
Ask HN: Did you have Lasik eye surgery? - palidanx
I'm getting Lasik eye surgery later in April, and was wondering if anyone out there would be willing to share their experiences with the surgery?  Also if anyone has their own tips before the event, that will be greatly appreciated.
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lutusp
I got Lasik eye surgery about ten years ago. I did it because I had always
needed rather thick glasses and this interfered with my active lifestyle --
SCUBA diving (couldn't see underwater very well), kayaking and skiing
(constant lens fogging issues) and other things -- all were hindered by the
requirement for eyeglasses.

The procedure for both eyes required about an hour and I was allowed to leave
-- but I was told to keep my eyes closed as much as possible for a number of
hours afterwards, which I did.

For the first two years or so after the surgery, after dark, fine points of
light like stars and headlights weren't points, they were blobs of light with
radial extensions. I knew the reason -- it's caused by the irregular seam
created during the surgery. Over a longer period of time (many years) that
seam smoothed out and now I see stars as stars again.

Do remember that, as you get older, Presbyopia (a gradual stiffening of the
eye's lens) will require you to wear one or another kind of corrective lens,
probably for close vision, and Lasik can only allow you to choose which
default correction you want to have (I chose distant vision).

Before Lasik I had to wear glasses for absolutely everything, now I wear
glasses only for close work (I'm in my 60s).

So I have to say that, for me, Lasik was an unqualified success, and I would
do it again -- no regrets. Also, I have no connection with the business, I'm
just a recipient of the procedure.

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veidr
My wife had Lasik about 3 years ago, and the difference was astonishing. She
had always had really terrible vision -- like couldn't see me across the room
bad -- and suddenly she had 20/10 cyborg eyes, and could see way better than
me.

I had always had good vision, better than 20/20, since childhood. But I am 38
now, and my vision is deteriorating -- not unusually for my age, but enough
that I can tell the difference.

I went to an eye doctor, and during the exam while they hooked me up to that
weird device with dozens of lenses, and one of them let me see perfectly
again. "This one!" I shouted excitedly, but in the end they told me that my
vision was still too good to make glasses for.

Still, my wife's experience gives me hope that as I get even older and my
vision gets even worse, they might be able to do something for me. Previously
I had just been hoping I might live long enough to get some _Neuromancer_
-style Zeiss-Ikon implants.

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duncantuna
Had LASIK about 7 years ago. The day after LASIK, I was 20/20. A week later, I
was 20/25. A month later, 20/30, where my eyesight settled for a few years.

With 20/30 vision, yeah, you can function and drive without glasses. But
things are just not quite sharp.

Then, of course, they tell you that once you hit 40 years old, you will start
losing your close-up vision. And yep, that happened. Now I have readers as
well, which I need to use for reading really small print.

In the end, I went from wearing glasses 100% of the day, to wearing them 70%
of the day. Not the improvement I was looking for. If I could do it over
again, I wouldn't bother.

Good luck, though.

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anon1685
I had a lasik surgery about 12 years ago. First I had to undergo an eye
examination, then a few weeks later I came in for the surgery, which took I
guess no more than 15 minutes.

The procedure itself was quite simple: after applying anesthetic to the eyes,
the doctor performs an incision in your retina, then a fancy laser machine
cuts the retina based on the data collected in the examination.

The sensation during the operation was a bit surreal - as the effect of the
procedure is apparent immediately once it's done: I could see everything
clearly after years of having to wear eyeglasses. After the surgery they gave
me a pair of translucent goggles, which I had to wear for a couple of days,
and some eyedrops against infection.

I came back for an examination a few days later and it turned out I had better
than 20/20 vision. I hadn't had any examination since, but I still have very
sharp vision, better than most people I know. The only downside I can tell is
that my eyes seem to be more sensitive to bright sunlight than most people.

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purephase
I had it done about 4-5 years ago and it was/is the single greatest personal
decision I've ever made. My vision was terrible before (-8 in one eye, -10 in
the other) and it has stayed at 20/20 since.

The day of, I had my wife come with me and take care of the trip home. You'll
be out of it, so make sure you have assistance. I think most clinics won't
even do it unless you have someone else to help you.

The surgery was relatively quick and painless. You can see better immediately,
but it is still a bit blurry. You'll be out of commission for at least 2 days.
No screens, reading etc. Your eyes itch like crazy but you can sleep through
it. My recommendation is to grab some audiobooks to listen to as you'll get
bored quickly.

My night vision was terrible for about 5-6 months after so driving at night
was risky. I avoided it for about 3 months until it was at the point that I
could see safely. Halos around lights will be distracting for awhile.

For pain I was prescribed Ativan. I'm not a pill-person, I typically avoid
tylenol, but I thought it would be fun. It was.

As I suggested, I grabbed a bunch of audio-books, threw on the funky
sunglasses they give you and sat in the park for hours laughing my ass of to
John Hodgeman. I'm pretty sure passerby thought I was out of my mind.

Possibly one of the best days of my life. ;) Good luck!

~~~
palidanx
Thanks for the ideas about podcasts! And I better tell my work about being out
of commission hmm..

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mchau
I had it done over 10 years ago when it was fairly new. It's been absolutely
great for me. When it was done, I had 20/15. After about 6 months it settled
at 20/20 where it is still today. I'm glad I don't have to deal with the
glasses or contacts anymore. I really didn't do anything to prepare for it.
Just have someone drive you home.

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jrjarrett
I had it 14 years ago. I was really nearsighted, and it made my vision
perfect. Of course, I knew that was heading off the inevitable need for
reading/computer glasses. Last year (at 45 years old) I ended up back in full-
time glasses. They're progressive lenses, so they correct for reading and the
small degree of farsightedness that I've developed.

It was completely worth it for me, wearing glasses from age 10 did a number on
my self-esteem that getting rid of them improved dramatically. Also, glasses
style (or my own sense of it) also improved dramatically. I think I look
decent in my current glasses.

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mmetzger
Going on a little over 4 years now. Best thing ever. Had absolutely awful
vision beforehand, now at about 20/15 with both eyes.

Surgery part wasn't bad - felt a little ill during the process, but it was
over quickly. Could read street signs on the way home which made my wife cry.
The goggles were uncomfortable but not bad for the next day or so. Didn't need
pills for pain - have had dryness off and on for at times since.

Again, absolutely best thing ever - have done rock climbing, martial arts,
swimming, etc - things that were difficult with glasses (ie, they don't fall
off your face anymore...)

Good luck - you'll love it...

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cju
There was a nice summing-up by Bemmu Sepponen a month ago:
<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5218268>.

See also this older thread: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1970554>.

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palidanx
Great reads! Thanks!

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Urgo
I had PRK which is similar to Lasik and I documented the whole thing on
YouTube:
[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4518F9CBDA82E865&...](http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4518F9CBDA82E865&feature=view_all)

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ethomson
Could you summarize this a little? What's the level of pain like? What's the
healing time like? How is your vision as a result?

I'll likely watch the YouTube series at some point, but I don't have > 1hr to
devote to this today so a summary would be very helpful.

I'm curious because I'm a poor candidate for Lasik - my vision is poor, -9 and
-7.5 with an astigmatism and the shape is somewhat flat. (I'm told that I
simply don't have enough tissue to remove for Lasik.)

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ditojim
14 years since my surgery. i still see great! my pupils dilate 1mm further
than the surgery corrects, resulting in a star-burst effect with any light at
night. a minor nuance for near perfect vision. i'd do it again without
hesitation.

