lasik....one eye near the other far?

[snowcreep]

OK its not really snowing yet and this is sorta ski related. I'm going to have lasik surgery by the most experienced doc in town in Feb. They want to do one eye for nearsightedness and the other for farsightedness. OR do I get them both corrected for nearsightedness?

Anyone have any direct experience with this especially concerning depth perception, skiing and mtn biking. Links to other threads would be good. Direct experience preferred. Thnx

[QuiverQueen]

You say "they" want to do it, but what do YOU want????

I might suggest you experiment with glasses or contacts that mimic what they want to do with the surgery, see what you think.

Not too long ago an opthomologist put me in contacts that did what you are describing. I absolutely hated - HATED - it, found
that I got headaches and never really adjusted like they assured me I would. Of course, I only gave it a week but will never do
it again. Can't really address depth perception, I just remember that it felt like my eyes were constantly working to equilibrate
and it was not fun or pleasant.

[peteMimmack]

I had mine lasik'd that way years ago and it's been good for me. Never a problem. My prescription was never strong, so there's not a huge difference between the eyes. There's enough that I can see the difference one closing one and then the other, but there's never been a problem with both eyes open. Depth perception is fine. OTOH, QQ's idea to test it out with a pair of glasses sounds good, if you're worried.

Oh, and I had mine done just before ski season to avoid one more year of dealing with fog and moisture on the extra lenses. Glad I did.

[Matt J]

I'd probably correct for the nearsightedness and keep a dozen of those cheap reading glasses around the house.

I had lasik for nearsightedness about 12 years ago and it changed my life. But, my myopia was rather severe. My favorite thing about having my vision corrected is going FAST without wondering when the contact will fly out. And getting hot and humid is uncomfortable enough without having fogged up glasses obscuring my vision. When I'm reading something up close I feel like I'd be okay with digging around for a pair of reading glasses, but I haven't lost my close up vision yet...

[Nurse Ben]

Having one eye for distance and one eye for reading appears to be the way they "intentionally" do it now, but generally that's what happens to some degree even when both eyes are corrected "the same".

They are getting better at the surgery, but your eyes still heal and change over time in their own way, so what you end up with immediately after the surgery, five years from the surgery, etc... will change as you age.

I had mine done in 2000, I was legally blind without corrective lenses, I could no longer wear contacts and glasses were not working for ww boating due to fogging, but most importantly my peripheral vision was so bad that I was nearly getting into wrecks. It was worth it for me because it worked out well, but I have a friend who wishes he'd never had it done.

Lasik is not about the "convenience" of seeing without corrective lenses, it's about achieving acceptable sight when all other options have been exhausted.

Even with Lasik, you will need reading glasses sooner or later, you may still need some distance correction, and you will almost certainly need vision correction if you want good driving vision at night.

The halos/starburst with artificial light at night, the floaters, and the dry eyes are the price you pay; unless you get extremely unlucky and Lasik ruins one or both of your eyes.

If you can wear contacts, DO NOT GET LASIK.

Instead, buy a nice mountain bike and be glad you didn't risk your vision on elective surgery.

This is most definitely not one of those situations where you want an "I told you so".

[Danno]

I'd probably correct for the nearsightedness and keep a dozen of those cheap reading glasses around the house.

I had lasik for nearsightedness about 12 years ago and it changed my life. But, my myopia was rather severe. My favorite thing about having my vision corrected is going FAST without wondering when the contact will fly out. And getting hot and humid is uncomfortable enough without having fogged up glasses obscuring my vision. When I'm reading something up close I feel like I'd be okay with digging around for a pair of reading glasses, but I haven't lost my close up vision yet...

change 12 years to 11, and this is me.

[jfb]

A friend had the LASIK that you are considering and loves it. I had one eye done 5 yrs ago to correct an astigmatism so that I could do without glasses for outdoor activities and it was an unqualified success. As the eyes being different gave me pain, I suspect that I would would vote with QuiverQueen. I am 60 years old and now own 10+ pairs of reading glasses and am fine with that.

Yes, my eye was dry for about 6 mo but is just fine now. I had halos that, within 6 months, improved to the point that I can tell that they are there if I look for them under the right conditions but I never notice them otherwise and the acuity in the eye is actually better than the other eye (both are substantially better than 20-20). I haven't researched it, but would expect that any floater issues are completely unrelated to any LASIK procedure - it does not affect the inside of the eye where floaters are.

There are risks, as Nurse Ben very sensibly and reasonably points out. And they are real. Because of those risks, I hesitated many years before doing it. It's a very personal choice that weighs risks and benefits. Anecdotal information like you get here is good to have but I recommend that you research the risks (use Google Scholar, get real, numerical probabilities) and make the decision based on the benefits and your tolerance.

Best wishes, what ever you decide.

[CROE]

one eye near and one eye far is termed "monovision"....not everyone can get used to it.....a few people love it the first couple of days, the majority take weeks to get used to it, and a significant minority can never get used to it..........try it in contacts first is my professional advice.......the doc that says if you don't like it we can re do the laser for distance in the eye we made near..........that's one approach, but I don't like it ...........ps I am a nearsighted ophthalmologist .......thanks, Chet pm me if you want to talk/no problem

[Nurse Ben]

I haven't researched it, but would expect that any floater issues are completely unrelated to any LASIK procedure - it does not affect the inside of the eye where floaters are.

Micro particles of burned cornea that don't rinse out, just assume you will have more floaters after the surgery than before...

I am 48, my right eye is ~ 20/40, but it doesn't "yet" need correction for reading. My left eye is ~20/25, it is still pretty good for distance, so I can get by in good natural light without correction, but it needs correction for reading.

I'm guessing that I'll be putting on the reading glasses in the next couple years.

As for driving, halos are real, they don't get better unless you are either good at ignoring them or you just don't acknowledge their existence

Dry eyes, yeah, well they are dry and depending on the climate and allergies, they can be a pain. I use drops before bed, sometimes in the night, and sometimes in the morning, but rarely use them during the day.

To the OP and anyone else considering Lasik: Really, really, really think twice about getting eye surgery. Your eyes are are the most important organ you have, losing them would be devastating.

There are many problems that can result from Lasik, read about it, scare yourself, THEN consider the alternatives.

I am very aware of how lucky I was, but knowing what I know now, I would not do it again.

Contacts have come a loooong way.

[Matt J]

My understanding of the "halo" effect is that it comes from the scar where they lift your cornea. I was told that would take up to a year to heal. Night driving was more difficult for awhile, but either I adjusted or "am good at ignoring it." I had astigmatism in both eyes that were at the limit of being operable, so I knew I would have some side effects.

I was squeamish at the initial consultant and the doc basically asked me if I thought they wanted to hurt me? He basically hinted that the statistical failures come from bad practitioners. I don't know if that's true or not. I am just stating what happened as I remember it.

Ultimately everyone has to decide for themselves. NB represents one view point. I on the other hand, at 25 years old, wanted an active life without the worry of contacts and the potential infections and damage that can result from wearing them.

As stated above, it changed my life. I went from struggling with learning to paddle due to not being able to open my eyes under water and worrying that if I lost a contact I would be screwed to being a class V boater. Skiing, cycling, riding a motorcycle, driving a convertible, boating i.e. basically anything that involved wind or prolonged periods without a sterile environment like overnight rafting and camping were 100 times more enjoyable.

Ironically, a lot of us totally forget we had it after about 5 years and are no longer even grateful. I try and post in these threads to express my gratitude. It was one of the most important decisions I've ever made.

[snowcreep]

Thanks everyone for reminding me there are people and stories for every response. All the input was quite helpful and has given me some options and additional considerations. Thanks for the offer Chet and you might be hearing from me.

[James]

I had lasik done over 10 years ago. I have had no change in my vision and I am still better the 20/20. I had the halos for a couple months but none after that. So I have been very lucky with no side effects. I had both corrected the same and can't imagine doing one different but my Mom did that and really likes it so I think YMMV. I think QQ's idea is brilliant.

[axebiker]

To the OP -- they call that kind of correction "monovision". When I ran an eye clinic, we would do that with a number of people in contacts. Most ended up not doing it - they didn't like the difference.

i had LASIK about 8 years ago. My correction was mainly for astigmatism. It was REMARKABLE. I couldn't be happier. The only inconvenience was some dry eye issues, but I had that to a lesser degree pre-treatment.

One thing I had told people when considering monovision - decide what's important and what you do the most. For me, skiing, biking, hunting, and other outdoor pursuits matter the most, and my distance correction (beyond arm's length reading) is more important than close up work. When I get to that point, cheap cheaters will always be in my pocket, but until then, I'm absolutely thrilled with what I can see distant.

[riser3]

As someone who has never had Lasik and naturally has two extremely different eyes I can tell you that I find it really sucks having drastically different vision in each eye. Like other posters have said, try it with contacts first if you can. I have horrible depth perception. That said, maybe the doc is on to something. Try it out in contacts first.