I've been lurking around these boards for a while and I wanted to post my lasik experience.
I almost had lasik done 5 years ago until I decided to do a little extra research on the internet about lasik. Of course I ran into those very negative boards claiming that lasik is horrible and risky and I chickened out.
Finally this year I decided to take the plunge despite y fears. I was sick of contacts, though they have never caused me too much trouble, in fact, I hardly ever noticed them at all, and I absolutely DESPISED glasses. I would rather walk around blind (I was a -5 in each eye prior to surgery) than wear glasses and that is just what I would do if I didn't actually need to see to survive. Once I decided to get lasik I began to become very vision-aware. I noticed things that I never noticed before, like the fact that I get moderate halos at night with contacts and significant starbursts at night with glasses. I realized that my vision was quite blurry after my contacts had been in my eyes for more than a week. It is amazing what your brain adjusts to after a while. So, knowing this, I decided that the risks were worth it since it probably couldn't get worse than glasses anyway. The most reassuring thing was reading the reports that such a massive majority of people are so pleased with the results of the surgery. I understood that I was not the perfect candidate - I have a 7.5mm pupil, -5 in each eye and a "slight" astigmatism in my left eye that had never been corrected with contacts or glasses, so I don't know how slight it actually was.
So yesterday I got lasik using the allegretto laser and a laser flap. The process went just as everyone else has described - very quick and very painless - and the worst part, by FAR, was when the doctor took the tape off of my eyelids. I couldn't believe how quick it was, how easy it was and how professional and kind everyone was. I rode home in the foggy gray morning light and even despite the blurry vision I could see the world around me. It was incredible. I lazed around all day and slept a good 12 hours at night and woke up this morning to 20/15 vision. I think I drove my husband bananas with my constant remarking on how crisp the world is. It is the only way I can describe my new vision: crisp. It is absolutely incredible. The doctor checked me out and said the flap looks perfect and my vision is healing nicely. I am on a myriad of eye drops (steroids, anti-biotics and moisturizers) and my vision fluctuates a little here and there, but I keep catching myself suddenly staring off into the newly-crisp world to take it all in. My eyes are a little dry (I live in Utah so dry eyes are a way of life here) and I have starbursts around lights at night, which I would say are much better than the starbursts I experienced with glasses and slightly worse than the starbursts with contacts. Even still, if my eyes were to never get any moister (is that a word?) and even if the starbursts never got any better (although I am very confident that they will) I would still have had lasik all over again. I feel so lucky to live in a day and age when we have the kind of technology that allows us to fix something as delicate and precious as our vision.
So now I am going to step away from the computer and give my poor eyes a break. I'll follow-up again after my next check-up, but I just wanted to say that I appreciate the conversations on this board and I wanted to share my own.