Anyone had laser eye surgery for myopia (short sighted)? Thinking of getting it and there seems to be a wide range of opinions. Everyone claims their machine is the latest/greatest. How much should I pay?

just use the force

Yes. Had mine done Feb 09. I couldn't wear contacts for long without irritation, so only used them for water sports.

I was very myopic -9/-8.5 but fortunately have very thick corneas. Slight astigmatism.

Perfect Vision, city and Hornsby. $7.5K. iLasik. Star Visx machine. Expensive but highly recommended.

Quick and easy surgery. No pain. Freaky momentary loss of vision from the machine that applies a vacuum to the eye. Somewhat perturbing smell and noise from the laser.

The next day was like seeing in high definition. Amazing. Much better vision than I'd ever had from contacts or glasses.

I chose not to under correct one eye, but rather have perfect long distance vision and wear reading glasses when needed.

Halos, star-bursts, and slight cloudiness in low light for about 2 months. Dry eye from month 2-3. Perfect vision from then on.

I had ICL's (internal contact lenses) and LASIK to correct -24 myopia. Biggest difference to kitesurfing is my eyes aren't so red sore from the salt water anymore. So good.

Done in Brisbane.

get it done, you wont regret it. had mine done whilst living in london so cant compare really. it did cost me 1500UK for both eyes.. seems like its FRIKKING expensive down under..

I know you can get this done in Thailand as well but do some extensive research if you do it overseas. maybe could even done in Dubai, or Abu dabi ie. arab countries are known to have the latest and greatest in technology.

so you could actually maybe fly out to middle east for a few days, have a bit of a holiday and save money. potentially at least as prices here seem much higher than other countries.

Eric

Jacques said...

sounds like everyone is impressed, you guys are seriously making me wonder if I should do it too!?

Do you know if there is a risk of makibng it worse, or even getting blind from malfunctioning machine (or surgeon!)?

How come some people seem to pay under $3000 for it, while other pay over $7000?

You would need to be aware that there are risks to it, and it varies a lot based on your own situation. Your level of myopia and your eye itself may have a different result to other people.

The price difference is because the more established companies know that they can charge that because of their perceived better abilities. The cheaper companies don't have this experience to get away with the extra charges. I believe that the companies that produce these lasers extract a large part of that charge and I wouldn't be surprised if they provide the machines free and get the cost back per procedure.

My basic understanding is that the machine itself takes a away a lot of the risk, but it still does depend on some surgeon skill.

The scary thing about getting this done is that they make you sign a release stating you are aware of the risks, including blindness, or making it worse.

If you are really interested in it, make an appointment to see one of the companies. Some charge a consulting fee, some charge nothing, some charge nothing if you later get the procedure. Worst case you will know the risks and be $150 poorer.