I've gotten the best lens ever!!

[David]

Almost 1 month after Lasik surgery, my eyesight is almost 6/6. Dunno how I managed with my glasses b4. Now everything looks so clear and sharp. And I must say it feels a lot better when I'm out shooting. No glass between me and the viewfinder and no more contact lenses that feel uncomfortably dry and out-of-focus!

It's like having the best lens I can buy so far!!!

 

[wildhoney]

how old are you?
how much's the op?
was it painful?
done where?
by which doctor?

 

[Shadus]

Originally posted by wildhoney
how old are you?
how much's the op?
was it painful?
done where?
by which doctor?

I don't think it can change your innies or outies

 

[Darren]

Can you share your experience on how the Lasik surgery went. I am interested too, but the process makes me a little sqeamish cos I saw this documentary once where the surgeon SUCKED out the eyeball from the socket (at least 1 to 1.5 inch) before the laser kicks in to do its stuff. :what:

 

[anonymous]

Originally posted by Darren
Can you share your experience on how the Lasik surgery went. I am interested too, but the process makes me a little sqeamish cos I saw this documentary once where the surgeon SUCKED out the eyeball from the socket (at least 1 to 1.5 inch) before the laser kicks in to do its stuff. :what:

wow, scary, if anything goes wrong(touch wood), you will be blind permanently.

 

[David]

The process is painless and it looks scary when you watch it in documentary! I know... That's how I felt too!!! But when you're there, you don't really feel that way. There's some discomfort after the op but it goes away quite soon. Whole process takes 10-15 minutes only. You can get more info from the National Eye Centre or Tan Tock Seng Hosp.

So far, there hasn't been any case that I know of resulting in blindness. I think the technology is pretty stable already. There have been many Singaporeans going for it. Actually, I got the urge after seeing my friend did it previously. She looked great without specs and no more hassle of contacts. But of cos, it varies from person to person how successful it is, but generally, you will find a change in your life... shall I say more confident and you can definitely do many more things that were a hassle in the past, eg swimming, water sports, and definitely photography. It just feels good!

 

[kylelam77]

how much did it cost?

 

[Darren]

David,

Thanks for the info.

Did you get both eyes done at the same time, or did you do them on separate occasions?

Also, indicative cost? I heard its in the region of $2,500 - $3,000.

 

[Goondu]

Originally posted by Darren
David,

Thanks for the info.

Did you get both eyes done at the same time, or did you do them on separate occasions?

Also, indicative cost? I heard its in the region of $2,500 - $3,000.

You have to do it on separate occasion.

My brother had gone through this before. The costs different for public (NEC) and private (Dr Issac??) differs about $1,000.

 

[Shadus]

NEC charges around $2.5k per eye the last time I asked about a yr ago. You'll hv to book an eye examination test before they actually agree to do the operation for you. The test itself cost a few hundred.

But do note that for those with high astig problems. Eye surgery do not necessarily correct all your astig problems.

 

[Mystix]

wat's astig? u mean 'shang guang'?
can lasik cure that too?
actually i'm interested too but there seems to be some many type of laser eye surgury ard.
think better wait another few yrs until really mature liao then do

 

[David]

Mystix, you sound young!

The surgery is for those above 21 years of age. Yes, it can correct astigmatism. There are not many eye laser surgeries ard for myopic correction. The 2 main ones are PRK (older but cheaper technology) and Lasik. Only 1 eye is done at a time, within a period of about a week.

There is a detailed eye examination b4 the op. It costs about $150.

It costs about $2400 for Lasik and $1700+ for PRK (note: per eye!) for public but I got it at staff price. Pricey, but to me, it's worth infinitely more than any Canon L lenses or DSLR!

I always felt wearing glasses to be a crutch (besides looking nerdy at times when I don't want to!). It's an obstacle in many situations like when I'm sweating under the sun. Now I feel more comfortable when I'm out shooting. Contacts are ok, but not for long hours and in an air con room, it gets uncomfortably dry. You tend to manual focus badly too when that happens.

I'd recommend anyone who's interested to go listen to public forums held every now and then.

 

[Darren]

wow! that works out to be at least $5K :what: ..... hmmm better spent on a 300f/2.8 lens, methinks

 

[Mystix]

i do? heheh ;p
well at least i qualified for the requirements.
wavefront lasik's been ard for less than 2 yrs maybe in the future they will develop a even better procedure heheh....one with absolutely no side effect keke

 

[megaweb]

David,

Congratulation to have ur prefect eyes ... pls do take care them

 

[David]

Thanks Megaweb.

Darren, yah, I used to think that way too for 2 years, till I told myself THAT'S IT!! I just felt having perfect or near perfect vision is the greatest gift no big lenses can give! And I'm pretty sure now.

Mystix, Lasik I think has been ard for several years but the wavefront one is newer. So far, there isn't any side effects for me. Yah, probably technology will improve but to eradicate side effects? Hmm not sure abt that... I foresee maybe that'll take many more decades. By then, I'll be in my 50s or 60s!! Long-sightedness will have kicked in anyway. If anything, for the next few years, the price might drop a wee bit only but the technology will more or less be similar.

 

[Shadus]

David, do you still see things and find them too bright? And do you need some special yellow lens to help you adjust initially after the operation?

How about at night, do you find the street lamps too bright?

 

[Kho King]

Thanks for sharing, David. I have been thinking of this operation many years ago...when I heard there is such operation to correct eyesight problem.

What's the previous near sight strength? Mine is now 700+ each side. I wonder if it is possible to correct it to below 100, or do it need more than one operation (double the cost?)?

One of my uncle has gone through this eye side correction operation in Australia (one year+ ago, if I am not mistaken), and I heard that recently he has some problem with his eyes. Blood coming out from his eyes...and he saw all things in red. I am not sure if this has got anything to do with the operation, but sure scare me off (besides the high price).

I am sure it is great without glasses (always dream about this). Because of wearing glasses, I can't (don't like) play basketball, valleyball, football. That's because I will always get hit by others and my spec broke. I don't mind dumping all my Nikons..etc. if I can get back a perfect eyesight (no side effect one). Now, still a bit worry about the side effect in long term.

 

[StreetShooter]

Originally posted by Kho King
I don't mind dumping all my Nikons..etc. if I can get back a perfect eyesight (no side effect one).

I don't mind dumping all my Nikons either.

But I'll have to keep my Canons.

 

[David]

Hi Kho King,

Mine was below 500. No prob for 700+. Even singapore's mountain climber Mr Khoo used to have more than 1000 on each eye. You can imagine, he climbs tall mountains like Everest. For that kind of places, the cold is simply bitter. Contact lesnes are out of the question. And glasses get fogged every now and then.

There are other stars who went for Lasik. One of them is Tiger Woods. He claimed that his vision s so good now that he could see the golf holes bigger and clearer!! Sort of like a scaled down eagle vision.

Yes, most of the time, it's correctable to 100 or below. The results vary. And you must be realistic about that. But if it is really necessary, you can go for a 2nd Lasik to do a further small correction. The lesser your myopia, the higher the chances of correction.

Wahh! Your uncle's case is indeed scary!!! But I really have doubts that it is caused by Lasik. The cornea heals on its own very quickly after the Lasik op without even stitching needed. Could u pls update me on his condition and the likely causes? Maybe here or personally thru my email. Thanks. I'm not sure about the standard in Australia or US, but I'm proud to say that the surgeons here are competant and they are very strict and careful in procedure. There were certain casses that didn't go well in the US but that's bcos the doctors there wanted to earn money more than treat the patients. They are very relaxed in their standards. From the feedback I got here, so far there is no accident or scary stories. From the last news I read, thousands of Singaporeans have gone thru Lasik.

there should be a few centers in Malaysia right? I saw one in Penang. Not sure about the cost though. any idea?

I can understand how it feels to want to dispose your glasses... I felt handicapped with them. Bcos of the relative lower cases of myopia in countries like the US, some pple associate wearing glasses (especially thick ones) as a form of disease, like you are not perfectly healthy.

Have you considered contact lenses in sports? Contacts are the next best substitute to glasses. But for my eyes, they dry up easily, and the hassle is in the cleaning. Moreover, I find contact lenses do not correct vision totally like glasses do, a problem when you need to do manual focusing when shooting.

Visit more websites and attend talks to put your fears at ease...