Laser Eye Surgery

[midnightfxgt]

Hey Guys,

I am looking to have laser eye surgery done in the next few months, and am trying to do some research.

Has anyone here had it done? If so;

Where?
Cost?
Any side effects out of the normal?
Would you do it again?

I have had a friend go to Bochner (sp?), and spent a lot, while another friend went to Lasik MD and spent $2400, and she had a MUCH quicker recovery time. However, its hard to compare, as everyone is different.

My prescription is -2.5/-3.0, and next to no astigmatism, so it should be fairly easy :)

Thanks!
John

[iconicrocket]

Look for majic's posts about 2 years back, it's on this forum.

[midnightfxgt]

Done and done... a lot has changed in 2yrs though. :)

[fini]

My coworker recently went and has laser eye surgery. I think it was at YELC - yonge eglinton laser eye clinic.

from what i remember him telling me,
- it cost $5000
- recovery time was about a month or so
- during that time can't rub your eye (DUH!)
- during that time you may see halos
- apparently it wasn't painful prcoedure or recovery.
- result was "better" than 20/20 vision

if you go for a consultation they will tell you if you are a good candidate for the procdedure or not. apparently depending on your eye size shape and condition, you may not be able to get the treatment. that's what was told to my other co-worker who was told that she couldn't have it done.

[Fobio]

I've been hearing how it costs $5000...but of course, they advertise $499/eye on the radio...

[mazdabetty]

Make sure you watch a lot of disgusting videos about how they cut a "flap" on your eyeball and flip it up before you go... AHHHHH!!!!!!! I guess that's why you shouldn't rub your eye... ewwwwwwww imagine you accidentally LIFTED the flap????????? AHHAHAHHA OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Would you put it back down again??? Or run back to the clinic with your flap up????

*barfffffff*

[spd frk]

I am going to Lasik at First Canadian Place today for my surgery. Cost is about $3980 because I have a light prescription and a fairly optimal eyeball (apparently). Free re-cutting for life if my eyes change.

[midnightfxgt]

Great! Let me know how it goes!

I have seen the vids and know the risks, and side effects. More looking for pros and cons to different places :)

[SilentJay]

If you have dry eyes (mine are super dry apparently), you'll be uncomfortable after the procedure, and may need to be on eye-drops for the rest of your life :P

[optiklenz13]

Make sure you watch a lot of disgusting videos about how they cut a "flap" on your eyeball and flip it up before you go... AHHHHH!!!!!!! I guess that's why you shouldn't rub your eye... ewwwwwwww imagine you accidentally LIFTED the flap????????? AHHAHAHHA OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Would you put it back down again??? Or run back to the clinic with your flap up????

*barfffffff*

HARDCORE!!!

excuse while I go barf as well. My eyes started to itch/hurt when i read your post. Thanks Ash. LOL.

[froggy]

My coworker recently went and has laser eye surgery. I think it was at YELC - yonge eglinton laser eye clinic.

from what i remember him telling me,
- it cost $5000
- recovery time was about a month or so
- during that time can't rub your eye (DUH!)
- during that time you may see halos
- apparently it wasn't painful prcoedure or recovery.
- result was "better" than 20/20 vision

if you go for a consultation they will tell you if you are a good candidate for the procdedure or not. apparently depending on your eye size shape and condition, you may not be able to get the treatment. that's what was told to my other co-worker who was told that she couldn't have it done.


Hey Guys,

I am looking to have laser eye surgery done in the next few months, and am trying to do some research.

Has anyone here had it done? If so;

Where?
Cost?
Any side effects out of the normal?
Would you do it again?

I have had a friend go to Bochner (sp?), and spent a lot, while another friend went to Lasik MD and spent $2400, and she had a MUCH quicker recovery time. However, its hard to compare, as everyone is different.

My prescription is -2.5/-3.0, and next to no astigmatism, so it should be fairly easy :)

Thanks!
John

I had 2 friends that did this so far one went to YELC, and the other one went to either Bauchner or the other one Herzig eye centre. The friend of mine that had it done at YELC did not have as good as results as my friend who had it done at the other clinic. He still see's well enough not to need glasses but it's not as sharp as my other friends. They both had perscriptions within 0.5 of each other

[4g.]

I just went in for a consultation. There are 2 different types of treatment. One is where they "burn" through your cornea, where the other is when they remove a "flap" then burn.
Apparently, because the protein content is obscene in the flap of your eye, it will never fully heal. If you get hit in the face, or scratch your eye too hard, there is a high chance of the flap ripping. Now, most places wont even do that type of treatment because of the varied results.

The surgery when they leave your eye intact, has 2 methods as well. Its basically 2 different lasers. And frankly, they are theexact same. Without getting into a mess of details, the procedure is exactly the same, results are the same, but the only difference is healing time. The first of the 2 lasers recovery time is about a week, where as the 2nd is only a few days but at the cost of $700 more (usually)

Its best to go in for a consultation, they do a good job of explaining and taking your money.
I have a very minor prescription, so minor that they had to 'bend the rules' to get my to qualify for it, and even at that they gave me a 'deal' at $4700.
Hope it helps.

[4g.]

^^ furthermore, you need to make sure you qualify for it.
Consistent prescription
no health concerns
normal sized eyes/pupils
actual prescription
allergies and junk like that

when I went in, I was shocked that they had so many restrictions.

[mazdabetty]

HARDCORE!!!

excuse while I go barf as well. My eyes started to itch/hurt when i read your post. Thanks Ash. LOL.

hahahhahah mmmm eye flap...


You're best off talking to your optometrist about it. I was thinking about doing it a while back (before I found out about this flap business) and certain optometrists are linked to certain lasik centres, therefore do free follow up appointments.

I was recommended by two different optometrists to TLC. They were noted (at the time at least) to be the best in Canada. You could do several pre-surgery appointments to determine where you'll be most comfortable. But don't cheap out and go $499 per eye (wtf??) this is your eyesight you're messing with, money should be no object.

Good luck!! :)

[4g.]

^^
SilentJay is correct.
If you have abnormally dry eyes, you will be taking eye drops DAILY for the rest of your life.

(Free re-cutting for life if my eyes change) --spk frk
You are right, its free re-adjusting for life BUT its under the same technology that was originally used.
So, basically as an example all those people who got their eyes done years ago by the 'older' style of laser eye surgery were using a different type of technology. If they were to have problems, and needed a adjustment. Their older treatment style is no longer used, they would have to pay (whatever the amount) more to use the newer treatment procedures to fix the problem.
Its a complete asswad thing of them to do. Laser tech changes all the time, and it will change every few years.
As I was explaining with the 2 different types of surgery's, one costing $700 more, if you were to opt to not spend the $700 and go with the quicker healing times procedure, then they phase out that procedure and you required further adjustments later on in life, you would then need to pay the $700 because you didn't use that tech when you originally had your surgery. So basically, "free for life" is a bs claim, unless they keep the tech and procedure exactly the same from here on..
I hope that all makes sense.

[spd frk]

I agree with 4G they use the same technology for "enhancement" they call it as when your eyes were originally done. However when they step up to the next technology I doubt they will leave the old machine sitting around, and thus any enhancement will be done on the current technology (they do say that on the forms if the old tech isn't available).

It has been 6 days now for me. I can see 20/20 in both eyes. I had some inflammation in my left eye but it is gone already. Both eyes are a little dry but the drops work fine for me. I can see great, drive no problem, etc.

I had very large pupils, and extra thick cornea's, and a light prescription (-2.25 in each eye and astigmatism in left) so I was a good candidate but at this time I have some "stabursting" at night. This should go away apparently as my eyes heal and relubricate fully.

I went to YELC, Herzig and Lasik and Lasik was the cheapest (4,000 vs. 5000 at YELC and 6000 at Herzig). I can't tell any main difference between them as they all use the same technology. However Lasik manually cuts your cornea flap whereas the other 2 use a computerized cutter ($500 extra at Lasik). Teh rest seem to just fluff in my opinion as they includ eth eye drops free ($60 for me) or give massages before the surgery.

[mazdabetty]

Bringing this thread back to life!!

It's been about 3 years, I'm very curious how the surgery went and if there have been any side effects since. Looking into this more and more lately but I keep googling too much and scaring myself out of it lol...

[peterm15]

Bringing this thread back to life!!

It's been about 3 years, I'm very curious how the surgery went and if there have been any side effects since. Looking into this more and more lately but I keep googling too much and scaring myself out of it lol...

A friend of mine just got it done a few months ago.

No problems and shes very happy with the results.

[mazdabetty]

Where did she get the procedure done?

I'm also very curious to hear from people who have had it done more than a few years ago, the dry eye thing is scaring me a little haha

[jonjon72]

I was looking into this during the weekend. One of my co workers just had it done last month and he explained how the procedure has improved over the last 2-3 years. No more halo's and much improved nite vision. Had his done at Lasik for $4000 and that includes lifetime adjustments and 1 year money back warranty. Mentioned it was painless and took less than a minute to complete.

[mazdabetty]

he explained how the procedure has improved over the last 2-3 years.

This line I like to hear. hahah, while I know it's true that the technology has definitely improved over the past few years, I wonder if it's true that the risks have decreased? Most of the crap I googled about botched surgeries did take place about 5+ years ago...

[Shen]

got mine done 3+ years ago at bochner, well worth of money =D

[zeke]

Got mine done at LasikMD 7+ years ago. Prescription was -7.0 both eyes. Got custom wavefront done. $4000. Still 20/20. Glad I did it.

[jonjon72]

This line I like to hear. hahah, while I know it's true that the technology has definitely improved over the past few years, I wonder if it's true that the risks have decreased? Most of the crap I googled about botched surgeries did take place about 5+ years ago...

He also mentioned that there is an option for Hi Def vision. wha?????

[midnightfxgt]

Went to Bochner, and would recommend to ANYONE. This info is from when I went about 3yrs ago:

Bochner does not have a "good, better, best" approach. Everything is done with laser, and is custom to the patient. Cost is (was?) $5400 no matter your prescription. This includes everything. Anyone thinking they will qualify for the $490/eye elsewhere is kidding themselves. When I called Lasik MD, they told me that was for people with +/- 0.25% correction. ie near perfect vision, who would not require glasses to drive etc.

Note about LasikMD - You can not go to your own optometrist. Everything from initial visit, followups, etc is done in a LasikMD office. This is not necessarily and good or bad point. I personally liked the idea of using an unbiased optometrist for followups. However I know about 3 people who have gone to LasikMD with great success.

Overall, the procedure is nerve-racking. It is your eyes! Everyone was more than friendly and knowledgeable, and went out of their way to make you feel better. I had zero pain afterwards. My eyes had some discomfort and scratchiness for a couple hours after having it done. This was explained to me before surgery, and the recommended I sleep for a couple hours after if I could, so I did. I slept from T.O back home to Whitby, and a couple hours after I got home. When I woke up I had 20/20 vision. My followup with the optometrist the next morning proved it. At my one-week followup, I had 20/15 vision (better than 20/20), and still have it today. I have no halos like described in the old days, pain etc. It was as close to a perfect experience as I could ask for :)

-John

[mazdabetty]

Ahh that's amazing to hear!!! Thanks so much for the update... I keep hearing it's so life changing for people, it is definitely enticing.

I don't think there's a Bochner in Ottawa but a friend of mine just went there recently and ended up with an abrasion in their eye during surgery :S From what I've read that isn't TOO serious, but still scary as hell.... I'm so torn. I'm thinking for now I might just deal with carrying a lense case and solution everywhere I go and wait a few more years. I know I'm being overly paranoid, but knowing my luck I'll be one of those people who's surgery goes totally wrong lol


He also mentioned that there is an option for Hi Def vision. wha?????

LOL!!! As opposed to only 720P vision???

[m_bisson]

I had mine done at the University of Waterloo about 4 years ago. I forget the name of the place, but it wasn't Lasikmd. Cost me $1800 for my right eye only. The ONLY issue is that reading text far away is sometimes difficult. The letters are very crisp and clear, but the very center of my focus (where I'm looking) sometimes sort of goes black and I have to read with the peripheral vision.

So, if something like a sign is like 300 feet away and the text size looks like size 8, it's difficult to read. Up close it's all good.


The procedure itself was super easy: Eye drops to sort of numb your eye and eye muscles (10 minutes of sitting to let it soak in), then you go lay down under the laser and the use a speculum to hold your eye open, then they cut your cornea and peel it back. At that point everything goes blurry, and it's actually sort of neat because you can SEE the cornea being pulled up, like blinds on a window. Then you stare straight ahead at the little light and after a few zaps they replace the cornea, tape your eye shut, and you're out the door! (Total of 3 or 4 minutes).

After, it's 2 types of eye drops for the next couple weeks, plus sunglasses almost all the time. For the first few days you also have to keep your eye covered while you sleep with a plastic eye patch thing. My eye stopped getting dry within a few days but I kept using the eye drops just to be safe. Halo's at night time were VERY noticeable but went away quickly. Since I only got one eye done, I can tell you that the halos are no worse in my lasered eye than my normal eye :)

[JD@WhitbyMazda]

Had mine done at Young-Eglington Laster Eye + Cosmetic Center about 2.5 years ago. Like Bochner they only offered personalized surgery for the procedure. They actually used 2 lasers for the procedure; one to open the flap and the other to perform the actual surgery. Staff and the surgeon were top-notch. There was a minor complication with my prescription that required I go in for a second surgery (which was just the passed October). Was annoyed that I had to go back there once every couple of months to follow up, but the checks and second surgery were all free as they cover my eyes for life provided I get annual check ups at any optometrist.

As a side note, I had to have a PRK procedure for my second visit. This was not nearly as pleasant as standard Lasik. Eyes were very itchy and painful for almost 10 days after the surgery. Now that I am passed the recovery, I can still 110% recommend it to anyone considering the procedure, even if you need to endure PRK. My vision is now 20/15 and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. I was bound by glasses from the age of 7 and to finally be free of them and contact lenses at 25 is amazing.

[proDJtege]

After seeing final destination with the

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zJC5vXLtcU/UIBoOPjyT2I/AAAAAAAAAQo/Nxy2sgs7IMc/s1600/FD5_main.jpg

I'm NEVER getting this done.

lol :chuckle ;)

[jonjon72]

After seeing final destination with the

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zJC5vXLtcU/UIBoOPjyT2I/AAAAAAAAAQo/Nxy2sgs7IMc/s1600/FD5_main.jpg

I'm NEVER getting this done.

lol :chuckle ;)


You sir, are an ass! ROFL :chuckle

[5_Alive]

Ever think of coming to the Windsor Laser Eye Institute?

[aenraca]

Actually had mine done 3 weeks ago at Bochner. No regrets and would definitely recommend it. Completely painless with only the initial anesthetic drops being the most painful part. It was actually more of an eye irritation, much less compared to having soap in your eye! :chuckle
The results were immediate and a couple of hours after the surgery I was already able to read the license plates of the cars in front of me (nope, wife was driving!) and this is coming from having -4.00 on both eyes. My only regret was that I wished I had done it sooner as it is truly 'liberating' to be finally glasses-free.

[p-o-g-i]

I went to LasikMD (Yorkville location) for consultation the summer of last year. They explained the procedure to the point I was comfortable. They addressed both the pros and cons. IMO, the pros definitely out weighed the cons.

The deciding factor for me not to go throgh with it at the time, was the fact that due to the type of procedure I would require it was going to be approx $6000-$7200.

[Stretch]

Looking into this right now as I aspire to change careers and become an RCMP officer, thus requiring laser surgery to correct me eyes. Can anyone who has been to YELC recently give me some feedback? or if you recommend another location over this one, I would be very willing to hear of it! I am liking YELC more due to hearing the radio personalities who have done it and love it, and also from reading good reviews of past jobs, but was looking for a more recent review if possible.
Thanks guys,
eric

[Canadianbacon]

i recommend you check out Lazik MD, really amazing doctors there, its been almost a year now, and its lifetime guarantee,

Went with the Advance custom wavefront, you could go with standard laser but custom is better because they remove less tissue.

Also at lazik MD they have at least 20 doctors or more you can choose and pick who you want. I see better then 20/20

[trebororr]

My procedure done at Lasik MD. Had the more expensive procedure as they said possibility of negative consequences only 2

[trebororr]

Not sure what happened wasn't finished post.

As I was saying had the procedure done at Lasik MD in 2010. Had the more expensive procedure as they said the possibility of negative consequences only 2%. Not like the results; nothing major but many small negative consequences.

I don't see as well now at night as I did with glasses. My vision has spots at night and is not as clear. Have dry, itchy eyes requiring lubricating drops to be used. I have light sensitivity, so I often wear sunglasses. Before procedure I used glasses to see far; now I need glasses to read. If I could go back in time, I would keep my $4200 and wear glasses.

I have heard many other people say great things about the procedure; me not so much.

[ooltra]

Went to Lasik Md almost 3 years ago. Had to have the PRK lasik done due to the fact that I box and they didn't want me left with a flap that could get screwed up from getting hit in the face. I was nervous as ****, but they were great at keeping me calm and explaining everything in great detail. The recovery time on PRK is more intense, especially the first 3 days...but I wouldn't trade this for the world.

[trebororr]

Lucky you; as I said I don't see as well at night anymore. Not seeing at night is a definite problem for a motorcycle rider. It's important to see liquids or debris on the road to prevent falls.

[midnightfxgt]

Not seeing at night is a definite problem for a motorcycle rider.

Or anyone driving a motor vehicle. Will LasikMD not fix your issues?

[motormaniac]

I got my Lasik done at LaskiMD Mississauga location 4 years ago.
Only issue I am having is my eyes are sensitive only under bright sunlight.

I have no problem during night driving.