Corrective Eye Surgery

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TeeDee

Full Member
Nov 6, 2008
10,499
3,702
50
Exeter
Anyone had corrective eye surgery ?? Any suggestions for where to start company wise , price , Possible Cons etc??

One eye is very slightly weaker than the the other causing some blurring. Could of course be me becoming a bit of a mid-life crisis special as well I guess.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Not had it yet but it's very likely I'll get the I.O.L. after my next annual exam. I'll be following this thread eagerly. Good luck.
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,428
619
Knowhere
Not something I have ever considered, I believe there are limits to what can be achieved if your sight is particularly bad. Laser surgery corrects the shape of the lens, but it can't do anything about the inevitable ageing of the muscle. When I was young I could manage without glasses, but as I grew older my muscles became increasingly unable to accomodate to that natural mishapeness of the lens hence I needed ever stronger lenses. A skill I have had to develop is groping for my glasses in the dark. The worst thing that happened a while ago is when I fell into a ditch in the middle of the night losing my glasses. An awful lot of groping in the dark in the mud at the bottom of the ditch ensued. Fortunately I recovered them, but for specs wearers, I guess your emergency kit needs to include a magnifying glass or a spare pair.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Not something I have ever considered, I believe there are limits to what can be achieved if your sight is particularly bad. Laser surgery corrects the shape of the lens, but it can't do anything about the inevitable ageing of the muscle.....

I believe you're correct with the older refractive type laser surgeries. I'm hearing a bit differently regarding the IOL (Intra Ocular Lens replacement) though https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/cataracts-iol-implants
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,665
McBride, BC
My brother got his eye lenses laser-reshaped when he was about 50(?).
He had to sit in the semi dark recovery room for some time.
So he decided to look out the window.
Told me that it was terribly bright of course, and that he didn't believe that
he could see so well since he was 15.

Add 15 or more now, he has some cheap reading glasses.
But neither one of us can see anything in focus less than 12"/30cm
away from the end of our noses!

My observation? If it's clear that laser reshaping will be a success, get it done.
 

oldtimer

Full Member
Sep 27, 2005
3,201
1,826
82
Oxfordshire and Pyrenees-Orientales, France
Aging eyes also need enhanced protection from bright sunlight. I have regular specs backed up by spares in my emergency kit, but regularly carry prescription sunglasses that could be used as backup for reading, map reading etc . Also keep cheap glasses in glovebox of van in case of being pulled over by zealous Spanish policeman. More important at the moment as I have Catalan solidarity identifiers on the van.

When I was still working, a member of my team carried reading glasses, distance glasses and his "finding my other glasses glasses". And the rest of the team sometimes had to find them for him.



S
 

Tony

White bear (Admin)
Admin
Apr 16, 2003
24,169
1
1,922
53
Wales
www.bushcraftuk.com
I've not had any work but I know a few people that have and they say it was a great decision, it worked out very well for them, I don't know who did it but it was in Cardiff.
 

Bluebs4

Full Member
Aug 12, 2011
880
36
Bristol
I had lasek in March , was lucky enough to have two clinics in Bristol and opted for optimax . My distance was terrible and Reading was About 2:75 left and 3:50 in the right , now after the treatment ( 20 seconds in each eye) I can see 20/20 and only wear 1:5 ready readers even though I I only had lasek and not the lens treatment as well (5k) the whole process was very professional and relaxed . I chose March so that I could let them rest under sunglasses and avoid night time driving as halo/ starburst can be a after effect , iv had a little starburst with them blinking led lights on cars daylighter lights but other than that a new lease of life (find myself looking at leaves and trees when I’m out in the woods ( yep that’s me lol I’m not weird at all ) even the wife looks more attractive :)
 

CLEM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 10, 2004
2,433
439
Stourbridge
I'd love to get rid of me glasses I really would but it's a lot of money to me and if I am honest the possible complications scare the crap out of me. I'd love to have 20/20 vision again.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,294
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
I had Lasic done about 15 years go, both eyes.
Best spent money. Fantastic. still have 10/10 vision, but need reading glasses (age)

It was done by Dr Paul Cherry. Google him.
 

daveO

Native
Jun 22, 2009
1,456
518
South Wales
I was told by my optician that as I'm on my way to 40 I'd be wasting my time and money getting lasered since my eyes would most likely deteriorate more in a few years and it would have to be done again. Not sure if that's true or if they didn't want to lose a patient. I hate wearing glasses outdoors so if I ever get problems with contact lenses then I'll have to have a rethink.
 

CLEM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 10, 2004
2,433
439
Stourbridge
I've always really disliked wearing glasses and I've also been told the same thing as you were myself daveO, as to if it's true or not I don't know.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,294
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
I was told by my optician that as I'm on my way to 40 I'd be wasting my time and money getting lasered since my eyes would most likely deteriorate more in a few years and it would have to be done again. Not sure if that's true or if they didn't want to lose a patient. I hate wearing glasses outdoors so if I ever get problems with contact lenses then I'll have to have a rethink.


As you get older you might or will need reading glasses.
Corneal surgery fixes the problem that comes with a wrong shape of the cornea. This does not change much over the years. A little bit yes.
The need for reading glasses comes from weakened muscles that adjust the lens, plus a stiffer/harder lens.

A skilled surgeon should be able to give you (if your eyes are othervise healthy) a 10/10 vision. Then it slowly get worse, you might end up with a 20/20 vision.

Do not listen to somebody that makes his living selling corrective glasses, have a consultation with a corneal surgeon and see what they can do and what the warranty is.

I have still a 10/10 vision. And need reading glasses.
15 years + since my Lasic.

Try to see dr Cherry. Look him up online as to why. He is not one of those weekend course warriors.
 

mr_magicfingers

Full Member
May 15, 2012
53
2
London
I had corrective surgery over 15 years ago now. Had wavefront lasik in one eye and prk in the other, due to various things such as corneal thickness and strong prescription. I was living in the US at the time and found that local to me was one of the top corneal surgeons in the states. I don't remember what I paid, I think it was about $2k per eye but I didn't care at the time. I went with the top surgeon in the field and just dropped the credit card in the machine. I'd been waiting for two decades for the technology to catch up with my prescription of -8.5 and -8.0 but the surgery is nothing short of miraculous.

10 years on, one of my eyes started to change slightly and now, 5 years on from that, my right eye is -1.5D while my left is still 'laser' sharp. Annoying that my right eye dropped as that's my dominant eye for shooting :/ I wear a daily disposable contact lens to bring my right eye up to 20:20 but it's still never quite as sharp as my left eye.

I'm 51 now and also need reading glasses, but was warned at the time that the surgery wouldn't change that.

I would do it again in a heartbeat but I would be very picky about my choice of surgeon. I researched things like complication rates, who they send you to if there's a problem (in the states local to me, that turned out to be the surgeon I chose to have operate on me) and what their backup options are if there's a problem. Cost would be the last thing I looked at.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,294
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Dr Paul Cherry is one of the most experienced, if not THE most experienced corneal surgeons in UK.

I was extremely careful in my choice, as I need a perfect vision in my job. Perfect.
If I will need a correction in the future, I eill take the time and expense flying to UK to see him.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
I had corrective surgery over 15 years ago now. Had wavefront lasik in one eye and prk in the other, due to various things such as corneal thickness and strong prescription. I was living in the US at the time and found that local to me was one of the top corneal surgeons in the states. I don't remember what I paid, I think it was about $2k per eye but I didn't care at the time. I went with the top surgeon in the field and just dropped the credit card in the machine. I'd been waiting for two decades for the technology to catch up with my prescription of -8.5 and -8.0 but the surgery is nothing short of miraculous.

10 years on, one of my eyes started to change slightly and now, 5 years on from that, my right eye is -1.5D while my left is still 'laser' sharp. Annoying that my right eye dropped as that's my dominant eye for shooting :/ I wear a daily disposable contact lens to bring my right eye up to 20:20 but it's still never quite as sharp as my left eye.

I'm 51 now and also need reading glasses, but was warned at the time that the surgery wouldn't change that.

I would do it again in a heartbeat but I would be very picky about my choice of surgeon. I researched things like complication rates, who they send you to if there's a problem (in the states local to me, that turned out to be the surgeon I chose to have operate on me) and what their backup options are if there's a problem. Cost would be the last thing I looked at.

There's currently a medical firm here (LASIK +) advertising $250 per eye for standard LASIK. That said, I was briefed on the shortcomings regarding presbyopia (problems with near vision with age) and have opted to wait until I can afford the more expensive IOL (complete replacement with an artificial lens) My insurance will cover the cost of a standard IOL (correcting for a single focal length) to correct my cataracts. But the multi focal ones I prefer will mean I'll have to pay the difference (which I believe is closer to that $200 you mentioned) I have an appointment next month.
 

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