Eye operation

[kantor1003]

The last couple of years I have often experienced headaches, but didn't think too much about it and didn't really notice any change. I think it must have been a gradual thing because I didn't really notice any difference. The last months however, I have noticed that I really do have trouble seeing things. Especially at a distance. Haven't had an eye examination, mostly because I didn't bother and because I didn't know how bad it had become. Today (10 minutes ago) I saw a couple of glasses on the table. It belongs to my mother. For fun I thought I should try them out to see what happened. I expected it to change my eye sight to the worse, like trying glasses usually do, but to my biggest surprise I saw really great through them. It was a bittersweet feeling. I can't believe how crappy my eyesight really is/have been. I mean, I must have wandered through a fog like perception of reality for god knows how long. So now I really have to do something about it. I'm only 22 years old and I can't bear the thought of using glasses or lenses for the rest of my life, so I want an eye operation. In Norway it is really expensive. Between 4-6k depending on the method being used. I don't have that kinda money to spend right now, but I really want to get this done. It is my eyes after all :/ Do any of you have any experience with laser surgery? Would you recommend it? The people I have talked to that have gone through the operation can't recommend it highly enough and as I mentioned before I don't really want to use glasses or lenses. Are there any noticeable physical marks on the eyes after the operation?

Fuck. Shit.

 

[EvilScientist Trainee]

How come you dislike glasses?

Have you tried this model yet?

Spoiler

--

On a more serious note, do you just dislike glasses/lenses? Or do you have a condition that makes it unbearable to wear glasses? As far as I know, once you start using it, it gets more natural as time passes. I'd suggest lenses, anyway.

 

[Kuu]

I remember when I first got my glasses, and realized how different the world actually looked. "It was a bittersweet feeling. I can't believe how crappy my eyesight really is/have been. I mean, I must have wandered through a fog-like perception of reality for god knows how long. " sounds quite similar to my thoughts then.

My brother had an operation some years ago, as well as a friend some months ago. They seem to be doing fine. The laser technique is quite developed these days... mind you this was in a "developing country"...

I don't see what's the big problem with contacts though. It's a minor inconvenience. Or with glasses. You should give them a try... you make it sound like your life is ruined.

 

[dark]

From the experience of someone who has worn glasses almost their entire life, I say get glasses. I have to wear a contact in my right eye, but it is an AFAIK contact so it is big, and it isn't the most pleasant thing.

A friend of mine just recently got laser eye surgery thing, the US. He had worse vision than me, but he didn't have a cataract. And now he has perfect vision, it did leave some red marks around his eyes for a week or so, but I am sure it is gone now, has been almost 5 months, haven't got to speak with him in 2 months but I am sure it is going well, he was really excited about it.

What ever you choose, the choice will take adjusting, and it will be worth it. I personally prefer to go back to glasses as soon as I can get the lens placed in my eye.

@ EvilScientist Trainee, I have been wearing that model of glasses for years now.

Ok most eye doctors, can't remember how to spell their official name, are like car salesmen, they just want to sale you a product and make money. At least this is how it is in the US. I found a good doctor that takes care of his patients and he doesn't try to sale things, he actually gives stuff for free, which is really cool. I recommend asking around to people who have eye problems and see who is the best doc around for that.

 

[gruesomebrat]

It gets a lot easier as time goes by. I've been wearing glasses for about 13 years now, and I don't know what I'd do without them now. I've considered going the laser correction method, but I'm always put off by the minute possibility that I lose my sight completely. I know that the possibility is less than 1 percent, but it's still there. I've also thought about contacts, but the idea of touching my eyes disgusts me. Even if I'm not technically touching the eye, I would perceive it as such.

Anyway, nothing really wrong with glasses. The weird looks that I used to get have largely faded away, as glasses have become more common and more accepted by the mainstream. You will likely go through a short period of friends saying "Oh my God, how long have you been wearing glasses?", but other than that, there's really not that much reaction. As far as the comfortableness of glasses, you barely notice them after about a month or so.

As far as I know, the laser correction operation leaves no distinguishing marks, although it does screw with your night vision a little. After all, they're shining a very bright light into your eyes. Almost everyone in my family who has gotten corrective surgery has commented on the fact that at night, they often get irritated by a faint glare around their peripheral vision. To hear it described, it's not debilitating, but does make driving at night a little bit of a hassle.

@dark: Optometrist.

 

[Auburn]

I am currently reading a book by an ophthalmologist on natural eye correction.

He believes vision problems are often acquired due to poor vision habits, and are also reversible without surgery through re-teaching our eyes to focus properly. He's not very popular or well accepted, but then so are most people I admire, so I'm giving it a shot.

 

[warryer]

I'd believe that it could be done naturally. I imagine that it just a weakening/over-strengthening of certain muscles.

Anyhow, I've had glasses for most of my life. They aren't that bad. They are weird at first but, you get used to them.

Contact lenses are even better but, there is a potential for drying your eyes out. You can put them in under 30 seconds.

I don't think I could risk my eye sight for laser treatment. My grandparents have had it done. It is completely unnoticeable after your eyes fully heal. It is important to keep in mind that it is possible for your eyes to get worse and have to get the treatment again.

It would be nice to be able to not rely on something to see properly but, the cost and risk (however small it is) is not worth it. I highly doubt that across my life I am going to spend several thousand on glasses/contacts.

 

[dark]

Natural healing sounds good, but it doesn't work for everything. The docs tried that with me as a young child, put a patch over my left eye, had to wear that all the time, I was a one eyed kid with shitty as hell vision for a long time. Maybe that is why I became so unobservant. But in truth it hurt my vision in my left eye.

But then again I had scars on the lens of my right eye from the illness I acquired. So the natural way would not work on me no matter what. Those idiotic doctors should have known that it would not heal the scars but of course back then the illness was not well known and I was used as a guinea pig for about a year.

 

[Bird]

Lasik eye surgery is pretty
common the US. You know
the land of the vain.


However since you have not
been specific, I am unsure what
kind of eye surgery you are
considering getting as there are
several options out there.

 

[Trebuchet]

I have worn glasses and/or contacts since I was 13, with a 10-year hiatus after I got lasik. Now I am back to glasses but at a much lower prescription.

Since you are not yet 25, I recommending waiting at least until then. Your eyes change a lot in your early 20s, and lasik would probably be a waste until they stabilize.

After that, lasik is very freeing. Many activities, like swimming, are much easier after lasik. However, it won't last forever. After you hit 40, you will almost certainly be back in glasses.

Also, the longer you wait, the better the technology becomes. Wait at least 3 years, maybe more, and until then get a properly prescribed pair of glasses, or contacts if you need peripheral vision and find you are able to wear them.

 

[walfin]

I still have perfect eyesight (miraculously).

No, wait a few more years till you get LASIK.

It sounds quite strange that you're getting myopia only at 22. Maybe you should cut down computer/TV time or something. Don't read in the dark. Look at trees and forests more, it's said to relax your eyes. It could also be due to anxiety (http://www.springerlink.com/content/r286157172887421/ - more anxiety could make it worse). Maybe your perfect eyesight will come back (or at least the myopia won't get worse) if you take a break from everything for a while.

@dark: Optometrist.

Nope, ophthalmologist.

Optometrist is the guy who prescribes your glasses.

 

[gruesomebrat]

Nope, ophthalmologist.

Optometrist is the guy who prescribes your glasses.

Yeah, i realized this last night, and felt bad for misleading dark. Then realized that he'd probably figure out my mistake eventually, and it would all balance out.

 

[dark]

Haha nope I didn't figure it out, good thing you guys corrected that, I seriously need to remember words. The person I go to is neither he is an eye surgeon, so I guess that is why I never knew the names but I have heard them floating around every so often.

 

[kantor1003]

EvilScientist:
I don't have anything against glasses from an aesthetic point of view. The reason why I want an operation is because I don't want to depend on 3d party mechanics for my perception to function optimally. Not to talk about all the hassle with using glasses or lenses. Also, I think it is a good decision from a financial point of view.

Kuu and dark, thanks for the input.

gruesomebrat: "but I'm always put off by the minute possibility that I lose my sight completely. I know that the possibility is less than 1 percent, but it's still there."

Where did you get this information? I haven't seen anywhere that there is a potential chance for loosing your sight completely. From what I've seen the worst consequence is that they don't get it perfectly the first time and they have to do it again to adjust it properly.
Also, there was something about not being able to see that great in darkness. That issue, according to some sources, says that this no longer is an issue due to the technological development.

Auburn:
In my case, I think that's the reason. I spend all day, and have been for a long time, in front of the computer. However, re-teaching seems out of the question as I have no desire to change my computer/reading habits too drastically.

Warryer:
What risk?
And I really think it's worth it money wise in the long run. Contacts get expensive fast.

Bird:
Yeah, lasik is probably the most common here as well, but as you said there are several options. Or more specifically, mainly 3 I think. Some more expensive than others. I really don't know which method I should choose though. Do you have any input on the matter? Guess I have to read more about this.

Trebuchet:
I have thought about this and that is definitely a concern. When I get my eyes checked I'm hoping to get some input regarding that - if I should give it a couple of years before doing any surgery.

walfin:
Thanks for reminding me
Regarding my habits, yeah, they are pretty eye demolishing. Computer all day. But I don't know if I can change it too much. Almost everything I do involve a computer; poker, guitar practice, composing, reading etc.
But as you say, maybe a break is in order. Don't know if I'm able to though. I'd just end up staring at the wall for three weeks or read bo- no, I can't do that either, lol.

 

[Kokoro]

About the money issue... Between the the two most common types of surgery(LASIK and PRK), PRK is cheaper because it does not require a special blade. That's something to consider. Although, obviously, you should look into the pros and cons. Here are a couple comparisons:
http://www.the-lasik-directory.com/lasik_prk_chart.html
http://www.lasereyefacts.com/prk-vs-lasik.html

I had to have refractive eye surgery for my job. For me, the pros outweighed the cons with PRK so that's what I had done. I would choose PRK if I had to do it again, even if money was not an issue.

 

[kantor1003]

Got my first glasses today. After my eye check I found out that I had myopia, as expected. -1.5. I now have a mild headache after my first day of usage, but I guess it takes a couple of days getting used to. I don't hate the way it look as much as I thought I would. I almost look intelligent now lol. I'm wondering though, should I use them all the time? The reason I'm wondering is because I've read that there are some disputes wether using glasses for reading and other "close range" activities when you have myopia can worsen the condition. The common conception seems that it don't though. Preferably I would like to have them on all the time as switching between having them on and off causes sever strain on my eyes.

Regarding wearing the glasses; I find it a double edged sword. I can finally see things at a distance I haven't been able to in years. My world is no longer foggy. On the other hand, I don't particularly like having this thing on my face and it ruins my peripheral vision. Also, as mentioned, I have a mild headache, which is annoying. Hopefully though, I will no longer experience headaches with the same frequency as before after I've grown accustomed to these...things. Oh, and the sense of depth/distance/proportion is also different than what I'm used to.
Apart from that I'm all miserable happy.

 

[Cogwulf]

-1.5 is nothing, I'm -4.

I started wearing contacts about 3 years ago, I actually prefer my appearance in glasses, but I wear contacts for convenience and comfort. I love having peripheral vision and not having to clean glasses all the time.
My vision is much better with lenses too. There is no gap between the eye and lens so the lens can be weaker, and the lens is in a fixed position relative to your eye so the correction is perfect and there is no distortion as you move your eye. They are worth trying, most opticians here offer free trials of them.

As for long term computer use, every few minutes or just as often as you remember, look out of a window for just a few seconds, or if you aren't by a window just look at the other side of the room. Regularly making your eyes focus on a far object and back again should help negate the negative effects of staring at a near object for a long time.

 

[kantor1003]

Thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind
Well, when they said I had 70% eyesight, it didn't sound comforting. I accidentally talked with a school mate the day after though, a guy I didn't know used lenses, and he had -7 or 7.5. So yes, I guess it can be much worse..

Regarding lenses, I'm not sure wether I'm ready to try that yet. I'll see how the glasses works out as for now

 

[Deleted member 1424]

I had 15/20 as a child, and my vision has been slowly deteriorating since adolescence. I've been told my vision will continue changing until I'm about 25 or so when it should restablize. I have to get a new prescription every year or so until then; I'm around -4 right now. Fortunately I'm quite fond of my glasses, although it did dash my 13 yr-old dreams of becoming a fighter pilot.

You'll get used to it over time; peripheral vision is more focused on noticing movement than acuity anyway. If it's really a problem for you, you probably picked a crappy frame. You should consistently use your glasses, the headaches will go away within a day or two. Straining your eye will compensate for your vision in the short term, but it will cause headaches and can worsen your vision over time, especially if you have an astigmatism or are using corrective lenses.

Given your facial structure, you'll probably look better with glasses.
I wouldn't recommend wired rimmed or large lenses though.

My only noteworthy complaint is that if it's cold outside or you're exposed to steam either cooking or after a shower, it will fog up. Which gets proportionately more irritating with how blind you are without them.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Another solution for your peripherals.

Spoiler

 

[kantor1003]

Well I picked small, rimmed glasses with small, almost rectangular lenses. Probably not the greatest choice seen from a practical point of view. I had a really tough time choosing glasses and I am clueless about them, so after taking a while looking through I thought fuck it and just took out a couple that didn't make me puke when I looked in the mirror.

 

[BirdValiant]

Just get contact lenses. They give you better visual acuity than glasses, the ability to look around everywhere without changes in the shapes of things, they don't get fogged up, and they're not all that inconvenient. The only thing is that you're less free to just fall asleep wherever/whenever due to the necessity of contact lens removal. Just don't be an idiot with cleanliness, etc. I can insert and remove contacts in less than a minute, so don't think that it's going to add to your daily routine very significantly.

I use somewhat older technology for my contact lenses because the newer ones were incredibly difficult to remove. It took ~1 hour and all I wanted to do was go to bed. I've never pulled my hair out in anger before, but I was very close. So I went back to the old kind, though they are less gas-permeable.

I wear glasses about 2 days per week to keep my eyes as healthy as possible (not due to comfort reasons), so I have plenty of experience with both. My prescription is -3.75/4.0, so without glasses or contacts, I can look at things incredibly closely -- this is really the only significant advantage to glasses for me.

Also, with contacts, you can wear whatever kind of sunglasses you want to in summer, and they'll cover your entire face, unlike clip-ons or transitions. It's also more convenient for looking through telescopes or microscopes while wearing contacts instead of donning your glasses every time you want to look up. I like to wear an eyepatch while using my telescope, and this is quite inconvenient with glasses.

 

[Trebuchet]

Go ahead and wear them, once you get used to the visual distortions. After a week, you won't even notice. I had -8 diopter glasses for a while, and it is amazing how the brain can adapt. I haven't seen convincing evidence that wearing glasses all the time worsens myopia. I wear mine all the time any my eyes haven't changed in over a year - I just had them checked. However, your eyes will change like crazy in your early to mid-twenties, and again when you are about 40.

Cogwulf is exactly right about changing focal length by looking out a window or across the room. Doing that for a few minutes each hour will make a big difference to your eyes' health. If you can go for a walk for a few minutes a day, or evening, that gives the eyes a wonderful workout, according to eye doctors I have talked to. Looking out a window is essentially looking off into infinity, and the eye muscles relax. Unlike, say, biceps, working your eye muscles more does not make them stronger. I asked my optometrist about that recently.

 

[BigApplePi]

Hi kantor,

I've worn glasses ever since collage when I could no longer read the blackboard from the back of the class. Gotten used to them for a long time now. Had a cataract operation in my right eye and now see wonderfully but still wear a glasses lense for that as their is a small astigmatism in that eye. I go to the doctor every year for fine tuning as my retired vision plan pays half or so. The eye doctor said I could go for Lasik, but when the secretary there didn't call me back, I didn't bother.

Yes to Cogwolf for not staring at the computer all day. Get up and try different distances to exercise your eye. Would you want to leave your arm hanging by your side all day?

I have two pairs of glasses, one for computer (close vision) only and the other for driving. There are additions like polarization for sunlight protection (don't need sunglasses) and non-scratch (my glasses are lite-weight plastic, not glass) and maybe something else which I forget. Those extras cost though.