Anyone Here Had Lasik Done?

I’m about to get it done and just wondering what everyone’s general experiences have been. Obviously as sportsmen, we use our eyes a great deal, sometimes in conditions that are less than favorable and I’m just wondering how everyone has been holding up. LOTS of people have said it’s the best thing they’ve ever done, but how much do they hunt/fish? I’m most concerned I guess about wind/sun, which I know can be protected with the sunglasses I already wear. Just looking to hear what others experiences have been.

Joel

Joel, had mine done 13 months ago at North Suburban Eye specialist in Blaine. As a professional Firefighter, avid fisherman and hunter I can report NO negative effects from the surgery. Early on I experienced some sensitivity to light but that has gone away. I would recommend Dr. Lobanoff at NSES. Good luck on your decision, it was truly a game changer for me. Jason

I had it in 1997. Best $4k I have EVER spent.

You will be asking yourself why you waited.

riverrookie wrote:

I would recommend Dr. Lob-it-off?

Just make sure he goes in from the right side of your head!
I’ve heard that when they go in thru the ear it doesn’t work as well.

Good to see and talk with you at the show Joel!

Had mine done in 2007 and it was the best money I have spent in years. Love it!

I still need cheaters but I was 47 at the time and the eye doc said I was going to need bi-focals or just cheaters when the Lasik was done. Extremely happy I did it. My brother still says I have the best eyes in our group.

riverrookie wrote:

Joel, had mine done 13 months ago at North Suburban Eye specialist in Blaine. As a professional Firefighter, avid fisherman and hunter I can report NO negative effects from the surgery. Early on I experienced some sensitivity to light but that has gone away. I would recommend Dr. Lobanoff at NSES. Good luck on your decision, it was truly a game changer for me. Jason

Glad to hear you’re happy with it, esp. hearing about the fishing/hunting/firefighting ways you use your eyes.

I did alot of research, checked referrals, and even investigated pricing (which was towards the bottom of the “important” list for me), and will be going with Dr. Krassin at Whiting Clinic. They did PRK for my wife’s eyes, and even though PRK can be trickier with a longer healing process, we had a really good experience.

She doesn’t hunt and fish though, so it’s important to hear of no negative effects!

Joel

Mocha wrote:

Had mine done in 2007 and it was the best money I have spent in years. Love it!

I still need cheaters but I was 47 at the time and the eye doc said I was going to need bi-focals or just cheaters when the Lasik was done. Extremely happy I did it. My brother still says I have the best eyes in our group.

They told me that too, which sounds like is just part of getting older whether we’d have Lasik or not. Looking forward to “best eyes in the group.”

Joel

Is this just for younger people to correct from near/far sighted glasses users?
Can it fix older eyes on people that are just starting to wear reading glasses for stuff up close?

I had it done in 2001 and I have had no regrets. I always hated the foggy glasses in winter and the crappy sunglasses that never seemed to block the sun an contacts just weren’t a good option in my work environment.

I think I am finally going to break down and do it next year. It’s always been a “I can think of better things to spend that money on” thing for me. I have no issues with contacts, but it would be nice to go contact/glasses free.

Did you look into PRK? (Photo Refractive Keratectomy) Burn from the outside instead of cutting and burning under the flap. Longer healing time but that procedure also has benefits.
I had Lasik done in 2004, for my comfort level I should have had twice the valium they gave me! Had some night driving issues for a while and am still a little “sensitive” to forgetful drivers who leave their brights on but would do it again in a heartbeat.

I had mine done, although it was pre lasik it was called radial kertotomy. This was in 1992 and I loved the results, I went from coke bottle glasses to fashion sunglasses. One word of caution, carry a stick with you to beat off all the women swooning after you.

Joel, I had mine done 2 years ago. I would never go back. Honestly it was worth so much to me to be able to see during low light periods.

I love it.

The wife, both sons and daughter-inlaw had it done and they all are very happy with it. I myself have one bad eye and I can not have it done. Wish I could. Just remember after they are done just do what they say and it will all work out.[Thank you Connie rest in peace]

Life changing is all I can say Joel. I got glasses when I was in 3rd grade. Spent most of my hunting and fishing days trying to cope with shooting, etc with glasses then when I got contacts it was better but then you have to cram dry contacts into your eyes at 4 AM then spend an hour squinting because they hurt so bad… and my vision was still not 20/20 even with corrective lenses.

Got surgery in 2008… unbelievable change. Since then I’ve easily had 20/15 vision and can read about half of the 20/10 line. I never knew what I was missing. Now when I’m hunting or fishing with other people I will see wildlife or something and point it out and they say “where” or “what deer”. Things just pop out now. I spotted my tip-up go off yesterday (orange flag against white snow) when 3 people standing next to me couldn’t see it.

Since surgery I haven’t had to wear glasses or any other corrective lenses since. I will say that it seems my eyes are somewhat more sensitive to light when its bright out so I religiously wear polarized sunglasses. The eye doc also said wearing polarized glasses protects your vision from sun damage in general. As much as you fish… you probably where them constantly anyway.

Mrs Grouse had it done last year. She said it’s the best thing ever. She said she would have done it way sooner had she known how great it really would be.

Only downside for her was that for two weeks afterward she’d find herself looking for her glasess all the time. The ones she didn’t need. Old habbits.

Grouse

I had mine done about 14 years ago when I was 37. They told me I should get at least 5 good years before needing cheaters. They were spot on. I believe they can fix one eye for near sited and the other for far sited now. It is suppose to take a few weeks to get used to. The best part about hunting now and not wearing glasses is not worrying if the glasses either fog up or get wet from rain or snow.

suzuki wrote:

Is this just for younger people to correct from near/far sighted glasses users?
Can it fix older eyes on people that are just starting to wear reading glasses for stuff up close?

I think it is mainly for the opposite condition distance. From my understanding they can only correct your vision to basically one area and not both distance and near if you have that issue already. You will need to wear cheaters for small print etc.

I had mine when I was 20 yrs old. I’m now 36 year old. Just get my eyes checked yearly for the warranty. I’m still 20/20 16 yrs later. FYI My eyes were so bad the big E on the eye chart looked like a blurry square to me.