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LASIK fades with time? - 9/14/2009 2:50:18 PM

Silkendream

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i had the LASIK operation about ten years ago, and have found my sight is now falling back and i have had to buy glasses again. Has this happened to anyone else, and could it maybe be a symptom of something else?

Thanks for any input.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/14/2009 7:42:19 PM

bemyslut

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the changes from lasik do not "fade" with time. instead, as one ages, their eyes lose their abilities to accomodate vision. Once a person hits 35-40 years old, their cilliary ligaments, cornea, and lens are not as nimble and they encounter difficulty with vision (near or far). it may be time to see your opthamologist and get your vision reevaluated

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/14/2009 9:07:19 PM

DavanKael

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I got laser eye surgery for my ex- when he was oh, about 25. We broke up when he was 34, I believe. No glasses needed at 25 or 34. No difference in vision of which he ever spoke (I mean after surgery until break-up).
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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 3:38:41 AM

WolvenFury

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This is a deeply individual matter, to which I reference bemyslut's post. Some individuals find that their vision degrades again within 5-10 years, while some others may spend the rest of their lives without any further significant change in vision. I second bemyslut's suggestion that you see a licensed opthamologist, who can advise you on your options. Many patients are able to undergo LASIK again to re-correct their sight, and many places include a clause in their contract when a person undergoes LASIK that promises to re-do the procedure at no cost. Speak with the facility or doctor's office that did your LASIK and find out whether or not the contract you signed contained this clause, and proceed from there. I hope this helps.

For anyone who is contemplating LASIK, I recommend also examining PRK as well. Be sure that you undergo the procedure that is best for you and your life. Many members of the military opt for PRK rather than LASIK surgery. Do your own research, and be educated about the subject when you speak to your doctor.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 5:19:32 AM

Silkendream

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Thanks for people's input so far. i would think maybe it's an age thing, but they promised me i wouldn't need glasses in my forties, and now i do.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 5:48:32 AM

WolvenFury

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You're very welcome. I hope all goes well with you and you get everything sorted out.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 5:59:24 AM

lusciouslips19

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People with normal vision end up needing reading glasses as they age. SO its normal to need them even if you have had Lasik. It just makes your eyes normal. It doesnt give you Super Vision.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 6:04:46 AM

WolvenFury

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Not always, luscious. As I said in my original post, some people's vision degrades over time while others display no significant change. You are right that it is more than likely simply normal "wear and tear", so to speak.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 7:37:17 AM

Silkendream

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But that was the point, luscious - they said i wouldn't need the reading glasses. It was one of their big selling points. (They're not there anymore so i can't go back, but anyway the guarantee covers one year and it's been about ten!) They said it probably would fall back a bit, but i never thought i'd need glasses again, and it's killing me feeling that hard plastic again.

When i'm physically better, i'll look into another op (you can have more than one) and since my sight is still a huge amount better than it used to be - ( minus seven and a half dioptres WITH astigmatism!) i'll probably be able to get a cheaper one this time.

It was just this most wonderful thing ever, a real miracle, and it made the whole world sparkling, and i feel a bit betrayed. Ah well, just saying.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 7:44:37 AM

divi

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I went for a conseltation and the Dr said as you age so will your eyes. After lasik he said you may need a light prescription

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 7:56:35 AM

Thunderbird56

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"It was just this most wonderful thing ever, a real miracle, and it made the whole world sparkling, and i feel a bit betrayed."
Try *looking* at this from a different perspective. You lived and experienced a "real miracle" for 10 years. I don't know what you paid for your procedure but if you amortize it out over the 10 years I doubt it equates to more than $2 a day ... not bad for a miracle!
While possible that you may have been oversold about the "lifelong" benefits of the procedure, is it not also possible that the ensuing 10 years has 'clouded the vision' of your memory, or that, to some degree, you heard what you wanted to hear at the time?

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/15/2009 10:43:34 AM

Silkendream

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no, i didn't hear what i 'wanted to hear' because i had no idea the results could be that good and i didn't have the medical knowledge to know that if they left half a dioptre in one eye that meant i would be able to focus on close work and not need reading glasses in my forties.

i've been coming to the same conclusion about the surgeon, though - i'm thinking maybe he was so thrilled with his new machine (only had it for 2 weeks before my op) - it was the only one in the UK, and i think he oversold it through sheer excitement. After all, we all make mistakes - i think he genuinely thought what he was saying was true. And he was the best eye surgeon in the UK, so it wouldn't be incompetence.

Remember, i let this man cut into my eyeballs with a scalpel!! I did a lot of research about him, and i trusted him. It was such a new technology that maybe he really thought it was true, and that it would be true for everybody. Thinking about it now, i do still trust him, and i think it was probably over enthusiasm rather than lying.

And yes it was a miracle - when my eyes raced about, the computer followed them, and made the measurements to compensate, even while it was burning a layer off my cornea and yes, i have looked at a sparkling world for about seven years before the brightness started to fade - best £4,000 i ever spent! In fact looking back, it was an absurdly small sum, before you even get to the fact it was in Harley Street!

Thinking it out like this, i do feel better, and now since my eyes are still better then they used to be (at least my specs now are light little ones rather than the welders goggles i used to have to wear, and i can get along without them), the next time maybe i will have PRK or one of the less invasive ones, since i won't need so much.

I would still be glad to hear of other's experiences, and thanks to everyone who is helping me think this through! It is helping.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/16/2009 1:48:40 PM

kccuckoldmist

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Have you had an eye examination? I do not want to be an alarmist but having Lasik does not make you immune to having other causes for eyesight getting worse that are treatable or something that certainly needs medical attention.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/16/2009 3:12:26 PM

Silkendream

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yes i did, at the opticians - that's when i got my new glasses - and Moorfields, but thank you for reminding me that opticians can spot certain medical conditions too.

Any ideas of tests i could ask my doctor for to rule out conditions that would interfere with my eyesight? I've recently been receiving meds after being diagnosed with bipolar (quetiapine (seroquel) and now abilify) - has anybody else had their eyesight get worse on different medications?

< Message edited by Silkendream -- 9/16/2009 3:18:12 PM >

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/17/2009 9:46:02 AM

LittleMeganV

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It used to be that they would not perform Lasik or PRK on individuals with prescriptions over a certain amount or a demonstrating shifting in their vision. This was due to the fact that after a few years people would need it again. In recent years more and more people are pushing for the operation and more places are doing it on eyes that previously might not have qualified or been stable enough, the result is peoples vision shifting back to the point of needing glasses again.

That said depending on your age you will probably need them anyways, bemyslut was correct when they pointed out that as you age ligaments loosen and the eye becomes less nimble and agile. One of the negatives of Lasik over PRK, is that because they cut a flap on your cornea and then flip it back (instead of scraping it off and letting it grow back like in PRK) head trauma can knock the flap loose and cause your vision to blur. This is why most sports and militaries don't allow Lasik. Also supposedly once Lasik is done, it can't be redone because of the way the flap heals (I don't know that for sure), where as PRK can technically be redone as necessary since your basically growing a new portion of cornea.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/17/2009 11:43:04 AM

Silkendream

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No, LASIK can be done again (i checked, you bet!) but the whole thing was that he made a point of telling me that i wouldn't need reading glasses in my forties. Come to think of it, he didn't mention the fifties! And for the first half of my forties, i didn't.

And he performed it on any prescription - in fact, we only went there in the first place because our prescriptons were too high for the other operations such as PRK (which i was turned away from - they refused to operate on me because the technique just wouldn't work enough for me). Yes, it was PRK that handled the low prescriptions and LASIK the high ones.

Interesting point about the head trauma - i did get concussion which is why i went to Moorfields and they said it all looked fine, but i did think the sight got worse after that happened (my Master backhanded me across the face).

Thanks for the reply Megan - lots to think about!

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/19/2009 8:46:55 AM

WolvenFury

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To answer your question about medication, Quetiapine (Brand name: Seroquel) and Aripiprazole (Brand name: Abilify) should not cause any change in vision. If your vision change has occured since beginning your course of Quetiapine, you should speak to your doctor and specify your concerns in specific relation to Quetiapine, as vision change while on Quetiapine is a serious side effect, albeit a very rare one, and do so as soon as possible.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/19/2009 11:26:54 AM

Silkendream

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Thank you for that WolvenFury, i've actually just come off Seroquel and am in the midst of the changeover to Abilify, which probably explains why i'm a tad emotional at the moment! I haven't really slept for over a week now, and am looking forward to it settling down.

Good point though - i will look back and do the maths to see when the change really started (i think it was before) and see if it has got worse since i started on the seroquel (hmm, possibly another side effect to add to the weight gain!)

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/19/2009 10:17:50 PM

WolvenFury

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You're very welcome. I hope you sort out the problem and all goes well in treating it.

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RE: LASIK fades with time? - 9/28/2009 1:57:09 PM

kttqnp

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When my Lasik procedure was performed, I was in my 40's and already wearing contact lenses to correct for aging eyes. The technique is called 'monovision', where one eye is corrected for far vision, and one eye is corrected for near vision. The Lasik procedure was done the same way, with the eyes corrected unequally. I was still informed quite clearly that my eyes would continue to age and that additional correction in the form of reading glasses or one contact lens for close work might be necessary. Sure enough, within a few years, I required a contact lens for the 'close up' eye. It's still a wonderful improvement over my former 20/400 astigmatic vision and I would not change a thing. I'm really shocked that some practitioners are not informing patients that further correction may be necessary as they age.

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