lasik?

[Eduardo]

who had lasik (the US name for laser corrective eye surgery) and how long did you wait to kite? doc said 4 weeks in case of a face plant. any problems?

[Kite Scarecrow]

Eddie,

I had lasik done well before I started kiting, but now that I do kite I am VERY glad I did.

When I got my operation done, they said 6 months before I could participate in any "motorized" watersports.

As time has gone one, and the doctors have learned more about how the eye reacts to this proceedure, the time off the water has gone way down.

Your best bet is to talk to a counselor at one of the lasik centers in your area.

FYI, there are newer and better/healthier forms of laser corrective surgery on the market. You should explore those as well. Beware that they might come at an increased cost.

Also, When I got my eyes done my credit was retty shotty...so I did not qualify for thier financing (at 20% intrest) but I did qualify for thier "in-house" financing (at 0% intrest ) my $1400 proceedure was paid off in 10 months.


I would recommend it to anybody...but beware of a few let-downs after the surgery.

iAN

[klimber]

In hind sight....

if I would have known the results I would have paid 10X what I paid!!

couldn't you wear some sort of swim goggle?

[OzBungy]

I had PRK, which is the predecessor to Lasik, in 1995. The best thing I have ever done. I would gladly pay 10 times what I paid. Even after 11 years I still have better than 20/20 vision and even my close up vision is pretty good at 49 years old.

I used to use contact lenses which were ok. I never lost one but they were a hassle putting in and taking out etc. When you fall in it is pretty natural to close your eyes. You can even open them a little underwater and the lenses will not wash out.

I would think with the new disposable lenses you would just use them and not worry if you lose them. You can also get tinted UV protection lenses which is probably a good thing.

[wavie_gravie]

i was kiting in barbados last year 6 days after surgery. I had the wave lasik or whatever it was called. it is the newer more expensive deal. they use tiny laser bubbles.
anyway.
1 week, not a problem. have better than 20 20 now and before my contacs were -6.50 and - 7.00

friggin blind. when i kited saltwater no problem, fresh water and they were gone. now it rocks.

[oqion]

Why not just wait till the season is over to be on the safe side? Then have the procedure, wait the 4 weeks or more.

[the_lone_wolf]

Eduardo: is the procedure you're describing the one where they make a small incision and laser the eye internally? In the UK we have Epi-Lasik or Epi-Lasek, where they just use the laser to burn off the outside layer of the eye, no insicions or anything. it's apparently a lot more painful for the first 48hrs or so but much quicker to recover, the downside is that it's only suitable for people with mild prescriptions...

personally if i could avoid having people cut my eye open i would, hope you get on ok, i'm considering LES myself as i'm sick of contacts and glasses

[ian c]

Anyone on -1.75 or less (ie not too bad...)

[the_lone_wolf]

Anyone on -1.75 or less (ie not too bad...)

we must have more ambitious surgeons here, generally Epi-Lasek is suitable for people with prescriptions up to -6.00

Do I choose LASIK or Epi-LASEK?
The same lasers are used for both treatments. Results at lower levels of vision correction (under -6 dioptres) are of similar accuracy for both procedures. When comparing benefits, the first impression is that LASIK laser eye treatment is a superior procedure. However, there are significant additional complications and risks that do not apply to Epi-LASEK. We perform bilateral Epi-LASEK laser eye treatment for low levels of vision correction (-4.50 dioptres or under) because it is safer, simpler and a more established treatment and achieves the same long term results. Epi-LASEK treatment does not involve cutting and is not dependent on surgical skill. However there may be some discomfort and recovery time is longer. The choice is dependent on your attitude to pain, risk, speed of recovery and cost.

We recommend LASIK laser eye treatment for all prescriptions of -6 dioptres and over and up to +4 dioptres only. There is no discomfort and the final result is achieved very rapidly. In most cases LASIK can be given to both eyes on the same day. Epi-LASEK may be offered above -6 dioptres where the cornea is too thin or when other conditions preclude LASIK. If you prefer, LASIK can be performed on all prescriptions under -10 dioptres.

personally as i'm only a low prescription power i'd have Epi-Lasek for the safety aspect, although the risks are tiny anyway, any way to avoid increasing them is something i'd be interested in...

[Baboon]

The operation involving up to 12 incisions in the cornea is a NO NO. People who perform this op should be blinded!!!!

I was working in Odessa Ukraine in 1995 and my mafia boss` best friend was the top man performing this op in Kiev. He arranged for my girl and me to meet him(my eyes are fine). I did ask my boss why he wore glasses when his best mate performed this op. No answer given he arranged for us to go to Kiev to find out for ourselves.

Well we were wined and dined and had full and really comprehensive eye tests done and the surgery explained. It was a great day out for us seeing Kiev.

The main man himself said he would perform the op on my friend if she wanted and only on condition we could get isurance for this op(just not possible)but first he said to go back to Odessa to the famous Filatov eye institute and see what they had to say.

This is what they told us.(remember translation was sometimes an issue)

30% failure rate!!!!
Of the 30 per hundred 27 end up with "bug vision"
2 end up with long sight
1 ends up with the iris coming outside the cornea or turning inside out(there was a lot of difficulty explaining this one.)

They then went on to explain that "if even a snowball hits the eye anytime in the future the incisions open again and smear the vision" which will take up to a year to heal and may not heal right.

They then asked us if we had noticed how many girls/woman were wearing dark glasses since we arrived in the country"(we had) and were told this was all from an advertising campaign from years earlier where they showed women throwing their glasses into the air and celebrateing this operation. Now they wore glasses to protect the eye, or if the unfortunate ones who ended up with "bug vision" saw light ...then they saw 12 lights so it was very bright.

Needless to say my friend didn`t go through with the op and we thanked the great people of the Filatov eye institute whose missfortune it is is dealing with the aftermath of these eye butchers.

There was/is a factory ship in the med that offers this operation on a conveyor belt type system. If it hasn`t been sunk ...it should be.

After Ukraine we went to Zimbabwe and stayed with an aunt in Bulawayo who informed us a doctor had just started doing this procedure in the town.

Years later in 2000 I was working in Mexico and a Russian colleague who had had the op had his eye smeared when a flipper knocked his diving mask off.

Please do not consider this type of surgery .

There is another procedure carried out in former Russia for folk with extreme cases of short sight where a smal inciion is made in the cornea and a lens inserted. I know very little of this operation but believe it to be a lot safer for those who are severly short sighted

Of the ten or so people I know personally who have had the laser treatment offered in the UK .....They all reckon its the best thing they have done.