Daily affirmations of a word mercenary
Lasik, 18 months later
24Jan2008 Filed under: Happiness & HealthI’m finally admitting to myself that my post-Lasik vision of 20/40 in my right eye is a little problematic for stuff like long hours of computer work and movies. I could go back and get that eye touched up with a laser, but honestly it’s just not bad enough to justify the risk/discomfort — how stupid would I feel if something went wrong and I was like, “Oh, where did my right eyeball go? Well, I couldn’t quite read street signs 100 yards away, so I did another round of Lasik…” It’s totally not noticeable when I’m puttering around daily life. But when I’m working for eight hours, I start to notice that the wee fonts aren’t so crisp …
So I’m making an appointment with my beloved friends at Eyes on Fremont and going in to get a pair of “sometimes” glasses. I will admit that I’m actually a little excited. I’ve missed my funky frames. I will also admit that I’m a little worried I’ll get re-dependent on glasses, once I remember just how crisp corrected vision can be.
But regardless, I got no regrets about the lasik. 20/40 as compared to whatever I was before (my contacts were -5.25) is no biggie.
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7 Responses to “Lasik, 18 months later”
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Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, is in bookstores now.
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Glenn Hagele
January 24th, 2008 at 11:18 am
The process to decide the risk/benefit ratio for Lasik enhancement surgery should be the same as the initial surgery. As you have said, a small amount of prescription is an annoyance, but does not seem worth the risk. If you go with a contact lens for the undercorrected eye, you would be simulating your vision if you had successful Lasik enhancement surgery. This would give you the best indication of the potential benefit.
I work for a nonprofit Lasik patient advocacy. We don’t provide Lasik, just Lasik information and we certify Lasik doctors based upon outcomes.
A small amount of myopia (nearsighted, shortsighted) vision in one eye can actually work to your advantage. At around age 40 the ability to focus on near objects becomes more difficult. That is when reading glasses or bifocals become necessary.
You can describe myopia two ways. One is that you can’t see distant objects too well, and the other is that you can see near objects well. If you have a small amount of myopia, the need for reading glasses can be delayed.
Having myopia in only one eye is not necessarily a problem either. This is called monovision and some people have Lasik specifically to create what you have now.
When you visit your doctor, ask for both a manifest refraction (which is better, one or two?) and a cycloplegic refraction. The cycloplegic will be the same process, but with eye drops that keep you from changing focus. This can provide your true optics and help indicate what correction may be best for you.
PS: I am not a doctor.
Mark
January 24th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Before you head out glasses shopping you might want to review this MeFi thread on saving a bundle online.
Though I’ll admit that I’ve been willing in the past to pay an exorbitant premium to actually try on glasses and interact with a smiling human.
Ariel
January 24th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I read about that, Mark … but I gotta say that I consider designer frames worth every over-priced penny.
Riona
January 24th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
yeah … I got lasik about five years ago, and it’s not completely perfect, but given that my lenses were -7.5, it’s been lifechanging for me.
Eric's Mommy
January 24th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I had lasik too, in Nov.2006. My eyes are 20/20 but I have glare, day and night. Not a huge deal but it’s annoying. I wouldn’t go for an enhancement either.
emily
January 25th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Hell YEAH for overpriced designer frames! I’m with you, Ariel.
Robert
January 31st, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Lasik rocks. I had wavefront lasik about nine months ago. I went from -3.75 / -4.00 to a perfect 20/20. Night vision is a little blurred, but overall my vision rocks.
I personally would not want to go back under the laser. That was a wretched few hours of hell under my eyelids that I hopefully will never have to relive as long as I live.
PS The Eyes on Fremont link is not resolving. I think it is because it is missing the www prefix. I already emailed them to let them know they may want to fix their DNS.