Reply to: Lasik

[zeitghost]

I was about 43 when I started noticing that my arms were too short with my distance glasses on...

Now they're too short with my reading glasses on.

Ho hum.

[hyperD]

I noticed that I couldn't read something close up the other day - my wife gave me a tin of food to read (obviously a book would have been too normal) and I just couldn't focus up close. I seem to be suffering from the onset of presbyopia.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/presbyopia.htm

[expat]

As you get older (i.e. past 40), you get longer sighted.

If you are short sighted, you can do without reading glasses just by taking off your distance glasses.

Magic.

Yeah, virtually everybody loses close-focus as they get older than 40. If you were short-sighted to begin with, i.e. can't focus on distance, then you still can't. Hence bifocals, sign of age.

You may still be able to read with your distance glasses off (but no longer with them on, because your focus range is now too small), but the monitor may be too far for the naked eye and too near for the distance glasses.

You need to decide what to do about that as you get older.
- If you wear glasses, you don't have to decide until it happens. Then you can either have several pairs, or bifocals or graduated lenses.
- If you wear contact lenses, you don't have to decide until it happens. Then you can do "monovision" (1 for near and 1 for far), or toric (which are supposed to let you see at all distances), or wear lenses and sometimes use glasses too.
- If you're going to get surgery, you should probably decide in advance, what you want to do about that question. Having surgery won't stop age-related presbyopia from happening.

[benn0]

You must have lived a sheltered life!

I have had anything but a sheltered life. The difference now is that I can see as well, without buggering about with glasses and contact lenses. Anyone who has successful Laser eye surgey will probably tell you the same. IF you have never been short sighted you wou;dn't understand how limiting it can be. It was the single biggest factor stopping me from making the grade as a professional rugby league player (I couldn't play under floodlights)

There are risks, but the horror stories you hear tend to be from disgruntled people who haven't achieved perfect vision and still need some form of correction. As I said, i'm still a little short sighted and will be having an enhancement to correct this. I have had no problems whatsoever with night vision. If anything my vision is better at night than during the day! Night vision issues only occur when the surgeon treats to large on area - Something to do with the size of the 'optical zone' - Discuss it with your surgeon beforehand if you are unsure. Pupil size and Corneal thickness are the most imprtant factors.

To my knowledge, no-one in the UK has been blinded. The real disasters have been in the US, but the industry is unregulated over there.

[DimPrawn]

I use daily disposable contact lenses.

Absolutely fantastic. Never get tired or sore eyes. Can sit in front of the PC from 7am until midnight (sometimes do - gulp) no problem.

Laser eyes. Not a chance. I'm the sort of unlucky one in a million, oh dear now he's blind, what a shame sorts to risk that.

[Fungus]

I've heard quite a few people have problems with glare when driving at night.

Laser eye surgery is cosmetic, and there's absolutely no way I would risk my eyesight for cosmetic reasons. And the risks are too high IMO.

When my late mother had her cataracts done, she could see clearly without glasses for the first time in her life. Pity she had to wait 10 years on the NHS and then die within 6 months of the ops.

Fungus

[PerlOfWisdom]

Had it done last October and it is the best thing I have ever done.

You must have lived a sheltered life!

[Epiphone]

I'll be having it done 24th March. The guy who did the consultation and will be doing the actual procedure seems fine. The slack fool on the front desk who babbled inanely at me for a while thinks I can have it done Friday and be back at work Tuesday.

I'm taking at least 2 weeks before going back to a PC.

[jenever]

I'm in Brussels - I had thought about comming back to the UK but there seem to be some good places here, and support afterwards might be an issue. Certainly not something to trust to cowboys (or indians).

[ChimpMaster]

I would not recommend treatment in the UK as they are a bunch of cowboys

Try this one in Prague,

Prague Clinic

Jeez, you may as well go to India !

Seriously though, you need the clinic to be local, in case you need to go back for support, tests, further work etc.

[Clog II The Avenger]

Eyes

I would not recommend treatment in the UK as they are a bunch of cowboys

Try this one in Prague,

Prague Clinic

[Jakes Daddy]

I can swim (not that i do), etc etc, all those things the girls in the panty-liner ads do!

Now don't go getting me as some kind of expert on these things (cos believe me I'm not - the whole subject repulses me ), but I think the advert in question was for tampons, not panty-liners.
Surely you cant go swimming with a panty-liner ?? Thats just going to be messy

[G8_Summit]

Can Lasik cure this ???

[ChimpMaster]

Excellent!! Coffee splurted out all over the keyboard ! I was having a really tulipe day and that's cheered me up no end.

See, it's even made me funnier hehe

[ChimpMaster]

I can't even get them in my perscription

"prescription" .... did one of your glasses lens fall out?

I think Lasik can "cure" eyes up to -12.5 or something.