Seeing as I just typed this whole thing up for a fastlaner, I figured I may as well share here too incase any else goes looking for opinions on whether or not to get laser eye surgery!
Ok, so here's my overall thoughts on laser eye surgery, some of which might not apply to you, but just in case.
Firstly, if it's just the possible ways it could go wrong that are putting you off, then it's only fair to reassure you that it mostly doesn't. Nothing we do comes without risks, so I'd think about the most risky thing you do, perhaps skiing for example, & look at comparing the odds. Saying that it "mostly doesn't" go wrong is not a bad thing. Only you can judge for yourself whether the risks are acceptable to you. I can only say that working in an opticians for two years, I didn't really hear any horror stories. In fact one of the opticians I knew had it done, obviously understood fully what he was doing, and was very happy.
That said, I wouldn't do it. Here's why for me:
1) It might not be permanent
Some people's prescriptions change over time, so you might end up needing glasses again anyway. Only your optician can give you the best estimate as to whether yours will or won't over time given your history - but it's still a best guess (again, look at the odds & weigh it up). For people with a very high prescription though, potentially ending up with some thin & light glasses might still be a win for them.
2) It ISN'T permanent
Presbyopia comes to us all eventually. You see those middle aged & older people that need reading glasses? The reason they need glasses (or to take their glasses off if they were wearing distance glasses) is different to why a 25-year-old might need glasses. The crystalline lens in your eye that is super squidgy when you're young & helps you effortlessly refocus at different distances, gets harder & less squidgy as you age, & therefore less able to bend & flex to accommodate the distance you want to focus on. That's why varifocals blend between different prescriptions so you can see at different lengths. In the old style bifocals, you could clearly see the two prescriptions - the distance one up top, & the reading one in the little section at the bottom.
Here's the thing, laser can only make one prescription. Yes you could laser in your reading prescription, but then you'd need glasses for distance & vice-versa. The only way I know of to get around this is to have your dominant eye lasered with your distance prescription & your other eye lasered with your reading prescription. Some people have genuinely done this. Yes your brain learns to work it out. Not sure what it does to your depth perception, but I guess that might depend on how big a difference there is between the two. And yeah, if you're still young, you don't know what your reading prescription will be.
Point is, if you're lasering young, don't be fooled into thinking you'll be set for life. Counter to that, if you're lasering young, you get more years without glasses or contact lenses. The closer you get to middle age (though there's no completely "set" onset time) the less it becomes worth it unless you have a particular reason, such as Ewan McGregor apparently had his done so he could go on a round the world motorcycle trip - very off the beaten path - without faffing with contact lenses whilst camping. A pretty darn good reason IMO.
3) It's done by cutting the cornea
Very accurately with lasers, sure. But for me, it just wiggs me out that they'd be cutting my perfectly healthy cornea - solving the problem, but not the cause of the problem. For me, I became short sighted because my eyes grew a little too long in puberty (very common), not cornea problems. But that's only an issue in my mind. It needn't be in yours!
Hope I haven't been too one sided, & has given you some thinking points at least. I hear it's "life changing" for some, so I'd hate to blanket blast it - it's just not for me.
Ok, so here's my overall thoughts on laser eye surgery, some of which might not apply to you, but just in case.
Firstly, if it's just the possible ways it could go wrong that are putting you off, then it's only fair to reassure you that it mostly doesn't. Nothing we do comes without risks, so I'd think about the most risky thing you do, perhaps skiing for example, & look at comparing the odds. Saying that it "mostly doesn't" go wrong is not a bad thing. Only you can judge for yourself whether the risks are acceptable to you. I can only say that working in an opticians for two years, I didn't really hear any horror stories. In fact one of the opticians I knew had it done, obviously understood fully what he was doing, and was very happy.
That said, I wouldn't do it. Here's why for me:
1) It might not be permanent
Some people's prescriptions change over time, so you might end up needing glasses again anyway. Only your optician can give you the best estimate as to whether yours will or won't over time given your history - but it's still a best guess (again, look at the odds & weigh it up). For people with a very high prescription though, potentially ending up with some thin & light glasses might still be a win for them.
2) It ISN'T permanent
Presbyopia comes to us all eventually. You see those middle aged & older people that need reading glasses? The reason they need glasses (or to take their glasses off if they were wearing distance glasses) is different to why a 25-year-old might need glasses. The crystalline lens in your eye that is super squidgy when you're young & helps you effortlessly refocus at different distances, gets harder & less squidgy as you age, & therefore less able to bend & flex to accommodate the distance you want to focus on. That's why varifocals blend between different prescriptions so you can see at different lengths. In the old style bifocals, you could clearly see the two prescriptions - the distance one up top, & the reading one in the little section at the bottom.
Here's the thing, laser can only make one prescription. Yes you could laser in your reading prescription, but then you'd need glasses for distance & vice-versa. The only way I know of to get around this is to have your dominant eye lasered with your distance prescription & your other eye lasered with your reading prescription. Some people have genuinely done this. Yes your brain learns to work it out. Not sure what it does to your depth perception, but I guess that might depend on how big a difference there is between the two. And yeah, if you're still young, you don't know what your reading prescription will be.
Point is, if you're lasering young, don't be fooled into thinking you'll be set for life. Counter to that, if you're lasering young, you get more years without glasses or contact lenses. The closer you get to middle age (though there's no completely "set" onset time) the less it becomes worth it unless you have a particular reason, such as Ewan McGregor apparently had his done so he could go on a round the world motorcycle trip - very off the beaten path - without faffing with contact lenses whilst camping. A pretty darn good reason IMO.
3) It's done by cutting the cornea
Very accurately with lasers, sure. But for me, it just wiggs me out that they'd be cutting my perfectly healthy cornea - solving the problem, but not the cause of the problem. For me, I became short sighted because my eyes grew a little too long in puberty (very common), not cornea problems. But that's only an issue in my mind. It needn't be in yours!
Hope I haven't been too one sided, & has given you some thinking points at least. I hear it's "life changing" for some, so I'd hate to blanket blast it - it's just not for me.
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