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Originally Posted by Dragoneye
Congratulations, I've heard great things about Lasik...and God, what I wouldn't give to be able to see without glasses.  All the hassle, and not being able to wear sunglasses as often as I'd like...not to mention the ~$200 every two years for 6 years now...tell me over a lifetime Lasik isn't worth it. 
Can you overview the procedure? I want to get it but....aw hell, I'm nervous as all getout...mostly because I haven't got a clue as to what happens.
hmm...this almost sounds like an invitation...to ban or not to ban....  |
Don't make me go!
Quote:
Originally Posted by manimsoblack
Yeah could you give a walk-through of the procedure? I'm considering but I'm a bit nervous. Also does it work for astigmatism?
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It starts with a pre-operation appointment, where you are evaluated and determined a qualified applicant. They carefully look at your eyes, determine your prescription using the traditional eye chart, and take high-tech scans of your eyes. They will tell you that these scans are used to plot the laser points. If memory serves me, they said that the computer will plot about 25,000 data points to create a far more accurate reading of your eyes than reading lines off of a chart. They will give you a prescription for an eye drop that will help prevent infection.
Basically, they prepare you by explaining the procedure. They'll probably give you a hair net and covers for your shoes. I have no idea why I had to cover my shoes because I did not have to cover or replace any of my other clothing. You put on the scrub-like hair net and shoe covers, and they guide you into a dim room with a table and medical equipment.
They next tell you to relax. This is hard to do if you don't have a sedative because no one is used to being laid down and having their head under a huge piece of machinery. Take a few breaths, and they will then numb your eyes with eye drops. They will also add a drop of antibiotic in order to prevent infection. They also give you a drop to keep your eye hydrated for the procedure.
At this point, they place a patch over one eye and tell you to focus on the blinking light. This light is positioned in a circular apparatus above your head. It is used to focus the laser and alight it with the scans taken in your pre-operation appointment. Your eye, now held open, should be focused on the blinking light in the center of the circular thing over your head.
This is where it gets a little strange to describe. They place something over your eye that can only be described as a binocular lens. It does not distort your vision until they turn on the pressure. At this point, your vision shrinks and goes to black. This is terrifying for about 2 seconds, but your vision then returns. Remember that you can only see from this eye because the other eye is covered by a patch. The eye that has just been suctioned now gets peeled. A flap is created using the top layer of your eye. You do not feel this at all. Instead, you are focused on the fact that you are now incapable of seeing the blinking light. Everything is very fuzzy, so you should try to focus on the center of the circle. This is difficult, so focus very hard. Outside of the fuzzy, blinking circle is an array of blue lights that come with a very electrical zapping sound. Those blue lights are the lasers repairing your eye. This lasts for 5 seconds. They then replace the flap. You will not notice any visual improvement yet because you are focused on how they replace the flap. They use a tool that looks like a miniature paint roller. They roll your eye back together, place an eye patch over that eye and start the same procedure on the other eye. In all, it took about 5 seconds of actual laser sculpting, 5 seconds of suction, and a few more seconds of taping your eye open. Expect to spend no more than 1 minute on each eye.
When you sit up, you will see better than before LASIK, but your vision will get very foggy. The doctor describes it like being in a bathroom after a particularly hot shower. This will get worse after the procedure, and that is why you will need a driver after the procedure.
There is a post-operation appointment to evaluate your eyes the next day. There is another appointment after a week.
Apparently, it can help with astigmatism. The information they gave me said that it works for a lot of different eye conditions.
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Originally Posted by UCF w00t
So shouldn't your name now be The_Clear?
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Originally Posted by Ject
Lasik the one that does NOT involve any cutting correct.. ?? Its the one where you just lay there and let this lazer go ape sh!t all over your eye... ?
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The top layer of the eye is cut to create a flap. This flap has led my eyes to be bloodshot from the healing process. You do not feel this layer being moved. I understand that this is particularly freaky, but the doctors are very skilled at doing this. For them it is a very simple process. The laser does most of the work, but they need to get under the surface in order to sculpt the eye.
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Originally Posted by len56
wait, it hurts?
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After the procedure both eyes will get increasingly irritated. I highly recommend getting some serious nighttime medication and sleeping for as long as possible. When you wake up, eat, put drops in your eyes, and take more sleeping medication. You will not feel good after the procedure, but you will be so excited to see when you finally wake up that you will not care. You'll have dry eyes the next day. Keep non-preservative eye drops on you at all times.