Lazer eye surgery any good for MX riders?

[NO HAND]

I got so tired to have my contact lenses dry on my eyes because I don't blink often enough when riding on a track. That's not to mention how often I get dust particles. I borrowed to get that lazer thing. It's scheduled for this thursday, I can't back off but I'm worried a litle bit. Has any of you guys gone through this? Are my eyes going to be more sensible to dust? Is it worth it?

 

[MXboy00]

Well I wouldn't know personally, but some of the top SX/MX racers have had it done. The most recent person to have it done is Sean Hamblin, who I think had it done to both eyes about 2-3 weeks ago. :think: I've heard nothing but good about it so far. :thumb:

Edit- Oops...just read "Lazer"...coulda sworn I saw "Lasik"...Not sure if they're the same thing or not...but Lasik is the newest technology from what I know...or think...err. Now i'm confused. :ugg:

 

[biglou]

http://dirtrider.net/forums3/search.php?searchid=40422

 

[sfc crash]

my buddy had lasik, it works better than new.

 

[Okiewan]

Sean Hamblin just had it and said it's awesome, he was racing 3 days later.

 

[TwistNShout]

My husband had it done and loves it. No more seeing dust through two lenses.....his glasses and goggles. His eyes are not any more sensitive either. The only complication he had was the first couple hours after the surgery his eyes were watering and burning but never experienced that again.

Good luck!

 

[TwinSpar]

It's worth every penny not to have to deal with glasses and contacts. :thumb:

 

[Vytas]

Had it done 2 1/2 years ago and am very happy with the results. Contacts suck while riding and glasses were worse.

 

[Zoomer]

Had it done 2 years ago in my left eye only. Got rid of glasses for everything but reading. No complaints. Do it at the end of the riding season, as you should not be in a dusty enviroment for about 6-8 weeks.

 

[Tree]

I had it done a couple of weeks ago and I love it. Like you mentioned no more dust particles screwing up the contacts or them drying out. Also no more special sized goggles to fit glasses under or having the glasses fog up. It's great you won't regret it. :thumb:

 

[crfmonkey]

Laser Eyes

I has Lasek 3 months ago and after wearing glasses for 18 years I have no regrets at all.

Riding the bike is SO much better, I now have peripheral vision which I missed. For some reason my balance has improved.

I am more sensitive to Hayfever this spring, maybe it'll wear off but not being able to scratch my eyes drives me nuts.

The op is quick, I had nearly 20:20 vision within 3 days and would not go back. :)

 

[NO HAND]

Hey guys I'm so glad to have your take on this. It is reassuring! In the pre-op meeting, the surgeon asked me why I wanted this done to my eyes and told him it was mainly to see which line was best on motocross tracks. He frowned for a while, perhaps he tought I came from mars. But, anyway he recommended me to go with PRK and Wavefront technology. Thanks again for the replies, I'll keep you posted.

 

[marc_w]

I wish like crazy that I could have it done... but I (mentally) can't.

I can't even take eye-drops fer cryin out loud. (and I'm not exaggerating -- I really **CANT** do them). It frustrates me to no end.

The doc's would have to knock me out with a baseball bat, and pray I don't wake up mid-proceedure. ....Think the hulk was mad?

For now I just deal with not being able to see clearly all that far. I 'could' go for glasses, but just live with it. :|

 

[Zerotact]

They had a ting on the news in my area. There are some people doing this stuff out of a Semi trailer, and they are not exactly fully liscensed.... Kinda scary... I'd hold out for someone that can afford a real office...

 

[DWreck]

I had it done at TLC. Just went back for my two year eye exam. Doc had a new eye chart that randomly puts up letters (no memorizing). I could read the 20/15 with each eye and 20/10 with both. Doc just stared at me for a minute and started laughing. Said I was the first person who was able to do that in the three months since he had gotten it. So yes I recommend it, but like Zero said go somewhere reputable. It's your eyes, and they are not replaceable.

 

[TwistNShout]

TLC is who did my husband's eyes as well.

 

[jr.ink]

Had it done in Canada 2001 for $1,000 both eyes. Took less than 6 minutes per eye. Never spent money better.

 

[NO HAND]

I wish like crazy that I could have it done... but I (mentally) can't.

I can't even take eye-drops fer cryin out loud. (and I'm not exaggerating -- I really **CANT** do them). It frustrates me to no end.

The doc's would have to knock me out with a baseball bat, and pray I don't wake up mid-proceedure...

You shouldn't worry. It's not as bad as that. I'm fragile to passing out and wasn't sure how it was going to be if ever I passed out. I don't know if you are scared of the same thing but I can tell you it really is totally pain free; the surgery I mean. There is no pulling or tickling, nothing. I didn't pass out. I was almost sure I would have passed out because I do usually for shots and stuff like that. The only thing I find annoying is the recovery with PRK procedure. It takes long. I had the 15th of april and today (20th) is the first day I can see good enough to drive and go to work. I didn't expect it to take this long. I hate to think I may be a retard that takes forever to heal...

 

[Zuki]

I had mine done in January and wish I had done years earlier. It's just plain incredible. Waking up in the morning without having to grab your glasses or put in contacts.

 

[BlazinBoy]

I had laser eye surgery done 10 years ago in Canada (wasnt allowed in the US at the time) and it was worth every penny!
:eek:

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

I guess I could ask a doctor but seeing how much I value the opinion of everyone on DRN, I'll ask here 1st.
What happens when my vision starts deteriorating with age? Does this type of surgery stop the process or simply reverse for a few years and start all over? Reason I ask is I've always had good vision until I started getting older than Okie, now I can tell the need for corrective lenses which I have yet to see a doc for. I'm wondering if going to the doctor and asking for this surgery instead of glasses is an option or should I move into glasses first and simply wait until my vision gets really bad?

 

[dirt bike dave]

Jeff,
As we age, most people will have their vision for reading get worse, but vision at distances should not change much. I believe part of the deterioration in reading vision is related to the muscles around the eye weakening, and Lasix can't do anything about that part of the equation. As you age, first signs that your reading vision getting worse will often be apparent when you are tired.

Most people getting Lasix are nearsighted (can see near, but CAN'T see far). If you need reading glasses, a normal Lasix procedure will not change that - you will still need reading glasses. In fact, if you did not need reading glasses before but were heading that way, you must might after Lasix. Also, your reading vision in low light can be much worse after Lasix.

I am 42 and had Lasix approx. 4 years ago. My vision before was worse than 20/600 (could not read the big E on the chart), but now it is 20/20. After a lifetime of glasses and contacts, Lasix was a huge plus for me. However, my low-light reading vision is much worse after surgery, and I can only read small print with reading glasses. Reading in bed is now much easier with reading glasses. I never needed reading glasses before surgery. Also, for a few weeks after surgery, night driving was uncomfortable, and I would see 'halos' around oncoming headlights. With some patients, seeing halos while driving may not ever go away, and that is one of the risks of the surgery.

I believe you can get a 'monocular' version of Lasix, where they fix nearsightedness in one eye, but leave the other eye 'stock' for reading. My Dr. recommended against this as most people don't like the end result, and it is more expensive to have a second surgery rather than to just do both eyes at once.

 

[tnrider]

I had lasik done in August 2002 - at this time I can say it is great! I had some complications due to dry eyes - my wife had no problems. My problems started with going to the mx track to watch 1-week after and getting an infection due to dust in my eyes. I fought dry eye problems for about 6-months - presently I do some drops occasionally (like many old people...) for dry eyes.

After that first week the dr and I had a good discussion going beyond the normal - don't rub your eyes, etc...

He told me that it takes a good 9-months for that flap to fully heal back to the eye. (in fact, he picked one up in his office a week after the surgery to check healing w/r to infection - yuck!) In addition to no water skiing for 3-months, he suggested no hard mx riding for a number of weeks following the surgery. I also asked about airbags - he said, hmmm that would not be good - so I wore safety glasses or sun glasses for my daily drive for a few months after surgery.

You should have a notification present just like any medication or surgical procedure for at least first year (I still do mine and they noted it at my last ER/surgery trip) don't want some ER doc to think you have something in your eye and pull that flap off! I like a sticker on the helmet just like back when I was doing scca auto racing - contains all vital information necessary in ER room and contact info. If they don't find the helmet after an accident - trip to ER is likely a waste of time/money...

For 6-months following surgery car glare and reflection from orange highway construction signs was painful. Notice some night vision is lost

6-12months it was at worse it was like the glare on a rain night. At this point I really don't notice it any longer. Appear to regain some night vision – or perhaps learned to compensate.

12+months – still dislike the hid lights coming at me. Lights in Georgia dome still annoying (I wore a ball cap to mx races to shield direct light from dome lights). Vision still better than 20-20

The amount of "near" vision you lose is directly proportional to the amount of correction you have. My correction was something like 2.5 where my wife's was around 6? I notice only a little loss while she noticed it the next day but neither of us requires reading glasses (I am 41)

I say go for it – but pick a time of year that you can deal with some reduced activity for a few months. Oh, my wife laughs because I still often wear glasses – but they are plastic safety shields – before lasik, never noticed how many times I was doing things that required safety glasses.

 

[Zuki]

Jeff,

I have had Lasik now for 4 months and love it... To answer your question Lasik will not prevent the normal weaking of the eyes as we age. Even with Lasik it is more than likely I will need glasses later in life for readin or such. Being 40 yrs old and wearing glasses or contacts for the past 30 years I am just thrilled to ba able to see.

 

[NO HAND]

Well, I heard from the doctor that the lasik operation never completely heals because the cornea is a tissue that has no blood vessels in it and does not recuperate from the cut. However, the epithelium (the fine clear skin covering the cornea and the rest of the eye) is the membrane that can heal and keeps the flap from reopening. The doctor told me this flap is susceptible to reopening at anytime if you receive a poke at a 45* angle of the cornea. This is why he didn't want me to use lasik if I am racing motocross because of the chances of the flap re opening. So, I got PRK (method where they rip the epithelium and then laser burn the cornea), but I am not so happy with the results so far.