One eye contact...................

[GreyGeek]

I had Lasik surgery done on me over the summer...

For years I wore glasses ground from the bottom of Coke bottles, or at least they were so thick (and prismatic because of strabismus) they felt like it, even with feather-lite lens and titanium frames and silicon nose pads to avoid slipping due to sweat.

I also had them ground with bifocals, which I hated because of the line, and with the line removed the blur, where the line used to be.

Then I had Lasik surgery around ten years ago. My eyes were 20/25 and 20/30. After a few months they got a little better. I still need reading glasses but I pick them up at a local drug store or walmart for $10. Loved it. No problem with sweat, foggy lenses, glasses falling off my head.

About four years ago I noticed that object formerly clear at a distance were a little blurry. I went to an optometrist and found I was 20/40. Good enough to drive without glasses but something I didn't want to do. I needed distance glasses, which I've been wearing every since. Also, I was getting a "yellow wash" syndrome. White objects appeared slightly yellow because the blue component of the light was being filtered. And, there was a slight, permanent cloud in front of my right eye. That turned out to be a cataract.


Here's the bad news. He also said I had the beginnings of cataracts in both eyes and made an appointment with an ophthalmologist (who also does Lasik surgery) to have corrective surgery. In that surgery they measure the correction in each eye and then create plastic lens which will replace the natural lens of the eye, supposedly giving one 20/20 vision for distance. I did research before the scheduled day of the surgery and found out that once one has had Lasik surgery the ophthalmologist cannot guarantee a correct correction for the plastic lens because the eye can change shape once the conjunctiva is cut to remove the natural lens and insert the plastic lens. It would be a trial and error method, with a $1,700 charge for each eye for each try. I also learned that the various vision problems I had were caused by the Lasik surgery. After some research I found that "CAN-C" worked beautifully to alleviate the cloudy vision.

While I never had halo vision at night, I was plagued with dry eyes after the Lasik surgery. One doctor recommended Restasis, an anti-rejection drug, for about $125/mo. I settled for Systane, at $20/mo, and used it constantly, until I found that CAN-C eliminated most of it. If I don't drink enough water before I go to bed I'll have dry eye in the morning. If I drink enough I won't, or it will be minor. CAN-C seemed to have reduced the floating bodies as well.

If you get CAN-C be sure to not blink for one minute after you put a drop into your eye. IF you blink you'll pump it out of your eye before it has had a chance to migrate into the vitreous humor, where it delivers L-Carnotine, which can't pass through the conjunctiva. That's why CAN-C has 1% N-Acetyl-L-Carnotine, which can pass through the lipotissue of the conjunctiva.

Despite the fact that the Dr who once approved Lasik for the FDA is now adamantly opposed to it, would I have Lasik surgery if I knew then what I know now? Hard to say. I don't miss the coke bottle glasses and I was lucky. My son, who had the surgery a few months after I did, wasn't as lucky. He essentially has all the problems I had but didn't get to go very long without having to get a set of prescription glasses.

[GreyGeek]

............. cut to the chase...........

.........cut........to............the............c hase..............

There, fixed that for ya!

[andystmartin]

Even better, continuing to wear glasses won't produce lifelong halos around lights at night, hazy vision, etc.

The halos and night vision issue are a by-product that some people experience after Lasik. I currently do not have any such issues.

[Silent Observer]

Hmm. I could simulate this with my glasses; I have identical frames with distance prescription in one, and reading prescription in the other (optical centers differ slightly in height, however, which would certainly cause eyestrain or require a very strange looking adjustment of the fit). My problem is, at work (where I wear my reading glasses all day), I often need to see with both eyes, close up (close enough, in fact, that I look over my glasses many times a day). Even if I had Lasik, I'd have to have strong reading glasses on the "near sight" eye to see what I see by looking over my glasses (I'm at around -6.75 diopter correction, ignoring cylinder), and a comically strong lens (around +8 diopter -- that's about a 5" focal length, or stronger than a common hand magnifier) on the "distance" eye to get close-up depth perception. I joke at work about my "built-in stereo microscope" but it's really not a joke; I have the equivalent of almost 8x magnifiers just by looking over or removing my glasses, and I take advantage of that "super power" every day. It was even better before my accommodation started to fail; my minimum focal distance in my 30s was equivalent to at least 12x magnifiers.

Even better, continuing to wear glasses won't produce lifelong halos around lights at night, hazy vision, etc.

I'll most likely need cataract surgery in another ten or fifteen years; I'm considering asking for the implant lenses to be selected to let me keep wearing my existing glasses; carrying around equivalent magnification just to see the things I see now would be very impractical.

[andystmartin]

I had Lasik surgery done on me over the summer. I opted for the "monovision": one eye corrected for distance the other for reading. It works great for me. I had been using this technique with contact lenses for the last 7 years or so -- which means that I knew what I was getting into.

As of almost 3 months after the Lasik procedure no glasses necessary: Left eye: 20/15, Right eye: adjusted for reading. No complaints from me.

Your mileage may vary, though.

[jlittle]

I understand Lasik surgery is often done that way for "bifocal age" patients. Side effect from the Lasik is complete and permanent loss of binocular vision. Not for me, thanks...

"complete"? My eyes are naturally like that, my left eye short sighted, the right long sighted (I read unaided despite being of "bifocal age") but their lack of focus outside their zone of acuity is not such that binocular vision is eliminated. Perhaps affected, but I can still judge distances, catch balls, and so on. I thought the surgery just gave people eyes like mine.

[Silent Observer]

I understand Lasik surgery is often done that way for "bifocal age" patients. Side effect from the Lasik is complete and permanent loss of binocular vision. Not for me, thanks...

[woodsmoke]

Ok, I have worn glasses since I had "German measles" when I was about in the sixth form ..........I wore "contact lenses" about twenty years ago when I was in kind of "sixes and sevens"....

I was teaching full year of "high school science" .......... biology, chemistry, physics, advanced placement in biology and chemistry and "dumbed down (ELITIST TERM) physical and biological sciences for "the trades"....

and also had............at three different physical institutions.........three sets of "glasses"...................

Well for the last decade or so I have worn the "H" .........as in "Horatio" on CSI Miami............glasses..........the kids think it is tres kewl.........

But............. cut to the chase...........Halloween is coming up and I decided that I would do a third iteration of "the Jester" for the Halloween Art/Pub walk........only..............

"glasses" do not go well with ANY kind of modern ...........Halloween costume..........however, if I decided to go as a Baroque Venetian............ummm maybe.......

But..................I contacted Optometrist and he recommended just giving me a "trial pair" for FREE..........

One of the advantages of being in the DETESTED OF THE ELITE INTELLIGENTSIA..........................

contacts for a month........

We did the optometric thing, testing all that........what do you see on line 452............

And I now am wearing, as I type this ...............ONE CONTACT in my.............Dominant EYE................

The contact is for "distance" but...............since I am hazardous waste certified, dive certified, welding certified..........CUPCAKE certified............I took to it............

UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Immediately

left side is "reading" right side is "far off" .............but............really, my eyes .........."just do it"........

MAYBE think about your better half...........sibling.........child.........frien d...........

woodlikingtismoke