I know many people who have had it done with great success. There is a small percentage who have problems however, as with any medical procedure.
The biggest single issue for sailors appears to be that the operation can in some cases have a significant effect on night vision. (This will also have an impact on night driving)
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.canoe.ca/Health0007/17_vision.html>http://www.canoe.ca/Health0007/17_vision.html</A>
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and German army etc now advise against it, as they have found 50% or more of personnel with the operation, fail night vision tests. There's a lot of information around about this, so you really have to make your own mind up if the gain in daylight vision compensates for a high risk of reduced night vision
<hr width=100% size=1>Utinam logica falsa tuam philisophiam totam suffodiant
everyone i know who has had it done has benefited
noone has complained of bad night vision
my own night vision is bad ( and i don't just mean around 11pm on a saturday)as i get dazzled when driving
personally i will have it doen sometime nin the next 12 months as am fed up not being able to water ski
<hr width=100% size=1>Beer. Source of and answer to all life's problems.
what are the risks???
basically i am getting fed up with smashing glasses in dinghies and getting misted up in the rain
and them falling off whilst bent over a winch
i would dearly love to ditch the nbins
that is aside from the time i walked across dublin airport in a pair of sunglasses
as i got further in it got a bit darker i lifted up my sunnies and headed for the loo without putting normal specs on
and promptly walked straight into the ladies
<hr width=100% size=1>Beer. Source of and answer to all life's problems.
I had mine done last year and my husband went a few months ago. We are both really pleased with the results and it has made such a difference sailing in rough wet weather. I still need glasses for reading in poor light but having worn glasses all my life with a strong prescription for long sightedness and astigmatism it is still a great outcome for me. My husband doesnt need glasses at all now.
Only bit of advice is to consult a practitioner who has a lot of experience ,not someone who has just been trained to man a newly opened laser centre!
Jan
SWMBO has hers done about 18 months ago by Optimax, best thing she ever did /forums/images/icons/smile.gif.
She had the PRK procedure where they remove the thin film covering the cornea (can't remember it's name) and laser the surface of the eye. The thin film re-grows in a day or two. The only disadvantage was that it was VERY painful whilst the film grew back. SWMBO said that it was like having sand in your eyes (she had both done at the same time). One eye wasn't quite as good as she'd expected so went back to Optimax about six months later and they re-lasered it FOC, it's now as good as the other one. She has to wear reading glasses now but's they're pretty much inevitable once you get to 50 anyway (she's 51). Great service from Optimax (first at Birmingham and then at Southampton) very thorough and professional, certainly didn't seem to be just in it for the money. SWMBO would recommend them.
Tony C.
<hr width=100% size=1>There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.
no can do
astigmatism means it has to be hard lens so no disposables
and hard lenses would be a nightmare for me
get pissed too often would forget to take them out or lose them
i understand you can also lose them swimming water skiing et al
basically my father was right /forums/images/icons/wink.gif
<hr width=100% size=1>Beer. Source of and answer to all life's problems.
My oculist said that at 50 upwards it was rather pointless as you would immediatley need reading glasses. I am slighly frightened by the op - my eyes work reasonably well now - so leave well alone!
I have heard comment that some of the practisionaers are not that experienced and it may be just your luck that you get a new boy who cocks it up.
Or, depending on how bad your astigmatism is, you can simply not correct it - which is what I do. I'm -4.5 in my left eye, and -1/5 in my right, and simply correct the short-sightedness, and ignore my astimatism, with daily disposable contacts. Not good enough for driving, (or tennis, or shooting for that matter) but fine for sailing and skiing. Also, I'm happier using daily disposable lenses only for weekends - no worries re sterilisation etc.
Strange - I have acute astigmatism in both eyes and have worn both soft (gas permeable) and disposable lenses for the past 15 years - I wear them rather less now as I tend to need reading glasses anyway, but still wear for tennis and non chlorinated swimming.
2 opticians reckon soft lenses no good
there is a permeable lens coming soon that may be of use i was told last year
i would need lots of pairs as i would no doubt lose them
i am resolved to go back to both opticians and see what latest story is
now where has that bloody dog got to?
<hr width=100% size=1>Beer. Source of and answer to all life's problems.
IIRC the Royal Navy, having initially been happy with people doing this, found that it was having such an impact on night vision that it was dazzling them. Apparently now people whoo have it done privately can be prosecuted by the MOD for self inflicted injury!