Laser vision correction with a strong prescription - anyone done it?

[Sanne Panne]

Am considering having laser vision correction done on my -8.5 eyes. Considering the "top" treatment of the second most expensive provider with lifetime aftercare.

Has anyone had laser vision correction done in the past few years? Better even, have you had it done on such a strong prescription? I can see extremely well with my daily disposable lenses, seems like my vision is sharper than anyone I know with either no prescription or the correct prescription, and am not sure I can live with "just" 20/20 vision which is "licence place reading" while I'm used to easily reading the penultimate line at the optician.

On the other hand I'm not comfortable with how little I can see without my lenses. I recently had an eye infection and couldn't work a whole week as I'm extremely uncomfortable wearing glasses (they get me headaches and make me dizzy/nauseous) and as I age I will probably not be able to wear lenses all the time as I can now (at the tender age of 38).

Does anyone have any relevant experience to share? thanks...

[Loz]

I am -8.0 in one eye and investigated laser surgery a few years ago. The optician was very honest, said that I was at the border of the treatment zone (so results may not be as good as with lesser prescriptions) and that she would need to zap one third of my cornea, which sounded a little too much for my liking. So, I decided to continue with contacts and glasses.

This was about 7/8 years ago, so technology has probably improved since then.

[dulwichgirl2]

Have not had it done but I wonder if the following is worth mentioning. A number of (female) friends in their early 40s have noticed that their previous myopia changed significantly - they've become long sighted in some cases - at around 42 (which is quite close to your 38, hence the relevance). Somethign seems to happen in the female body (at least) around that time. You might want to factor that in, plus the fact that natural eyesight changes again when expecting a baby (if you are having more children). (How does the surgeon factor this in? Maybe the surgerye makes the eyes change proof in some way? I really don't know but would be interested to find out.)

[Santerme]

I was -6 in both eyes and had full wave front treatment.

20/20 vision.

Went with Optimax....cut a deal, don't take the full price.

I got it down to ?2200 from the ?4000 initially quoted and had 0% so used their money as well.

[ontheedge]

If I were you I would go to moorfields, eyes are such a risky business and they really are the experts. Always swore I would never consider it but had a bad infection a few years ago and the idea is more appealing. At the moment have to mostly wear glasses as with lenses by long sight is terrible but with specs can just take them off and read perfectly. Friend had laser recently one eye done for short sight and one for long sight said she only notices the difference when really tired but if you wear lenses you'll know what that's like but I would still say moorfields if you value your eyes

[Sue]

Sanne Panne Wrote:

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>

> as I age I will probably not be able to wear

> lenses all the time as I can now (at the tender

> age of 38).

>

xxxxxx

Why do you think that?

I'm nearly 63 and I and wear soft varifocal lenses (monthly) all day/evening with no problems at all. It never occurred to me that I would get too old to do that.

The only reason I don't wear them every day is I'm too lazy to put them in unless I'm going out :))

[Sanne Panne]

Thanks so much for the feedback so far.

Loz, I have the same fear about the cornea, I will try to get more information about the current state of affairs, I should definitely get a second opinion if anything. There is one professor here in London (Harley Street of course) who uses a new machine that supposedly removes less of the cornea with the same results.

Dulwichgirl2, I have no idea how hormones etc affect eyesight but even without that factor there's the constant "worsening" of prescription that does seem to slow down or stop in our 20s and 30s and maybe 40s but then indeed either reverses or makes you "go bifocal"... I doubt laser surgery would stop this although this Harley Street guy seems to have some kind of an answer to aging of the eye as well (this is not the provider I'm currently with).

Santerme, do you see as well now as you did with glasses/contact lenses? To me, 20/20 is not really much, it's about the 4th line from the bottom at eye tests which would frustrate the living daylight out of me.

Ontheedge, thanks for the recommendation, I may get a consultation at Moorfields as well.

Sue, I was always told (by opticians) that nobody is really supposed to wear lenses from 7am to 10pm to begin with (not an option for me, I can't swap between lenses and glasses - glasses still make me feel dizzy after 2 full days of wearing them), and that our eyes may get increasingly less tolerant of the drying/irritating invasion that lenses are as we age, forcing us to take the lenses out after a number of hours and swapping to glasses with which I don't dare to drive or do anything not highly predictable. And you're not really what I would call old! I'm more thinking along the lines of my dad who is 80. But yes it's great to know that there is no particular reason why I should not be able to keep wearing lenses for another good while.

Hm. What do I do?

[PeckhamRose]

I have been wearing hard lenses for 30 years now, all day most days. And when I hit forty three I started to have to wear reading glasses +1.25 on top of them.

My prescription is a whopping +10.75 so when not wearing lenses the glasses are very thick! I would love to be able to afford the surgery but in my case they need to put the lens inside my eyes and so I'd still need to wear reading glasses. I should also think about going to Moorfields, had not thought of that.

And yet, and yet, indeed my eyes are tested every two years and there is none, absolutely no damage to the cornea. I take a great deal of care and clean the lenses regularly and have only just got new ones, the last ones lasted about eight years! The only thing I can't do anymore is go camping, because it is mighty difficult to fiddle around with lenses and be that clean and hygienic when dealing with everything, in a tent!

So I suppose I would add to your confusion. Lenses work. But if you can afford it, well I'd have the surgery too!

[absentminded]

My husband too looked in to laser eye surgery about 4 years ago, but with a prescription of -19 he was told it would not be possible. He instead had permanent contact lenses which have been absolutely amazing and have totally changed his life.

He'd had glasses since the age of two and contacts since he was twelve, so to finally be free of them was wonderful. He really couldn't see anything without his glasses (even had to have prescription goggles for when he went swimming!)

I don't off the top of my head remember the name of the company who performed the procedure, just that they had a clinic on Harley Street. The procedure itself is a bit like a cataracts operation, and obviously has a longer recovery time than laser surgery as it is more invasive.

If you'd like to know the name of the company, I can probably dig the paperwork out!

[Sue]

Sanne Panne Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Sue, I was always told (by opticians) that nobody

> is really supposed to wear lenses from 7am to 10pm

> to begin with (not an option for me, I can't swap

> between lenses and glasses - glasses still make me

> feel dizzy after 2 full days of wearing them), and

> that our eyes may get increasingly less tolerant

> of the drying/irritating invasion that lenses are

> as we age, forcing us to take the lenses out after

> a number of hours and swapping to glasses with

> which I don't dare to drive or do anything not

> highly predictable. And you're not really what I

> would call old! I'm more thinking along the lines

> of my dad who is 80. But yes it's great to know

> that there is no particular reason why I should

> not be able to keep wearing lenses for another

> good while.

>

xxxxxxxxx

I have soft lenses with high moisture content.

There's no way I could wear hard lenses anymore, but soft lenses are not in the least drying or irritating - and there's no problems with agonising dust particles getting behind the lens, either, nor do they suddenly pop out of your eye if you're reversing the car :))

I go to the Institute of Optometry (a teaching institute) which is near the Elephant.

They also have a "dry eyes" clinic if you feel that is a problem.

They've never told me I can only wear my lenses for a certain number of hours a day. I put them in when I get up and take them out when I go to bed!

I use a solution to clean them. I've never had a problem when camping etc..

[Sanne Panne]

Absentminded, was it London Vision Clinic? I heard good very things about it but it's extremely expensive. The clinic I'm with now is very expensive too, I'm going to suffer financially if I do this, but London Vision is another 1/3 more expensive and I'd have to be sure it's better. And as no two cases are identical it's so difficult to know...

Sue, I don't have an issue with dry eyes at all, I just thought intolerance to all-day lenses would be impossible to avoid at some point in the future. Your story sounds great though, bifocals that you can wear all day and evening. Lenses are an expensive business for me as I use daily disposables... and I'm now so spoiled that I don't want to do the daily cleaning business anymore so I don't want to to monthly lenses. Affordability is an issue but I can just about pull the laser treatment off.

Choice is: convenience (daily lenses) versus extreme convenience (laser = no more lenses).

Choice is also: reliability (always being able to see pretty well, i.e. laser) versus ridiculously good vision with a risk (i.e. seeing extremely well with contact lenses but being vulnerable to not seeing enough to even function normally if something for some reason I can't wear my lenses).

Still not sure and booked in for this Saturday :)

[Sue]

I still don't understand how laser correction can last all your life, given that your eyes/prescription are likely to change as you get older?

Won't you need reading glasses at some point, for example?

[Sanne Panne]

Yes I fully expect to need some form of correction (lenses/glasses) again later in life but I doubt it would get as extreme as -8 (or a very high "plus" prescription) as easily. I feel so vulnerable now with my strong prescription. Am thinking crazy stuff like having to leave the house in an earthquake if I were to live in California again, or a house fire, or simply getting an eye infection or dry eyes in the future that would force me to wear glasses (with my current prescription swapping between lenses and glasses on the same day causes me bad headaches and dizziness). Um, earthquakes, maybe I need to see a head doctor first ;)

Being able to see fairly well without glasses/lenses would be good and and being able to see well enough to not need any kind of glasses or lenses for the next 10 years would be great.

Maybe I've answered my own question. Am just sad that it's unlikely that after surgery I'll have the same super sharp vision I have with lenses now, and the difference will probably be too small to permanently wear glasses or lenses (not even mentioning the investment in daily disposables while paying off the laser treatment) so I'll have to accept a slightly less perfect vision. Pff what a first world problem I have.

[Sue]

Yes, sounds like you've made up your mind - Good luck with it all!

[absentminded]

Sanne Panne Wrote:

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> Absentminded, was it London Vision Clinic? I heard

> good very things about it but it's extremely

> expensive. The clinic I'm with now is very

> expensive too, I'm going to suffer financially if

> I do this, but London Vision is another 1/3 more

> expensive and I'd have to be sure it's better. And

> as no two cases are identical it's so difficult to

> know...

It was Advanced Vision Care who did them.

I believe you have to have had a stable prescription for at least two years (I think.)

Obviously, as they're implantable contacts they can't be changed regularly!

They've meant that my husband can finally drive, as he'd never been able to get contacts or glasses strong enough and he doesn't have to worry about cleaning his contacts etc.

Hope that whatever you choose goes well! Best of luck!

[Sanne Panne]

Absentminded, I'm so impressed by your husband's story, that must have been truly life changing.

I had my surgery done on Saturday, the procedure is a bit freaky but hey what's 15 minutes out of your life? My eyes stung for a few hours after surgery but I've been fine since. On day 3 I was down from -8 or -8.5 to 20/20 vision (which is sharper than driving standard but not as sharp as before the surgery with lenses in) and it's expected to improve further over the next few weeks. Curious to find out how sharp my vision will be in a month's time.

The aftercare is doable, lots of eyedrops throughout the day (at scheduled intervals), you need to avoid getting water in your eyes in the shower and you have to put shields on your eyes at night to prevent accidental rubbing. But the soreness is mostly gone and I can see. Crazy!

[JW]

And? a month on how are you getting on?