Is laser eye surgery worth it?!

Is laser eye surgery worth it?

I am very very short sighted, cant see further than my nose without my glasses or lenses. I have heared mixed reports about the safety of this surgery. Has anyone had it done? Did it hurt? Did it work? would you reccomended it to others if you have?

I just had PRK a couple of weeks ago. I was like you...couldn't see 6 inches in front of my face.

As with ANY surgery, there are risks and benefits to it. The better educated/experienced the surgeon is, the better the technology, and keeping in step with postoperative instructions are the keys to limiting the risks. I chose my surgeon on educational background, experience with the cornea (happened to be my surgeon's focus all through his residency and fellowship, and he is also a professor of the cornea, it's anatomy, pathology, and surgery at a medical school in my region)...and didn't focus on the cost. I felt like I was in VERY good hands because of his knowledge and experience.

It didn't hurt at all during the procedure. They use numbing eyedrops that work within seconds...gave them to me prior to positioning me in line with the laser. I was a little uncomfortable for a few days during the healing (very normal...and quite tolerable with the medications they gave me for the discomfort and pain).

So far so good in working! I had my last postop appointment 5 days ago, and measuring 20/30 in my right eye and 20/20 in my left...and my corneas are still healing. My surgeon said that my vision should be stabilized at about the 3 month mark, and maximum improvement within 6 months...but I tell you...if I do not improve any more...I'm very happy...I can see road signs, my computer, the TV, my kids playing in the backyard...all without contacts or glasses for the first time in my life.

I would recommend that anyone INTERESTED in finding out if they are a candidate to research the procedures (there are more than one), research your surgeons, and have a consultation. Some people are not candidates because of preexisting corneal conditions, glaucoma, and some medical conditions or take certain medications. The only way to find this out is to have a thorough dilated exam.

The link below will take you to a list of the different disorders and what each technology and approach can be used for each. The articles have a lot of information packed into them...including the risks, benefits, alternatives, contraindications (conditions that prohibit the surgery), and studied outcomes. I used the articles for myopia and PRK and LASIK and wrote down questions for my consult. My surgeon gave me answers that did correspond to research that I had done.

I would not go to another country to have this done (the travel costs alone would make it so not worth it), and to me, the investment I made will pay for itself within 6 years based on the costs of my glasses and contacts.

I know that once I hit my 40s, I will probably need reading glasses, but that is so minor compared to the strengths of my contacts and glasses...but when you think about it, the majority of the population needs reading glasses...whether they have had glasses during their younger years or not...once they enter their 40s-50s. and I am saving a pair of my frames that I really like just for that when the time comes.

Good luck! And base your decisions on your research...yes, there are horror stories...I work for an ophthalmology clinic with a corneal specialist in the office...and I have seen horror stories...but the few cases that I have seen, the patient got it done when there were preexisting corneal conditions or glaucoma (the worst case I saw, the patient had a super strong family history of glaucoma...and had it themselves...not a candidate for the surgery...at all) and the rest were resultant from noncompliance of the postoperative drops or a surgeon who did not know what they were doing.

Overall, the surgery is safer today than it was 10 years ago due to improvements in the technology and better, more experienced surgeons...just check thoroughly your doctors, and follow your postop instructions to the letter.