LASIK?

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

Mike

I had it done 4 years ago, and wish I had had it sooner. I had worn glasses
or contacts for most of my life, and it is very liberating to be rid of them
(except for the %$#@! reading glasses now that I'm older!).

Make sure you choose a competent doc, with lots of experience, and an
up-to-date machine (the machine actually does most of the work). Note: this
will probably NOT be the guy advertising $500/eye.

Also, make sure you are a good candidate - some people have thin corneas
which can limit the effectiveness of the surgery, or make it impossible.

~_-*
....G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

You might post your question sci.med.vision. They are a lot of comments
about the surgery there. To have the surgery just to wear regular sunglasses
does not seem like a good reason.

Tom
"GaryG" <garyg@shasta_SPAMBEGONE_software.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

Mike

I had it done 4 years ago, and wish I had had it sooner. I had worn

glasses

Quoted message said:

or contacts for most of my life, and it is very liberating to be rid of

them

Quoted message said:

(except for the %$#@! reading glasses now that I'm older!).

Make sure you choose a competent doc, with lots of experience, and an
up-to-date machine (the machine actually does most of the work). Note:

this

Quoted message said:

will probably NOT be the guy advertising $500/eye.

Also, make sure you are a good candidate - some people have thin corneas
which can limit the effectiveness of the surgery, or make it impossible.

~_-*
...G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

Mike said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

Mike

Don't know about Oakley, but Rudy Project does (well, did two years ago,
probably still does) sell models that support prescription inserts. I
suspect that they'd be much less expensive than LASIK. And probably
less risky, too (yes, I'm aware that that is a sentence fragment).

You might want to check into such products before subjecting yourself to
expensive minor surgery.

Definitions:

Minor surgery - surgery done to you.
Major surgery - surgery done to ME.

Good luck and let us know what you do and how it works.

Jeff

Jeff Williams said:

Mike said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

Mike

Don't know about Oakley, but Rudy Project does (well, did two years ago,
probably still does) sell models that support prescription inserts. I
suspect that they'd be much less expensive than LASIK. And probably
less risky, too (yes, I'm aware that that is a sentence fragment).

Prescription inserts are just not an option for those of us who need
major correction.

I'm something like -5.50/ -6.00, and astigmatic (both eyes, different
axes!) There are *no* prescription inserts that would serve me, to my
knowledge. Wraparound style shades are not even remote possibilities.

I have regular (non wraparound) prescription sunglasses--polarized
lenses. They suit me well for everything I need to wear sunglasses
for (which ranges from Blues Brothers impressions to afternoon rides).
Stylish? Not in a strictly cycling/sporty sense, no. But they do me
all right.

I'd do contacts, but I'm just too damn squeamish. I don't like
sticking things into my eye & the additional hassle of caring for
them. Glasses are cheap & cheerful, for me anyway.

-Luigi

two wheels; four eyes.

www.livejournal.com/users/ouij
photos, rants, raves

Luigi de Guzman said:

I'd do contacts, but I'm just too damn squeamish. I don't like
sticking things into my eye & the additional hassle of caring for
them. Glasses are cheap & cheerful, for me anyway.

You get over that, honest. You don't actually touch your eye with
anything except the slippery wet lens, which doesn't hurt. Soft lenses
are more comfortable than RGPs but provide not-as-good vision (YMMV, of
course). It takes roughly three minutes to clean them at night and two
minute to put them in in the morning. Cleaning fluids from Target
shouldn't cost you more than $20/year. If you can be fit with contacts
you'll love them. Astigmatism can be a real obstacle to good fit (yeah,
guess how I know!), but when they're good they're REALLY good.

--
Cheers,
Bev
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Lottery: the closest thing we have to
a tax on stupidity.

Luigi de Guzman said:

I'm something like -5.50/ -6.00, and astigmatic (both eyes, different
axes!) There are *no* prescription inserts that would serve me, to my
knowledge. Wraparound style shades are not even remote possibilities.

Your situation sounds very similar to mine, only my numbers are in the
high -9s. This means you probably have had a prism correction in your
lenses since your were old enough to walk, too.

Aside from the Lasik question, make sure your doc checks carefully for
Lattice Degeneration, which is common in folks who are highly myopic
and astigmatic. You may save yourself the pleasure of having your
retinas detach.

Mine detached about 8 or 9 years ago. The surgery to fix them went
well, but the doctor's number one concern is that nothing is done to
pressure the eyes. For this reason, he expressly forbid me from ever
even considering Lasik. The pressure from the beam could be enough to
cause another detachment.

One bit of good news though is that I'm getting cataracts at an early
age. Why good news? There is a new product out called accommodative
implants. When they suck out your old natural lens, they replace it
with a synthetic lens that is designed to move like a natural lens --
plus they build your vision correction right into it. The downside is
that it costs about $18K/pair, can only be done in pairs, and
insurance won't touch it.

BLReed

To e-mail me, remove the obvious spam trap.
For collector coins and supplies at fair prices: http://tinyurl.com/pt9r
Cool things and Bust Coin Forum: http://www.byronreed.com

Um...I had mine done 4 years ago also with the $500/eye offer. The main
office was in Canada, and they had branches all over california. The branch
I went to went out of business, but my eyes are still in business and doing
great! I had -6 rt eye/-7 left eye...after the surgery I was seeing 20/15!!
My eyes have "degraded" to an amazing 20/25 in the 4 years since the
surgery. That was the best $1000.00 I've ever spent. No glasses (except
Oakley sunglasses), no contacts, nada, nothing, zilch, zip! 🙂 Find a good
doctor with a nice deal, and just do it!!

"GaryG" <garyg@shasta_SPAMBEGONE_software.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

Mike

I had it done 4 years ago, and wish I had had it sooner. I had worn

glasses

Quoted message said:

or contacts for most of my life, and it is very liberating to be rid of

them

Quoted message said:

(except for the %$#@! reading glasses now that I'm older!).

Make sure you choose a competent doc, with lots of experience, and an
up-to-date machine (the machine actually does most of the work). Note:

this

Quoted message said:

will probably NOT be the guy advertising $500/eye.

Also, make sure you are a good candidate - some people have thin corneas
which can limit the effectiveness of the surgery, or make it impossible.

~_-*
...G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

Tue, 3 Aug 2004 11:23:01 -0700, <[email hidden]>,

GaryG' garyg@shasta_SPAMBEGONE_software.com said:

Make sure you choose a competent doc, with lots of experience, and an
up-to-date machine (the machine actually does most of the work). Note: this
will probably NOT be the guy advertising $500/eye.

Also, make sure you are a good candidate - some people have thin corneas
which can limit the effectiveness of the surgery, or make it impossible.

A friend of mine had it done following the good advice you posted. She
can't drive at night now because lights cause her to see halos around
everything.
--
zk

In article said:

Mike said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

Mike

Don't know about Oakley, but Rudy Project does (well, did two years ago,
probably still does) sell models that support prescription inserts. I
suspect that they'd be much less expensive than LASIK. And probably
less risky, too (yes, I'm aware that that is a sentence fragment).

You might want to check into such products before subjecting yourself to
expensive minor surgery.

Definitions:

Minor surgery - surgery done to you.
Major surgery - surgery done to ME.

Good luck and let us know what you do and how it works.

Jeff

I have tried the rudys and oakleys... both seem a little tight; the
oakleys seem tighter than the rudys. Does anyone remember the
film _Space Cowboys_? Donald Sutherland's character was given a
pair of perscription ground glasses that resembled oakleys. That
would be nice to have (three: clear, medium, and dark lenses).

Mike

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I have tried the rudys and oakleys... both seem a little tight; the
oakleys seem tighter than the rudys. Does anyone remember the
film _Space Cowboys_? Donald Sutherland's character was given a
pair of perscription ground glasses that resembled oakleys. That
would be nice to have (three: clear, medium, and dark lenses).

Actually, I just watched that movie last night. If I hadn't dropped it in
the mail already (NetFlix) I'd verify.

IIRC, they weren't too much like oakleys. Fullframe wraparound kind of
things. Not too bad, though.

Pete

Small world Mike, I've seen you before in a totally unrelated context.

Quoted message said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

The only advice I can offer is: be aware of, and appreciate, the risks of
any type of surgery. Surgery should never be considered routine --
especially when dealing with something as important as your eyes.

1) When dealing with a for-profit surgery centre, realize that the
information you receive may well be skewed, fraudulant, or manipulative.
These places are trying to make money.

2) Money comes and goes, but you only get one body. Don't cut corners
when your health is at stake

3) Is your surgery necessary? It's very important to balance risks
against benefits. Is your current situation manageable? Do you actually
need surgery, or is marketing getting the better of you? There is nothing
more disastrous than severe complications resulting from unnecessary
surgery. There is inherent risk with all types of surgery and you must
not take this lightly. If things go wrong, it's you that suffers.

4) Surgeon skills vary widely. Practice makes perfect, so try to find a
surgeon that has the most experience. There is a reason these people are
paid well -- they're good at what they do, and they deserve good pay.

5) Do your own research. Remember, you have to look out for yourself.
Research the people doing the surgery. Research the surgical procedure
itself. Make sure that appropriate protocols are being adhered to. Make
sure that safety measures are being observed. People make mistakes; you
have to watch out for yourself.

I have training in Engineering, not in medicine, and these are my
personal nonprofessional opinions.

--
Jem Berkes
http://www.sysdesign.ca/

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tue, 3 Aug 2004 11:23:01 -0700, <[email hidden]>,

GaryG' garyg@shasta_SPAMBEGONE_software.com said:

Make sure you choose a competent doc, with lots of experience, and an
up-to-date machine (the machine actually does most of the work). Note:

this

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

will probably NOT be the guy advertising $500/eye.

Also, make sure you are a good candidate - some people have thin corneas
which can limit the effectiveness of the surgery, or make it impossible.

A friend of mine had it done following the good advice you posted. She
can't drive at night now because lights cause her to see halos around
everything.

A good friend of mine has had a similar experience and has a large lawsuit
pending. Anybody who does this should do their homework first.

If you're near or above about 40, consider that your accommodation will
decline, so you get to see clearly without glasses only at one
distance. If you correct to distant vision with Lasik, you soon won't
be able to read without glasses.

Being nearsighted is a plus when you get only one clear uncorrected
distance. You can thread needles and read fine print.
--
Ron Hardin
[email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Luigi de Guzman said:

Jeff Williams said:

Mike said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

Mike

Don't know about Oakley, but Rudy Project does (well, did two years ago,
probably still does) sell models that support prescription inserts. I
suspect that they'd be much less expensive than LASIK. And probably
less risky, too (yes, I'm aware that that is a sentence fragment).

Prescription inserts are just not an option for those of us who need
major correction.

I'm something like -5.50/ -6.00, and astigmatic (both eyes, different
axes!) There are *no* prescription inserts that would serve me, to my
knowledge. Wraparound style shades are not even remote possibilities.

I have regular (non wraparound) prescription sunglasses--polarized
lenses. They suit me well for everything I need to wear sunglasses
for (which ranges from Blues Brothers impressions to afternoon rides).
Stylish? Not in a strictly cycling/sporty sense, no. But they do me
all right.

I'd do contacts, but I'm just too damn squeamish. I don't like
sticking things into my eye & the additional hassle of caring for
them. Glasses are cheap & cheerful, for me anyway.

Actually, I'm around -7 (both eyes, plus astigmatism) myself. I find
that I cannot comfortably wear contacts (I've tried just about every
variant under the sun).

I do sometimes simply leave the glasses at home so I can wear
sunglasses. I do not have trouble seeing large objects, such as cars,
or traffic signs and lights. I do occassionally miss imperfections in
the pavement, but I've had no accidents. To me, the biggest downside of
leaving the glasses at home is that I miss some of the beauty I'd
otherwise see on my ride (deer, squirrels, etc).

It would be nice if inserts supported those of us who really need them.
Any vision-gear designers listening?

Jeff

Jem Berkes said:

Small world Mike, I've seen you before in a totally unrelated context.

Quoted message said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

The only advice I can offer is: be aware of, and appreciate, the risks of
any type of surgery. Surgery should never be considered routine --
especially when dealing with something as important as your eyes.

1) When dealing with a for-profit surgery centre, realize that the
information you receive may well be skewed, fraudulant, or manipulative.
These places are trying to make money.

2) Money comes and goes, but you only get one body. Don't cut corners
when your health is at stake

3) Is your surgery necessary? It's very important to balance risks
against benefits. Is your current situation manageable? Do you actually
need surgery, or is marketing getting the better of you? There is nothing
more disastrous than severe complications resulting from unnecessary
surgery. There is inherent risk with all types of surgery and you must
not take this lightly. If things go wrong, it's you that suffers.

4) Surgeon skills vary widely. Practice makes perfect, so try to find a
surgeon that has the most experience. There is a reason these people are
paid well -- they're good at what they do, and they deserve good pay.

5) Do your own research. Remember, you have to look out for yourself.
Research the people doing the surgery. Research the surgical procedure
itself. Make sure that appropriate protocols are being adhered to. Make
sure that safety measures are being observed. People make mistakes; you
have to watch out for yourself.

I have training in Engineering, not in medicine, and these are my
personal nonprofessional opinions.

When I asked about Lasik for myself at a for-profit centre, the surgeon
told me quite bluntly that I'd be wasting my money. My prescription is
such at I'd still need glasses full time. Advice administered is more
dependent upon the character and experience of the vendor than upon the
business model.

Jeff

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:Ui4Qc.208483$IQ4.32045@attbi_s02...

Quoted message said:

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tue, 3 Aug 2004 11:23:01 -0700, <[email hidden]>,

GaryG' garyg@shasta_SPAMBEGONE_software.com said:

Make sure you choose a competent doc, with lots of experience, and an
up-to-date machine (the machine actually does most of the work). Note:

this

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

will probably NOT be the guy advertising $500/eye.

Also, make sure you are a good candidate - some people have thin

corneas

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

which can limit the effectiveness of the surgery, or make it

impossible.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A friend of mine had it done following the good advice you posted. She
can't drive at night now because lights cause her to see halos around
everything.

A good friend of mine has had a similar experience and has a large lawsuit
pending. Anybody who does this should do their homework first.

As with any surgical procedure, there is some risk involved. I suspect that
the risks are very, very small, however. All of the folks I know who've had
LASIK have been delighted with the outcome and the freedom from wearing
glasses or contacts, and the improved quality of life as a result.

Was your friend's vision unable to be adjusted via follow-up surgery? And,
on what basis is she/he filing a lawsuit? Typically, you have to read about
the possible problems, and sign a waiver before the surgery.

GG

"Jem Berkes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Small world Mike, I've seen you before in a totally unrelated context.

Quoted message said:

I have no problems wearing glasses, though I don't like contacts,
but I'd like to wear the rudy/oakley style sunglasses when cycling.
Has anyone had the LASIK thing? How did it go?

The only advice I can offer is: be aware of, and appreciate, the risks of
any type of surgery. Surgery should never be considered routine --
especially when dealing with something as important as your eyes.

1) When dealing with a for-profit surgery centre, realize that the
information you receive may well be skewed, fraudulant, or manipulative.
These places are trying to make money.

2) Money comes and goes, but you only get one body. Don't cut corners
when your health is at stake

3) Is your surgery necessary? It's very important to balance risks
against benefits. Is your current situation manageable? Do you actually
need surgery, or is marketing getting the better of you? There is nothing
more disastrous than severe complications resulting from unnecessary
surgery. There is inherent risk with all types of surgery and you must
not take this lightly. If things go wrong, it's you that suffers.

4) Surgeon skills vary widely. Practice makes perfect, so try to find a
surgeon that has the most experience. There is a reason these people are
paid well -- they're good at what they do, and they deserve good pay.

The skill, reputation, and experience of the surgeon are important factors.

But, for LASIK, the manufacturer and model of the laser machine is perhaps
even more important. The machine actually does all of the measuring of the
current lens, and re-shaping of the lens with the laser - the surgeon at
this point is simply monitoring the procedure. Some machines are more
sophisticated in this regard than others, and most surgical centers will
advertise if they are using the latest model of machine.

GG

Quoted message said:

5) Do your own research. Remember, you have to look out for yourself.
Research the people doing the surgery. Research the surgical procedure
itself. Make sure that appropriate protocols are being adhered to. Make
sure that safety measures are being observed. People make mistakes; you
have to watch out for yourself.

I have training in Engineering, not in medicine, and these are my
personal nonprofessional opinions.

--
Jem Berkes
http://www.sysdesign.ca/

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:Ui4Qc.208483$IQ4.32045@attbi_s02

Quoted message said:

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A friend of mine had it done following the good advice you posted.
She can't drive at night now because lights cause her to see halos
around everything.

A good friend of mine has had a similar experience and has a large
lawsuit pending.

On what grounds? This is a known side effect (although it usually eases or
even disappears after some time). It's not like any of this is new or
anything.

--

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

"DRS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:Ui4Qc.208483$IQ4.32045@attbi_s02

Quoted message said:

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A friend of mine had it done following the good advice you posted.
She can't drive at night now because lights cause her to see halos
around everything.

A good friend of mine has had a similar experience and has a large
lawsuit pending.

On what grounds? This is a known side effect (although it usually eases or
even disappears after some time). It's not like any of this is new or
anything.

The "halo-ing" problem. It was not so well known a few years ago that people
with larger-than-normal pupils, or otherwise different eyeball geometries
wouldn't fare so well given the maximum size of the area that was (could be)
reshaped. My friend's visual artifacts are quite severe and apparently further
corrections are not possible. He has to use drops to drive at night to
constrict his pupils, which is like wearing sunglasses. The suit is based on
the claim that the doc should have known better, even at that time.