Enhancement with a -0.75 prescription

by **erikab** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:46 am

Hello Site Admin,
I had Lasik Intralase in August of 2006 about five months ago. My right eye is fine and I can see almost 20/20, however my left eye seems to have healed more aggressively than the right one and I currently have a prescription that is about 20/40...but sometimes it seems worse. I have attempted to adjust to having just "adequate" vision, but I have to admit that it is challenging. When it is night and I am driving it becomes more difficult to see things, although it is certainly not unsafe. During the daytime, it is nagging as the difference between my two eyes is noticeable for me...almost two lines on the eye chart. I have been told that there is a risk for overcorrection at a prescription of -0.75 and I was wondering what is the statistical risk of doing this? The preference seems to be -1.0 myopia to do an enhancement procedure. Also, I am aware of monovision.... meaning when the time comes for me to need reading glasses due to the natural aging process, my current prescription in my right eye could postpone this maybe a few years. However, I am 29 years old and have almost 13 years until I am 42 and the decline in reading ability starts and it seems more bothersome to have this current discrepancy which causes blurriness. I am trying to weigh the cost/benefits since ultimately I was told it was my decision. I just want to be the most informed regarding this specific issue...what is the probability of overcorrection for an enhancement of this amount?

by **DryEye** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:06 am

Erica:
I had custom lasik last June. Sounds like we are on the same page.
I have been seeing a corneal speicialist and last meeting he said enhancement was possible on my right eye (which i think is like -.75) but that he wanted to get more refractive history. It could make it worse I guess and more time waiting to see how things settle out won't hurt.
So, I have decided to get another opinion from a very experienced surgeon in another state and then give it a few more months and decide.
I hear you on the noticeable difference. It just isn't crisp and clear enough for certain things.
I think seeking out the best surgeons will up the odds to get the best answers and quite possible get it done right (even if that means paying for it again to get someone else to do it!)- that way there shouldn't be any regrets.
Time and more opinions can't hurt - Who knows maybe it gets better as the 1 year anniversary comes??
Let me know how things go for you

by **LasikExpert** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:58 am

erikab wrote:I just want to be the most informed regarding this specific issue...what is the probability of overcorrection for an enhancement of this amount?

I wish I could give you some real numbers, but there really are not any good studies that give this kind of information. Small refractive errors with wavefront-guided ablations have had more overcorrections than would be expected, but you could discuss with your doctor if conventional ablation or wavefront-optimized would be appropriate. Otherwise you are really going to need to look to your doctor's opinion and past experiences to get any sort of semi-reliable prediction.

by **erikab** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 5:50 pm

Dry Eye
Just wanted to check in to see how your experience is panning out with the corneal specialist. I understand the possibility of paying to have someone else provide the second surgery, but I have not yet gone that route. It does not seem that with time my prescription is getting any stronger as the one year anniversary approaches. I also have yet to hear or find research on the probability of overcorrection. Basically I am in the same position as my previous message. It would be nice to hear how things are progressing for you...
Erika

by **DryEye** » Sat Apr 07, 2007 10:25 pm

Hi Erika:
I see the corneal specialist later this month.
Last month I had an appointment with a top refractive surgeon, which was very thorough and confirmed that an enhancement is not out of the question.
He really was detailed and showed me via various reports from tests what I was and could expect with an enhancement (Refractive corrections and glasses to try)
I imagine I will eventually do it.
I am not sure If I want to do it going into the summer after last years experience. He did recommend doing it in the summer when it is more humid.
I am willing to wait a bit more and gather more information and see how things settle before I do it, but can see how I will probably be doing my right eye sometime soon.
If it was any bit worse I probably would've done it already.