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Well i've had it done.

Surgery was at 1pm today.

A few people have asked me to let them know what it was like so I have decided to post a thread about it.

Firstly, I knew the procedure didnt take long, but didnt realise just how quick it is!!! The actual laser was only on each eye for about 30 seconds each eye!! To get eash eye ready took about 5-10 minutes. That was the worst bit.

You lay on this bed and was told to "close my eyes". - This was a bit daunting as I could hear things going on, but couldnt see.
Drops are placed in the eyes (drops?!?!? Felt like a whole bottle!! lol) This is the local anesthetic.
Your eyes are then prodded to make sure you cant feel anything, then more drops and you are told to stare at this little green light.
Then came the worse bit, an instrument was used to force your eye open and keep it open. It felt like my eye was gonna pop aout! Then I was told I would feel some 'slight' discomfort and pressure on my eye. 'slight'?!?!?!? What blx, IT HURT LIKE HELL!!!!! I have no idea what bit this was, but was definately the worse.
It then felt like they were brushing the eyes (my guess is that this was to clean the area). More drops, then I was told that my vision would disapear completely for a few seconds. Yet another dop and it was like someone had a dimmer switch and was turning it down, then off. A few seconds and it was the reverse.
I could then see the surgeon cut the flap.
Now I thought that the laser would be painfull, but it only lasted about 20 seconds and was totally pain free. But yes, you can smell the burning, not very plesent so when the next eye was done, I held my breath.
A protective lense is placed on each eye, and I was told to keep my eyes closed for 10 minutes.
The surgeon then checked my eyes and was happy, said "you can go home now"
They gave me drops to put into each eye every hour, and some protective shields to wear when sleeping (so as not to rub the eye)
I was also told to keep my eyes as closed as possible for the next few hours.

I did have to ask though, "was it all right to watch tv later tonight? and um maybe use a computer?!?" - YES was the reply :)

At the moment, my vision is FAR from perfect, to be honest I expected it to be by now. But after reading, it should be tomorrow when my vision should settle down.
Also at the moment I have "halos" which is where at night, you see a halo around lights - looking at streetlights is wierd to say the least!! (again this is common short term side effect.

So there you go.
"pain free" as they say???? Well the laser surgery itself is pain free, but the getting your eyes ready for it HURTS LIKE HELL!!!
"would I recomend it?" Definately!

I have to go back tomorrow to have the shield lenses removed and a check up, then again in a week, and again in a month.

Brave lad, well done.. no looking at stuff tonight .. get Charmaine to read this to you :)

You will NOT regret this .. scariest thing I have ever done (and boy have I done some scary things in my time), but the BEST thing I have ever done.

PM me if you have any questions/worries:)

Bravo to you hun :)

Had mine done 3 years ago now :)

Heid
xx

You joking Heid ,,,,  he has plans on entering 2 comps tonight !!!! lol

well done
i had mine done 2 years ago and best thing i ever bought.

well done mate... no Tikay style misread stories tomorrow tho lol :D :D :D

Bloody hell, he'll pay tomorow!

I remember waking up the morning after my surgery, and it was raining outside, and i opened the curtains, and then snuggled back in bed and watched the rain fall outisde, for no other reason othen than I could! It was amazing, I could see the rain - you have to understand that I had been wearing glasses all the time from the age of 7.

I also remember going into work 2 days after the op and resuming my job which was 100% screen based, and having to go home half way through the day, cause my eyes hurt from just staring at the screen.

It's worth it, but also worth taking it easy at first :)

 :)up good going :D
I don't do eye stuff  :respect:

Well done M3, and good luck.

I'm way too damn chicken to get that done but I sure admire your courage.

My Uncle had this done three months ago.

He said it is the best thing he ever did.

Well done mate. Brave person

All the best pal

Thanks for tellin all i been thinking about it for a while now but scared i will go blind or somthing stupid like that
how safe is it.

While your eyes are resting up....


Take it easy mate  :)up

[attachment deleted by admin]

Tx guys

lol@tank,  well its close, but im getting the real thing (well fake but....)  :D

Thanks for posting this M3 - I was one of the interested peeps.

Hope everything clears up soon enough.

Sheriff

Good Luck Paul although hard part is over!

Not having mine done as I'm too much of a wimp......although it took me ages before I went for contacts and of course that is second nature now.

 ;D ;D ;D

Its not stupid to think that. I thought the same way.
It took me about 6 months of reading up about it on the net to finally decide I wanted it done.
Sure, there ARE risks involved (like with ANY medical procedure) but with today's technology, serious problems are few and far between.
All I will say is, look into the relevent companies offering the service, and choose the BEST one - this is not necessarily the cheapest.
I wont post here who I chose, but I will answer a PM if you want to know.
The people I went to have the best and most advanced equipment in the UK and have the lowest 'complication' figures in the UK. The later is probably due to them turning about 50% of people away where their eyes are just not healthy enough, whereas other companies would still go ahead with the treatment.

Well , off to London again today for a checkup - and to take out the protective lenses, I think.

I just hope they dont clamp my eyes open again!

M3 - being really nosy - you don't have to answer - but how much does this cost?

I'm paying £19 a month for extended wear lenses (I put them in at the start of the month & don't take them out at all for a month) - so in effect I've got great vision from when I wake up till I go to bed. The only reason for me to go for a surgical solution is to avoid the cost of £228 p.a. & the hassle of regular eye tests.

Hope the halo effect wears off soon.

Hi Rod , Pauls just off to get his eyes checked out.
I believe the surgery costs £2000 , well worth it .

"Mr M3Boy, we just need to make a slight adjustment, Please hold quite still."

(http://www.rupyb.com/images/articles/clockwork/wee_big.jpg)

You must be mad. Give me contacts or glasses any day of the week.
Still well done for having the nuts to do it.
A woman in my office had it done last year. She still has Halos and needs glasses abiet weak prescriptions, but hey I'm sure shes a one off!

when i had mine done 2 years ago it was all but 2 grand. They have more advanced stuff now to help with glare at night and a mate had it done and his was 3 grand a year after mine.
Bottom line forget the cheaper offers , i know two people who have had a 2 for 1 deal and they have not gone smoothly. I went with the market leader at the time and they still are the best, in my opinion. Their service was absolutely brilliant and they fill you with confidence even though it is a scary procedure. Anyone wants the company name please PM me.
Anyone thinking of do it, at least go for the free check up and during this they explain everything. This takes a lot of the worry away.
The other thing people dont realise is that  at my age 45, even though my long sight is perfect , if i had 20-20 vision since birth i would now be needing glasses for reading, its an age thing. So just cos someone had surgery and use glasses for reading doesnt make it a failure,
Oh the bliss of waking in the morning and seeing the clock clearly and looking in the distance and seeing things without glasses or contacts, its heaven.
Anyone tempted give it a go.

Andrew, that pic wasn't far off<g>

and I paid 2k for mine as well

76 quid a month for 2 years ..

Bargain

Yes it costs £2k (I had £300 off as it was booked in January - a January offer)

Protective lenses out now - My vision is 20 20 and will probably be even better in a week or so. As for the Halo's they say these will face in time. Even if they dont, I can live with it!!

NO MORE GLASSES OR CONTACT LENSES!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I was giving serious thought to having the treatment, thanks to this thread I have made my mind up. No way Jose.

Just read this  -  I was thinking of having this done........ but now - not a hope!! (damm)

Glad I'm not the only one Tracey. M3's description was bad enough but AndrewT's pic put the lid on it completely

The only thing that put me off....seeing them cut the lens........because of course you can't shut your eyes!  They should turn your eyes off before doing that bit...

Clockwork Orange isn't it?

Seriously, it's really not so bad ... takes 25 mins ...

I managed to get it done, and I couldn't even cope with with using contact lenses, as I didn't want to be touching my eyes and stuff..

So if I can do it...

Indeed it is. Actually, during the filming of the scene, one of the eye clamps scratched Malcolm McDowell's cornea and temporarily blinded him.

Heid, I was the same re contact lenses - i said i would NEVER wear them as touching my eyes made me feel sick! But then it became second nature.

Robert/Tracey - Seriously , if I had to have it done again, I wouldn't hesitate - I'd be straight there!!

As for the cutting on the eye, you see something, but your vision is so blurred, you are not sure what you are seeing - and u cant feel it anyway.

hmmmmm I dunno

Not only is the jury out, they have been sequestered and wont be back for some time........let me know how you are getting on.....the halo thing does worry me a bit too.....

The Halo is a common 'short term' side effect, but can be long term for some people - even then, they now have new technology to cure it

Reminds me of last year, I was using daily disposables and the optician recommend I go on to extended wear weeklies. Joy, I thought, put them in at the start of the week and whip them out at the end - voila - 24hr vision. I got a one week trial (sat to sat) and it was the thursday before I read the instructions and noticed you were meant to take them out each night and dispose of them after a week. I'd been squirting the bottle of liquid in my eyes in the morning when my eyes felt sticky and wondering why the optician had given me a contact lens case

:blonde:

Hi Paul.

Good to hear that your flaps were removed pain free.

snoops

Ding,

I don't have any issue with halo's now.. I would suggest the summer to get it done ...especially if you drive a lot ...

Long summer nights mean that if you get it done early in the season, it won't an issue by the time the nights draw in.

Car headlights were a problem for me for a while. My first purchase was a pair of very nice sunglasses for two reasons:
1. Never been able to wear them before.
2. I bloody needed them <g>.

I can't explain how good it feels to have perfect eyesight. Actually my eyesight is officially 15/20 which is better than perfect.

Glad it went well for you Paul. Fortune favours the brave as they say.  My brother has been thinking about this also for a very long time.  I will show him your post.

Very good to meet you at Cardiff, we were in great company for breakfast weren't we?

Maria (forgive me if the name is wrong, I have a TERRIBLE memory for names DOH)

Yes the breakfast was very good company, the likes of Tikay, Tom, Jullian.

Still best quote was from Tom "I have a bladder the size of an egg cup"

and also "thats not gravy is it? It's more like a stain on the plate" - again Tom

The Microlite story was also a good un!

Well, day3 and my left eye now feels really good, just like my right eye did yesterday. However, my right eye now feels strange (just as my left eye did yesterday)

Great thread M3!

I wonder how many people out there are thinking of doing this? (And here was me thinking I was in a minority). I was also worried about the possibility of complications; it's a very natural fear, I suppose - the logic of "Well, as bad as my eyesight is, at least I CAN see... sort of..." tends to hold sway, for me, anyway.

Please keep us posted on the progress, eye surgery is definitely on my list of things I would do if I could afford it.

I'm glad you have given us a first hand account of the mechanics of medical mincer manipulation,

It's something one of my daughters has been considering for a while

I will show her this thread Paul, it's been a real eye opener

Was waiting for it.... and there it is.
 :D

BlondePoker's comedy answer to Bobby Ball strikes again  :D

Well , both eyes feel ok now - and th slight blurry vision of my right eye has gone.

It is only 2 days after the operation, and I can see.

Drove for the first time today - no problem.

It still feels a bit uncomfortable, best described to those who wear contact lenses - it is like i have had contact lenses in far too long, you know that sticky feeling?

I can honestly say, if anyone is thinking of having it doen - GO FOR IT!!!

If I hadnt worn contact lenses before, and just wore glasses, the feelings I have now that I CAN see would be FAR FAR greater. Like I said, at the moment, it feels like I am still wearing contact lenses.

Even saying this, the feeling of being able to see when I wake up is fantastic!!

He woke this morning and thought S..t !!!!!! , did i really marry that !!! ;goodvevil;

Just got back from my one week post op check up.

All is well and both eyes are healing nicely.

Oh yeah, and my vision is now 15/20 or 20/15 (which ever is the one better than 20/20)

Hi
:goodpost:

I have an eye test on wednesday as I think I may need a stronger prescription. But I'd be really keen to get laser treatment done even though I'd be very nervous...

Can those that have had it done tell me if they were long or short-sighted?  I'm long sighted and not sure if I can get that fixed. I'm fairly sure it's not as successful as treatment for short-sightedness.

I thought if your prescription was still regularly changing then laser treatment was not an option?

Yes, if they are constantly changing, then being lasered means ur vision will be corrected but will continue to get worse. So your right, no point

They told me that your prescription only really settles from age of 26ish, before then your eyes aren't settled. They wouldn't really consider doing laser treatment before then.

Luckily, I am an old hag :) 

Yes, I think you're right, unfortunately. But I'll find out after my test. May need bottletops!

My prescription was terrible - the optician once asked if I drove..when i said no, he said good!

Are your eyes feeling 100% yet M3?  I'm going for a consultation tomorrow. 

Still a bit blury soemtimes, but mostly ok

GL M8!!

Question for M3/Heid and any other lasered ones....

The main thing that has always put me off this is the fact that its still relatively new.  Consequently, there's presumably very little information about possible long term consequences.

What information/reassurances, if any, did you guys get in this respect?  Also, is it a once only procedure (ie what happens if your eyes start to deteriorate again in later life?)

Sheriff

Sheriff

I spent about 6 months researching about Laser Eye treatment.
You will find many horror stories on the net, but will also find many good ones.
Most of the horror stories are from the USA - where their equipment can be very old.

The company I went with dos not have ANY major problems when conducting their operations in all the years they have been going. They also use the very latest technology.

One thing which made me choose them, was they turn away approx 50% of people who go there for the operation because their eyes are just not healthy enough, whereas others will go ahead with the procedure.

Once you understand what exactly is involved, you will see why. Basically it is to do with the thickness of the layer of the eye the laser burns. The people I went with have a safety limit, whereas others dont. Presumably this is why their safety record is second to none.

As for dangers, yes of course there are risks, as there is with any operation.

Once the surgery has been done, there is no guarantee that your eyes wont get worse, as the procedure just corrects your vision at that time.

One thing I will say is, with regards to risks/dangers,,,,,,,, do you wear contact lenses?? Well just have a look at some of the horror stories on the net about these!! Basically you are starving your eye of oxygen - the long term consequenses of which can be very damaging.

I had my consultation today and am booked in for Wavefront LASIK treatment (I think, the one they cut the flap) in a months time.  Can't wait!

I'm not sure what turns my stomach more...

The thought of a) being awake as some butcher slices my eye open or b) Pat Butcher starkers, a la last night's Eastenders  !

Conclusion:
Whilst having eye sliced, picture Pat Butcher starkers and consider yourself fortunate      :D

All the very best m8!!! Same treatment I had cept mine was Custom wavefront.

Just dont think about it, it is literally all over within 15 minutes of laying on the bed!

Did you go with the same company as I did? Maybe I should be on commission  :D

Wavefront is what I had ... the laser tracks your eye movements, thus making the procedure much more likely of being a success. You are told to keep your eye movements as close to nil as possible, but easier said than done<g> This type of lasik just compensatesfor the involuntary movements.

I think in the long term laser will be seen as much safer than contact lenses...eyes need air, and they change shape considerably whilst being under a bit of plastic for any amount of time.

As for your eyes deteriorating in time - everyone's does anyway - LASIK won't stop that. It's all part of getting old.

Heid