Enhancement next week; 3.5 months post-Lasik

[LasikExpert]

Thanks for the follow-up!

[Remander]

October 2007

Six months out from enhancement. No problems.

Light sensitivity is long gone. I occasionally take a hit of Systane tears in the morning, just for the heck of it. I paid for it; may as well use it.

I do still experience a slight bit of haziness around A/C or fans that bring on dryness, but it is becoming less of an issue with time.

Not a day goes by that I do not look around and truly marvel at how well I can see w/o those %$#! glasses I wore for 25 years.

LASIK was not an instant fix (as we all hope it will be), but at this point I am happy I had it.

[Remander]

Coming up on the one year anniversary of my original Lasik.

Things are going great! No longer use any tear drops, pills, etc.

It took a while and some PATIENCE, but it has been worth it.

I'll be interested to see the eye-chart results at my Feb 08 appointment.

[Remander]

Feb 11, 2008: Went in today for final post-op follow-up (original Lasik Jan 2007; enhancement in April 2007) and read 20/16 with each eye, though it was a bit difficult to make out the letters. The larger 20/20 print was no problem.

I'm done.

Doc told me to come back in a year for a normal eye exam.

Luckily, still not needing reading glasses. No longer using any drops or tears.

I'm now just a regular person who does not wear glasses.

Having the enhancement worked out very well for me.

[Remander]

It's been more than 2 years since my initial Lasik (Jan 2007) and the enhancement (April 2007).

I should have been in for an annual 2009 checkup, but have not. Yeah, I'll do it soon.

All is well. I still hit the eyes with Systane drops each morning to clear up the newspaper a bit. (My brother who has perfect vision also takes drops in the a.m.; maybe the need/want for drops is hereditary.) Never even think of drops after that during the day, and I read papers and computer screens all day.

I'm 43 now and not yet needing reading glasses. I know my time will come. My 40 year old wife (not eligible for Lasik) just had to go bifocal.

I am still VERY happy with the decision to have Lasik. It was not a magic bullet or instant fix, and there is definitely a recovery period, but it has been SWEET to not wear glasses since.

I love my Maui Jim Lahaina model sunglasses. Pricey, but still cheaper than the old Rx. It is so nice to be able to wear cool and super-light sunglasses.

[davinci23]

Hey Remander,

Good journal..... Quick question. Did the LED light issue ever clear up for you and if so how long did it take for you?

[Remander]

I had not thought about the LED light issue in a long time. I guess it slowly went away. Not sure when.

I just walked around the house looking. The LED alarm clocks and such are not double-ghosted anymore, but they are perhaps not 100 % crisp in the dark. Maybe 95%.

In any event, it is a non-issue for me today. Everything else is great.

I think I may need some readers soon at age 44. I can read fine at work, on a PC, reading the newspaper, etc. My only issues are reading fine or small fonts on menus in dark restaurants, and those darned little credit card receipts. I can read the receipts in daylight, but low light at night makes it tough. I just hand them to my wife and let her pay.

Fortune cookie slips are another difficulty. I can barely read those little suckers even in the daytime.

Light sensitvity went away, but I'm still loving my Maui Jim sunglasses.

Overall, things are great. The small print issues were expected at my age. I was supposed to need the reading glasses three years ago after LASIK, but I've been stretching it out.

The LASIK has been a great choice for me. No regrets. Very happy with it.

[ToolBoy]

I'm going to hit an enhancement up OS on Thursday Jan 21. OD is +0.25 -0.5... basically plano, no better.

OS I need a correction. I was -0.5 -0.25 after surgery in Feb '09, but regressed a little.

Probably need a 0.75 to a 1.00.

All in all, things are great with right eye. All dryness done after close to a year, and am happy with vision. In the dark, red and green narrowband still have that star a bit at the bottom, but I can live with that. Probably induced astig. No big deal.

I'm looking forward to OS. Right eye dominant. I was thinking about keeping the monovision, but I've hated it from the start. Well, my brain hates it. I'm 43, and after the proverbial enhancement, my close vision will be done. I'll need 1.0 readers.

Will let ya'll know how it goes...

[blmingione]

Wondering how you made out with your enhancement surgery. I had enhancement, got epithelial cell ingrowth in the eye that had the enhancement. Had to have a THIRD surgery to remove the cell ingrowth, and they grew back the very next day. Now my vision in that eye is blurred, I experience "ghosting" and double vision. Driving at night has become almost impossible. My surgeon (recommended by Wills Eye Hosp., Philadelphia) wants to do nothing, telling me any more surgeries will "stir up" the epithelial cells. I also have scarring in that eye.

[ToolBoy]

Sorry to hear about the problems blmingione. The enhancement for left eye went perfectly. 20/15, no astig. (+0.25 SPH)

[Remander]

July 2010. It's been 3.5 years since my original Lasik.

Time for reading glasses. My 44 year old eyes are still great at distance, but I struggle with menus or credit card receipts at night or in low light. I still read pretty easily in daylight or under good florescent in my office.

They told me that, at age 40+, I would need readers immediately after Lasik if I was corrected for best distance vision. I beat it by a couple of years.

Went to Doc for a checkup. He said I read 20/15. I did nail the 20/20 page with no problem, but the 20/15 page was a bit of a struggle. A solid 20/20 or a little better in my book. I'm happy with it.

Doc looked inside the eyes and said all looked great post-Lasik. As for readers, he said just pick up some 1.5 power at the drugstore. I did, and they work fine.

I still use Systane drops each morning. Sometimes, maybe once a week, I take another hit in the evening if I've read a lot or otherwise dried out, but the morning drops usually see me through the day. I believe my need for readers in the evening is somewhat related to dryness at the end of the day (as well as just getting old). Maybe not, but that's my spin.

I originally had a strong desire to be drop-free, but I eventually realized that using drops once each morning is WAY better than wearing glasses all the time. I made peace with using the drops. It takes 10 seconds. No big deal.

Doc suggested I get back on fish oil pills to help with the bit of dryness issue I still have, so I did. He is a big Restasis fan, but I really don't won't to go back to it. Very $$, and I did not see a big improvement with it for me.

So far, so good. I'm still glad I did it. It's really been nice to ditch the glasses. When I do wear specs, it's my Maui Jim sunglasses, which I love.

[LasikExpert]

It's great to hear about your success!