correct a condition doesn't make that condition not a disability.

Borrow a pair of glasses from someone with a strong prescription and wear them for a week (which will distort your vision like you have bad vision yourself), and see if you still think having bad vision is not a disability. You can't drive, can't recognize people from across a room, can't read for long (you can get a page or two by holding it real close to your face), can't watch TV or a movie, can't read the menu at a fast food place, will get serious headaches and fatigue if you just try to walk around and do stuff, and more.

Employment discrimination is prohibited against "qualified individuals with disabilities." This includes applicants for employment and employees. An individual is considered to have a "disability" if s/he has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. Persons discriminated against because they have a known association or relationship with an individual with a disability also are protected.

The first part of the definition makes clear that the ADA applies to persons who have impairments and that these must substantially limit major life activities such as seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, learning, caring for oneself, and working. An individual with epilepsy, paralysis, HIV infection, AIDS, a substantial hearing or visual impairment, mental retardation, or a specific learning disability is covered, but an individual with a minor, nonchronic condition of short duration, such as a sprain, broken limb, or the flu, generally would not be covered.

My girlfriend had laser surgery.. she was practically legally blind, now she has 20/40 vision or something like that.. like, twice as good as 20/20. The surgery was fairly quick and she just had to put drops in her eyes, like fake tears or something like that.. for a couple weeks after.

Go for it.
Contacts are annoying, and glasses usually look horrible, especially if you're male.

If you can afford it there really isn't any reason not to.

Personally I don't invest because I'm fine with glasses, I don't have much of a face to ruin. For most folks though, it's a pretty solid move.

My sister and my brother in law both had it done within the last few months, and both of them have loved it so far.

Also had a professor that had it done.

It will not correct your eyes as you get older for things like reading small print, still need glasses for that. But that isn't the surgeries fault, they just can't fix that.