Hot on the heels of a post on what my neck suffers when I work is another physical issue I’ve been grappling with recently: To Lasik or not.
I’m a 400 girl in each eye (as of my last visit 6 months ago). Astigmatism, too. Prematurely ready for bifocals, even. With a prescription that changes yearly, my need for new eyeglasses is staggering. It’s a revolving door of frames for me. (And Vincent’s penchant for plastic isn’t helping any. I'm down about four frames since his arrival.)
I need one set of lenses for surgery and another for reading. I can’t wear contacts at work for fear I’ll have to read small writing on something (a package insert, maybe?). It’s a nightmare.
I’ve sought the advice of two ophthalmologists, both of who recommend Lasik with extra glasses for reading and eventually surgery, as the changes to my lenses are ongoing.
Yet one of my friends, a human ER doc, can’t stop telling me how unhappy she was with her own Lasik experience, reporting on how many pairs of glasses she now needs for work. But she loves being able to go to dinner and SCUBA dive without contacts—though she still needs to take glasses to the opera (who doesn’t? I can’t read a damn thing on the overhead monitors and I can’t memorize all that Italian ahead of time).
As it stands, my clients will often find me removing my glasses in the exam room to peer inside ears, examine skin tags and other miscellaneous lesions. Repeated at home, this is a surefire recipe for the kind of masticatory disaster which will soon earn my Vincent a cage muzzle (they fit horribly on Frenchies—anyone know a good brand for the flat-nosed among us?).
Surgery is yet another issue. I’ve taken to using an on-the-head miner’s lamp with magnifying glasses attached (works great for knitting lace, too) but it’s a PIA with all that back and forth (on off on off). Arrrrgh! (as they say in the comic books my son reads).
Add in the $2,500 I’ll have to spend (tax deductible? no way, I’m told) and I’m hating my once-pretty blue eyes right about now. But at $300-$400 a pair, that might’ve been worth it…were it not for the new frames I’d need to shell out for. Double-arrrrgh!
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My hang up is that although errors are rare and becomign more rare their effects are catastrophic. And the improvement although common is not yet perminant and produces scarring that complicates future procedures. As much of a %$#@*( as glasses can be in places like a surgery room I'm not brave enough to attempt the surgery. I can't get my mind aware from the surgeon whose lasik went wrong leaving him effectively blind and ulitmately he suicided (from a cheerful media story on the procedure when it errs).
3rd attempt on the code, again...
emily March 24th, 2008 02:32:00 PM
I've only heard positive outcomes for the Lasik. The weirdest one I heard was an ex-boyfriend (from Ecuador) who flew with his entire U.S. family to Quito to have Lasik performed by his uncle (this was in the mid-90's, when the laser was not yet FDA approved, but people were flocking to Canada for it). Anyway, they all had terrible vision and every one of them (4 total) had spectacular results.
Creature of Habit March 24th, 2008 03:12:00 PM
I had Lasik done in 2001 or 2002 and love, love, love my vision. (I was nearsighted and had astigmatism.) I am outdoorsy person and hated dealing with my contacts while camping and hated even more being somewhere dusty. I worried about perspiration getting in my eyes. And, to keep this animal related, I also had to deal with the occasional dog or horse hair along with the contacts. No more!
Best $2500 I ever spent on myself. No regrets. None. Zippo.
(Note: old frames can have new lenses put in them -- shortly after Lasik, I had my favorite frames changed from prescription to sunglasses.)
Deanna March 24th, 2008 03:18:00 PM
My father is a laparoscopic surgeon (people med), and he had LASIK several years ago. (Monovision correction) Although his eyes weren't as bad as yours, he's had no trouble in surgery or examinations since.
My aunt is NOT a surgeon, but she does do a lot of biopsy work in her practice, and she had lens replacement surgery when she began to get cataracts. Again, she had it corrected as monovision and has had no problems after the initial few days of adjustment.
Maille March 24th, 2008 04:20:00 PM
Both my Boyfriend and my Vet got Lasik in the last year, and both seem extremely pleased. My vet still needs glasses for reading, I believe, but he is quite a bit older(50ish?). My boyfriend doesn't need glasses for anything at all and the difference for him is just amazing! He always recommends it and feels it was well worth the money.
Julia March 24th, 2008 06:00:00 PM
The New York Times had an article about a week ago.
Lasik Surgery: When the Fine Print Applies to You
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/fashion/13SKIN.h...
By ABBY ELLIN
Published: March 13, 2008
Quotes from the article (the "I" in the article is the author):
[snip]On April 13, 2007, I had the [Lasik] surgery. Dr. Belmont’s colleague examined me the next day. My vision was a little blurry, but apparently that was normal. Dr. Belmont said that everything looked good on subsequent visits, too. But the blurriness never went away.
At night, I saw halos around streetlights; neon signs bled; the moon had two rings around it like Saturn. My eyes felt sore, a result of dry eye, which also causes sporadic blurriness.
Dr. Belmont told me that sometimes women of a certain age who are undergoing hormonal changes or who take certain medications get dry eye. It would have been nice if I’d known my advanced age (39) might be problematic before I sat in the chair.
[snip]
True, I no longer wear glasses. But the 20/20 line on the eye chart is blurry. I can make it out only if I squint, and it takes about a minute to read. My doctor views this as proof of the surgery’s success.
[snip]
“Not every patient has the potential to see 20/20,” Dr. Belmont told me this month. So, if your eye can see 20/20 with glasses or contacts, the doctors try to replicate that, but there are no guarantees. Dr. Belmont said, “You do the best that you can.”
[snip]
After concluding that too few well-designed studies have examined quality of life after Lasik, the F.D.A. put together a task force in 2006 to design a clinical trial to explore the subject. A pilot study is now under way at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Md.
Jeannie March 24th, 2008 06:19:00 PM
I'm too afraid of needles, knives, and lasers to do this. Also, figure that when "mature
eyesight" sets in for you at 40, that process will also change your prescription, again,
and I don't think you get two surgeries on the same eye.
Can't remember where I read it, but there is also a concern about what might happen
to previously surgically modified eyeballs in accidents involving blows to the head...
Better to be swapping glasses or wearing magnifiers than totally blind.
Have you looked at something called ortho-keratology? This is a vision correction
that is done using extended-wear HARD contact lenses to modify the shape of the
eyeball. They can also do mono-vision with that, use glasses to go with them. It
requires frequent changes of lenses and tolerance for hard lenses, but it's less
invasive. I know some one who's been doing it for 30 years with the same doc.
Miss Kitty's Mom March 24th, 2008 07:55:00 PM
Ha ha, though you were talking about Lasik for animals when I saw the topic! (silly me, they can't even read the eye charts)
I had Lasik for mild-moderate nearsightedness in 2000 (I was 34) and have never regretted the results. The actual procedure is a cinch from the patient perspective. The trippy part was I could actually see the ceiling coming into better focus as they zapped my eyes. Recovery was pretty easy as well. I believe I was supposed to have bandages on for 24 hours...but I peeked enough to stumble around my apartment. Back to work a day after that.
The way I rationalized the surgery risk was that it was probably less risky than poking myself in the eye twice a day with contacts for the rest of my life. You can sneeze and poke an eye out! And don't think you're any safer with glasses. The minute you drop them on the floor and can't find them there will be a serial killer after you. Trust me...I've seen the movies.
I had no side effects of dry eye or halos. Just in the last year I'm starting to need reading glasses when my eyes are real tired. . .but that would have happened anyway. I hear the results can be even better now. . .I got close to 20/20 but I guess the can adjust for astigmatisms and get you even further now.
Larry March 24th, 2008 08:41:00 PM
I wanted to do Lasik, but my optometrist said I was not a good candidate because: a) My prescription needed to be stable for at least a year; b) my corneas were too thin. I read an interesting article addressing the different procedures available for eye improvement in the Pittsburgh- Post-Gazette dated January 3, 2007. They include intraocular lenses and the above-mentioned orthokeratology. It does note that a certain type of Lasik (PKL?) is the one the military uses and won't cause eye damage from a blow to the head. I am thinking about intraocular lenses, but I think only one place around here does it, and it is more expensiv. It you're interested in the article, let me know and I can send it from the database.
My sister had Lasik and was very pleased. Screen your doctor carefully!
lin March 24th, 2008 09:36:00 PM
A friend of mine swears by this guy and the techniques he espouses for vision improvement without surgery or lenses: http://www.clearvisionnaturally.com/index.html She is old enough to have her vision shift with age, but she does not wear any lenses that I know of.
kabbage March 24th, 2008 11:46:00 PM
Hi,
We just saw you over on the Cat Blogosphere or CB for short as we like to refer to it, and wanted to stop by and send you a warm welcome! We look forward to getting to know more about you and reading your blog!!!
Moki March 25th, 2008 01:59:00 AM
I think my face looks better with glasses. I blame my nose. So no lasik for me! :-)
(Currently fighting with pink eye in BOTH eyes and trying hard not to gouge them both out at present.)
Marie March 25th, 2008 08:10:00 AM
The only person I know who did it used an older procedure but had great trouble and after several correcting procedures ended up with vision that was about the same or a little worse and some unattractive visible evidence. I wouldn't approach it without have specific, empirical failure rates and outcomes for that provider. When it comes to one's vision I think a conservative approach is more than justified.
emily March 25th, 2008 09:29:00 AM
My understanding is that the greater the correction - the greater chance you won't end up with 20/20. I peg in at a -11 correction for glasses so I'm not considered a good candidate. This does not mean that opthomologists haven't tried. Frankly, if the first thing they suggest is surgury I'm a little sceptical (I've had several other eye surguries for other problems).
Yes - glasses are a PITA, and I had to stop wearing contacts (its hell being a woman of a certain age), but my corrected vision with glasses is pretty close to 20/20. So I'm sticking with them for now.
I'd recommend asking any eye surgeon the following questions - what's the total number of procedures they've done, - what the total number of procedures for people who had a correction as serious or more serious than yours, and what is the overall success rate overall (as defined by 20/40 vision or better in each eye, no complications with auras, night vision problems etc), and what is the overall success rate for those like you.
2CatMom March 25th, 2008 12:01:00 PM
I had Lasik done approx 3 yrs ago. The only regret I have.... I wish I would have done it sooner. I can't tell you how wonderful it is. I went to several different places. It wasn't about the money but my level of comfort with these people. I ended up going to Canada for it. Not only was it $3,000 cheaper, but this surgeon that did it had literally Thousands more experiences with Lasik. I went to approx 7 different clinics and they were all over the board of what I needed and the cost. One even asked me do you want the Bargain Laser or the Premium Laser used. Ummm excuse me but what do I need? I'm not a Dr. Check this place out even if you don't think you'll be in Michigan/Canada anytime soon. www.Lasikmd.com.
Wonderful wonderful wonderful. Good luck and remember it will pay for its self the first day you roll over and can actually see the alarm clock from bed. It's an amazing difference immediately.
Good luck!
Michigan Girl March 27th, 2008 09:29:00 AM
The main reason to NOT get it in my view is that it could make detecting glaucoma harder to impossible at an early stage of the disease, should you get it.
Being a DVM you know about glaucoma, so for the rest of us it's a progressive eye disease that should be tested for once a year in everyone over 45 to 50. The reason for testing so often is that by the time symptoms, ie., loss of sight, is noticed damage is done and that cannot be repaired... only future damage halted.
At minus 5 diopters (or is it plus for you Dr.) there is still a chance even if surgery is 100 percent perfect (no halo effect etc.) that you may need glasses for close vision now or in the future.
How about scuba mask with your Rx -- or goggles even under it?
Hope this helps.
You sound like a compassionate, skilled DVM., the world people and pets needs you -- your vision is too precious to risk.
BTW, I'm -8.75 with an add of +3.5 so I can't see my toes, or knees or read... and still my doctor is 100% against it.
rose March 29th, 2008 06:27:00 PM
I had Lasik surgery at Bascom Palmer. My eyesight was much like yours...blind without glasses or contacts.
Here's my experience.
Because I had the surgery after 40 and because I was able to deal with mono vision contact lenses, it turned out great....however, since I am no longer 40-ish or damnit 50, my close-range, reading vision has gotten worse. So, I now mostly have to wear reading glasses for close work, especially if it's dark and especially when attempting to read small print. You know that those who publish the phone books do so wanting us to call "Information." or they wouldn't print it in 6 point or less.
Yet, I am still happy about having the surgery. I'm not wearing glasses now. When I drive to work, I won't be wearing glasses...when I go out, I don't wear glasses so I've learned to deal with the inconvenience of wearing reading glasses sometimes.
I say, go for it...
Janet March 30th, 2008 09:20:00 PM
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