The media pundit's pundit. Written by NYC insider Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine covers news, media, journalism, and politics.
Laser test
: Britain is having second thoughts about the laser eye surgery that is all the rage here, now ordering a study of its safety. I’d decided not to have it because I didn’t want the risk and didn’t know what the long-term impact really is. Besides, I look smarter in glasses, don’t I?
Uhhh…..dunno. Lost a contact a few days ago; no replacement yet. So Everything’s looking kind of wild to me at this point.
Merry Holidays, Jeff Jarvis.
Had Lasik in 2001. Went from 20/150 nearsighted to better than 20/20. No complications. Results better than expected.
Very happy 3.5 years later, admittedly not long term. Wore glasses and contacts for decades. Didn’t like glasses.
Liked contacts better than glasses, but extended wear, wind and dust a problem.
[When hovering in dusty landing zone, helicopter instructor asked “you wear contacts? oOOoh bet this sucks!”]
Went with recommendation that best (consistently reliable) results obtained from doctor with high number of operations performed.
Waited for years working up the nerve to have it. Availability of second generation Lasik was the trigger point for me.
Risk, hmmmm….seems like one is more likely to be injured in a car accident than have Lasik turn out poorly.
Nothing beats seeing the stars at night without fumbling for glasses. -7
Almost the exact same story as Tom.
I started wearing glasses at age 11 and utterly despised them every waking moment of my life. I couldn’t wear contacts, so I opted for LASIK. Best decision of my life.
No more foggy glasses after a bike ride, no more wet spex after a dash through a rainy parking lot…hell, NO MORE GLASSES, PERIOD!
It may sound stupid but the two coolest things I remember about my post-LASIK experience was seeing my feet clearly in the shower for the first time since I was 11, and having the clerk at the DMV remove the CORRECTIVE LENSES restriction off my driver’s license.
We all have to make our own choices and this is one that I do not regret.
Oh, and by the way…glasses don’t make a guy look smarter, they make him look like he’s wearing glasses.
One of my staffers had the corrective procedure. He thinks I’m a fool not to get it done. But like you, the idea scares me … without my eyes, I probably don’t have my present career.
Have it done!!!
I had it done a year ago in London – it’s been perfect since.
The main thing is that you need to find someone safe – and in London we have one of the pioneers at Moorfields Eye Hospital. A life changing experience.
S
I had it done 7 years ago and also now have better than 20/20. (Used to be -4.75 diopters in one eye and -5.25 in the other.) No side effects, have never regretted it.
What was the Ned Flanders quote in the Simpsons “futuristic” episode? “The laser surgery was great, who knew that at the ten-year mark your eyes fall out?”
I do have a former employee who, after six sessions of “corrective” laser surgery is now blind. She started out around 20/100 and is now worse than 20/200. Maybe it’s the process; maybe it’s the individuality of her particular condition. That sort of risk is going to keep me far away from it, even if I might benefit from a perfectly done operation.
Smarter with glasses? Sure, but just imagine what would happen if you lost the glasses, got some highlights and an earring, and maybe stopped the suit thing.
Okay, looking better with the glasses, too.
I heard they make you sign a waiver and that there are no guarantees after 10 years. I’m also thinking about the “See Clearly” method that is based on exercising your eyes rather than cutting them with anything. Meanwhile, I’m the sort who gets one pair of glasses every time I really need to and hope nothing happens to them. Contacts always made me feel like something was stuck in my eye, a sensation I absolutely can’t stand.
Had standard LASIK last January, was not suitable for wavefront due to severity of the prescription: -9 diopt in both eyes with astigmatism.
Post surgery complications were very severe with ‘Sands of the Sahara’ due to inflamation of the flap which resulted in clumps of white blood cells collecting in my line of sight. My eyesight went from 20/25 day after surgery to 20/40, then to 20/60. Agressive steroid treatment cleared it up after about 3 weeks but had terrible dry eye. Dryness has continued requiring 5x day drops, duct plugs and lots of discomfort – wake up with crusty eyes every morning. Worst result is glare and starburst for point light sources which makes night driving very difficult.
Wavefront mapping shows some distortion that could be contributing to the glare and starburst. I’m not yet willing to go through surgery again due to the inflamation issues and possibility it could make the dryness worse.
Would I do it again? Still haven’t decided – I did really well with contacts but don’t miss the astigmatism. I can see my PC screen and read books really well but will likely lose that soon as I age and will be back in the sexy glasses I left behind in 7th grade. I do sort of miss the $3k (actually $2k by using health savings program at work).
Reading the article, I think they are spot on – if you don’t have a severe prescription it is a good bet.
I went from 20/400 to 20/30, though I had PRK, which was out before Lasik. They corrected my nearsightedness, but not my astigmatism.
I wonder if they certified the procedure their medical system would have to provide it free of charge?
You’re fine with laser eye surgery, i.e. it’s a very good risk indeed, unless two circumstances coincide:
(a) The nature of your eyes and your specific vision problem(s) make you a marginal as opposed to a mainstream candidate for the surgery,
AND
(b) Your surgeon is thinking on the day when he decides whether to recommend surgery more about making his boat payment than he is about the risks to your sight.
In these circumstances, which do occur regularly, all bets are off and you should certainly run a mile, because the consequences can be gruesome and tragic.
The real problem is that you as the patient are unlikely to be able to spot the presence of either of these problems, let alone the combination.
If there is a problem, other eye surgeons in your area are likely to have a pretty good idea of what is happening but this is unlikely to protect you. Their response is usually about the same as you will find in every other ‘self-regulated’ profession – ‘professional courtesy’ tends to trump patient protection most of the time.
In these circumstances your best defensive measure is a second opinion as to your suitability for the procedure, before it is performed (if you seek a second opinion after an unsuccessful operation ‘professional courtesy’ will again be working against you) and ideally from a surgeon who knows that he is not going do the operation himself. Don’t worry about the cost, this is your eyesight.