Laser Eye Surgery

[B-MAN]

Hi guys,

Just had laser surgery on sats and im back up to 20/20+1 vision and no pain already..... luvin it.

Anyways, just wandered if anyone out there has had the surgery too and how long they personally waited to get back in the water with the wind, water and big wipe outs. Ive been told 1 week for gym, 4 weeks for swimming/sauna/steam room etc. and 2/2.5 months for kiting but i dont think they really understood what kiting was. Apparently the flap cut takes 6 months to fully heal but i have spoken to people who windsurfed after 2 months.

I had the lasik treatment and my flap was also cut by laser. Probably the worst pain/uncomfortable feeling ive ever had....... its like having shampoo and grit put in your eyes for 5 hrs afterwards which you cant rub out but then it quickly vanishes. The op on Youtube looks friggin messed up but hey 20/20+ is friggin aweosme. Luv it!!! No more contacts, no more glasses.

Cheers in advance

[tripman]

I had the same back in 2005. Only thing is that it was the old fashion one, in which the surgeon reduces the thickness of the eye by cutting/burning/scratching the top of it. As a result, it was way more painfull than with the lasic technic and it was done in 2 operations BUT I was back on the water 3 days after the 2nd eye's operation. Just asked my wife who had the lasic one, she had also been told not to go swimming especially in the ocean for 6 weeks.
In my case, I used some closed googles similar to Demetz ones during 2 weeks, just in case.

[dobiewan]

I would be very careful. The flap in the traditional lasik technique is the weak link, and a big faceful of high pressure water would be potentially damaging. I would give it the minimum amount of time suggested, and wear some form of eye protection for a while during kitisurfing too. My eye doctor has turned away from Lasik and gone to a more recent technique where they simply scrape off the epithilial layer and then reshape the eye. More pain than Lasik, and longer healing, but no flap. The inventor of Lasik dropped it and developed this new technique due to the concerns over the flap. I had a friend years ago who had his flap unseat, and had to fly back to Canada to get it redone - not something you want to play with!
Ken

[B-MAN]

Cheers for info

My flap was cut by laser though which means even quicker healing than the old mechanical flap being cut. I'll defo wait a few months...... its cold here anyway and i have heaps of uni work.

I'll wear my oakley eye jackets that i used to have prescription for when i go back in........ i'll have to put the non-prescription lenses back in though whoop whoop!! ha ha

[OzBungy]

I had the same procedure as Tripman back in 1995. My eyesight is still better than 20/20 and I looooove it. By far the best thing I ever spent money.

I have heard of people dislodging the flap so I would take it easy if you are going kiting. Maybe wear some ski goggles or something that will give you some protection.

I would also get rid of the Oakleys. I have several pairs of water sunglasses and the Oakleys are the worst by far. (They're also discontinued so even Oakley don't think much of them.)

These are much better:
- http://www.kurtisusa.com They're kind of expensive but work the best by far and don't look too bad. They sit well out from your face so they don't fog up and you can easily fit a finger under to wipe water or sunscreen out of your eyes. They don't give all that much protection against spray.

- http://www.spexusa.com These work well and they're cheap but they're kind of big and look a bit Fearless Fly. They have big rubber frames and they sit will out from your face so they don't fog up. The yellow lenses give good eye protection but are bright enough to wear on cloudy days or very late in the afternoon.

[Eduardo]

I waited 4 weeks. Did it during the less windy season so it was not so hard to wait. If you have normal crashes I'd say no problem, although sun glasses like sea specs will probably make you feel better. if you have big time kite loop crashes then you might think twice about waiting longer or full goggles.

[mmunzer]

I had Lasek instead of Lasik. In lasek there is no flap they cut off. This makes the chance of having a flap unseat non-existant. I would definately recommend Lasek for kitesurfers. But I had at least one week of serious pain and maybe two weeks where I couldn't really see much. So Lasik is much easier than Lasek, but the long term benefits of Lasek are in my opinion greater than the higher pain and inconvenience.

I also had my operation right before christmas last year. So there was no kiting anyways for a while...

And definately a really great investment!

/Marc

[Rybuffett]

You could go back earlier than recommended and more then likely you'll have no problems, however it is your eyesight and there is a rare chance of really messing up your vision. I guess I would weigh the risks and benefits before doing it. In 6 mths it'll be summer!

I believe Lasek is probably the best for contact sports due to lack of a flap, but both offer great vision!

[kitestud]

http://www.silverfish.com has great kitesurfing sunglasses that come with a leash which few others have - that way it is nearly impossible to lose them.

[Al_f]

Had lasik by experienced eye surgeon, director of eye clinic. He said 3 months no sooner and wouldn't take any of my 'but what if i just wear x....?' arguments. As well as wipe outs there is the major temptation to rub your eyes if you get a load of spray in your face. With your eyes probably just not worth the risk...