Reply With QuoteMy father has just had his lenses replaced, says he wished he had it done years ago, has regained his long vision but may need a slight correction (reading glasses) for close up.
I am optically impaired (ie need specs) and seems a growing number of friends and acquaintances have successfully had their eyes lasered
I am tempted but get mixed advice about the efficacy of laser eye surgery for me due to my 'mature' age (45+)
Has anyone here had the laser job aged 45+? or know anyone who has?
And if so, was it a success
I am genuinely keen to hear of other folks' experience - I know eyes 'harden' as you get older and so I may need reading glasses, etc.
I see (no pun intended) the eye doctor next Friday
Thanks in anticipation
E
My father has just had his lenses replaced, says he wished he had it done years ago, has regained his long vision but may need a slight correction (reading glasses) for close up.
I haven't reached that age but not a million miles away. Had a good chat with the doc about it at my last medical as my eyes are borderline needing glasses. His advice was to hold off as long as possible - the older you get (within reason) the more your eyes will settle down on speed of deterioration.
Everyone will need cataract op at some stage - have a lens implant op. I know a guy who has had it done at around 50 and wishes he had it done years ago.
I've had laser correction previously (maybe 15 years ago and had perfect vision for years) and I am considering lens implants - but have some vision issues, so will wait until I stabilise.
It's just a matter of time...
My eyes are too bad for laser eye surgery, Id need lens implants, which Im not sure about at the moment.
That said, my latest glasses cost £450, so perhaps t might be best if I go for it!
I had Lasik done in 2000. Leading up to that I was legally blind. After surgery, I have had 15/20 (left eye, better than normal) and 20/20 vision for the last dozen years. It has only been in the last year due to old age that I am starting to become slightly short sighted again in my right eye (the known weaker eye). My left eye remains better than normal.
The most critical issue with eye surgery is seeking experienced advice from a knowledgeable and experienced surgeon who can diagnose and fully scan beforehand; and should you proceed with surgery - to have the most experienced opthalmic surgeon you can find. At the end of the day, the operation is still manually hand held by the surgeon. A good surgeon will offer an assured lifetime follow up care plan.
Age is certainly an issue, in that your lens hardens with age and the healing process takes much longer at an older age. There are pros and cons - it can be a lifestyle changer and certainly was for me. But weigh it up very carefully - whilst digital CCD eyes are already in test and I believe we will see bionic replacement eyeballs within the next 20 years, you only have one set of eyeballs!
The wife had it done at the age of 56.
She still needs glasses for reading but her long sight is perfect.
The only downside she has noticed is in bright light she needs sunglasses and it also affects her when driving at night as headlights tend to dazzle her a lot, this has been solved by purchasing some glassses to cut down on the dazzle.
Having laser will help short sight but will not prevent you needing reading glasses one day, as most people do in their 50s or 60s. This is due to the lens hardening and therefore is less able to change shape when accommodating to near vision. If you ever get cataracts you can ask for replacement lenses of different diopters, thus allowing one eye for distance and the other for reading, although some people find this hard to live with.
The best advice is to talk it through with an experienced surgeon; anyone worth their salt will be honest with you. The night vision and dazzling is a fairly common side effect, but lessened if the laser area is minimised.
I'm in exactly the same situation as you. I had thought I would never do it but then someone I know with as bad eyesight did it and has been fine. I would have to save up for it though and have more pressing concerns currently.Originally Posted by teknicolourfox
The technology has improved a lot. however I feel that you have less to lose if you are over 45/50 as laser eye surgery had not been around long enough to know what will happen in 30/40 years time I don't think. so if you are younger, who knows what will happen in the future.....
Having worn glasses and contact lens from the age of 6 I had toric lens implants 2 yrs ago Aged 62 . Absolutely brilliant life changing for me . Some
minor things , like a little glare but nothing really . It seems that laser is more suitable for young people with relatively mild prescriptions .
My wife has now had lens implants again apart from some minor niggles she is very happy. Our friend who had a severe prescription high astigmatism
and severe myopia and presbyopia with age has just had it done and tho' they said it was a challenge she has had a superb result - just needs reading
glasses in low light.
Plus it solves cataracts later on! As you can gather I'm a big fan. Money well spent.
There is a very long thread on this subject here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/t...my+experiences
It's gone a little stale but there is a lot of useful information, the most important of which is think very hard before trusting your eyes to someone who is working on commission.
Both my brother and I have been told that laser surgery may not eliminate the need for glasses. Not heard or read about lens implants.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
I had it @18 months ago at 47, wasnt cheap as I paid for the top level of treatment with Optical Express. My sight is now 6/4 in both eyes which means being able to read the bottom line of the chart. I can just about manage without reading glasses, but was advised to use them as it puts less strain on the eye. I do sometimes suffer dry eyes and they do seem to feel tired at the end of the day. The reason I had it was that I didnt want to go for varifocal glasses & glasses are a pain when motorcyling swimming etc
It has improved my quality of life so would probably do it again if needed. I am happy with the treatment and follow up support. Overall I would rate it 8.5/10.
How much are people paying for lens implants?
I would seriously consider it, I love mountain biking, swimming etc, and contacts/glasses really do hinder what I can do...
I did consider it, but I would still need reading glasses and there was a strong chance that I would still need a slight corrective lens.
Had they said no reading glasses or additional corrective lens I would have done it.
Ive considered it but after talking to a number of people have come to the conclusion its a bit of a trade off, Ime short sighted but have been told that if they cure my distance sight I may need glasses for reading which I dont at the moment. In saying that, since reaching 60 my distance sight has improved but my reading sight has deteriorated slightly, which is exactly what I was told could happen, so no laser surgery for me!
My take on this, as an optometrist not a surgeon.
Best time to do it is in your mid 20s. This way you should get the best chance of a decent peiod of time without the need for a correction at all.
However relatively few mid 20s have £2-4k spare - ignore these ads for £400 an eye as several have been removed as being misleading. At that price only those that don't actually need it get offered it!
Once you hit 40 practical complications kick in. Near vision. Assuming all goes well medically and your distance vision is good post op you will then need reading glasses very soon afterwards. Myopia (lets ignore the long sighted for now) allows lots of ways to prolong the time before you need reading glasses - all those of you who have always needed glasses will recognise pulling them down your nose or just taking them off to read. Once your myopia is gone this does too.
Since lots of people do lots (more) close work these days - IT etc - you could well find you need to wear glasses almost as much of the time during the week as you were. Yes you can drive to and from without but I'll still see you to buy glasses - its not a one hit wonder. That may be good enough for you but think long and hard because once its done..
Distance vision - my experience is that about 7 years post op your distance vision slips enough to need glasses to drive. Now its not nearly as bad as it was pre op but enough to be uncomfortably blurred to drive. So back you come for more glasses. Not the high index Porsche purchasing (thats me not you :-) ) pairs but its outlay all the same. This laser lark won't save you money.
Now granted I only see those whose vision has changed so my experience may be slightly skewed on this point but I can only quote from experience.
And all this assumes that medically the process goes well - frankly usually it does but choose your surgeon well and personally I'd avoid the high st operations.
Lens implants are basically cataract operations done before you have cataracts. Very straightforward surgically (as far as any procedure is straightforward) and you won't ever get cataracts. Other wise the same caveats apply.
If you are up to -4 then personally I'd stay put with glasses and contact lenses as being a little myopic isn't a bad thing as you get older. Beyond that its a tough decision as it will change your life - hopefully for the better but it won't save you money.
I can't offer any useful medical advice, but a friends mother had it when she was 50ish and got along well with it. No complications and from what I gather her vision is now great.
Best bet is to get a few consultations done and see what they have to say. It's absolutely possible though.
DavidL a few posts up ^^^^^ offers an excellent summary.
I had surgery 10 ish years ago (wore glasses for tv and driving) and now I need them again.
Well, I've probably needed them for a couple of years, but vanity got in the way.
What I will add from a personal perspective is having worn gigs 22 to 35 and should have been much earlier, I have enjoyed the freedom the surgery gave me for a time.
I had replacement lenses a couple of years ago and it is the best £6k I have ever spent. After it was done I had an eye test and I now have 6/5 vision which is better than 20/20.
I can see distance and I have a 'sweet spot' for near vision which is about 6" to 18".
I struggle to see the car clocks without moving forward but the heads up display makes checking speed a doddle. Also reading name badges from around 4/5 feet is hard.
The only other disadvantage is at night with slight ghosting round bright white words on the tv such as credits and street lamps and headlights at night have a 'starburst' effect around them.
I don't have any glasses now except sunglasses which I find I need to use more now when it is really bright sunshine.
Go to a specialist eye hospital rather than the high street places and get proper advice.
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