I am considering Lasik surgery and wonder if the benefits are more than just a cosmetic surgery. I normally wear glasses, so the cost of eye care is not more than a new pair of glasses every three to four years. I can have the CustomVue and Interlase Lasik surgery done for about $3700. This is the blade free computer driven laser surgery.

This is my question. I live on the border between Texas and Mexico. I can cross the border and have the same procedure done by the same machine for $1500. I know three people who have done it in Mexico with no problems.

Who has had Lasik and do you think Mexico is a bad idea?

Could go wrong too

Hi jb. I don't have an answer to your question, but my sister-in-law had Lasik surgery done on her eyes, and she was very happy with the result.

My friend is an eye doctor. He doesn't do lasik himself, but he says he probably wouldn't choose to get it done either.

It usually works just fine, but if it doesn't you could be blind. The risks are very great.

NDRU said:

True, it is a risky procedure. You have to make sure you find the right doctor who knows what he's doing.
[Edited 1/26/07 9:30am]

jbchavez said:

I had it done a few years ago (I wish they had the blad free method back then, but it was only uncomfortable for a few days) and I love it. After an initial few days of some minor discomfort, my eyesight was even better than the Doctor predicted. I can see better now than I did before using glasses.

However, you need to be extremely carefull as to where you go. You definately do not want something like this to go wrong.

I suggest spending the extra money and have it done here.

never. not for me. NO one comes near my cornea with a laser. no one.

I had it done in 1999. It's perfect during the day, but at night I do get the halos and spokes on bright lights in darkness.

I wouldn't try to save money on surgery.

Oh, and it didn't take to my brother's eye. (He tried one first). He had a bad reaction and it temporarily worsened his eye.

Mine is great though! I would be legally blind like Velma from Scooby Doo without it.

I just got back from another doctor. The cost is the same, $3800. There is something that is a little different. Instead of tearing a "flap" the to few cells are disturbed and the cornea reshaped. This will give you better long term results and better night vision.

I may go with that option. The only thing is that you don't see better right away. Within three weeks, your vision is 20/20. With the lasik way you see better right away.

jbchavez said:

what?

ufoclub said:

she couldn't see a damn thing without her glasses, could she? I'm pretty damn blind too.

I think most people are happy wit it, but I'm not sure I'd take that risk. I'm pretty used to contacts by now anyway.

Oooohhhh! I want it too! I've been wearing hard contacts since the age of 8, and I'm almost blind without them. In an emergency situation, I would be running around blind in the streets! I am going to use my tax return to get it done. I've known people who have had amazing results with lasik. My eyes are so bad, that I am willing to risk it. Let me know if you do it too.

dont skimp on $$...these are your eyes!
I had it done 6 yrs ago for $2,000.- i get the halo or night glare but im ok in the daytime..it was painless & very quick..just make sure you dont RUB your eyes afterward.
I dont regret it for a minute. good luck to you~~~

sonic said:

OUCH!

I am going to have it done on Feb 8. I am not going to go to MX even though many of my co-workers have done it there with no problem.

I will not rub my eyes afterwards. I will be given a pair of googles to wear when I leave.

or do one eye at a time...just in case something goes wrong with one of them.

A friend of mine did it. He said the whole procedure took less than half an hour and that he had 20/20 vision with no pain at all already the next day. It was like magic.

UCantHavaDaMango said:

Will soft "toric" lenses correct your vision? When I started wearing contacts in 1994, hard lenses were my only option. Now I have disposable soft torics that correct me to 20/20.

matt said:

I wear acuvue advance for astigmatism (soft/disposable) and they're soooo great...really comfortable.

matt said:

My eye doctor has never recommended soft contacts to me. The reason they put me in hard contacts (technically, they're gas permeable lenses) was to try to hold my eye shape in place, so my vision wouldn't decline so quickly. Well, my eyes have still gotten worse, so who knows what will fix the problem.

UCantHavaDaMango said:

Is it possible for you to try Lasik?

applekisses said:

I truly, truly hope so!

applekisses said:

So much better than the hard lenses... I couldn't believe it when they first put them in my eyes.

Right now I wear Bausch & Lomb SofLens Torics, which you're supposed to take out at night and throw out after two weeks. But when my current supply runs out, my eye doc wants to fit me with a different lens that just came out... although not everyone can tolerate this, supposedly the FDA has approved them for one month of continuous wear (i.e., you can sleep with them in).

UCantHavaDaMango said:

When I was a kid in the 1980s, and my eyesight was getting pretty bad pretty quickly, my eye doc at the time mentioned that some O.D.'s were thinking that the "hard" (rigid gas permeable) lenses could slow this process down. I don't know whether this has been proven true or not. By the time I started wearing contacts, my eyes had pretty much reached the point where they are today, so even if it does work, it was too late for me.

matt said:

I am in love with toric lenses I've never seen so clearly before.
And, I actually do sleep with them in a few nights a week...and then I take them out and wear them as daily wear for the rest of the week. I also use enzyme treatments (tablets or liquid) on them and it seems to extend their wear a bit.

I've considered it. But I have really bad stigmatism (Ihope I spelled that right). I don't need to be going blind. It feels that way sometimes with my contacts out.

I'm considering breast implants.

Any suggestions?

SureThing said:

DONT

My appointment is at 3 pm today. I will post the results tomorrow.