posted 05-19-2005 23:13               

My advice is to go with the best regardless of cost. We had ours done by the Turner Eye Institute in the San Francisco Bay area. They are recognized as being the best in the area with the latest technology and most skilled persons. MY surgery and post op work was all done by Dr. Turner himself at my request.

posted 05-20-2005 06:03            

quote:

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Originally posted by John Cummings:
Don't let anybody tell you that it doesn't work for older folks because I am 65 and it is fantastic.

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Refractive surgery works just as well for older folks as younger folks. There's no question about that.

The question lies in whether it makes sense for older folks because of presbyopia. Presbyopia is a natural aging process of the human lens within the eye that causes the lens and the eye to loose its ability to change power/focus. It usually happens to most folks when they hit their 40's. So, when people start hitting that age they notice that they will start needed reading glasses or bifocals to see up close. Refractive surgery has no effect, good or bad, on this natural aging process.

One of the good ways to combat this issue of presbyopia is monovision where one eye is corrected for distance and the other eye is corrected for near. This is somewhat of a compromise because when you do monovision you loose a little depth perception. Due to this some people really hate monovision. Others really love it. It's usually the folks who've been dealing with presbyopia for years already that really take to monovision, and the "new" presbyopes usually don't like it. If someone's never tried monovision before, I definitely recommend that they try it using a "non-permanent" method like contact lenses for awhile before they go for refractive surgery which is permanent.

Older folks who get refractive surgery need to be aware that refractive surgery will clear up their distance vision, but that they'll need reading glasses unless they do monovision. For folks who have a low prescription, -1.00 to -2.50 or so, they already have "built in" reading glasses and really only need glasses to see at distance. If they get straight refractive surgery and don't choose monovision, you end up just flipping the situation on them. IOW, instead of needing glasses for distance and nothing for near, they will then need glasses for near and nothing for distance.

posted 06-01-2005 19:20               

She notices some yellowing of the lens and says I'll most likely develop cataracts in the future. If I have this procedure done now, I won't get cataracts. The lens can be corrected for monovision with one eye for near and one eye for far--just like the contacts I now wear.

I'll have a consultation with the surgeon on June 23 and hopefully have the first eye done June 30.

posted 06-02-2005 08:58               

I had the surgery done at the LASIK institute 1 year ago and I have had mny problems since then. I have gone back several times. My main problem is LOSS and I mean COMPLETE LOSS of night vision. I also have very, very poor dusk and dawn vision, to the point where it was a danger for me to drive during that time and unfortunately I leave for work at 5:30 in the morning. A good example of how bad my night vision is when we were at HHI last year (for those of you that have been there you know that is gets PITCH BLACK at night there) Well I could NOT see the beach. I was afraid for the 1st time ever to walk on the beach at night becuse I could not see. I can not see the start at night either. I have asked about some additional surgery to fix it but the new dr there says I am NOT a candidate for getting it re-done, even though they gladly took my extra money for life time maintenance. His solution was for me to get glasses for night and dusk. I paid 200 for glasses that have that special night vision glare coating and that has helped some with my driving but I still miss the stars. And of course my wish to see the X-mas tree w/o glasses was a bummer too - now all I see is halos and glows - I do not even get the clarity I had with glasses

Not to be a downer, it is different for everyone and I am the minority that it does not work correctly for, I must say if I had to do it over I would NOT do it. -

As a point of reference I am 45 (44 when I had the surgery) and had 20/20 correctable with glasses and now I am 20/30 with the surgery and of course NO glasses can take away the halos and starburts.