Lasik and cycling

"Perry" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

SNIP<<< I have an appointment this

Quoted message said:

afternoon for consultation. My best friend had it done, and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a friend
who works at a clinic and does angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a small
percentage of the doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your percentage is 100%.
That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers" but
that's do-able. If anyone is offended by the off topic, I apologize, but I am asking here for
anyone in a similar situations, etc. who may have input, pros and cons. Perry Yes, I have posed
this question here before and gotten great responses, even a scary one from someone who didn't
fare well. Looking to see if public confidence is up or down. Thanks.

I had Radial Keratotomy in '95, not the same surgery, but many of the same risks. It has greatly
impacted my life, many positive, many negatives. I used to be a jeweler, but due to G.A.S.H.(Glare,
Astigmatism, Starbursts, Haloes), I had to give that up. Mind you, it took me a long time to settle
on that as a career that I intended to do until I was quite old. So this has been emotionally and
financially traumatic. Another negative, is my night vision now sucks ,reading printed matter is
more difficult, and my shooting is not as accurate. I must use a scope w/ rifles, not that I hunt or
anything, so not a real big deal. Driving at night is not as easy as it once was. Astronomy isn't so
hot anymore either. Ordinary lighting conditions that were not a problem before, are now. I didn't
realize how much I did at night until...I couldn't.

The positives are, that most of my outdoor activities are much more enjoyable and I do them more. I
can now wear ordinary sunglasses, although I am now photophobic and kinda MUST wear them...on a
sunny day I can see about as well as anyone. Using a camera, binoculars or microscope is also
easier. As a child, eyeglasses were a great stigma, and I no longer have that. In case that is
important to you.

Cycling at night has been compromised due to the side effects, during the day it is great. After
living with glasses a good deal of your life, you may not realize the physical protection they have
been providing. The first time you cycle on a windy or dusty day you'll know what I mean.

My brother had PRK last year and is doing quite well, and my best friend had LASIK about 1 1/2
years ago and is quite happy. You might also read up on sci.med.vision , bearing in mind it has
its own bias. PRK seems less risky to me, if you are a candidate.IIRCC, PRK doesn't cut a flap in
the cornea. There is also some evidence that while the micro-keratome is on your eye(LASIK,LAZIK)
it may cause some erosion to the nerves where they emerge at the back of the eye-ball. Thus far it
has not been proven to cause any problems. The physical integrity of the eye is not affected as
much by PRK as it is by LAZIK or my own RK. The microkeratome can on rare occasions lose suction
during the procedure, thus cutting the flap crooked, and ruining the chances of that eye having a
succesful surgery.

All in all, the surgery has a low incidence of problems. Your friend is correct that if you are one
of the statistics, it is 100%. -- Happy trails, rorschandt

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

Quoted message said:

This may or may not be construed as OT. I am asking this same question on several different forums
and discussion groups that I participate in. My lifestyle (being outside, and active as much as
possible), hobbies

(cycling,

Quoted message said:

camping, hiking, spending time with my dogs outside), occupation

(upholstery

Quoted message said:

and carpentry) are all impacted by the fact that I wear glasses. It is South Louisiana and glasses
are a real pain. Sweat, foggy, slipping on

the

Quoted message said:

nose, the whole nine yards. Up until my early 40's I could wear contacts and didn't need close
vision correction. Well, the bifocal thing caught up with me and contacts don't provide the visual
accuity that I need to maintain a high standard of detail in my upholstery. Lasik has come such a
long way, and we have an excellent doctor here who

is

Quoted message said:

the area front runner, not the "guy who is the cheapest". I have an appointment this afternoon for
consultation. My best friend had it done, and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a friend who works at a
clinic and does angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a small percentage of the
doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your percentage

is

Quoted message said:

100%. That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers" but
that's do-able.

I had it done a year and a half ago, best thing I ever did period!

Quoted message said:

If anyone is offended by the off topic, I apologize, but I am asking here for anyone in a similar
situations, etc. who may have input, pros and

cons.

Quoted message said:

Perry Yes, I have posed this question here before and gotten great responses,

even

Quoted message said:

a scary one from someone who didn't fare well. Looking to see if public confidence is up or
down. Thanks.

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

Quoted message said:

"Perry" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

SNIP<<< I have an appointment this

Quoted message said:

afternoon for consultation. My best friend had it done, and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a friend
who works at a clinic and does angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a small
percentage of the doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your percentage is 100%.
That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers" but
that's do-able. If anyone is offended by the off topic, I apologize, but I am asking here for
anyone in a similar situations, etc. who may have input, pros and cons. Perry Yes, I have posed
this question here before and gotten great responses, even a scary one from someone who didn't
fare well. Looking to see if public confidence is up or down. Thanks.

I had Radial Keratotomy in '95, not the same surgery, but many of the same risks. It has greatly
impacted my life, many positive, many

negatives.

Quoted message said:

I used to be a jeweler, but due to G.A.S.H.(Glare, Astigmatism,

Starbursts,

Quoted message said:

Haloes), I had to give that up. Mind you, it took me a long time to settle on that as a career
that I intended to do until I was quite old. So this has been emotionally and financially
traumatic. Another negative, is my night vision now sucks ,reading printed matter is more
difficult, and my shooting is not as accurate. I must use a scope w/ rifles, not that I hunt or
anything, so not a real big deal. Driving at night is not as easy as it once was. Astronomy isn't
so hot anymore either. Ordinary lighting conditions that were not a problem before, are now. I
didn't realize how much I did at night until...I couldn't.

I don't have any of those problems at all, I suspect it is due to the advantages of the laser and
if I remember RK was where they actually used a knife to slice they cornea? With Lasik instead of a
star pattern they cut a flap and laser the cornea then fold it back avoiding the problems you
appear to have.

At my work so far 5 people other than myself went under the laser, one went in for a "touch up"
later but no problems to speak of from any of them now.

Quoted message said:

The positives are, that most of my outdoor activities are much more enjoyable and I do them more.
I can now wear ordinary sunglasses, although I am now photophobic and kinda MUST wear them...on a
sunny day I can see about as well as anyone. Using a camera, binoculars or microscope is also
easier. As a child, eyeglasses were a great stigma, and I no longer have that. In case that is
important to you.

Cycling at night has been compromised due to the side effects, during the day it is great. After
living with glasses a good deal of your life, you may not realize the physical protection they
have been providing. The

first

Quoted message said:

time you cycle on a windy or dusty day you'll know what I mean.

My brother had PRK last year and is doing quite well, and my best friend had LASIK about 1 1/2
years ago and is quite happy. You might also read up on sci.med.vision , bearing in mind it has
its own bias. PRK seems less risky to me, if you are a candidate.IIRCC, PRK doesn't cut a flap in
the cornea. There is also some evidence that while the micro-keratome is on your eye(LASIK,LAZIK)
it may cause some erosion to the nerves where they emerge at the back of the eye-ball. Thus far it
has not been proven to cause any problems. The physical integrity of the eye is not affected as
much by PRK as it is by LAZIK or my own RK. The microkeratome can on rare occasions lose suction
during the procedure, thus cutting the flap

crooked,

Quoted message said:

and ruining the chances of that eye having a succesful surgery.

The problem with PRK I was told appears to be a longer healing process than Lasik, I had dry eyes
for the first 2 weeks and during that time had to take a little extra care showering or sleeping but
after this it was fine.

It's been a godsend for me

Both my wife and I had LASIK about two years ago and have not regretted it for one moment. I was
once so astigmatic that without glasses my vision was 20/400. My wife was worse. Couldn't see
squat. Immediately following surgery, I could read the fine print on the eye chart from across the
room. I went home staring at everything. It was great, and continues that way today. I see 20/15 in
my right eye and
20/20 in my left. My wife had a similar experience. No problems, no vision issues. I love riding and
doing things without glasses. I'm 54 and my wife is 55.

Mark Leuck said:

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

Quoted message said:

"Perry" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

SNIP<<< I have an appointment this

Quoted message said:

afternoon for consultation. My best friend had it done, and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a
friend who works at a clinic and does angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a
small percentage of the doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your percentage
is 100%. That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with
"readers" but that's do-able. If anyone is offended by the off topic, I apologize, but I am
asking here for anyone in a similar situations, etc. who may have input, pros and cons. Perry
Yes, I have posed this question here before and gotten great responses, even a scary one from
someone who didn't fare well. Looking to see if public confidence is up or down. Thanks.

I had Radial Keratotomy in '95, not the same surgery, but many of the same risks. It has greatly
impacted my life, many positive, many

negatives.

Quoted message said:

I used to be a jeweler, but due to G.A.S.H.(Glare, Astigmatism,

Starbursts,

Quoted message said:

Haloes), I had to give that up. Mind you, it took me a long time to settle on that as a career
that I intended to do until I was quite old. So this has been emotionally and financially
traumatic. Another negative, is my night vision now sucks ,reading printed matter is more
difficult, and my shooting is not as accurate. I must use a scope w/ rifles, not that I hunt or
anything, so not a real big deal. Driving at night is not as easy as it once was. Astronomy isn't
so hot anymore either. Ordinary lighting conditions that were not a problem before, are now. I
didn't realize how much I did at night until...I couldn't.

I don't have any of those problems at all, I suspect it is due to the advantages of the laser and
if I remember RK was where they actually used a knife to slice they cornea? With Lasik instead of a
star pattern they cut a flap and laser the cornea then fold it back avoiding the problems you
appear to have.

At my work so far 5 people other than myself went under the laser, one went in for a "touch up"
later but no problems to speak of from any of them now.

Quoted message said:

The positives are, that most of my outdoor activities are much more enjoyable and I do them more.
I can now wear ordinary sunglasses, although I am now photophobic and kinda MUST wear them...on a
sunny day I can see about as well as anyone. Using a camera, binoculars or microscope is also
easier. As a child, eyeglasses were a great stigma, and I no longer have that. In case that is
important to you.

Cycling at night has been compromised due to the side effects, during the day it is great. After
living with glasses a good deal of your life, you may not realize the physical protection they
have been providing. The

first

Quoted message said:

time you cycle on a windy or dusty day you'll know what I mean.

My brother had PRK last year and is doing quite well, and my best friend had LASIK about 1 1/2
years ago and is quite happy. You might also read up on sci.med.vision , bearing in mind it has
its own bias. PRK seems less risky to me, if you are a candidate.IIRCC, PRK doesn't cut a flap in
the cornea. There is also some evidence that while the micro-keratome is on your eye(LASIK,LAZIK)
it may cause some erosion to the nerves where they emerge at the back of the eye-ball. Thus far
it has not been proven to cause any problems. The physical integrity of the eye is not affected
as much by PRK as it is by LAZIK or my own RK. The microkeratome can on rare occasions lose
suction during the procedure, thus cutting the flap

crooked,

Quoted message said:

and ruining the chances of that eye having a succesful surgery.

The problem with PRK I was told appears to be a longer healing process than Lasik, I had dry eyes
for the first 2 weeks and during that time had to take a little extra care showering or sleeping
but after this it was fine.

It's been a godsend for me

Perry,

LASIK is still in its infancy - this may or may not mean that it's unsafe, but when I looked into it
2 years ago it was still at the stage when it was being improved pretty fast.

For example, immediately after you have the surgery you may have excellent eyesight, but this will
deteriorate slightly as your cornea heals. Future treatments will probably take this into account,
so in the future your eyeseight may even improve slightly during the healing process. I believe
there's also some research into reducing the amount of glare that often results after surgery, and
decreasing higher-order abberations.

The decision I made was to come back in 10 years and have another look when the pace of research may
have started to slow. But if you really need it now then your cost:benefit analysis may differ.

AC

Perry said:

This may or may not be construed as OT. I am asking this same question on several different forums
and discussion groups that I participate in. My lifestyle (being outside, and active as much as
possible), hobbies (cycling, camping, hiking, spending time with my dogs outside), occupation
(upholstery and carpentry) are all impacted by the fact that I wear glasses. It is South Louisiana
and glasses are a real pain. Sweat, foggy, slipping on the nose, the whole nine yards. Up until my
early 40's I could wear contacts and didn't need close vision correction. Well, the bifocal thing
caught up with me and contacts don't provide the visual accuity that I need to maintain a high
standard of detail in my upholstery. Lasik has come such a long way, and we have an excellent
doctor here who is the area front runner, not the "guy who is the cheapest". I have an appointment
this afternoon for consultation. My best friend had it done, and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a
friend who works at a clinic and does angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a small
percentage of the doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your percentage is 100%.
That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers" but
that's do-able. If anyone is offended by the off topic, I apologize, but I am asking here for
anyone in a similar situations, etc. who may have input, pros and cons. Perry Yes, I have posed
this question here before and gotten great responses, even a scary one from someone who didn't
fare well. Looking to see if public confidence is up or down. Thanks.

If you decide to go with Lasik, be sure you find a reputable clinic and talk to as many of there
patients as you can. Be aware that your situation will be different than others. You may come out
with 20/20, better or less. No reputable doctors will give you 100% guarnantee. In fact, they will
have you sign a wavier to that affect.

I had it performed when I was about 54. I was very nearsighted and was able to see 20/20 at distance
after a reasonable recovery period. My recovery was uneventful, but others have not been. Yours,
will be different, too, if you have it done. Because of my age, my near vision did not improve( they
may have a way to help both now, I don't know for sure), so I still had to use reading glasses. But,
it acheived what I wanted. I was free from glasses for sports, swimming, etc. I was not a good
candidate for even the latest contact lens, by the way, or I would have went that route, rather than
take a chance on any kind of elective surgery. Now for the bad news, my nearsightedness has
returned. I can still see pretty good, good enough to get a drivers license, but I can tell things
are a little blurry. I went back to the eye doctors and they wanted me to have my eyes "fixed"
again. Due to the cost and the inevitable, ie old age just catches up with you, I elected to just
get glasses again. Am I sad? Did I waste my money? No, I had 4+ real good years, and as I said I can
still see pretty good without glasses. The glasses I wear now are light, not coke bottle lens, like
I had before.

Two of my sons had the Lasik correction, they were in their early 20's. They recovered fast and see
great. One has some occasional dry eyes and has to use eye lubricant, the other has had no problem.

As long as you go into it with knowing there is some risk, and with reasonable expectations, I think
you will be pleased with the result.

Finally, I note with some concern the comments about the gentleman whose career depended on his
eyesight. If you are in such a position, I would recommend you not do it. My wife wanted to have the
procedure, but I would not let her. She is an art teacher. No eyes, no job.

Good luck. "Perry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This may or may not be construed as OT. I am asking this same question on several different forums
and discussion groups that I participate in. My lifestyle (being outside, and active as much as
possible), hobbies

(cycling,

Quoted message said:

camping, hiking, spending time with my dogs outside), occupation

(upholstery

Quoted message said:

and carpentry) are all impacted by the fact that I wear glasses. It is South Louisiana and glasses
are a real pain. Sweat, foggy, slipping on

the

Quoted message said:

nose, the whole nine yards. Up until my early 40's I could wear contacts and didn't need close
vision correction. Well, the bifocal thing caught up with me and contacts don't provide the visual
accuity that I need to maintain a high standard of detail in my upholstery. Lasik has come such a
long way, and we have an excellent doctor here who

is

Quoted message said:

the area front runner, not the "guy who is the cheapest". I have an appointment this afternoon for
consultation. My best friend had it done, and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a friend who works at a
clinic and does angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a small percentage of the
doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your percentage

is

Quoted message said:

100%. That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers" but
that's do-able. If anyone is offended by the off topic, I apologize, but I am asking here for
anyone in a similar situations, etc. who may have input, pros and

cons.

Quoted message said:

Perry Yes, I have posed this question here before and gotten great responses,

even

Quoted message said:

a scary one from someone who didn't fare well. Looking to see if public confidence is up or
down. Thanks.

"Mark Leuck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<HT81c.445435$I06.4957745@attbi_s01>...

Quoted message said:

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

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lasik has come such a long way, and we have an excellent doctor here who

is

Quoted message said:

the area front runner, not the "guy who is the cheapest". I have an appointment this afternoon
for consultation. My best friend had it done, and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a friend who works
at a clinic and does angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a small percentage of
the doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your percentage

is

Quoted message said:

100%. That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers"
but that's do-able.

I had it done a year and a half ago, best thing I ever did period!

My wife had LASIK done one year and one week ago. If you knew my wife, you'd know that's a HUGE
step. She's very conservative with any kind of medical procedure.

Her everyday vision is great, but she does use reading glasses for reading at home. Her workplace
lighting (she's a software engineer) is good enough that she doesn't use readers at work.

You're wise to pick a provider on quality of service instead of price. Your eyes are nothing to mess
with- and once they're gone, they're gone. My wife went with Oregon Health Science University's
Casey Eye Institute only after a lot of research and a lot of consultation with co-workers. She's
very happy with the results.

I'll be doing the same as soon as I'm in a stable job situation- being unemployed is lousy.

Jeff

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

Quoted message said:

"Mark Leuck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<HT81c.445435$I06.4957745@attbi_s01>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

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

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lasik has come such a long way, and we have an excellent doctor here

who

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is

Quoted message said:

the area front runner, not the "guy who is the cheapest". I have an appointment this afternoon
for consultation. My best friend had it

done,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a friend who works at a clinic and

does

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a small percentage

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your

percentage

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is

Quoted message said:

100%. That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers"
but that's do-able.

I had it done a year and a half ago, best thing I ever did period!

My wife had LASIK done one year and one week ago. If you knew my wife, you'd know that's a HUGE
step. She's very conservative with any kind of medical procedure.

Her everyday vision is great, but she does use reading glasses for reading at home. Her workplace
lighting (she's a software engineer) is good enough that she doesn't use readers at work.

Indeed, it can't fix everything for everyone

Quoted message said:

You're wise to pick a provider on quality of service instead of price. Your eyes are nothing to
mess with- and once they're gone, they're gone. My wife went with Oregon Health Science
University's Casey Eye Institute only after a lot of research and a lot of consultation with co-
workers. She's very happy with the results.

Many Lasik specialists around here (Dallas, TX) seem to use a single provider, so many times you get
the same place who does the procedure regardless of the doctor you go to and the price you pay

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

Quoted message said:

This is all experimental surgery with no long-term history. The people who have LASIK today, where
will their vision be in 20 years ??? The side effects are very underemphasized by the doctors who
do this surgery. They are in it for the $$$, not to guarantee you will have an acceptable outcome.
If you can find a way to use corrective lenses, don't take the risk.

A risk is always there but I felt enough testing was done for me to get it. RK in general has been
around for well over 20 years now

And who isn't in a career for the money? Get real

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

Quoted message said:

Perry,

LASIK is still in its infancy - this may or may not mean that it's unsafe, but when I looked into
it 2 years ago it was still at the stage when it was being improved pretty fast.

For example, immediately after you have the surgery you may have excellent eyesight, but this will
deteriorate slightly as your cornea heals. Future treatments will probably take this into account,
so in the future your eyeseight may even improve slightly during the healing process. I believe
there's also some research into reducing the amount of glare that often results after surgery, and
decreasing higher-order abberations.

They over-correct and the eyes heal to the proper perscription was what I was told

Haven't noticed any additional glare

Quoted message said:

The decision I made was to come back in 10 years and have another look when the pace of
research may have started to slow. But if you really need it now then your cost:benefit
analysis may differ.

AC

Perry said:

This may or may not be construed as OT. I am asking this same question

on

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

several different forums and discussion groups that I participate in.

My

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

lifestyle (being outside, and active as much as possible), hobbies

(cycling,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

camping, hiking, spending time with my dogs outside), occupation

(upholstery

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and carpentry) are all impacted by the fact that I wear glasses. It is South Louisiana and
glasses are a real pain. Sweat, foggy, slipping on

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

nose, the whole nine yards. Up until my early 40's I could wear

contacts

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and didn't need close vision correction. Well, the bifocal thing caught

up

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with me and contacts don't provide the visual accuity that I need to maintain a high standard
of detail in my upholstery. Lasik has come such a long way, and we have an excellent doctor
here who

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the area front runner, not the "guy who is the cheapest". I have an appointment this afternoon
for consultation. My best friend had it

done,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a friend who works at a clinic and does angiograms on eyes and
says that Lasik failures are a small percentage

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your

percentage is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

100%. That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers"
but that's do-able. If anyone is offended by the off topic, I apologize, but I am asking

here

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for anyone in a similar situations, etc. who may have input, pros and

cons.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Perry Yes, I have posed this question here before and gotten great responses,

even

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a scary one from someone who didn't fare well. Looking to see if public confidence is up or
down. Thanks.

My brother had it done in 2000, I had it in 2001 and my sister had it done 3 months ago. All of us
are incredibly pleased with it. No problems whatsoever. No starbursts, no reduction in night vision,
nothing. I had mine done with partial monovision. Went from 20/650 in the left eye, 20/700 in the
right, astigmatism in both (bottle bottom glasses) to 20/15 left, 20/35 right. I need reading
glasses only in very low light with small print conditions. Other than that, I read without glasses.
I have a telescope and have never seen the stars/planets any better in my life.

I agree with what you impied in describing your doctor - don't go with the cheapest guy you can find
- go with a real professional. I had mine done at the University of Washington by one of the best in
the country. My brother had his done at Emery University in Atlanta - same level of quality. This is
your vision, don't risk it for a few $$$$, but on the other hand, don't hesitate to have lasik done.

Mark

--
Mark Gregory Longbikes Slipstream O \ _____,%) (*)-'------------(*)

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

Quoted message said:

This may or may not be construed as OT. I am asking this same question on several different forums
and discussion groups that I participate in. My lifestyle (being outside, and active as much as
possible), hobbies

(cycling,

Quoted message said:

camping, hiking, spending time with my dogs outside), occupation

(upholstery

Quoted message said:

and carpentry) are all impacted by the fact that I wear glasses. It is South Louisiana and glasses
are a real pain. Sweat, foggy, slipping on

the

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nose, the whole nine yards. Up until my early 40's I could wear contacts and didn't need close
vision correction. Well, the bifocal thing caught up with me and contacts don't provide the visual
accuity that I need to maintain a high standard of detail in my upholstery. Lasik has come such a
long way, and we have an excellent doctor here who

is

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the area front runner, not the "guy who is the cheapest". I have an appointment this afternoon for
consultation. My best friend had it done, and he says WOWZA! OTOH, I have a friend who works at a
clinic and does angiograms on eyes and says that Lasik failures are a small percentage of the
doctor's numbers, but if *you* are that failure, then your percentage

is

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100%. That's scary. I do know that close vision will still have to be corrected with "readers" but
that's do-able. If anyone is offended by the off topic, I apologize, but I am asking here for
anyone in a similar situations, etc. who may have input, pros and

cons.

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Perry Yes, I have posed this question here before and gotten great responses,

even

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a scary one from someone who didn't fare well. Looking to see if public confidence is up or
down. Thanks.