Laser Eye Surgery at 38 years old - Experiences?

[HannsG]

Hi,

Had my regular eye test and was told as I'm 38 and if I want laser to get it ASAP. After 40 apparently your eyesight is not worthy of any laser type surgery.

Anyway. I want to get it as I hate my glasses and I was wondering whether I could get it through my limited company also?

Anyway, I gather there is Lasik and Idesign Lasik?

Thanks

[Welshbeef]

I’d be petrified of the operation going wrong loss of sight vs having to wear glasses simply not on the same playing field.

[HannsG]

Welshbeef said:

I’d be petrified of the operation going wrong loss of sight vs having to wear glasses simply not on the same playing field.

Mate... Your scaring the st out of me. I feel the same and having spoken to some people they are very adamant they would not let anything near their eyes.

Is it worth it i suppose??

[Welshbeef]

HannsG said:

Mate... Your scaring the st out of me. I feel the same and having spoken to some people they are very adamant they would not let anything near their eyes.

Is it worth it i suppose??

Loss of sight in normal life is exceptionally rare or due to an accident.

Loss of sight due to laser eye surgery adds massively to the odds of having it.
I’d not trust anyone to do it - what if they have an off day what if they make a minor error who knows.

Glasses are pretty stylish - if your eyes mouth and nose are close together it can change to appearance of your face drawing away from that unattractive trait. Also if your eyes are wide apart ditto mouth it’s something to draw another persons view away from those quirks

[Patch1875]

I had mines done at 37. 47 now and vision still excellent with distance though I reckon I will need reading glasses in the next few years.

[FLGirl]

Im 39 and will be having my surgery this Monday. I’d be very happy to share details of what it was like, recovery etc as it happens.

I did a LOT of research about various clinics but also, importantly, the actual surgeons themselves.

I’ve chosen the London Vision Clinic. They are world class and my experience so far has been amazing.

I’m having the Relex Smile procedure detailed here, and Glenn Carp is my surgeon.
https://www.londonvisionclinic.com/whats-the-diffe...

My prescription in -5.0 in both eyes with astigmatism. I’ve needed glasses since I was 9 and worn contacts since I was 16.

I’m really excited about it. I just wish I’d chosen to do it much earlier.

If of interest I’ll write up next week how it went.

[LimaDelta]

I looked into it a couple of years back (37 or 38). I have worn contact lenses since my late teens and not really had issues with them but thought I would inquire anyway. It was recommended I went for the more painful one (whichever that is) on account of my 'active lifestyle' meaning less likelihood of the flap becoming dislodged.

What struck me however was the lack on any insurance offered on the part of the clinic. Surely a procedure with such a low risk it would not be unreasonable to expect some kind of protection in the case of loss of sight? Their argument was that it was very unlikely which to my mind made it seem all the more odd. If it is so unlikely then why not offer say £1M insurance for sight loss? Unless of course the risk is higher than they would like to admit and therefore do not want to have to make regular payouts of such a magnitude.

In the end they were unable to put their 'money where their mouth was' so to speak, so I politely declined and have continued with my contact lenses.

My zombie apocalypse contingency now is a couple of pairs of Bolle prescription safety glasses.

[RizzoTheRat]

My wife had it done a few months back at the above mentioned London Vision Clinic, at the age of 40. Had a separate consultation before, but on the day was in and out in about an hour and a half. Was supposed to keep her eyes closed for several hours afterwards, and had to go back for a checkup the next day so we booked a local hotel. In the morning they said she was fine to drive again. Went back for her 3 months check recently and they reckon it's better than 20/20. Not cheap but they seem to have done a great job.

The thing about age is that your near sight tends to go as you get older, but her view is if she starts to get a bit long sighted reading glasses are a tenner a pair from Boots compared to the fortune she was spending on contact lenses.

[Zetec-S]

Welshbeef said:

HannsG said:

Mate... Your scaring the st out of me. I feel the same and having spoken to some people they are very adamant they would not let anything near their eyes.

Is it worth it i suppose??

Loss of sight in normal life is exceptionally rare or due to an accident.

Loss of sight due to laser eye surgery adds massively to the odds of having it.
I’d not trust anyone to do it - what if they have an off day what if they make a minor error who knows.

Glasses are pretty stylish - if your eyes mouth and nose are close together it can change to appearance of your face drawing away from that unattractive trait. Also if your eyes are wide apart ditto mouth it’s something to draw another persons view away from those quirks

Have to agree with this. I'm in my late 30's, and have worn glasses for the past 10 or so years. I have sometimes thought about laser eye surgery, and I know the chances of something going wrong is minimal, but I can't get over the fact that if something did go wrong then that could be it. And no amount of compensation could make up for going from perfectly acceptable eyesight to becoming blind/partially blind in the space of 20 minutes.

My main gripe with wearing glasses is that it costs a small fortune to get a decent pair of prescription sunglasses, and even when you have them it's a PITA swapping them if you're going in and out of buildings all the time. I've tried reaction lenses but not that impressed, and there's no way I'm poking anything in my eyes so that's contact lenses off the table.

[Richard-390a0]

Zetec-S said:

I have sometimes thought about laser eye surgery, and I know the chances of something going wrong is minimal, but I can't get over the fact that if something did go wrong then that could be it. And no amount of compensation could make up for going from perfectly acceptable eyesight to becoming blind/partially blind in the space of 20 minutes.

My main gripe with wearing glasses is that it costs a small fortune to get a decent pair of prescription sunglasses, and even when you have them it's a PITA swapping them if you're going in and out of buildings all the time. I've tried reaction lenses but not that impressed, and there's no way I'm poking anything in my eyes so that's contact lenses off the table.

I'm with you in not being happy with the potential risk but then I hate anything going near my eyes anyhow contact lenses, eye drops etc. It probably also isn't helped by having a friend where the surgery wasn't a 100% success & he has to use eye drops in one eye, which now three years after having surgery whoever was paying for the eye drops (the clinic or insurance) have said they're no longer paying so he now also has that arguement on his hands.

[stut4]

i had mine done at age 28 - 10 years back. i was around -1.25 / -1.5 when i had it done. had better than 20/20 vision following the op.
just started to lose it very slightly in one eye - think it is now -0.25. other is still very strong.
went for a cheap and cheerful option - none of the flash addons - like "better for night driving etc" and managed fine. think i paid around £500 as managed to knock them down to rock bottom with discounts/offers etc, for it through optical express. their aftercare wasn't brilliant - ie they left the onus on you to make follow up appointments - but apart from that it was a straight forward op and managed to get the train there and back, then took day off in bed as they were a bit uncomfortable the following day.
the terror of having it done made me lay dead still and not move for fear of it lasering my face. slight burning smell, but nothing too bad. i'd do it again if needed if the price was right.

[Fat Wolfie]

Had it done when I was 45, some 12 years ago. Having worn specs since I was 16, the difference it made to me was huge.

Immediately post treatment my vision was fantastic, and have had regular tests since with zero deterioration.

Since turning 50 I do need reading glasses, was warned about this up front - the condition being age related presbyopia- basically as you get older the lense loses its ability to change shape so can’t focus on close things as easily. (I’m just a layman so am only reporting what I was told so if that’s technically wrong I am ready to be corrected!)

My results were so good that a few months later Swmbo had hers done too, she’s 7 years younger than me, and was equally delighted with the results.

At the end of the day it’s a big step, there’s risks in everything we do but given the number of operations that take place daily, the probability of a problem is extremely small ...but potentially life changing. Only you know if that’s a risk you’re prepared to run!

[dsl2]

FatWolfie has it right, lens stiffen up mid to late 40's as a rule so its likely if you have it done at 38 you will need reading glasses around that age for close up work but beyond that range should more or less see you out of this life if corrected properly. (You can instead have one eye adjusted again for close up work, my parents had this done at 68 years of age sounds odd but works well as you soon adjust to it)

I had mine done at the age of 43 & its genuinely one of the best things I've ever done, virtually no pain & instant results.

As I was taking no chances I paid top dollar & went to The London vision Clinic Harley street. They are one of the top clinics in the world, carry out incredibly through testing prior to scheduling the operation. This was very important to me as I tested up with very thin corneas so much so that two previous clinics could not guarantee it wouldn't damage my vision long term so I decided not to do the work as they couldn't tell if I had an eye condition that was, & would continue to thin the corneas possibly allowing holes to form when further reduced in thickness to correct my vision.

London vision clinic had the Uk's only Artemis scanner so could examine my corneas fully & see that I was infact just born with congenically thin corneas & was not suffer from a degenerating condition so were happy to schedule the op.

Glen Carp a very experienced guy & professor Reinstine's right hand man did my surgery, he was exceptional through out. So calming talking me through every step just prior to it happening.

As is often the case the worry prior was far far the worst part of it, the actual procedure was a breeze & over in a couple of minutes, unbelievable really.

Taxi ride back to the hotel 30 mins later with perfect vision is a real WOW moment!

[Dr Jekyll]

It's been a very common procedure, according to some accounts the most common surgical procedure, for decades and if complications let alone blindness were at all common it would be well known by now. The risk level (IE chance of being left with vision worse than it was before) is about the same as using daily disposable contact lenses every day for a year. When it does go wrong it's usually relatively minor, such as glare from lights or a similar effect to dirty spectacle lenses.

I was reluctant because I'd believed the age thing. Now I've investigated it I'm saving up.

[markcoznottz]

Had it at 27, now 44, best thing I ever did, perfect long distance vision, was blurred before, couldn't drive at night without glasses etc. I don't need reading glasses yet, afaik age related loss of close vision is something that just happens, I don't know wether having lasik slows that down or prevents.

[Dr Jekyll]

markcoznottz said:

Had it at 27, now 44, best thing I ever did, perfect long distance vision, was blurred before, couldn't drive at night without glasses etc. I don't need reading glasses yet, afaik age related loss of close vision is something that just happens, I don't know wether having lasik slows that down or prevents.

Speeds it up in a manner of speaking. You can cope with loss of close vision better if you're shortsighted and you lose that advantage if it's corrected so need reading glasses as soon as a non short sighted person would.

[markcoznottz]

Dr Jekyll said:

markcoznottz said:

Had it at 27, now 44, best thing I ever did, perfect long distance vision, was blurred before, couldn't drive at night without glasses etc. I don't need reading glasses yet, afaik age related loss of close vision is something that just happens, I don't know wether having lasik slows that down or prevents.

Speeds it up in a manner of speaking. You can cope with loss of close vision better if you're shortsighted and you lose that advantage if it's corrected so need reading glasses as soon as a non short sighted person would.

I was very short sighted, my long distance vision was poor before, under no circumstances could I drive safely at night without glasses. What's the upper age for needing reading glasses?.

[MrOrange]

I had mine done when I was 50 - at London Vision clinic like a few of the posters on here. They did the blended thing so I didn't need reading glasses, quite life changing actually being able to get rid of my specs. I know it's not cheap, but I did my research very thoroughly and I was really pleased with the outcome, so much so my wife had hers done this year.

[RobM77]

I had my eyes lasered at aged 30 and it was the best thing I ever did, no question. It utterly changed my life. I'm an active person who loves the outdoors, and the combination of being extremely shortsighted and having to wear glasses was impacting almost everything I did outside work. Even when not being active, my heavy glasses hurt my nose and ears and generally just pissed my off. Lack of vision in the mornings and in the shower was very awkward too. I'm now 6/4 in both eyes.

My recommendation would be to talk to a provider of laser treatment. Your age should be just one of many questions. I spent an hour discussing my procedure with the surgeon before signing up.

[Dr Jekyll]

markcoznottz said:

Dr Jekyll said:

markcoznottz said:

Had it at 27, now 44, best thing I ever did, perfect long distance vision, was blurred before, couldn't drive at night without glasses etc. I don't need reading glasses yet, afaik age related loss of close vision is something that just happens, I don't know wether having lasik slows that down or prevents.

Speeds it up in a manner of speaking. You can cope with loss of close vision better if you're shortsighted and you lose that advantage if it's corrected so need reading glasses as soon as a non short sighted person would.

I was very short sighted, my long distance vision was poor before, under no circumstances could I drive safely at night without glasses. What's the upper age for needing reading glasses?.

Depends on the individual. Some start using them in their forties, most would benefit in their fifties but if you're short sighted you might be able to struggle on to 60 or so.

I did hear that some patients with laser treatment don't need reading glasses as soon as would be expected, the suggestion was that the treatment somehow increases depth of field but I don't know how.