Laser Eye Surgery + Muay Thai

[adrenaline]

I wear glasses and have quite a bad eye sight basically I find it difficult to see clearly when punches etc. are coming at me even when they are quite near as the obviously have to be to hit the target. I can't wear contact lenses in the ring as they will move about when I get hit but i've been saving some money for laser eye surgery but i still don't think i have enough and don't know whether it will help my eye sight much.

Any advice on whether this surgery is worth all the money and whether it actually helps would be a great help. Thank You

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I had LASIK July 2001. Lets just say the fall outs been a royal PITA... the eyedrops every 10 min is a real drag. See
http://www.martialtalk.com/showthread.php?&threadid=1618&highlight=lasik for my full rant.

 

[muayThaiPerson]

ive heard that laser eye surgery has bad long term effects. it might be myth but look into it more. there are googles availabe that protect the glasses. some basketball pplayers wear it

 

[earl]

See at least one other optician beside the one who recommended it. Tell this person that he or she is solely a second opinion and doesn't stand to make any money off you; that being said, would he or she still recommend you for the surgery?

The problem with LASIK is that it takes too little time -- let me explain. You most likely will not work with a surgeon who performs the surgery; what you want to do is go to a surgeon who *only* does lasik... find one with at least 2000 surgeries. The procedure itself lasts maybe 20 minutes. Your optician will screen you for the surgery, answer your questions, and do all the followup care. For this, he or she will make a percentage of the $2-4k you spend on this -- typically $400-$800. So there is a huge incentive to rush as many people as possible through this procedure. I'm not saying that optometrists are being bribed; just that, for some, that is a little too much money for them to really give an unbiased opinion. Now, if you read around there are lots of horror stories; www.surgicaleyes.com especially. Read these sites, but if you read between the lines what you will glean from them is simple: in 95%+ of these horror stories, the people later found out that *they were never a good candidate for the surgery and they were just rushed through to make a quick buck!* That part is the most important: the better a candidate you are, the better your results will be and the less risk of side effects you will bear.

Essentially, if you don't need much correction, there is a high probability you will come out 20/20 and w/o side effects. If you have poor vision, it might not be fully corrected and you bear more risk of complications. Now, maybe that is worth it to you: I know a woman who had terrible glasses; she couldn't see her fingers at arm length. My optometrist informed her that she most likely wouldn't come out with perfect vision and that she had a high risk of problems; it was worth it to her anyway. She went from trifocals that were your stereotypical 5 or 6 mm thick to the same slim glasses I used to wear. Her vision isn't perfect and she does have dry eyes and mild starbursting, but it is worlds better than she had. If it worth it if your vision is similar is a personal question only you can answer. What I will say is that when Lasik works well, the results are bloody amazing. As someone who wore glasses from the age of 9, people who have good vision just don't understand how much it all sucks -- and how expensive a pair of glasses and contacts every year gets.

Thoughts: Note that there are also two or three approved laser units for this surgery. One is magnitudes more expensive than the other, but gives better results. Find out which the surgeon uses. Also make sure you read the contract over... my optometrist charges $2k/ eye. This sounds expensive, but the thing about Lasik is, it is safer if you do less correction at once. So if you need a large amount of correction, the surgeon might just get you in the ballpark of good vision in round one and give you a new set of glasses for the time being; six months later, he or she will do a minor correction to attempt to get you as close to 20/20 as possible. The fees I paid included as many surgeries as necessary and all the prescription lenses between surgeries. At least give this some thought.

Best of luck.

-earl-

 

[Lasik Mess]

I've found that when you really quiz people who've had lasik, they always admit to a trade-off. Night vision problems, dry eyes, strange effects on lights....

Most of them don't even know that they have a two-piece cornea forever and if they get bumped in the eye, the flap can dislodge even years later.

Not a good idea for those involved in contact sports, or really anyone if you ask me. I am afraid to wrassle with my kids now.

 

[Nightingale]

you may want to consider Radial Keratotomy (RK) or PRK (I forget what the P stands for).

These surgeries are not great for candidates with really bad eyesight, but they can do someone with moderate problems a world of good. you don't end up with the split cornea problem either. RK is the only surgery that the US Air Force permits its pilots to have for vision correction...and they're flying million dollar planes.

My uncle had LASIK about a year ago, and loves it. However, he went to a big name surgeon out of USC, and paid big bucks. Regarding those "300 dollar an eye" people...A good rule of thumb... if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

There is also another surgery that is good for people with mild to moderate myopia (you can't see far away). Its called "Intacs" and basically implants a contact lens inside your eye. it isn't as risky as it sounds, and it is done through a very small puncture like incision rather than the corneal flap incision of lasik. The side effects are much less as well.

Note: with LASIK, the rate of side effects is directly proportional to the inexperience of the surgeon.
things to watch for:
If the surgeon has to rent their laser...run.
if they charge any less than about $800 an eye, run.
If they won't meet with you and talk it over and do a pre evaluation...run.

A friend of mine called every single optometrist in her city and asked them to recommend the best Lasik surgeon in the area... when over half of them named the same guy, that's who she went to. She's got no side effects except for some very mild haloing at night (which is getting much better as time passes), but again, she paid lots and lots of money.


With regards to myself: I want LASIK someday. Not today. For now, I wear soft, disposable contacts. They don't move around nearly as much as the rigid lenses, and I've never had a problem with them moving off my eye, going missing, or whatever, and I have been socked in the eye pretty good.

 

[Marginal]

RK's kinda dicey too. There are multiple cuts involved, and there are lots of reports of the eyes never really healing/resealing etc after the procedure. It's also much more time consuming to do for the eye doctor.

Probably not the best procedure for correcting vision for the purposes of full contact fighting/sparring.

If it's just a matter of not being able to focus up close, there is a procedure that supposedly works well for correcting loss of close in vision that uses radio waves to do its job. Has some strange acronymn which manages to do nothing to describe the actual nature of the proedure. (Why I can't remember it now) Best thing abouy it is that there's no cutting into the eye at all so recovery time's minimal...

 

[earl]

A quick story:
My other activity is SCUBA diving. A while ago, I went diving on this boat. A woman came up to me and asked me what my secret was -- my mask never seemed to leak and hers leaked all the time. I asked her where she got her mask, and she told me that she had found her mask and snorkel on sale at Walmart for $17. I told her that I spent $70 on my mask alone, and waited for it to click. Her response? "Yah, I got a really good deal, didn't I." All I could say was I guess so.

I spent $2000/eye, and am very happy.

-earl-

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Good story.... pity some folks don't understand the lesson...

:asian:

 

[Phil Elmore]

I wear glasses too, and in the last couple of years my eye doctor(s) have been pushing me to consider the surgery because my perscription is quite high (and thus the surgery would be an improvement even if not a complete correction. When it comes to surgury of this type, however, I think most people are best off waiting until it is absolutely necessary for one's function as a human being. The risks to your eyes do not outweigh the gains until the surgery becomes absolutely vital to your continued sight, in my opinion.

The other benefit in waiting is that, as time goes by, the surgery gets better and the options available to you increase. The folks who rushed to get radial keratotomy when it was first introduced probably wish they'd waited, for example.

 

[fist of fury]

That is some aweful stuff!

 

[Nightingale]

I know I'm going to get the surgery eventually. I've been told by several doctors that I'm a good candidate, because of pupil size and that my eyesight is strictly myopic and not compounded with any other condition (like astigmatism or something). I want the surgery because without my glasses or contacts, I can't function. I can't drive. I walk into walls.

I've been driving and blinked and had a contact slip off my eye. very freaky (this was back when I was wearing hard lenses). I've had my cat knock my glasses off my dresser and spent three hours groping along the floor trying to find them only to discover they'd gotten hooked on the bedframe, and if I could've seen, I would've found them in a second. course, if I could see, I wouldn't have been looking for my glasses. sigh.

note to parents: please,please,please don't ever let your kids sleep with a nightlight. it causes nearsightedness, because your eyes never get the chance to completely relax, because even when they're closed, there's still light coming in through your eyelids. leave the hall light on for them instead, and turn it off once they're asleep. this is a proven fact, not a myth. I read it in readers' digest, and asked my eyedoctor, who confirmed it, and I've checked it out through a couple of other sources as well.

 

[Drag'n]

I also compete in kickboxing and MMA in Japan, and have terrible eyesight.
I asked my doc about eye surgery cause I was thinking about turning pro, but he advised against it. Aparrently because they have to shave layers off the eyes surface, the eye becomes weaker and more likely to get damaged when hit. I presume he was talking about PRK?
But I recently talked to a fellow competitor who said there was an alternative surgery suitable for fighters. I didnt get any details though.I'll have to track him down again and get more info.
Deffinately not something you want to rush into.

 

[JBrainard]

ive heard that laser eye surgery has bad long term effects. it might be myth but look into it more. there are googles availabe that protect the glasses. some basketball pplayers wear it

If you were wearing gogles, wouldn't it hurt worse when you get punched in the eye?

 

[Fluffy]

Goggles (or sports glasses) are are just plain uncomfortable, and yes they hurt when you get kicked in the eye. I have not considered laser surgery yet, I just spar without any visual aids.

 

[still learning]

Hello, My sister-in-law had this done...she said.."THE BEST THING EVERY HAPPEN TO HER!! .. she runs everyday...a senior person...marthons,10ks,each year....(it been a couple of years now).

Research this laser eye surgery for the best doctors! ...you will be glad you got it DONE! Don't need glasses anymore! ....Aloha

 

[Kenpojujitsu3]

I wear glasses and have quite a bad eye sight basically I find it difficult to see clearly when punches etc. are coming at me even when they are quite near as the obviously have to be to hit the target. I can't wear contact lenses in the ring as they will move about when I get hit but i've been saving some money for laser eye surgery but i still don't think i have enough and don't know whether it will help my eye sight much.

Any advice on whether this surgery is worth all the money and whether it actually helps would be a great help. Thank You

The surgery works and is worth the investment. Not just for martial arts but for life in general. There is no price for quality eyesight. And seeing punches BEFORE they land isn't a bad thing either

 

[Kacey]

I had LASIK about 5 years ago, and, while the initial discomfort was bad (eye drops of several kinds) the outcome was wonderful! Also, for LASIK (as opposed to PRK) they shave a piece of the cornea off, use a laser to reshape the cornea underneath, and then lay the piece of cornea back down. Once the peeled piece of cornea heals, then everything is good; until then, you are at greater risk, if you get hit in the eye, of having the piece come loose. After wearing glasses for 30 years, not needing them was incredible - and being able to see farther away then an arm's length was a great help in sparring.