Lens replacement for contacts

[Sea Dreaming]

I'm thinking about lasik. I'm reading a lot of comments about the proceedure not lasting but 5-7 years.
But I've not seen the stars at night well since my teens. Now that I'll be doing something more extraordinary, I want to see it! I have astigmatism in both eyes. Even with glasses I don't see all that well. I always feel I am missing out. Even a few years of clarity in seeing would be worth it to me!
In the cost benefit analysis, some things seem "priceless".

[chris mac]

I had lasik done years ago, so did my wife. Both of us had 20/20 vision the next morning. Even better a couple weeks later. I had astigmatism but she didn't.
It's been at least 17 years since we had it done. My vision is still perfect. Allison needs glasses for night driving(depth perception) but she had problems with that before surgery.
It was well worth it, but I would follow the surgeons advice If they say you aren't a good candidate, there's a lot of experience behind that opinion.
I read a couple responses on cheaper places to get it done. This is one of those things you want quality over price. It's your eyes, spend the extra on a reputable place.
Good luck

[ZoBe]

Dallasron, I used to work for a cataract / lens implant surgeon, I might be able to answer Lots of questions for you, couldn't sign on until now, pm me if you want to, I've also had cataract surgery for barely operable cataracts, did monovision and love it. No more glasses!!!

[hellosailor]

Ron- There's always a failure and complication rate for any surgery, and since this involves vision, it is easy to understand why competent surgeons might want to discourage you from what is in effect a cosmetic procedure with a potential high risk, i.e. vision loss. Assuming you do find a good surgeon and still decide to do it, be aware that one of their questions should be "Have you ever taken or do you take any prostate medication?" because the two most common ones, tamsulosin and finasteride, as well as a host of similar medications, cause something called "floppy iris syndrome". Basically the same drugs that relax muscle tissue to allow better urination, also cause a permanent change in the iris, "relaxing" it for life. Take one tamsulosin capsule when you are 40, and you will still have floppy iris syndrome when you are 80. The effects are permanent. The problem is, it makes the iris floppy and then the cataract (etc) surgeon needs to take extra steps apparently to stabilize and protect the iris during surgery. A nasty little issue because so many meds apparently cause the same problem, and very few doctors or pharmacists ever bother mentioning it to patients. They are rarely thinking of "long term eye complications" when they prescribe it.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Dallasron

The clock keeps ticking and we get closer to being able to head off. At 61, i have worn contacts for years and still do. I damn near hate the things because of limitations with swimming, motorcycle riding, and just keeping up with them. Now that they have had the lens replacement for awhile, I am thinking of going ahead and having the surgery done. No cataracts so this is out of pocket but I think it would sure be worth it heading off cruising.

Have checked with a few of the better respected surgeons around here and they don't want to do it. (The "Do no harm" clause.) Again , these were top tier surgeons about a year ago.

So I was just wondering if anybody on here has had the surgery and their opinion.

The risk rate is low, are you willing to risk losing the sight of the eye?

I hadn't been aware before my eye surgeries that the lens replacement is a one time only deal, the chances of success with replacing a replacement are quite low. Something else to consider.

Finally, in less than 4 per cent of the cases, a person will become sensitized to the Hyelase they put in with the anesthesia to help spread it, and then, with the second eye, you can have an unpleasant allergic reaction, my face swole up from eyebrow to upper jaw, as if I had been stung by a bee, and it itched a lot for a few days, despite the diphenhydramine (Benadryl) I was allowed to take. The opthalmologist says the condition usually remediates completely. After 5 weeks, I still have some lingering swelling, which I expect will go away.

Ann

[rotaxmax]

I posted a couple months ago on this topic, on the eve of my surgery to have Symfony multifocal lenses installed. I'm a little surprised there are so many people in the "against" camp. I'm 67, and am very happy with the results. I was a life-long wearer of contacts (far-sighted with a +8.25 correction). I had to wear reading glasses over the contacts to see anything in print or up close. It finally got so bad that I needed trifocals to accomodate between reading a book, seeing the dashboard of my car, and seeing distant objects. I had multiple sets of contacts and glasses in my car, office, and at home. I just about panicked if I got separated from my lenses, because it was disabling to be without them. After the lens implants, I can see way better at all distances than I ever did with contacts or glasses, and don't need reading glasses at all, even for very close work. For me, the risk of complication was acceptable, and the rewards were enormous---life changing.