Thinking of LASIK... really farsighted

[graf]

I've worn glasses since age 2-3. I had/have lazy eye and had surgery when i was 2 to correct the turning in of my weaker eye. My recent interest in the Military have me wanting the vision i have with contacts w/ out wearing the contacts. I'm a very active guy and the need to have my glasses w/ me at all times in case i need to read my cellphone (iPhone baby ;-D ) or anything really. Based on my prescription... is there anyone out there who has had some form of LASIK w/ a similar prescription and have gotten desired results? Any docters have comments regarding LASIK w/ my heavy farsightedness?

My perscription:
OD Sphere +5.5 Cylinder -2.5 axis 180
OS Sphere +7.0 Cylinder -2.5 axis 165 (poor lazy eye ;-[ )

It seems i see the best in the mornings when i'm well rested.. i'm able to read my phone... look into the deep beautiful soul in my girl's beautiful eyes... and even read road signs driving down the road. As the day progresses I'm forced to keep my glasses on for the same task... I hate not being able to walk into a room (with out glasses) and focusing directly on someone's eyes.... thus i have to put on glasses to look someone directly int he eyes to feel like i can see the clearly and we are connecting... if that makes since.

Thoughts/facts anyone?

[LasikExpert]

Your hyperopia (farsighted) vision is so very high that the likelihood of success is significantly diminished, but not impossible.

These numbers you show are undoubtedly from a manifest refraction (which is better, one or two). A manifest refraction allows accommodation - which you need to understand fully.

The natural lens within the eye changes shape to change focus. For a normally sighted person, the eye is "set" for distance vision when at rest. This would be about 20 feet away to infinity. To see an object closer than about 20 feet, the natural lens must change shape to change focus. This is called accommodation.

After about age 40 the ability to accommodate becomes more difficult. This is called presbyopia and is when people need reading glasses or bifocals to see objects close.

It is very common for young hyperopes to "focus around" some of the hyperopia. To see objects at distance, the lens needs to change shape and focus. This is opposed to a normally sighted person's lens, which would be relaxed when looking at a distant object.

A manifest refraction measures your refractive error while allowing accommodation. This means that your actual refractive error may be much worse because you are accommodating around as much as 2.00 to 3.00 diopters of hyperopia.

A cycloplegic refraction (which is better, one or two?) is the same process, but with the natural lens paralyzed (dilated exam). This would provide your actual refractive error. When a hyperope is considering Lasik or similar laser vision correction, it is the cycloplegic refraction measurement that needs to be considered. You need to ask your doctor for these numbers, but it may be a moot point.

Your hyperopic prescription is so very high that it is not likely that laser vision correction would be viable. Hyperopic Lasik is more challenging than myopic (nearsighted, shortsighted) Lasik. Hyperopic Lasik with astigmatism is even more challenging. Very high hyperopic Lasik with high astigmatism like yours is not very likely to go smoothly or provide an excellent result.

That said, there are people with very high hyperopia who have had successful laser vision correction. It may take several surgeries to resolve all of the hyperopia. Also, Lasik regression would undoubtedly occur and need to be corrected as well.

You are not, by any means, and "ideal" Lasik candidate. If you proceed, proceed very carefully.

[CTOD]

Because you have a lazy eye you are not a good candidate for lasik. Even though complications with lasik are rare, elective eye surgery is not recommended if you only have 1 eye that is correctable to 20/20. I would recommend investing in pair of breathable contact lense and wearing them full time.

[beingbobbyorr]

You are not, by any means, and "ideal" Lasik candidate. If you proceed, proceed very carefully.

Hyperoptic ICLs are in trials. I saw one done in Los Angeles. If it's of interest to the original poster, I can get the name of that doctor to him if Glenn can contact us both via email (no doctors names on this board).