RacerX1166 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I just scheduled a PRK procedure to correct my horrible nearsightedness. One of the primary reasons was to not have to wear glasses while shooting. For those that have had the procedure, did you find any ill effects around your shooting? I realize that I'll likely need reading glasses sooner rather than later as I'll be 40 this year (and may have to stick with Open) but, other than that, looking for any feedback from those who have gone before me. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Haven't done it myself. I will in the next few years, I believe. I know several shooters that have done it and they swear up and down that it has helped their shooting and wish they would have done it years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I don't know anyone who has gotten PRK, but I know several folks who have gotten LASIK. Everyone has liked LASIK as a whole and have been happy. It can cause some issues with close range focus depending on age. I have personally been thinking about LASIK for some time but haven't been able to talk myself into it. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Guess I should have read the original post a little closer. I don't know anyone that has had PRK surgery. Only Lasik. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Moore Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 why are you having prk and not lasik? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerX1166 Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 why are you having prk and not lasik? Because my corneal epithelial cells aren't 'stuck' well enough. Dr. called it 'loose carpet' syndrome. Essentially, if I had Lasik, where the cornea is sliced over into a flap before laser is applied, there is a strong likelihood that my cornea would rip. No one wants that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I had Wavefront-guided INTRALasik done at Will Vision Center in Vancouver, WA on December 20th. The whole procedure was done in under 5 minutes of chair time. After an excruciating car ride home (couldn't fall asleep), I took another set of happy pills, slept a couple of hours, and really haven't had any problems since. I'm at 20/15 or so in both eyes, the starburst effect is diminishing, I don't have to use drops as much, and overall, its the best money I've spent on anything in a very, very long time. I can now clearly focus on the front sight, which I was forced to change my soft-contact prescription to Toric lenses for my astigmatism (which is now gone). The blade is crisp, distance vision is awesome, and I actually see better at night now. I haven't shot that much since I had it done, but I say its helped me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I had Lasik about 6 years ago and while I don't know if it helped my shooting it definetly helped my everyday life. I was very nearsighted and wore contacts. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paule Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 My wife wore glasses for nearsightedness since she was four, then developed astigmatism in her late twenties. Her glasses weighed about the same as a loaded 1911. She could not wear contacts anymore... After a sub-ten minute session with a wavefront LASIK machine (with a doc/programmer attending) she is now 20/20, wears designer sunglasses, and Rudy Projects on match days. Her recovery was painless, she wore the protective goggles for a few nights, but within a few weeks all transient effects were gone. My dad also had LASIK done for astigmatism, at age 75. He had worn bi- and tri-focals for over 60 years. Only ill effect is that he sees so well now that his putting has gone to hell. So much information now that those three-footers are scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Moore Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 i thought with the new lasers that they don't need to cut the eye anymore. isn't the new lasers set to depth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 My understanding is the LASIK still involves creating a flap in the cornea, removing cornea under the flap to make the correction, and then putting the flap back over the corrected area. Some of the newer systems use a laser to cut the flap instead of a microkeratome (knife). I'm not sure which method to cut the flap has proven to be the best. With PRK the flap process isn't performed. The correction is done to the outside of the cornea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 My understanding is the LASIK still involves creating a flap in the cornea, removing cornea under the flap to make the correction, and then putting the flap back over the corrected area. Some of the newer systems use a laser to cut the flap instead of a microkeratome (knife). I'm not sure which method to cut the flap has proven to be the best.With PRK the flap process isn't performed. The correction is done to the outside of the cornea. Wavefront is a digital map of the surface of your eye, which allows for a more precise correction, including surface aberrations. Wavefront can also be called "Custom Lasik". INTRALasik is where they create the flap with a laser, which is more precise than using the microkeratome. There are to my knowledge, only 17 places in the USA that offer INTRALasik as it is still considered experimental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerX1166 Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 Thanks for all the input. I went through with it and was zapped today. Pretty amazing stuff so far - I could see a difference when they rinsed off my eyes after the procedure. I got prk so I have a bandage contact lens in each eye (and really cool protective goggles!). I guess the verdict will be delivered after a few weeks, when the vision's supposed to calm down and stabilize. So far, very happy and no halos or starbursts. At this point, I'd recommend it highly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 (edited) I had laser eye surgery something like 12 years ago before it was FDA approved, so I had to get it done in Tijuana. Yep, yep, yep! I had both near-sightedness and astigmatism. Back at that time, they couldn't correct my astigmatism with the laser, so they put me under the knife a few weeks after zapping me. It MOSTLY corrected the astigmatism, but they've improved corrective eyes surgery a lot since then. I went from 20/200 (or maybe it was 20/400... whatever it was, I was legally blind without my glasses) to 20/35, which is good enough to pass the driving test without corrective lenses. Even so, the perfectionist side of me still has a pair of spectacles sitting on my nose. Despite my still wearing glasses, I'd highly recommend it. The thing that pushed me over the edge to get the surgery was the Northridge earthquake out here in California. It happened in early morning, the electricty went out so there were no lights, and my glasses literally flew from my beadstand across the room and disappeared on me. Not only was I going through a horrific natural disaster, but I was literally blinded in the process. That was totally not acceptable to me. As to whether or not it has helped my shooting... I was just checked out for a new set of prescription shooting glasses, and the doctor reported that my corrected vision was 20/15, and I was actually able to read half the letters on the 20/10 line. I can promise you that this wasn't possible before the surgery! Edited February 10, 2006 by jkrispies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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