New question: Anybody have LASIK?

mitch

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I've always wondered if the various corrective eye surgeries were compatible with our trade's necessity of excellent vision at very close range. It's the main reason I've never considered having it done, even tho I've suffered the inconvenience of spectacles since I was 10 yrs old for distance. I didn't want to risk any chance of compromising the visual acuity needed for my work.

I'm guessing, like me, many of us avoided it for that reason, but since there are a lot of folks who've taken up engraving as a hobby later in life, perhaps some of them had eye surgery before deciding to try the most frustrating pastime since the invention of golf? How has it affected your vision at various distances, both immediately and over time?

PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT, REPEAT, NOT, IN THE MARKET FOR THIS PROCEDURE. I'm just curious what others' experiences have been. Lately it seems if I ask for the time of day I get detailed info on clock & watchmaking. I'm really not interested in what all I need to be mindful of when choosing a doctor/clinic, etc., etc., etc. If somebody wants to start a new thread on the particulars, pitfalls to avoid, etc., knock yourselves out. Thank you.
 

AliAtiyabi

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Tehran-Iran
Dear Mithch,

My wife had LASIK some years ago. At the very beginning after recovery everything is good and you are satisfied to get rid of glasses but as the surgeon told her, she will get Presbyopia sooner than a normal person. I am always against such surgeries since if it was good the Ophthalmologists would have such operations but when you visit them they all have glasses exactly because of such side affects.

Now after years she is suffering and faced with some problems as she says sometimes.
 

Brian Marshall

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I agree... I had the most incredible eye doc for 25 years. Retired now.

He was an eye surgeon and the ONLY doc I ever knew who, when he had to do a surgery - would run a practice surgery on sheep or pig eyeballs the night before each surgery.

He invited me to come watch a coupla times, which I did. Learned a lot listening to him describe eye diseases.

I asked him point blank what he thought of the LASIK procedure and his reply was simply - "I do them when people ask/insist - but as you can see, I am wearing glasses...."


He did his surgeries under a Zeiss OPMI. Which is why I chose to use one myself. One of the best decisions I've ever made.

Took some months to put my first one together and I have built at least 20 of them for other engravers over the years since. Getting too difficult to do that these days.


Brian
 
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davidshe

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Sep 24, 2012
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Santa Barbara, CA
I had lasik in one eye 20 years ago. Been engraving about 5 years. No problem. I did it so I could see distance but still read without glasses. Doc told me that I would still have the normal need for reading glasses as I got older and it is true. I use reading glasses now but still engrave under the scope, drive and play golf (which is still the number one frustrating hobby Mitch) with no glasses. Worked perfect for me.
 

helipirate

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Aug 27, 2015
Messages
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Utah
I had it done 3 years ago. I had really bad distance vision. Could not see anything clearly a few feet away. The next day I had 20/15 vision. No more contacts or dry eyes from them. No more annoying glasses. Just perfect vision. One of the best things I have spent money on.
 

gcleaker

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jefferson city Missouri
I've always wondered if the various corrective eye surgeries were compatible with our trade's necessity of excellent vision at very close range. It's the main reason I've never considered having it done, even tho I've suffered the inconvenience of spectacles since I was 10 yrs old for distance. I didn't want to risk any chance of compromising the visual acuity needed for my work.

I'm guessing, like me, many of us avoided it for that reason, but since there are a lot of folks who've taken up engraving as a hobby later in life, perhaps some of them had eye surgery before deciding to try the most frustrating pastime since the invention of golf? How has it affected your vision at various distances, both immediately and over time?

PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT, REPEAT, NOT, IN THE MARKET FOR THIS PROCEDURE. I'm just curious what others' experiences have been. Lately it seems if I ask for the time of day I get detailed info on clock & watchmaking. I'm really not interested in what all I need to be mindful of when choosing a doctor/clinic, etc., etc., etc. If somebody wants to start a new thread on the particulars, pitfalls to avoid, etc., knock yourselves out. Thank you.

Golf was never an invention, but created by the evil spirts from past engravers! It is so evil that at one time it was outlawed in England because it was taking up to much time from the field and other types of similar things.
Skill comes from diligence.
 

mitch

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I had it done 3 years ago. I had really bad distance vision. Could not see anything clearly a few feet away. The next day I had 20/15 vision. No more contacts or dry eyes from them. No more annoying glasses. Just perfect vision. One of the best things I have spent money on.

and how was and is your close distance vision? and at your age(?), what's your prognosis for future reading glasses, etc.?
 

SalihKara

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Turkey
I had this surgery almost 11 years ago at the age of 24.

I was not able to see who was standing in front of me just from 3 meters away, as you see my eyes had a terrible vision.

The surgery took less than 10 minutes. They did not give any kind of drug to make me sleep, I was totally awake and did not feel anything, not a very little pain.

When the surgery is over my vision was still same.That was disappointing because I thought that as soon as it had finished I would see perfectly.

My doctor told me go home, have some rest and try to sleep.


A few hours later I realized that I was able to see who is sitting in fron of me.

The next morning when I woke up, wooowww it was awsome, my vision was as clear as a hd cam, lol

Almost 11 years passed and I have never had any problem, my vision is still as same as the next day of the surgery.

I can say that this is the best thing that I have ever done and whenever I see someone who wears glasses, I ask the same question, why don't you have a surgery?

While engraving, I don't have any problem but I can not tell difference because I started engraving just 3 years ago.

I paid only 900 Turkish lira 11 years ago and it was equall to about 700 USD, on the other hand a new pair of glasses was about 200 Turkish Lira.

Now this surgery is about 4.000 Turkish Lira and now it is equal to 900 USD.
 
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helipirate

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Aug 27, 2015
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Utah
and how was and is your close distance vision? and at your age(?), what's your prognosis for future reading glasses, etc.?

Close distance vision was and is still good. Prognosis for future reading glasses is just like anyone else. When you get old you will probably need them. I had Lasik at age 31, I am 34 now.
 

Jonathans

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Port Orchard WA
I had Lasik done around 15 years ago, and consider it one of the best moves I have made in my life. My working environment as a commercial fisherman made glasses a terrible nuisance.
Contacts became a necessity, and they were a bother to deal with especially as I had some astigmatism.
Interestingly, one option I was given when considering Lasik, was to have my dominant eye corrected for Nearsightedness, and the other for farsightedness. Some folks brains evidently are able to make the switch between dominance as required. I tried the concept first with contacts in order to see whether I was a candidate. No way! I walked around for 3 weeks like I was in a fish bowl, often closing one eye or the other! So I still wear reading glasses.
 

mitch

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I tried the concept first with contacts in order to see whether I was a candidate. No way! I walked around for 3 weeks like I was in a fish bowl, often closing one eye or the other!

funny how everybody's eyes & brains react differently. i tried the no line, varilux bifocals years ago and every little motion of my head made my field of vision roll & toss like a ship in stormy seas. my sister had the same problem. the optician said about 5% of people can't tolerate those and have to use traditional bifocals. i also didn't care for them only being really in focus at an exact center point (to compensate for the lens transition from one to the other).
 

Chujybear

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Haida Gwaii
My dad had a lens replacement.
Day surgery.
They sucked out his lens. Replaced it with another. Downside, usually you have to choose to be nearsighted, or farsighted... but by the time he got around to it they had one that allowed both. He is still walking around reading everything he sees out loud.
 

Marrinan

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Nov 11, 2006
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outside Albany in SW GA
I have been unable to see out of my right eye for over a year. It started slow. Eye surgeon said I was starting to get cataracts, only minor at the time. When I was about 45 I started go get headaches or actually eyeball aches. Needed glasses-took to without issue put them on, bifocal and never took them off. Most of the time I fell asleep with them on. I started to notice a little frosting around the edges but when you spend most of your time looking trough a scope without glasses you just shift a bit and go on. I was looking through the scope and the image looked browner. Never been able to wear rubber eyecups on the scope-seem to be allergic. Turns into large eye bags black in color-didn't wash off and slowly got sore so have never used them. Went to make some adjustments to my scope and came to the realization that I was blind in my right eye. Could see light and dark but that was all. When looking through just the right eye the world looked like a heavily frosted window, one you could see nothing through. The doctor burned the right eye with lazar left eye conventional surgery. 20/20 both eyes. need reading glasses fro .05 and .10 store. my doc needs somebody wacked I am his man-free of charge,
 
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