Laser vision correction

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by Unicron, Aug 10, 2013.

  1. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    Same here. And people say it wouldn't work for Clark Kent. :D
     
  2. PlainSimpleJoel

    PlainSimpleJoel Fleet Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2002
    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    I've thought about it. I asked my mum about it, as she had around 10 years ago. Still thinking about it, as alternative to contracts.
     
  3. Davros

    Davros Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Kaled bunker, Skaro
    Best money I ever spent.
     
  4. Tom Hendricks

    Tom Hendricks Vice Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2004
    Location:
    Tom Hendricks
    I had Laser Correction surgery a little over a year ago, after wearing glasses for 30 plus years I was just done. I can say without any hesitation it was one of the best things I have ever done. I had very poor eyesight and a stigmatism, and now I have 20-15 vision. I see way better then I ever did with glasses. Like many others I was very sensitive about my eyes, I also couldn't wear contacts. After the surgery, my vision was perfect yet still a little fuzzy. That only lasted a few hours, I had a bit of dryness and that only lasted a few days. Outside of that, no issues what so ever. Yes, on super sunny days its a bit more intense but I just wear sunglasses. I have had no issue at night with headlights and night driving.
     
  5. Misfit Toy

    Misfit Toy Caped Trek Mod Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2002
    Location:
    Transporter buffer
    I had it done back in 2001. I was 20/400 in one eye and 20/200 with astigmatism in the other eye. The doctors told me beforehand that, because of my age (41 at the time), I would more than likely need reading glasses later. Sure enough, when I hit 50 I needed readers, but having to wear glasses only when reading is a small price to pay for not having to wear glasses every waking moment.
     
  6. B.J.

    B.J. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2004
    Location:
    Huntsville, AL
    My brother-in-law had worn glasses all his life until a few years ago. Had the laser surgery done so that he doesn't have to wear glasses anymore, and it's also signed off by the USAF (he's a full-time officer) so that he could now be a pilot if he so wanted.
     
  7. Brolan

    Brolan Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2002
    Location:
    Backwoods Minnesota
    Good friend of mine had the surgery and it messed up the quality of his vision. He says it's like looking through dirty windows. They can't do anything for him.

    I was going to have it done before he had his, now I wouldn't dream of it.
     
  8. IndyJones

    IndyJones Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2002
    Location:
    Chicago
    I'm not an Optometrist on the board but I play one in real life and I still wear my glasses and contacts. ;) That said, I did send my brother to a surgeon I really like and he couldn't be happier with the outcome.

    The vast majority of LASIK recipients end up quite happy with the results. Of those that are unhappy, most of the complaints are fairly minor (dryness, light sensitivity, halos and glare while driving at night). So there's that.

    For me, if your eyes meet the structural requirements to proceed, the most important things are:

    1. Your age (I'm much more hesitant when people reach their late 30's and beyond as the procedure can push many people in to reading glasses sooner. And spending thousands of dollars so you don't have to wear glasses, only to need glasses soon after can be a bad use of money. The alternative is something called monovision, which would allow distance and near vision without correction, but can wreck depth perception)
    2. Your occupation (guys who need really fine detail are often less happy with results)
    3. Your current prescription (if you're aware)
    4. Your hobbies

    The real reason that would be an issue for Unicorn would be because when we implant that artificial lens we can do so with prescription built in to it, so if he was planning on cataract surgery in the near future there's really no reason to perform an additional surgery. Any additional complications are really a minor issue.

    I think we can assume that's not the case, as I have a hard time believing his doctor would have recommended LASIK in advance of an upcoming cataract surgery.

    Normally you're looking in the $2,000-$5,000 range. I caution you to look at the quality of your surgeon and not just on who is the cheapest.

    The other thing to be aware of is that there's often quite a bit of follow-up involved in the process and some plans will have those visits included in the initial fee. It's worth knowing what your program will cover, as some that look cheaper might end up costing more in the long run.
     
  9. Unicron

    Unicron Boss Monster Mod Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2003
    Location:
    The Crown of the Moon
    I appreciate the advice. :) Perhaps you could help with something else I'm curious about as well, although it's something I've tended to experience rarely. I haven't really mentioned it for that reason when I've gotten eye exams, and when I last had an ophthalmological exam they said my retinas were fine. But under certain circumstances, sometimes I experience an oddness when my eyes track motion. I'd describe it as watching something and imagining it as individual frames of film, and every so often the frames don't run together in a smooth animation. They look blockier, like when you see an infomercial that's been badly edited and has a shaky camera. But it's pretty rare, I'm just not sure what causes it. I've noticed mainly if I'm watching TV and there's a broad horizontal pan, and it doesn't always happen.
     
  10. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2001
    Location:
    Mr. Adventure
    I used to wake up every morning to putting my glasses on and not taking them off until I went to bed (barring showers and what not) as I could only see clearly a few inches ahead. It's great to go see 3D movies, ride roller coasters, fall asleep in chairs and go swimming without bother. Contacts help some in that regard but I've enjoyed it for years now.

    My vision isn't quite what it was with glasses, I have trouble with small text off in the distance more than I used to but it's still been pretty great. Unlike others, my light sensitivity has gone way down, I used to be blinded when the lights came on in the middle of the night or walking out of a theatre.
     
  11. Misfit Toy

    Misfit Toy Caped Trek Mod Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2002
    Location:
    Transporter buffer
    I don't know what that may be, but I can tell you that as part of the prep for my LASIK, I had the most thorough eye exam of my life! I would hope that would discover anything that may impact the procedure. You may want to post your info on an eyecare-specific forum somewhere to get a better answer, though...
     
  12. Unicron

    Unicron Boss Monster Mod Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2003
    Location:
    The Crown of the Moon
    Is it possible this perception might be a sort of optical illusion? I was watching the music video for The Cranberries' "Analyse" the other night, and the scenes where the camera zig zags seem to produce this effect more noticeably for me. But the other motion looks normal, and I don't have this perception when watching a video like REM's "Imitation of Life" which is sort of based on a similar principle.
     
  13. iguana_tonante

    iguana_tonante Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2006
    Location:
    Italy, EU
    Maybe you are seeing the Matrix?
     
  14. Unicron

    Unicron Boss Monster Mod Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2003
    Location:
    The Crown of the Moon
    :lol: Can I be the One and get powers over reality? :biggrin:
     
  15. IndyJones

    IndyJones Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2002
    Location:
    Chicago
    Sorry it took me so long to get back to this.

    That's an interesting situation.

    There are really two main types of eye movements: smooth pursuits and saccades. Smooth pursuits are just just, you're tracking something and the eye moves in a fluid motion. A saccade is when you're actively trying to move your eye to a specific location (as you look into a street for oncoming cars, or as you read across a page) and tend to be jumpier.

    So, if we're talking about something that shows up while you're following something, then that would be a smooth pursuit disorder, but if this is showing up while watching TV and you're actively trying to look at another portion of the screen that would be a saccadic disorder.

    TVs these days are often big enough (fancy term: subtend a large enough visual angle) that we do have to perform more eye movements than in the past, and they're often crisp enough that our brains can get tricked into thinking that we're following actual objects rather than just looking at different parts of a static screen. In the absence of more advanced testing, I'd guess that what you're noticing could be moments where the illusion is broken and your eyes are making jumpy saccadic movements from one part of the screen to another rather than conducting smooth pursuits.

    Of course, if you notice this when not watching TV I'm completely off here. I was never very good at diagnosing by text. ;)
     
  16. Unicron

    Unicron Boss Monster Mod Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2003
    Location:
    The Crown of the Moon
    I think it could be a saccadic issue from your description (and I hope mine wasn't too confusing - I know it's not the easiest thing to describe :lol:). It's pretty minor when I do notice it, and sometimes it's hard to tell whether it's an actual error or not. Our eyes are impressive at processing so much data, it's amazing to think of how much they take in. :)
     
  17. Unicron

    Unicron Boss Monster Mod Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2003
    Location:
    The Crown of the Moon
    * small bump *

    In thinking more about this and reading some information online, I'd be interested in learning more about the concept of saccadic skips. I realize it's impossible to diagnose my specific eyes (unless I get into the Matrix ;) :lol:), but does this sort of symptom sound like a potential concern?