I'm a 48 year old female. My eyes are
R = -11
L = -9

I have had two consultations for lasik. One doctor recommended Lasek because of my high myopia. The second doctor said Lasek was not an option with my sight and is still deciding if I am even a candidate for Lasik. What's the deal?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Kathy, with your high prescription, either surgery is risky. I was high myope and, like you, a mature female and my outcome was a disaster.

The scary part when I read your post was you didn't seem to "catch the drift" about you possibly NOT being a candidate for one or both. One doctor is turning you down. With your RX, please be careful about what you do. If you look hard enough, some doc will take you even you are (possibly) not a good candidate.

I think you need to see more docs for opinions and READ, READ, READ. One thing you might consider is the fact that you're in your late 40's and possibly a cataract candidate in the years to come. I was diagnosed w/cataracts 17 months after my lasik and they didn't get there overnight! If you consider IOL's, they will take your current lens out and replace them with your RX. You'll be taking care of your high myopia and future cataracts. I wish my doc had offered me that option.

Phyllis,

Thanks for your input. I do "catch the drift" that's why I am writing. I am unable to wear contacts so as you can imagine my glasses are THICK. I know that even with the surgery I may not have "perfect" vision. I'm thinking that if I can go from "coke bottle bottoms" to very thin lenses that would be a plus for me.

I have not made any decisions yet. That's why I'm doing some research.

Kathy

>Phyllis,

>Thanks for your input. I do
>"catch the drift" that's why I
>am writing. I am unable
>to wear contacts so as you
>can imagine my glasses are THICK.
> I know that even with
>the surgery I may not have
>"perfect" vision. I'm thinking that
>if I can go from "coke
>bottle bottoms" to very thin lenses
>that would be a plus for
>me.

>I have not made any decisions yet.
> That's why I'm doing some
>research.

>Kathy

How well do you see without glasses? How well do you correct with glasses? 20/30?(due to minification) The fact you cant wear contacts and the fact your a mature female points out dry eyes. People like you usually develop delebrating dry eyes after lasik. I know about 20 people like you who must use eyedrops every hour and their eyes still hurt and their vision blurry. They were much happier with thick glasses than this misery! If you get IOLs, you will avoid alot of risks plus youll never have to worry about cateracts ever. If you are not ready for IOLs, then just get some high index glasses in a smaller frame and when you develop cateracts, theres your excuse for IOLs :)

My problem with contacts is not dry eyes.

>My problem with contacts is not dry
>eyes.

then what is it? also you havent mentioned how well you see without glasses and with glasses? does IOLs interest you?

I see great with glasses. See my first message with my prescription...you do the math regarding how I see without my glasses.

As far as the lens implant...I'm doing research on this also.

>I see great with glasses. See
>my first message with my prescription...you
>do the math regarding how I
>see without my glasses.

>As far as the lens implant...I'm doing
>research on this also.

My math tells me youd be in the 20/1200 range without glasses in your better eye! Youd only be able to count fingers out to 3 or 4 feet away(do test this out and let me know!) Since you see great with glasses, id put it at 20/25 to 20/30 correctable which is to be expected due to spectacle minification. Its a good thing you are researching IOLs. If you are scared of that, please research high index glasses, they will be half the thickness of your glasses. I know this for a fact because my friends have high index and I am amazed how thin they are!

What you said was so true and accurate I was grinning ear to ear! Werent you a -9 before lasik if I remembered? Im so sorry you were never told about clear lens extraction aphakic IOLs. You pointed out its the way to go for older people, especially if they are high myopes because its more effecient plus it has the big benefit of also taking care of cateracts. Too bad thousands of mature adults are never told about the IOL option and cateracts. Months to years after they get lasik for nothing, they develop cateracts and need a 2nd surgury. Everyone eventrually gets cateracts so it makes much more sense to kill two birds with one stone. I know a guy who was -10 and in his late 50s who just got lasik. I told him aphakic IOLs was clearly the better choice and he just ignored me and others begin bashing me saying I had no right to tell him what he shoulda done. I told them it was my opinion and that it woulda made much more sense. Ah well he will be looking forward to cateract surgury sometime in the future and likley end up back in glasses with decreased vision. He may be happy now but he wont when he develops cateracts.

Uh Ace, my mom is 80 and doesn't have cataracts....

But back to Kathy,

Maybe you've alread tried high index lenses and they are still too thick.....

As long as you are aware of the risks, LASIK might be right for you. I wasn't as myopic as you but do have thin corneas. I was a boarderline candidate and was told that I probably wouldn't achievve 20/20 vision after one procedure. Bottom line is that I went from -5 and -6 with astigmatism (had to wear toric contacts pre-lasik and hated them) to seeing clearly after LASIK.

It wasn't a quick fix though. It took about 1 year and several procedures on my right eye. I now have monovision where my left eye is about 20/40 and my right is 20/20. After my original surgery, both eye regressed to about 20/40 (a high probability with hugh myopia). I trialed monovision with a contact lens and found I liked it so I had only my right eye enhanced. Ace probably would have counceled me to keep the 20/40 because my distance would be good enough and reading would be fine....Not for me though. I love having my distance sharp and was very uncomfortable driving with 20/40 vision. Everyone is different.
So keep up your research. These boards are good but so is talking to others that have had the surgery. And find a docotor you are comfortable with. My dr. was very clear about what I could and couldn't expect from Lasik.......If you feel that they are trying to sell you...run...don't walk...out the door.....
Sue

>Uh Ace, my mom is 80 and
>doesn't have cataracts....

everyone who lives long enough will eventrually. Everyone in our family who lived to 70+ developed cateracts. All my family's friends developed cateracts too. Some people develop it much earlier than others. Phyllis(who posted here) developed cateracts at age 47. Hes really upset because he got lasik 17 months ago for nothing and now needs IOLs and hes now back in -4 glasses with ruined vision from lasik+cateract surgury IOLs. No surgury for me till I get cateracts then out they go and IOLs go in to remove both my cateracts and reduce my myopia. Knowing my family history, ill probably get cateracts around age 55.

>But back to Kathy,

>Maybe you've alread tried high index lenses
>and they are still too thick.....
>

so what? no one is going to make fun of you and vainity is silly. I know people who deeply regretted lasik just because they were too vain to wear glasses. I dont like glasses, dont get me wrong but I am not vain and I dont let anything get in my way. I learn to deal with glasses, its safe and gives good vision. If I was a very, very good candidate for lasik, id seriously contemplate it. But where things are, its too risky(huge pupils, mild dry eyes, presbyopia) I am not much of a candidate and neither is she at -11!

>As long as you are aware of
>the risks, LASIK might be right
>for you. I wasn't as
>myopic as you but do have
>thin corneas. I was a
>boarderline candidate and was told that
>I probably wouldn't achievve 20/20
>vision after one procedure. Bottom
>line is that I went from
>-5 and -6 with astigmatism (had
>to wear toric contacts pre-lasik and
>hated them) to seeing clearly after
>LASIK.

I am of course aware of the risks, everyone should be informed of the risks. I do not find the risks(especially in my case) acceptable. Lasik would rob me of my ability to see well at night, rob me of seeing clearly at near and make my eyes much drier and who knows what else. I will still need glasses after lasik. My glasses now are very thin and they arent even high index. The only thing I wish is to be a little less myopic.

>It wasn't a quick fix though.
>It took about 1 year and
>several procedures on my right eye.
> I now have monovision where
>my left eye is about 20/40
>and my right is 20/20.

Thats a long, difficult process. I tried monovision too and dont like it. Youd see blurry in one eye at all times.

> After my original surgery, both
>eye regressed to about 20/40
>(a high probability with hugh myopia).

I would love to be -1 as it will keep me out of glasses most of the time

> I trialed monovision with a
>contact lens and found I liked
>it so I had only my
>right eye enhanced. Ace probably
>would have counceled me to keep
>the 20/40 because my distance would
>be good enough and reading would
>be fine....Not for me though.
>I love having my distance sharp
>and was very uncomfortable driving with
>20/40 vision.

I woulda worn a thin pair of glasses just for driving or watching movies. Very risky to enhance because if you end overcorrected, youll see blurry at all distances. I know this lady who ended up slightly undercorrected so she chose to enhance her dormant eye. shes now farsighted in that eye and nearsighted in the other. A huge mess!

I had Lasik surgery and now I CANNOT wear glasses to correct my problems.

Please know that if you do have the surgery and you are not happy with the results it may not be as easy as "I'll just get a pair of glasses to cover the extra prescription" to fix your problems.

Matthew

Kathy, I never wore contacts in my life. I tried twice and never liked even trying that. From the age of 7, I've worn glasses, getting to a high of -9.50 by the time I was 18 or so. It stayed there for decades, until I decided on lasik. I will not detail much here as some folks will say that "I'm full of crap" or some such thing.

Instead of my regular thick glasses, I now wear a combination of: #8,000 scleral contact lens for my extreme dry eye, reading glasses, regular glasses w/progressive bifocals which only correct me to 20/50, Panoptx RX goggles w/progressive bifocals. Or sometimes, nothing at all. I am now -4.33 OS and -1.0 OD with anisometriopia as a result of a cataract surgery in OS. If only a "thin pair of glasses" fixed me I'd be happy. In fact, I'd rather go back to my thick glasses if I only could.

Check into lens exchange, iols or other things available before you make a decision. IF you make a decision. I commented only because our circumstances are very similar and I hope this info was helpful to you. I was never told of options, the chances of cataracts which I got RIGHT AFTER LASIK? Possibly had before lasik? I'll never know and it doesn't matter now. If you might want to email me w/questions--put an email on the bb. You have some good possibilities, and I just would like to see you pointed in a good direction.

Hey phyllis! sorry to hear of your ordeal! In another forum, I am trying to convince people to get IOLs instead of lasik. Two people already chose lasik and they are in their late 40s to 50s with moderate or high pescriptions. What is the point of lasik when everyone eventrually gets cateracts? I mean if your under 40, cateracts are a long ways off(usually) plus you still have accomodation so you can choose either lasik or IOLs but when your 50+ cateracts are gonna happen soon and you have no accomodation.

My email is

Ace, I was speaking to Kathy when I said she could leave an email address if she wanted to ask me anything further.

You know alot about lasik and I know people who developed cateracts shortly after lasik just like you did. One lady was -10 and 3 months later she was diagnosied with cateracts! She got lasik for nothing and now her eyes are ruined

Hey phyllis! sorry to hear of your ordeal! In another forum, I am trying to convince people to get IOLs instead of lasik. Two people already chose lasik and they are in their late 40s to 50s with moderate or high pescriptions. What is the point of lasik when everyone eventrually gets cateracts? I mean if your under 40, cateracts are a long ways off(usually) plus you still have accomodation so you can choose either lasik or IOLs but when your 50+ cateracts are gonna happen soon and you have no accomodation.