http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php en Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:52:30 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=106 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:14:58 GMT Thank you to the folks who have posted on this Board. Otherwise, I would not have heard about Dr. G. I live in Georgia so it was a difficult decision to fly to Dallas, TX, but I had to give it a try. I spent last week with Dr. G. who custom-fitted me for RGP lenses. My story is that I had RK... Thank you to the folks who have posted on this Board. Otherwise, I would not have heard about Dr. G. I live in Georgia so it was a difficult decision to fly to Dallas, TX, but I had to give it a try.

I spent last week with Dr. G. who custom-fitted me for RGP lenses. My story is that I had RK surgery over 16 years ago and low-light and night vision were a real problem. I had to completely give up night driving over 8 years ago and often had to have a friend help me navigate walking when the lighting wasn't bright. Glasses were minimally helpful. I used Pilocarpine which was a little more helpful.

Dr. G. provided me with contacts that are very comfortable and provide good vision at night. I've only had lenses for a week but was able to wear them yesterday for 11 hours with no discomfort. And the best news - I drove last night for 8 miles! My vision is good enough to drive familiar roads in the dark. :D

Dr. G. and his staff are very professional. I would highly recommend consulting Dr. G. if you are not able to find any help for post-refractive surgery issues - as you know, there are many. Email Dr. G. and he will reply very quickly and answer all your questions.

It is expensive to fly to Dallas, stay at a motel for a week, and pay for the services/lenses. A local motel gives a special rate and free shuttle service to Coppell Eye Center and the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, which helps. If your vision is as bad as mine, you will find it worth the cost to be able to regain your independence.

Tell anyone who will listen - "Don't screw up your eyes with elective surgery - it is the worst decision you will ever make!" ]]> Stormy http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=106 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=105 Mon, 30 May 2011 03:18:56 GMT Hello there,

I'm considering PRK (I am not ok with doing an ICL - implantable contact lens), but I have very high myopia, and larger than average pupils. Here are my numbers:

OD: -8.50, (astigmatism) -2.00, (cornea thickness) 552, pupil dilation about 7.5mm

OS: -9.50, (astigmatism) -1.75, (cornea thickness) 565, pupil dilation about 7.7mm

Furthermore, a separate clinic from the above measurements, told me that they got a reading of 8.5mm for the dilation of my pupils. So even if there is fluctuation, I would assume my dilation to be somewhere between 7.5mm and 8.5mm.

Note: most of the public's average pupil dilation is about 6.0-6.5mm.

(For the purposes of this blog, I will not use official names of the clinics):

1) Clinic X uses an optical ablation zone of 6.0mm with a transition to 8.0mm

2) Clinic Y said they "might have to use an optical ablation zone up to 9.0mm" (I assume that they start at 6.0mm with a transition to 9.0mm), but they would not confirm whether this would really be the case, and they also said they would remeasure my pupil dilation, because they were the clinic that got the 8.5mm reading, which they felt was high.

My questions:
a) How bad do you think the halos I would experience post-surgery would be (long-term), from Clinic X, according to the restrictions of their optical ablation zone?

b) Is it better to go with Clinic Y, even though they did not promise a larger optical ablation zone, but merely stated that they have dealt with many patients with large pupils, and lead me to believe that they can use larger optical ablation zones?

c) If I were to go with Clinic Y, do you think it would be safe to use a larger ablation zone, understanding that that means they will need to ablate more corneal tissue (because the larger the optical ablation zone, the deeper they need to cut to correct your prescription)?

You may note, from a non-technical standpoint, Clinic X has nicer staff and seem to be more willing and open to reveal the imperfections of my potential surgery than Clinic Y. Clinic X has told me I will be corrected for 20/20, but my eyes will likely regress (20-40% chance) a few diopeters, and that I can expect halos, though they do not know how bad.

Clinic Y brushed my concerns off, and said they are extremely experienced professionals who are doctors, who possess knowledge that is beyond what they can explain to the public, in terms of their understanding of the nuances of each case, and that I should not worry, because they will get me great vision, and there is no concern about my numbers. When I pushed them for specific responses about my concerns, they said that they will adjust the optical ablation zone and other things according to what is needed when they redo measurements the day of the surgery.

Thank you in advance for your responses, and I hope anyone who has insight into this can share. ]]> clearworld http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=105 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=104 Sun, 15 May 2011 22:37:28 GMT I finally filed an FDA report. I suppose it's better late than never.

The place where I had my surgery sent me my records. I don't really understand them, but I'm going to start going through them methodically.

I've noticed lately that I sometimes see double images and starbursts in the daytime. This is depressing. I'm not sure why this should be happening. Maybe an increase in astigmatism.

I found an old friend on facebook who teaches at an optometry college. He suggested I ask my O.D. about Synergeyes PS lenses. This may be my next move.

If that doesn't work, I may end up trying to save up some money and go see Dr. G. I've also thought about asking my medical doctor to refer me to an opthamologist. I think I need to figure out more about what is going on with my eyes. I think it's more than just a dilation issue. ]]> Dobby http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=104 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=103 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:51:55 GMT It's been a long time since my last blog entry. I'm obviously not adept at blogging.

I decided it's about time I reported my complications to the FDA as recommended on the opening page of lasermyeye.org. So I called the place that did my surgery to find out exactly what type of laser was used. I ended up asking them to send me a copy of my records. They are supposed to be faxing me a release.

She said my records were in storage and wanted to know if there was a specific reason I needed them. I told her that I wanted to report my complications to the FDA.

She asked if I had come back in for a follow up with their center. I explained that I had done all my follow ups with my eye doctor who was affilated with their center. At least he used to be. When I told her his name, she obviously was familiar with him. I also pointed out that, if anything, I thought they might recommend more surgery... and that I was surgery shy now. She said she understood.

The odd thing is that I felt so nervous. my heart pounded, my voice vibrated. I was shocked at the overwhelming sense of anxiety I felt just talking to her. It was like revisiting the scene of a tragic accident.

I may go back and at least talk with them at some point. I feel good about getting my records and about reporting the situation to the FDA. I can't believe I haven't done so before now.

It's been over ten years since the surgeries, and I still wake up a lot of mornings and think that this can't really be happening to me. I'm taking baby steps toward learning more about what exactly has happened. I'm slowly lifting the sheet and peeking at whatever is underneath. If nothing else, hopefully this will at least be cathartic. ]]> Dobby http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=103 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=102 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:00:15 GMT So I’ve set up this blog to document my experience of laser eye surgery. I found that when researching the procedures rather exhaustively on the net, reading other people’s recovery stories really helped me get a feel for what the surgery might be like. It gave me an idea what issues might come... So I’ve set up this blog to document my experience of laser eye surgery. I found that when researching the procedures rather exhaustively on the net, reading other people’s recovery stories really helped me get a feel for what the surgery might be like.

It gave me an idea what issues might come up, tips and tricks for coping with inconvenience and discomfort, and it helped me fee like I wasn’t the first person to consider this procedure and take it through to actually getting surgery. I found that out in the real world many people were interested in asking me questions about procedure I was contemplating, but I couldn’t find a single person who’d actually had the kind of surgery I’d picked to ask my own questions of. Reading the experiences of others who had not only had the procedure but had documented the ups and downs on blogs gave me the confidence to ‘pull the trigger’ on laser eye-surgery.

‘(Pull the trigger’ being an ominous turn of phrase one blogger used talking about his LASIK decision that has stuck with me…)

I am 30 years of age. I suffer from myopia (shortsightedness) in both of my eyes. (-4) I also have astigmatism in both eyes. tomorrow I am going into Vista Eyes in Elsternwick, Victoria (Oz) and Dr Rick Wolfe will perform ASLA (Advanced Surface Laser Ablation) on me.

And then I’ll go home, and probably have a cookie.

At the moment my Best Corrected Vision is pretty good with glasses or contacts. For a variety of reasons I am hoping to come out of this surgery free from my reliance on glasses and contacts, with as good vision as I had before.

I have prepared. I have done my homework. I have polarised wrap-around sunglasses, I have painkillers, I have sleeping tablets, audiobooks, flax seed oil, fish oil, vitamin E tablets, I have no work for a week, I have a brother who is going to pick me up, a partner who is going to put up with me – everything the internets suggested would be good to have.

And I have a sizable bank cheque, and an empty bank account. Lets not forget that.

I also have TWO signed Informed Consent forms, one for Intralase Lasik and one for ASLA. I am going for ASLA over the LASIK though, for reasons I may get into later.

I went for a run around my neighbourhood this morning and took in the beauty of an autumn day in my St Kilda. I watched an episode of Star-Trek this evening. Later I plan to look at the face of my beloved for a good long while.

After tomorrow I will say goodbye to the glasses and contacts I have worn for the last 15 years and in weeks/ months I hope to live my life in this staggeringly visual world without them.

14 hours or so out from the surgery I find myself moderately terrified of the operation and its outcome, oddly conflicted at the thought of not being a ‘glasses’ person any more, and really excited at the prospect upgrading my vision. ]]> misterboots http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=102 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=101 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:21:53 GMT Hi folks. Today Dec 29 I had an hour long therapeutic massage. Part of the hour was spent on my neck and skull. Afterwards and while I am posting this, my vision is great!!! Easily the best since PRK in early October. Did the eye chart at home and much much better. Recent visit to Herzig... Hi folks. Today Dec 29 I had an hour long therapeutic massage. Part of the hour was spent on my neck and skull.

Afterwards and while I am posting this, my vision is great!!! Easily the best since PRK in early October. Did the eye chart at home and much much better. Recent visit to Herzig had it pegged at 20/40. Today...must be 20/20 or better.

Any thoughts people??? ]]> martyc http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=101 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=100 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:55:18 GMT Here is a list of the 10 most successful basketball players to wear glasses. It includes the all time leading scorer in the history of the NBA - a man who chose to wear glasses when he played even though he did not need them! ... Here is a list of the 10 most successful basketball players to wear glasses. It includes the all time leading scorer in the history of the NBA - a man who chose to wear glasses when he played even though he did not need them!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3...history/page/1

The NFL single season rushing record was set by Eric Dickerson and has stood for over 25 years and counting. He set the record wearing these prescription goggles:

http://www.profootballhof.com/story/...rsons-goggles/

Many great tennis players, such as Arthur Ashe and Billy Jean King wore ordinary glasses when playing. The ball regularly travels well over 100mph and can have over 5000 rpm of spin. Billy Jean King's "Battle of the Sexes" match vs. Bobby Riggs is probably the most famous tennis match in history. Both players wore glasses. But perhaps more interesting from a long term success point of view is Martina Navratilova's final grand slam mixed doubles win at the US Open one month shy of her 50th birthday. Along the way she won both more singles and more doubles titles than anyone else in the open era.

I'd probably be remiss in not adding John Lennon. He died 30 years ago this weak. The glasses probably didn't help in write better music. But he looked cool in them ]]> OculusCaedere http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=100 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=92 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:06:57 GMT Hi All,

I went for a consult and was told that i'm not a candidate for lasik nor PRK but if i really want it badly, the surgeon can perform PRK on me. I was told that i have thin cornea with little spots of cataracts with astimagtism. The surgeon informed me that if i choose to do PRK my cataracts might become worse due to the fact that i will have to use steroids for 4 months. Steroids will reactivate cataracts and make my vision worse. The surgeon said he has never seen a case like mine before. I was wondering if any of you in here have a similar case like mine. I really want to have the PRK surgery done so that i don't have to wake up everyday wearing contact lenses or glasses, but after reading a lot of post regarding results after prk, i'm not sure if i want to do it anymore. i'm only 26 right now and not willing to go through halos, enhancement, dry eyes, glare for the rest of my life. Any advise would greatly appreciate.

chocolate26 ]]> chocolate26 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=92 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=91 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:42:24 GMT Hello all. Just looking to correspond with people that have traveled to Europe after unsuccessful Lasik and were retreated with iVis CTEN. I am in the heaking process and would love feedback as to what to expect over the next many months. Thank you :) Hello all. Just looking to correspond with people that have traveled to Europe after unsuccessful Lasik and were retreated with iVis CTEN. I am in the heaking process and would love feedback as to what to expect over the next many months. Thank you :) ]]> nashlou http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=91 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=90 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:21:41 GMT COMMENTS ON DR. GREG´S SCLERAL LENSES Hello to all in this precious board, My name is Eduardo from Spain, I am 35, I wore glasses since I was 3 to correct about 3-4 dioptrees of hyperobia and 2-3 of astigmatism in each eye.. I had lasik in both eyes 10 years ago and was left with strong... COMMENTS ON DR. GREG´S SCLERAL LENSES

Hello to all in this precious board,
My name is Eduardo from Spain, I am 35, I wore glasses since I was 3 to correct about 3-4 dioptrees of hyperobia and 2-3 of astigmatism in each eye..
I had lasik in both eyes 10 years ago and was left with strong HOA (higher order aberrations), startburst, glare, halos, comets. I also had dryness on both eyes and had to insert 2 silicone punctual plugs in the lower conducts.
In summary, eye fatigue every single day for 10 years.
According to the most recognized eye specialists in Spain, having a touch up has big risks, (loosing for ever at least 2 lines in the Eye chart), and there is either no guarantee half of the problem could be removed, instead they would leave me with a need of further correction.
I found in the internet that many people got help with sclera lenses. I contacted the best contact lens specialist in Spain. They all said these lenses were not prescribed for cases like mine, useless bunch of ”professionals”, not even being able to provide a reasonably well prescribed comfortable pair of contacts lenses.
I contacted Dr Greg and I visited him in March as he assured I could be successfully fitted with his sclera lenses.
After 3 month of daily intensive use of his sclera lenses, hats off!, I have to stop and publicly recommend a visit to Dr. G., for the following reasons:
• No more eye fatigue
• These lenses are very comfortable, more even than soft contacts
• Day time vision is very good, It feels as good as it was before surgery, he is got perfect prescription.
• They stay stable in the eye, they don´t move at all
• No spectacle blur at removal of the contact lenses
• Huge improvements when watching TV and reading books.
• They keep my eyes moisture
• There is no sensation of burnt after removing them
• I can wear them for 16 hours a day and end the day without any discomfort
• Heavy duty lenses, you can be outdoors even if it is windy or dusty, you just feel your eyes protected!
• For practicing sports they are absolutely brilliant
• About HOA, glare is greatly reduced.

Thanks to all who shares your experience in this forum and thanks very much to Dr Greg for his job!

Please feel free to e mail me for any questions at:

edupm2010@yahoo.es ]]> eduardo http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=90 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=89 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:46:42 GMT Hi all, my name's Brian and I had PRK done on both eyes 5 weeks ago on May 3rd. I was a -2.50 i think in both eyes and my doctor considered my correction a low one...he said i was a "mild-moderate correction"...anyways I needed to correct my vision as my final step in joining the Fire Department of New York. The surgery itself went well and I only had only a few brief moments of discomfort and excessive tearing. Its now been 5 weeks so far and my eyes feel great, however my vision has not improved consistently. I've noticed that i have brief moments of really clear vision (like i'm wearing contacts), but it disapears very fast. Although I had my bandage contacts removed on time and have used my drops diligently, I apparently am healing very slowly. 2 weeks after surgery both eyes were at 20/40 but now im 20/50 left, 20/40 right with haze and blurriness. (its important to note that my vision is alot better before my doc checks my acuity but by the time i get to the office everything gets blurry/hazy) heres a brief history of my driops. after the initial week of xibrom/vigmox/systane tears/ and pred-forte, I went from Pred-forte 4 times a day in the first week, to Pred forte 3 times a day for weeks 2-3 and then twice a day week 4. Instead of my vision improving i felt like both eyes were remained blurry/hazy. Some days it would last for the whole day, while others it was on and off. after seeing the doctor twice in the first two weeks he said i was healing nicely despite my blurriness. However when i went back to the doctor on may 28th, he said i was still healing and that he did see some "light haze" in both eyes which he said was not uncommon for PRK. I've since switched to Lotmax 3 times a day. Its been a week and a half so far since the switch and I haven't really noticed much improvement. I'm also taking 2 500 MG of Vitamin C daily for the haze as well. My vision does seem very clear and crisp in both eyes when i open my eyes after keeping them closed for awhile, but then everything blurs/hazes up eventually again. I notice looking at the computer or Tv speeds up the blurriness process. I went to see the doctor again today (June 8th) because i've been panicking and he said it should still go away eventually. He claims my cornea is still healing and that the only way to combat haze is with steroids/vitamin c/sunglasses lol... Another doctor had looked into my eyes prior to my main doctor and she said that the haze i have is not the type of haze that is permanent (whatever that means). Anyways, long story short, im to continue to be on lotmax 3 times a day, while still taking vitamin C, and i'm supposed to just be patient apparently. This has been a long and scary journey up until this point and i just hope it works out. Like i said before, i have moments of really good vision but it disapears as soon as my eyes stay open for a little bit. Its even better than when i go to the doctor and they measure me at a hazy/blurry 20/50 and 20/40...i don't know if thats good or bad. But yea, the only time i see well is when i open my eyes after keeping them closed for awhile. I don;t know how much more of that i can take lol! Hopefully my fellow Prk friends out here on this website can offer me some valuable feedback...its been really rough so far and i'd really appreciate it. Thank you guys, and i hope to hear from you all. Brian ]]> bxvigz11 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=89 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=88 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:13:36 GMT Just to add that I think that visual acuity and vision in low light is a good bit worse that I expected:) Just to add that I think that visual acuity and vision in low light is a good bit worse that I expected:) ]]> ardmore http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=88 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=87 Sat, 27 Mar 2010 20:13:51 GMT One eye was -4.25 and the other was -3.75. had astigmatism in both eyes. I had wavefront lasik elite at ultralase. I was to have monovision as I am 47 though I had noticed no deterioration todate. Immediately after I was expecting to see 20/20 how niave, but many friends had told me it was... One eye was -4.25 and the other was -3.75. had astigmatism in both eyes. I had wavefront lasik elite at ultralase. I was to have monovision as I am 47 though I had noticed no deterioration todate.
Immediately after I was expecting to see 20/20 how niave, but many friends had told me it was nothing short of miraculas.
My vision was blurry and variable, after one week both eyes were -0.75 and there was some discussion about getting one eye relasered.
After one month my eyes have improved and one is -0.75 and the other is -0.25. I hope that they will improve further as my distance vision is not great. The good news is that at no point did I have dry eye, and my night vision is fine but I have lost some acuity. and low light levels is not too great.
My eye sight is much better than before without glasses but not as good as with glasses. So the jury is out at present, I don't know what to think. Will my eyes improve??? ]]> ardmore http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=87 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=86 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:13:36 GMT Just returned from my 9-month follow-up. Dr. Mitchell said my eyes have healed, come back in 3-4 yrs, even though they offer follow up for 18 months. Maybe healed enough, but felt like a brush-off. Still have pain at night when I open my eyes too fast, like the eyelids have stuck to the eyes. He... Just returned from my 9-month follow-up. Dr. Mitchell said my eyes have healed, come back in 3-4 yrs, even though they offer follow up for 18 months. Maybe healed enough, but felt like a brush-off. Still have pain at night when I open my eyes too fast, like the eyelids have stuck to the eyes. He said that is just nerve sensitivity and should go away.
I had +1.5 both eyes astigmatic near sighted vision prior to surgery. Now I need +1 both eyes for far sighted. :( I expected to be able to read at 3 ft, not the 4-5ft I now have:(, but at least I can see far away now. Dr. Mitchell dismissed the lack of reading ability to my age. 49yrs & pre/at-menopausal stage.

The worst parts were the noise the machine makes when it sloughs off the top layer, kind of like a wet dentists drill. Nobody told me laser light makes noise, I tensed, tried to relax but my right eye being worked on would not relax. I'm sure this tension had an effect on the poorer outcome of this eye. I relaxed in the pause between eyes and was OK on the left eye because I knew what to expect.
Did the post surgery eye drop routine with precision. Don't expect to sleep much. After a week I was horrified to see the result of double/shadowed vision in both eyes. It was only with letters/lines far and especially near. The first letter overlapped the next letter to blot it out, so I could kind of see every second letter. VERY slowly this got better. Bad for 6 weeks, still there at closer range at 3 months. In the right eye only at 5 months. At 6 months so minimal in the right eye that I hardly noticed it. I read up on it that this is remaining astigmatism.
The staff was apologetic when I complained about the shadowed vision, nothing they could do about it though. They explained that the surgeon makes an educated estimate as to how far to correct the eye. It is over-corrected on purpose because the eye adjusts back. Yikes, nobody said "over-correction" or "estimating" prior to surgery. I thought computers and lasers were extremely accurate.
My vision is better than before, but not great. I strongly suggest getting the non-dominant eye done first, waiting for 6 months to do the second eye. That way you can go back to work/life quickly, it's not so overwhelming to your nervous system. Plus if something doesn't go right, you still have the dominant eye as you had before. The downside is you may not go back to get the second eye done because of the healing hassles of the first eye.
The feeling I get from the surgical eye correction industry is there is a desire make money and do both eyes and pump you through their office faster. ]]> calgary AST eye surgery http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=86 http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=85 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:23:53 GMT These terms and expressions seem to mean different things to different people at different times. In any discussion using these terms things that seem clear on closer inspection mean very little: complication symptom adverse-event debilitating sight-threatening side-effect unrealistic... These terms and expressions seem to mean different things to different people at different times. In any discussion using these terms things that seem clear on closer inspection mean very little:

complication
symptom
adverse-event
debilitating
sight-threatening
side-effect
unrealistic expectations
safe
risk
rare
vast ]]> OculusCaedere http://www.lasermyeye.org/forums/blog.php?b=85