I am blind as a bat.
I never needed glasses as a child, but during my senior year of college I started having trouble reading from a distance in the classroom. Seventeen years later I can’t remember life before contact lenses and glasses and I have no idea what it’s like to wake up in the morning and be able to see clearly without fumbling around.
The hubby and I met for lunch yesterday at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and I had to laugh when I walked in and saw information for a drawing for free LASIK eye surgery. Ha! Who would enter to win LASIK surgery at a restaurant?
When Miss C and I got home around 3:15 from school I got a call on my cell phone from an unknown number. Between Miss C and our neighbor’s daughter incessant chattering and our dogs barking like MOFOs, I could barely discern what the caller was saying. Something about Smoothie King, runner up, and laser surgery. Thinking this all sounded fishy, I asked her to please call back and leave a detailed voice message as it was obviously an inconvenient time. At dinner I’m relaying all this to the hubby who says, “I entered your name in a drawing for free LASIK surgery at Smoothie King the other day! Call them back!”
Today I called after finding out that this is a reputable and well-known vision center and surgeon (and one our office manager just saw a few weeks ago for her own successful LASIK surgery) and I’m going for a free consultation on the 24th. If I’m a candidate, and I don’t want to get my hopes up, I’d be eligible for the surgery at a discounted rate since my name was drawn as runner up. After checking out the center’s website, I learned that this surgeon has performed more than 45,000 LASIK procedures. Still, I’m a little nervous about having my eyeballs tinkered with.
Have any of you had LASIK surgery? How did it go? Would you recommend it? I know several people at work who have had it done and recommend it, although my boss was around my age (closing in on 40) when she had it done and she still has to wear reading glasses.
Me! I had it almost 6 year ago & I will try to scare/bore you with talk about all the complications I had and still deal with- I will say this- I now have 20/15 in both eyes now and would do it again in a heartbeat. DH is having it in 2 weeks (thank you, ecomonic stimulus package!)and I didn’t scare him off it, but email if you want the whole story.
Wow my hubby would be so jealous. He’s nearly blind (literally) without his contacts. He’s working on independent wealth so he can quietly endure the 10 day no contact period without having to leave home, while still afford the procedure.
Both of his parents had it done with success. His mom still needs reading glasses but no contacts and his dad doesn’t even need those.
Hugs,
Holly
I wish I had actually won first place (FREE surgery!) but as runner up I get the consultation for free and they are giving me a great discount. So….we’ll see! (Literally perhaps!)
p.s. Thanks Traci…I e-mailed you.
Oh, I am so going to follow the comments on this post…um…like always, of course ;o)
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Like Liz, I’ll be following the comments, I’ve had eyewear since age 6 (do the math, that’s three decades) and want Lasik sometime sooner rather than later.
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[...] Take a Side of Queso With My 20/20 Vision Monica wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThe hubby and I met for lunch [...]
Do you have a horseshoe up your butt? This isn’t the first time you’ve won something crazy, is it? Or am I just crazy?
I’ve never had it (I’m blind as a bat too and would love to have it, but I’m chicken and also, poor) but my best friend’s husband had it and a very close friend of mine had it, as well as two people I went to college with, and they are all happier than pigs in shit with their new lah-dee-dah vision and would do it again in a heartbeat.
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I’m pretty happy with my contacts but as I was reading your post I realized that I was leaning to where my face was like 8 inches from this huge monitor. The irony amused me, ‘cause I was probably damaging my eyes further while reading about you getting yours fixed.
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Mama T:
Don’t give me any ideas for keeping the string of good luck going.
I had one eye that was really, really blind, and one that wasn’t so bad. We ended up with extra money in the FSA last year, so I decided to have the “bad” eye done. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well, as the flap did not come off completely, so the doctor stopped. Once it healed up, he did PRK on that eye instead. The vision is great. I had been in monovision contacts and this was my reading eye, so I had it fixed to corrected to my reading prescription—if you have LASIK only for distance, you WILL end up in reading glasses eventually. However, 7 months later, that eye is still uncomfortable, especially if I spend a lot of time on the computer and/or reading—my two favorite things to do. If I had it to do over, I think I probably would. But I will absolutely not let anyone touch my other eye. I just wear a contact in it.
More important question: which Mexican restaurant? We’re heading down your way this weekend and I absolutely MUST eat at La Paz while I’m there.
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That is too cool!
My ‘sister’ brother’s roommate for 7 years, just had it and is in heaven. A sorority sister, and now FBI agent had it, and loves it.. but SHHHHHHHHHH can’t tell anyone
I know 4 or 5 people for whom it has changed their lives
Good job hubby!
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Hi:
I got lasik done a year back. The eyesight is decent now, though there is haziness and glare at night. Also a fair bit of dryness, which if it does improve may require work on the tear glands.
Nothing that I cannot live with, but if the Dr was more upfront about all this, I may have not got the lasik done.
In the end the more unhappy with your current eyesight, the more pleased you’ll be with the result, assuming no major hiccups. If you are not too unhappy than you may question the decision even with they types of irritations like I am having, and in such a case I would really reccomend that you not get it done.
been there done that..
My mom had the surgery and she is doing great. She actually works for an optometrist and they offered it to her for the cost to rent the room that day
It was a great deal for her and a way she could be a human testimonial to their patients. She still needs reading glasses, but she was almost legally blind (not trying to be funny at all)
You are a good candidate if your vision hasn’t changed much in the last couple of years. Mine is very steady (a small progression of 0.25 every year or so) and my mom told me that would make me a good candidate. Hope that helps explain it a little further! Can’t wait to hear your update!
I had it when Matt was a little over a year old (they won’t do the surgery within 12 months of delivery), and I loved it. The worst thing was, frankly, the fact they needed to cauterize my tear ducts BEFORE the surgery because I have very dry eyes. Most people don’t need it.
Even with that, it was one of the best things ever. I had 8.25 correction and an astigmatism, so there were times my husband would have to find my glasses for me.
It has been over seven years now, and my vision is still 20/20! I sometimes forget what life was like before LASIK. No side effects, and my new eye doctor has commented how well it healed.
I say, have fun with the consult. If there are people you trust who recommend the office, that’s a good sign.
Enjoy!
I’ve only heard positive things about it from the people that I know that have had it done. I would LOVE to do it. I hate contacts and glasses and my eyes are pretty bad.
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I really really want to do it, but have not got up enough nerves to go through with it hehe. Keep us posted on how the consult goes.
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LASIK was the worst decision of my life. Since I had LASIK I have spent much of my spare time researching LASIK complications. The medical literature and FDA clinical trials report that chronic dry eyes and night vision impairment occur frequently after LASIK. The complication rate is actually quite high and varies depending on which study you read. Moreover, the LASIK flap only heals to 2% of the cornea’s original tensile strength, and the biomechanical strength of the cornea is permanently reduced by about 50% after LASIK. LASIK patients face problems with glaucoma screening, future cataract surgery, and persistent decrease in corneal cells called keratocytes which are vital to the funtionality of the cornea. You can read more about LASIK risks and long-term complications on my website at http://www.lasikcomplications.com
That is hilarious that your hubby entered you! I am nearsighted, as well, and would be an excellent candidate for LASIK. My brother got it done a few years ago and it has worked out perfectly for him. I am thinking about getting it done, too. All these late nights staring at my laptop screen have not helped my eye sight!
Good luck!
Jane, Pinks & Blues
PS I finally posted my Camp Baby recap!
I’ve not done it myself but have several friends who have and they all do have to wear reading glasses now. Yeah for you, though! I hope you are a candidate and can have it done. I’ve had contacts since 7th grade (27 years
!) and I can’t imagine the bliss of waking up to a world that is crystal clear.
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I haven’t done it, but I’ve wanted to…just to spendy! Yay for you getting a discount, hope you are a candidate. Let us know (which OF COURSE you will since we bloggers tell all) how it goes.
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How about that! I guess it does pay to put your name/business card in those baskets at restaurants!
I’ve always been curious about LASIK as I am near-sighted and I have astigmatism in one of my eyes. You’ll have to let us know how it goes.
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I, too, am blind as a bat. My dad is, as well, and he had it done and LOVED it. Surgery kind of creeps me out, so I have put it off…you should do it, though.
I’ve been wearing glasses/contacts since 6th grade!
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Pfffhhhh! I wouldn’t need it because I have perfect vision. As long as I am not driving at night, reading (who needs to read anyway?), and seeing signs from a far.
My mom had it done though and she loved it. No pain from what I understand and believe you/me….if there had been even the slightest irritation, she would have mentioned it to everyone
!
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I too never needed glasses till college, and now I am a contact wearing fool. I too posted about Lasik and was wondering about it. I really am scared of it and feel that it is something that has not been around long enough. let us know what the outcome is
!
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Call me if the MD name rhymes with “sang”.
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I have NEVER personally had it, but my friends swear it is totally painless and WORTH IT. Best of luck!
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My husband is planning on it this summer. I do know two people who had to have it redone after about 10 years, but they had it done when it was first being performed. It may be much more advanced and permanent now.
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I would love to have it done, but I’ve always said I’d like to do only one eye at a time (call me chicken shit). I’ve had glasses since 4th grade and contacts since 7th. I AM legally blind. I can not see AT ALL without my contacts. It’s scary.
You are one lucky duck! You must leave 4 leaf clovers instead of footprints when you walk.
Ok do you want to hear some bad stories? I hate to scare you, but feel I must share this with you…
A couple fo years ago 3 of my family memeber had it done. One was my aunt and my cousin (her son). Both didn’t have great reults. My aunt still wears her glasses a lot and it didn’t help her much. With my cousin they scratched his eye and it was very painful and he had no choice, but to do a 2nd surgery due to their mess up. My other aunt (un-realted to the other two) had it done and didn’t have a great experience either. All 3 would highly recommmend that no one gets it done. All 3 went to great doctors to boot. Sorry no good stories here. I say buy a new pair of glasses instead:)
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[...] that is what happens when you are counting on a nice little tax refund and you might splurge and get your eyeballs “fixed.” Wheels trump eyeballs every time. Mama must have a reliable mama [...]
[...] in the spring I wrote about how I was runner-up in a drawing for free lasik eye surgery at a local center that I h…. The hubby entered my name in the drawing at a local smoothie shop. I was initially skeptical that [...]