LASIK for myopic eyes

[Connie722]

I am due to have LASIK next month. I am currently -8.0 on right eye and -8.75 on the left eye. What are my chances of success?
Connie

[kivrin]

I have never regretted getting Lasik .. even if I still wear glasses now. I was at -16/-18 between my eyes and I know it was a risky surgery. My doctor did one eye, tested and then did the other ... so if there was a problem, it wasn't with both eyes.

What dukey does not seem to understand is the stress and aggravation in being highly myopic. Yes, I still wear glasses, but if I don't have them on, I can still see things. I could drive down the road, I could (and do) get ready in the morning without them on (makeup, hair, etc.). The quality of life is better after Lasik for me. The fact that I feel confident enough to swim since I am not afraid of missing the side because I can't see it. The fact that I can read the stupid alarm clock in the morning without my glasses. Traveling is less of a worry .. if you lose your glasses when you are that myopic, you are effectively blind. The fact that my skin is in better condition because I don't have 3/4 inch of plastic sitting on it.

Yes, there are risks. Go with a reliable and GOOD surgeon. Don't go with the cheap guy, spend the extra 1000 dollars to make sure your eyes are right. Follow the doctor's orders and protect your investment and your eyesight.

[JohnHaganMD]

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[Kitty_Pich]

I also wonder myopia cause floaters, so can it gone after LASIK? Myopia cause by retina is fatter than normal, so can LASIK get it back to normal length? LASIK make cornea layers thinner, so can it growth thicker back? Can LASIK do more than once? High myopia can be risk of glaucoma, retina detachment or cataract in the future? If it happens in the future can it cure by surgery?  Do LASIK leave some scare to the cornea? Can can people wear contact lenses after LASIK? Can cornea illnesses happened after did LASIK, such as keratoconus

[Kitty_Pich]

Now m 23, -6.00, -5.50. Possible to get 100% of power degree out? But now m not sure when will my eye stop increasing degree. m using contact lenses for 4-5years, so m afraid it might cos my cornea thin and change shape. :(

[Bharathib]

Hi Connie,

I have wore glasses from my childhood at my 3 years of age. At 23, I have undergone LASIK for my -12 and -9 myopia.  Again now at 27 age, I am wearing glasses for about -7 and -4. Still increasing. Not sure how Lasik helped. Now what can I do to stop this. I am almost crying!!!

Bharathi

[vics4u]

Hi all

I am 24yrs, and my doctor said to me that my high myope cannot be cured since its too late, while it should have been done years before. Am very concern about my eyes. my right eye is weaker than the other one. and recently floaters starts appearing. am -7.5 and -9.0 at the moment. please I need some advice from you all.

Thank you

[vics4u]

Hi all

I am 24yrs, and my doctor said to me that my high myope cannot be cured since its too late, while it should have been done years before. Am very concern about my eyes. my right eye is weaker than the other one. and recently floaters starts appearing. am -7.5 and -9.0 at the moment. please I need some advice from you all.

Thank you

[dukey]

I think that my point has been lost. What I am trying to say is that most high myopes think that by correcting the refraction with LASIK, their problems are solved. They are not. Like I said, high myopia is a retina disorder as much as it is a refractive one and my concern is that it puts a lot of people who do not know any better into a false sense of security. Moreover, I BELIEVE that it is a risk that is just not worth taking. That is my personal opinion. If you come onto a forum like this, you should expect a wide range of opinions. After all that is the whole point, right?

I am sorry for trying to make the OP aware of my opinions on this. I did not think that I (or anyone else for that matter) was insulting them or scaring them in this post. I'm sure the OP is capable of making his/her mind up given all the information here.  

[Connie722]

Hi everybody,
With reference to this topic, I forgot to mention that I was informed that this surgery lasts between 10-15 years. After that there is not guarantee you will not need glasses. Nothing is forever and I think that is the problem, some people assume it is permanent. Your eye will change is still myopic. As said before better be -1 than -9!
Hope to hear from again soon as I find this forum very good.
Connie

[Connie722]

Hi dukey,
If you go from -9 or -8 to -1 it sounds like a successful surgery to me. You can do a lot things without glasses, apart from watching TV, driving at night and working in front of a computer. By the way there is nothing worse than working with computers! They destroyed my eyesight.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Connie

[Connie722]

Dear Doctor,
Please note that I am aware of the risks you take when undergo LASIK. No doctor nowadays will let you have this "treatment" as they call, without you knowing the risks you are taking. My expectations are quite realistic (if I end up with -1, I am very happy indeed!). I am more concerned with the long term consequences of this surgery. I have only recently found out that we are more prone to retinal detachment than teh general population. Not good! As mentioned before I was declared by the clinic a suitable candidate for LASIK after being tested for 6 hours (I arrived at 9 and left at 3pm).
What do you think? I agree with one of the emails when it says "you get what you pay for".
Hope to hear from you soon. I still have time to change my mind.

[Connie722]

Doctor,
Is -8 considered high myopia or moderate? It is important to know that.LASIK nowadays can correct until -12. I know quite a lot of people with my prescription that had LASIK and are quite happy with the results.One is even -9 and today does not wear glasses for anything. I was told that the technology for myopia is quite good with LASIK. It is not the same though to hypermethropia and astigmatism.  Please let me know what you know. It is really sad to read so many stories of young people (25-40) with two times my prescription. I am 53 years old, female, and quite healthy. My cornea is very thick and my IOP is good. No sign of diabetes of high blood pressure. Had an ulcer on right eye 36 years ago due to a contact lenses problem, and at the age of 34 a fungus on my right eye due to a nap taken in the afternoon while wearing contacts (RGP).
Thanks
Connie

[Connie722]

First of all many thanks for all the comments regarding LASIK and retinal detachment. We myopic people, are more suscetible to this kind of problem. I will be having the treatment with Prof. D Reinstein, one of the world lead specialist in refractive surgery. I had 6 hours of test to see if I was suitable or not. Obviously nobody knows what will happen to all these people that had LASIK in 20 years... Is -8 highly myopic, anyway? I thought it was more like -10. Hope to hear from you soon.
Connie

[kivrin]

This thread started with the OP asking about chances of success. I have made my opinion amply clear, but I want to address a few issues:

1. Testing for glaucoma. There are several methods of testing, not all use an instrument to measure pressure. The most definitive test for glaucoma involves a trained specialist examining the nerve canal. Most people do not randomly test their intraocular pressure every day. Testing that pressure is normally done by an eye doctor. Knowing that a device pressure number is inaccurate is easily addressed by informing the eye doctor that the pressure reading is inaccurate due to Lasik.

2. Any time you do surgery to the eye, it comes with an increased risk of cataracts. If your surgeon does not inform you of this, I believe he/she is doing all patients a great disservice. Also, it is your responsibility as a patient to be informed of risks and benefits, particularly for a voluntary surgery such as Lasik.

3. kg17's point of "Lastly, one needs to realize that because high myopia is not well studied, the actual risk of refractive procedures on the retina is really unknown." is well taken. However, it is always up to the individual to decide if a surgery is right and needed.

4. My statement of retinal detachment not caused by my Lasik has been confirmed by quite a few (more than 5) separate ophthalmologists and retinal surgeons. Also, the statistical possibility of a retinal detachment being tied to a surgery that happened over 10 years ago is pretty low.

I remember when PRK was "the thing." Lasik came along as a significant improvement. Of course medical science is going to keep coming up with new and better techniques to address problems. Realistically, the idea of doing a lens implant instead of Lasik is definitely an intriguing idea.

As one of the doctors who posts on this site recently said (paraphrasing), online forums such as this tend to attract people who are unhappy more than those who are happy. This point is quite true. Most of all the posters here have their own personal experience to relate, a positive and a negative attraction to any forum. If there were a large number of Lasik patients who had significant problems with the procedure, you would see an effect in the number of patients having it performed, as well as the number of doctors willing to perform. In the last ten years, the opposite has been true. Looking at the numbers of procedures and the FDA's reports, Lasik still has a very good success rate. Does this mean it is a cure-all? No. Are there problems? Of course there are. Every medical procedure has its risks -- people die from having root canals.

Instead of trying to scare or insult the original poster, consider your reasoning in responding to a post. If a poster is pleased with the choice he/she has made, why tell someone he/she is still wrong? Consider how you would react if someone made that comment about other choices you make? I came to this forum to pass the time as I recovered from a retinal surgery. I came as a place to just listen to others and see how they addressed similar problems. I never came to be told what to do, nor did I ever expect "good advice." If you want good advice, locate someone with valued experience in the field.

Dr. Hagan's initial advice is still the best. Ask more than one surgeon. Make a decision based on that information and your own choices about how you wish to live your life.

[kg17]

Some points to consider with high myopia and LASIK.

High myopia renders you more statistically likely to develop glaucoma than the normal person.  LASIK alters the shape/thickness of the cornea and makes it difficult to obtain accurate intraocular pressure readings.  Because the optic nerve in the myopic eye is tilted and looks abnormal to begin with, having accurate introacular pressure reads is even more important to diagnose glaucoma risk.  

Additionally, it is also well known that high myopia also increases cataract risk.  Once again, obtaining the best measurement to ascertain the needed IOL power for cataract surgery will also be compromised.

Lastly, one needs to realize that because high myopia is not well studied, the actual risk of refractive procedures on the retina is really unknown.  But the available research does indicate that compared with mild/moderate myopia, complications occur much more frequently in the highly myopic eye from all refractive procedures.  And when one of those complications occurs to you, it is a big deal.  I am proof of that.

[walkietalkie]

What I did not mention is that when I had Lasik it was purposely made -0.5 undercorrected. So i will still need to wear glasses, albeit a not so thick one.  The cost is affordable and its even much cheaper these days.

You can always stick to glasses and contacts if you are unsure. The choice is yours. I doubt you would qualify for Lasik anyway given your much higher degree of myopia.

[dukey]

"My retinal detachments (yes, plural) were not a cause of the Lasik"

How do you know that?

[dukey]

I'm just trying to make people aware of the potential pitfulls of LASIK surgery in high myopia. I get a lot of e-mails from people just like yourselves who have made terrible decisions with their high myopia and regretted it years down the line. The simple fact is this - high myopia is NOT simply a refractive disorder and you will be amazed at how many retina specialists do not seem to grasp that. For most it is a retinal disorder which cannot be corrected with laser surgery, period. It's like putting stop-leak in your car when what you really need is an engine re-build.    

Having LASIK and slowly drifiting back to -1.75 is not a success for me by any definition, it is a disaster and it is a waste of money.You still have to wear contacts/glasses and, IN MY OPINION, you took an unnecessary risk for minimal benefit long-term.

It's just my opinion.

[walkietalkie]

I was -8 when I had Lasik 10 years ago. Never regretted it. Agree fully with kivrin. It regresses over the years and am now at -1.75, which is alright. I can see fairly well w/o my not so thick glasses, not to mention it actually gives me excellent near vision. Had torn retina almost two years ago, which I guess is bound to happen with or w/o Lasik, and that has completely healed. I think Lasik technology has improved tremendously since then.

[kivrin]

"I mean, is wearing glasses or contacts really that much of a crutch? I guess it is to some. "

From your comment, I gathered you thought that the original poster was engaging in "crutch" behavior by replying on glasses or contacts. I was just trying to express that desiring to stop wearing contacts or glasses -- or at least not as heavy of a prescription -- can be a life choice, not just a medical choice.

I had Lasik in 1994 .. so I have a pretty good understanding of the longer term benefits of the surgery. I would not say that I have had any disadvantages from Lasik. My retinal detachments (yes, plural) were not a cause of the Lasik, the halo effect only lasted for a few years... few ophthalmologists .. even my retinal surgeon had to really LOOK after I told them that I had Lasik to "kinda" see the surgery. They have said that they wouldn't have known if I didn't tell them.

My quality of life is better after Lasik. That is the only message that I wanted to relay to the poster. I was trying to offer a positive contrast to your more negative viewpoint. In order for the poster to make a decision based on all the facts.

[dukey]

"What dukey does not seem to understand is the stress and aggravation in being highly myopic"

Wow, that's interesting. Last time I checked I had full blown pathological myopia and only a week ago had surgery.

[dukey]

How old are you? There is no guarantee that your type of myopia will not progress as you age even if you are stable now. I am always a little confused when high myopes want to have LASIK considering all the potential pitfalls. I mean, is wearing glasses or contacts really that much of a crutch? I guess it is to some.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

If you will be happy with a major reduction of your myopia (say 90%) and are prepared to wear glasses that are much thinner I think it a good option. Visit at least two refractive surgeons. Often the surgery will be done on the surface of the cornea rather than in the niddle to allow more surgery without making the cornea unstable.

There may be some risk of the procedure causing a posterior vitreous detachment or retinal tear. The risk is small. You should know the symptoms of a possible tear anyway sudden increase of floaters, flashes of light like lightening and loss of peripheral vision.

Before lasik have your retina checked by a retina surgery to sign off that nothing needs to be treated preventively with laser or cryotherapy.

JCH MD

[Connie722]

Thansk for your concern and advise. I just wonder how come so many people with very high prescriptions, like -9, have successful outcomes after LASIK. Is the technology not better? Even I am left with 0.75, -1 I am happy. My only concern is what will happen to in 10/15 years...Please any comments on this are much appreciated.
Connie