Laser Eye Surgery

[Toadflax]

Following my thread on spectacles in bushcraft, Matt Weir suggested a poll on laser eye surgery. I couldn't find a way to add a poll to an existing thread, so here's a new one.

If you need vision correction (e.g. glasses or contact lenses) then you may well consider yourself dependent on civilisation and therefore unable to be a true bushcrafter - i.e. able to be totally self reliant. Laser eye surgery may therefore be an answer.

Note that you can select more than one option.


Geoff

 

[JulianWormwood]

I'm shortsighted in one eye (and slightly in the other), so I'm considering laser treatment for my bad eye. I'll be able to do without glasses at that point, and if I recover well, I'll get the other eye done.

A friend of mine had his done, and came out with better than 20/20 vision. I've no idea how that works.

 

[Steve27752]

I had my Blended Vision Wave Front Lasik eye surgery done here

http://www.londonvisionclinic.com/?..._medium=PPC&utm_campaign=londonlasereyeclinic

In February `07 and I can recommend LVC and Proffessor Dan Reinstien 100%.
After 20 years of Bi Focals it is great not to wear glasses!
Steve

 

[Marts]

A friend of mine had his done, and came out with better than 20/20 vision. I've no idea how that works.

It's quite possible to have better than 20/20 vision.

By looking at lots of people, eye doctors have decided what a "normal" human being should be able to see when standing 20 feet away from an eye chart.
If you have 20/20 vision, it means that when you stand 20 feet away from the chart you can see what the "normal" human being can see.

If you have 20/40 vision, it means that when you stand 20 feet away from the chart you can see what a normal human can see when standing 40 feet from the chart. That is, if there is a normal person standing 40 feet away from the chart and you are standing only 20 feet away from it, you and the normal person can see the same detail. 20/100 means that when you stand 20 feet from the chart you can see what a normal person standing 100 feet away can see. 20/200 is the cutoff for legal blindness in the United States.

You can also have vision that is better than the norm. A person with 20/10 vision can see at 20 feet what a normal person can see when standing 10 feet away from the chart.

Hawks, owls and other birds of prey have much more acute vision than humans. A hawk has a much smaller eye than a human being but has lots of sensors (cones) packed into that space. This gives a hawk vision that is eight times more acute than a human's. A hawk might have 20/2 vision!

Source:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question126.htm

 

[dtalbot]

Hopelessly short sighted till I got zapped in Dec 2005, 20/10 in my left eye, 20/15 in my right now. Quite a bit better than the best results specs/contacts had given me in the last few years I wore them so well pleased with the result

 

[Matt Weir]

Hi Geoff,

Just above the first post on the right hand side you will find 'Thread Tools'. If you click that on a thread you have created then you will see an option to add a poll

 

[dtalbot]

http://www.lasereyeforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=178
A step by step account of me getting zapped. And a good informative forum for anyone considering surgery, lots of stories good and bad though keep in mind people are far more eager to complain than praise!

 

[Toadflax]

Just out of curiosity, a question for those who voted that they would not have laser eye surgery. Do you currently need corrective lenses?

It may be difficult for someone who has never needed corrective lenses to understand the physical and psychological gains that a person can make by not wearing glasses (either by wearing contact lenses or laser surgery). Glasses can leave emotional scars on a person, particularly when worn through school. Even in these supposedly politically correct days, children who wear glasses are subject to tormenting by those who don't.

I may be overstepping the mark here (so I will edit this post if anyone is offended) but I view abuse due to wearing glasses at the same level as racial abuse - it is abuse simply because of the way a person looks and over which they have no control. To be fair, 'spectacleist' isn't institutionalised and isn't likely to affect employment prospects and similar things, but during the formative and vulnerable early years of a child's life it can be very damaging to their development and confidence.

Apologies if this seems like a rant (because I suppose it is), but I was on the receiving end when I was growing up, and my own daughter has suffered very similarly througout her schooling.


Geoff

 

[Steve27752]

http://www.lasereyeforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=178
A step by step account of me getting zapped. And a good informative forum for anyone considering surgery, lots of stories good and bad though keep in mind people are far more eager to complain than praise!

Hi,
Out of interest I had Lasik what did you have?
Steve

 

[Matt Weir]

Just out of curiosity, a question for those who voted that they would not have laser eye surgery. Do you currently need corrective lenses?

It may be difficult for someone who has never needed corrective lenses to understand the physical and psychological gains that a person can make by not wearing glasses (either by wearing contact lenses or laser surgery). Glasses can leave emotional scars on a person, particularly when worn through school. Even in these supposedly politically correct days, children who wear glasses are subject to tormenting by those who don't.

I may be overstepping the mark here (so I will edit this post if anyone is offended) but I view abuse due to wearing glasses at the same level as racial abuse - it is abuse simply because of the way a person looks and over which they have no control. To be fair, 'spectacleist' isn't institutionalised and isn't likely to affect employment prospects and similar things, but during the formative and vulnerable early years of a child's life it can be very damaging to their development and confidence.

Apologies if this seems like a rant (because I suppose it is), but I was on the receiving end when I was growing up, and my own daughter has suffered very similarly througout her schooling.


Geoff

Strange as I have experienced the opposite side of that coin Geoff. My two lads were desperate to fail their eye tests a few months ago so they could get specs for school, they must be the in thing at their school

 

[Toadflax]

Strange as I have experienced the opposite side of that coin Geoff. My two lads were desperate to fail their eye tests a few months ago so they could get specs for school, they must be the in thing at their school

Strange...but I'm very conscious now that I'm falling into the trap of talking about non-bushcraft things on these forums. Not really sure I should be doing that.



Geoff

 

[JonnyP]

I wear glasses and have considered laser treatment, but my optician said I could, and it may help, but not for long as I am errrrrrrrr, getting older now and my eyes are going to start to get worse anyway.......Hmmmmm, life may begin at 40, but you might not be able to see it.....

 

[dtalbot]

Hi,
Out of interest I had Lasik what did you have?
Steve

Ultralasikplus (wavefront lasik) from ultralase which they very kindly paid for! They give away one lot of surgery a month to someone who registers with them and I got lucky! Got to the end of the suitability check, opthalmologist spotted I was a prize draw winner and announced there was not much point reviewing the options he'd just reccomend me for the most expensive package!
Suited me fine.
Cheers
David

 

[baggins]

On a slightly different vein, i had laser surgery for a serious condition in one of my eyes. They used the laser to cauterise the back of the eye to prevent the condition worsening. I've had 6 bouts of this now (over 15 years), all on the NHS and it seems to have worked. Ofcourse, i am now blind as a bat in the one eye but at least the eyeball hasn't exploded. Also had a cateract done last year (same eye), and whatever you do, opt for the general aneastetic, i went for the local and it really is freaky, watching somone remove the inside of your eye and replace it with plastic (you can see 'up' the surgons microscope as he's looking down to work).
Baggins

 

[Steve27752]

Ultralasikplus (wavefront lasik) from ultralase which they very kindly paid for! They give away one lot of surgery a month to someone who registers with them and I got lucky! Got to the end of the suitability check, opthalmologist spotted I was a prize draw winner and announced there was not much point reviewing the options he'd just reccomend me for the most expensive package!
Suited me fine.
Cheers
David

Nice one, I am part of a pilot scheme and my company paid for mine. Again Wave Front Lasik.
Steve

 

[dtalbot]

Cool, don't think I'd ever have forked out the cash but having been zapped wish I had done years ago!

 

[Mikey P]

I put 'neutral' as my mate, John, had his done last week and is still wearing sunglasses and stuff. He got it done mainly becuase we are both triathletes and he is sick of losing prescription goggles and having ro get special lenses for his sunglasses, etc.

 

[dtalbot]

Last week is way too soon to conclude anything!
It will take anything from a few hours to a few weeks to properly settle (everyone is different in how they heal). But certainly I was advised to wear sunglasses when out and about for a couple of weeks to minimise the chance of getting any dust, rain or other nasties in eyes that had enough healing to do already. Also was a bit light sensitive for a couple of weeks or so so would have worn them anyway. So I'd say your mate is on track and nothing unusual going on.

 

[MartiniDave]

My step-daugther had both eyes wave-fronted about a month ago. She was very short sigthed before the treatment. Even on the way home from the clinic the improvement was astonishing. Her eyesight now seems to be getting better and better.
Based on her experience I think I would take the plunge if I needed to.

Dave

 

[Aliwren]

I know people who have had it done with sucess but I am still of the view the technology isnt quite there yet. There is a risk of permanent damage to sight (however small) but that is not a risk I am prepared to take.