Is laser eye surgery worth it? I ask because I am interested

>>33203046
>shown the door almost immediately as my eyesight (uncorrected) is not good enough.
>my glasses can be a big hindrance at times

sounds like you answered your question already

>>33203046
They issue you glasses at boot, your recruiter must be some kind of tard or you're blind as a bat, but since you drive motorcycles I would ASSUME you can see well enough to join.

I got my laser eye surgery done for free while in the airforce, definitely worth it just not to have to worry about glasses or contacts anymore. And these days it's not as expensive.

>>33203071
no I need at least 6/36 vision uncorrected.

They made me try and read a snellen chart without my glasses, I couldn't read it. I could read it fine with my glasses on.

>>33203077
Any horrible pain/complications or is it alright? Unfortunately I will have to pay out my my own pocket for it.

>>33203071
This. The only eyesight test they did for me at meps was to check my eyesight was WITH corrective lenses.

>>33203082
That sounds a little odd since if you can pass the test with glasses all that means is some jobs won't be opened up to you, I knew a guy who was basically blind and went in without glasses and was given basically bottlecaps when they tested him. (No joke, his lens were probably half an inch thick)

>>33203082
If you can't pass the MEPS eye test, then you can't pass the DMV/DOT eye test either, somethings fishy with your statement.

>>33203095
>>33203100
I'm in the UK. All forces, whether it be military, police, fire or prison need a certain standard of uncorrected vision. I think it is bullshit but nothing I can do.

I think genetic engineering is worth the wait.

Just be sure to go to a physician that is well known to be good at it.

I'm sceptical about travelling out of America to do surgery... Guess its my racist/nationalist side. We have lots of amazing medical professionals in America that are immigrants.

I guess you gotta pray on it and hope god guides you right.

I hate how death, disease, and poverty was cured thousands of years ago but its like pulling teeth to get the small luxuries in life.

Whatever

I dont know anyone who wears glasses (including myself) who has not had an eye saved due to there being a piece of plastic between them and something dangerous.

>>33203104
Maybe start off your thread making that clear, the vast majority of people on here are Americans, I think I just found out the real reason why you weren't accepted....

>>33203046
yeah its worth i needed prk for navy spec war. been with it for over 2 years and couldn't be happier. vision went from 20/300 at 18 years old to 20/20 at 20 years old today.

>>33203085
There's two types of surgery available. Lasik makes a flap with your cornea that after the laser work gets folded back over, so the healing time is much less, usually just itchy for a few days. PRK is required if your cornea depth isn't thick enough to build the flap, so they scrub the cornea off and it just grows back.

I had PRK done and for two or three days your completely stuck to a blacked out room popping pain meds and using eye drops nonstop. But on the fourth day I felt fine.

As for complications there weren't any. They do a lot of tests and mapping of your eyes, so it's all done automatically by the computer, took about 10 minutes per eye and I was 20/10 when I sat up from the chair.

An opthalmologist once told me that he decided against having laser eye surgery himself as the procedure is still relatively new and we don't know about the possibility of complications ten, twenty or thirty years down the line.

>>33203136
They've been doing it since the 90's, so they do know what happens 10 and 20 years later.

>>33203127
im >>33203114
and same. vision was instantly better but was getting exponentially better daily. had to stay in a dark room with a blackout curtain. was doped up on meds and slept for probably 20 hours every day

>>33203046
aunt and 2 friends did lasik, all said totally worth it and recovery was nothing, the surgery itself was quick, painless and barely uncomfortable.

>>33203179
>PRK
>LASIK
does the surgeon decide which is best for me then?

>>33203046
I'm suddenly reminded of dead space 2

>>33203111
It's irrelevant if all he wanted to know is if laser eye surgery is worth it.
Nobody needed a bunch of Americans to come in and try to insist OP didn't actually need good eyesight in the first place (b-but in merica we do xyz!)

>>33203046

Yes

I have a collegue who went from -5,5 to not wearing glasses from LASIK

And there is a new method now that's even better

It's just expensive though

I've been looking into laser eye surgery since I've been waiting to join the fire department. I've talked to a few FFs and while some did go ahead the procedure, but most just wear contacts. I hate contacts though.

I guess I'll just decide when the time comes. I'll probably join as a support volunteer first. No SCBA needed for that.

>>33203046
You need to talk with doctor. Different methods require different intervention. Some operations may make you very vulneruble to kicks in head and other shit like that. You may suffer from cornea damage. 4chan is not a place to search answers on such important questions.

>>33203223
yeah I know but it is reassuring and interesting to ask others about their experience with it, as I am seriously considering it.

>>33203202
If you qualify for both it's typically up to you, but I'm sure you'll get a recommendation. Lasik is usually the preferred method for most people since the recovery is easier.

>>33203046
Did PRK here about a year ago. Don't want to be driving much for a week or two after it. It's pretty liberating to not have to worry about eyewear.

>>33203223
Well so far this threads been more accurate than your usual /k/ thread, and nobodies offering to do OP's surgery in their garage so no shit a doctor's gonna have the final say.

>>33203046
I was in the same boat as you anon. Had it done just before enlisting, best thing Ive ever done.

>Tfw walking out of the clinic and looking at a tree in the street, seeing every leaf and twig without glasses.

Are the results of laser eye surgery permanent, or are further surgeries some years down the road common?

>>33203046
I'm having LASEK later this month, you'll need LASEK not LASIK for UK armed services.

>>33204120
Everyones eyes deteriorate as they get older, you'll end up wearing reading glasses when you're in your 40's+

>>33204120
Lasik is liable to failing with hard knocks to the head. PRK is more conducive to an active lifestyle but with the added recovery time.

Effectively permanent if you don't factor in ageing factors.

>>33203214
No, fuck you, because if OP can say fuck you to the recruiter and do it anyway then it doesn't matter

But since he's a dirty brit...

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>>33203214
Except Lasic and the U.S. militart haven't always gone together well. It makes things more complicated when joining. Wearing glasses on the other hand means nothing. Having to meet an eye sight minimum uncorrected is something unique to your military, and pretty damn relevent when asking if he should do a risky surgery, that if failed can leave him nearly blind. A surgery that as we established is 100% not nessesary in the U.S. where most anons are from.

>>33204908
>>33204813
>>33203214
>>33203111
calm down ladies

LASEK/PRK is the preferred treatment in both the UK's and USA's militaries /argument

>>33203046
I had lasik.

Best decision ever, to be honest. Quick and barely uncomfortable, and now I have a sweet 10/10 vision.

>>33203046
Glasses are a hassle (Worn them from age 9 to 28, got la ser surgery and life been so much better.)

It's worth getting even if you don't plan on joining. Glasses suck, it sucks when you try to wear any sort of mask and your shit fogs, or your can't get a good seal due to the glasses too.

They fall off, the lens get scratched up, you get glare if they're a lil bit dirty.

If you got the money or a way to get your eyes done, then do it.

>>33204997

Waiting to see how my sister's lasik goes first then will probably get it done so I don't need to wear two pairs of anti-shatter glasses at the range

>>33204997
Fucking this.

Still wearing glasses. After a day they get smudgy and grimy. The lens nowadays don't scratch as much and come with a nice UV protection feature, but they're a bitch around masks and suck during the winter.

>>33203202
It's dependent on the condition of your eye. Prk is the more intensive of the two.
My wife had both.

>>33203046

Spent 3k for PRK on my eyes. -9 and -9.5. Took a week off work beforehand for recovery. I work with a glass beader for a living and the first 3 days or so where just like having glass beads in my eyes 24/7. Even with a painkiller trifecta of Tylenol, Morphine and Ketorolac, it was pretty annoying. The first night my eyes teared up uncontrollably. Also had to black out my apartment.


Night vision for the first year was also problematic with halos around light sources. Well worth it in my opinion. There's always a chance with lasik that the flap could become unhinged and I wasn't ready to take that risk.

>>33203107
By that logic most people without glasses have or will lose an eye. I don't see any evidence to support this. One may conclude that you 4 eyes freaks are just more reckless in regards to protecting your eyes because of your portable eye shields

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>>33203046
>yes

>>33206059
Also you're -9 so I'm impressed they managed to fix it, i heard they only like going as far -6 or something.

Guys who had PRK/LASEK with the bandage lens put in after treatment.

Can you drive while the bandage lens is still in?

>>33206583

Yeah I went with what they called "advanced prk" where they take a scan of your eye and optimize the procedure with that.

>>33206593

With PRK you wouldn't be able to drive while the bandage is in place, or even leave a house for that matter. Not sure about LASIK though.

>>33203046
It's not, david, just keep wearing these glasses

>>33203103
I was permanently denied and couldn't get a waiver despite my eyesight being shitty but correctable.

>>33203046
Considering that I was 20/9600 in one eye when I joined... How fucking blind are you fuckhead?

Lasik here.

It's pretty incredible really. The procedure took like 10 minutes. They gave me some awesome drugs while I waited.

>show up
>do a bunch more eye tests to double and triple check the mapping while my Valium is kicking in
>second Valium 15 minutes before procedure
>get strapped into a chair and listen to pink Floyd for 10 minutes while being high as fuck
>when it's over they give me a gift bag of demerol
>go home
>take demerol
>sleep for like 14 hours
>wake up
>drive myself to morning after follow up.

Long term:
I had zero pain during the procedure or otherwise. I did have dry eyes for the weeks after (normal) and they had me on eye drops. Nothing crazy, just over the counter artifical tears.

My vision dropped into the 20/15 range right after, then stabilized at 20/20 eventually. Unfortunately the much better than 20/20 vision is temporary for most people, but it was cool while it lasted.

I had some initial halos / minor Starburst for about a year, then they faded away. Even when they were still present it was not a big deal. Better than glasses.

That's pretty much it. Their is no real downside other than the cost.

Really the only problem with Lasik is that you're gonna end up needing reading glasses down the line but most people do anyway so it's not a big deal.

>>33211593
care to elaborate?

>>33212035
Nearsightedness is common with age, with almost all people who get lasik end up nearsighted. Needing reading glasses when you reach middle age is generally a small price to pay compared to the benefits of the surgery.

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>>33203106
>death was cured

>>33203107
>>33206514
>portable eye shields

oh you got that right. just feels naked walking around with my squishy eyeball just hanging out without some polycarbonate protection+correction.

>>33203106
>not trusting a doctor whose last name is Chang, probably second generation anyways

>death was cured thousands of years ago

holy fucking shit man, my main board is /pol/, so I'm not going to tell you to go back

fuck me I don't even know where to point you to, just go and stay go

>>33203046
Nigger, uncorrected sight means NOTHING for enlistment. I'm -7.00 and I correct to 20/20 so I got in just fine.

Anyone know the effects of this with people who have amblyopia?

>>33210359
The army isn't looking for people, when you joined they weren't in a sequester and in between low intensity COIN conflicts.

>>33203104
I'm in the UK forces and my eyes are awful, corrected, to 5.75 and 5.0 i wear contacts and they let me in.

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>>33203046
>>33203265
>Hey kid, looking for a little eye surgery? Just step on in my garage

>>33203046
be warned, halos are a serious side affect for some, like me. Had it three years ago and now I'm going g to need to go to an eye doctor because my halos are so bad I can barely drive at night.

That said, my vision was perfect for the first year or so afterwards, and only going into year 3 did the halos get bad.

Also, may just be me but my eyes have been a bit sensitive to sunlight ever since. I wear sunglasses pretty much all the time outside because of it And I'm not some basement NEET either, for a long period after LASIK I worked primarily outside.