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Bad eyesight

Has anyone had corrective laser surgery and if so what do you think? Am thinking of having it cos my sight is pretty appalling and I can't believe i am doing myself much good swimming in contact lenses but a) am dead scared and b) did I read that it's not recommended for triathletes?!

Cheers. :roll:

Comments

  • iadamaiadama Posts: 60
    I swim in contact lenses and have never had a problem - I used to use AquaSphere XP Seal goggles which very rarely let water in, in the pool or open water. I'm currently using Blue Seventy Hydra Visions which don't seal like the AS goggles, but very little water comes in (once I'd got the adjustment right) they don't bother my lenses, and they're more comfortable than the Seals.

    Having said all that, my lenses are daily disposables - I can imagine that if you wear the type that you leave in for up to 30 days it might shorten the life of them.
  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    my wife has had it.

    She was in and out in 20mins. Went home, slept for one hour and she could see perfectly.

    They give you varios drops to help keep your eyes from drying and to prevent infection.

    I know 4 people now who've had it done and no major probs.

    The surgery isn't suitable for everyone tho.

    PM and I'll give you as much info as I can.
  • My wife had it. Perfect results.

    I'm nit suitable as I have a stigmatisim and you can only have it if you have 2 or 3 no changes in prescription.

    Can't tell you much more than that sorry .
  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    PM'd you back mate.

    Hope this helps.
  • My younger brother and his wife both had this done and have had no problems at all. I do not know why it would not be recommended for triathletes - I would have thought that anything that improves your unassisted vision in the water and on the bike could only increase your safety (and your speed...).
  • This is all good stuff. Nothing bad to be said yet!

    Faster and safer sounds expecially good!
  • I had it done in 2006 and I could not be happier. Shop around abit. Both places that do it gave me a free test and quote and one was £500 cheaper than the other and could do it sooner. I could see perfectly by the time i got home.
    I would say its perfect for triathletes. Imagine getting goggles knocked off and loseing a lense then trying to cycle 40km with one good eye!
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    As stated before lasering is not suitable for all so don't rush into this, do your research thoroughly and ask lots of questions, you may also want to go to an optician who does not have an interest in laser for an opinion. If you are suited after ALL the research and several opinions then go for it.

    I am blind as a bat and have used contacts with no probs at all; if needs be you can get goggles with prescription lenses but I have done open water swims lensless with no probs. Most of the time you are head down in murky brown water and you just follow everyone else basically unless you are a super fast swimmer and in front. Just as an aside, I went diving many moons back on the barrier reef and rather than sheel out for prescription goggle hire just popped the lenses from a spare set and stuck them on with blutack - it worked a treat!

    You only really need good vision for the bike: I have plucked this out at random;
    http://www.spex4less.com/acatalog/Power ... asses.html
    so for about £100 or so you can get a decent set of looking shades with prescription inserts which is near enough what a lot of people pay anyway.

    As for the run, again I have had no problems running even where the route is part xcountry without glasses/lenses.
  • I discussed this issue in detail with my optician during my last check up. I have astigmatism, and therefore need special contact lenses to correct the vision, and I currently use the monthly disposable lenses, which are removd and rinsed every night, not left in to sleep in. I've used these for about 10 years, and always swam and surfed in them and I've never lost one.

    However, during the bike leg of my first HIM race, on the long fast descents my eyes watered excessively and washed the lens out of my left eye three times. Luckily, I was wearing glasses and this prevented it being lost completely, so I had to stop and put it back in. Not the most hygienic thing, and cost me a fair amount of time and places (as if that really mattered). It has never happened since.

    Anyway, back on topic, my optician advised that for the OW swim tri's, I use the daily disposable lenses for the event, and then throw them away once I've finished, and then put my usual lenses back in. This prevents any nasties in the water being in my eyes for any great length of time. He was decent and ordered me a trial pack of 20 pairs of daily disposables to use during racing, and felt that they should be sufficient to last me a whole season without having to buy any.
  • Bradster, this is exactly what happened to me this year!! By the time I had finished I had a splitting headache and felt decidedly lopsided!! No fun with one lens but at least I didn't beat myself up over the time.

  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    @ERmason: Any idea what your current prescription is? The less bad it is, the more effective the results are I think (i.e. it is easier to get to perfect if they are not too bad to start with).

    The missus had it done back in the early days - probably about 1993/4. We went to a top notch fellow - didn't want anyone who didn't know what they were doing to get involved. She went from -2/-2 to 0.0/+0.5 or something like that (she was short sighted). The only downside was a bit of astigmatism in one eye.

    This has kept her going for the last fifteen years.. but as the ageing process kicks in, she now has some glasses/lenses for reading etc.

    There was a bit of pain - but the pain killers were worse.

    But that is a long time ago now, and techniques have improved considerably.

    It made a really dramatic change to her life though - going out to a smoky pub (remember them!) was impossible for more then 10 mins with the contact lenses.

    I can't think why anyone would say it's not suitable for tri.. If you were a marksman and worried about astigmatism then it might be an issue - but the advantage of not having a load of glass/plastic in intimate parts of your face while swimming/cycling etc. cannot be understated.

    I've not heard any horror stories about laser surgery - but I have heard lots of cycle racing/contact lense related issues and things like that.

    Don't go for the cheapest - shop around, and check the company out.

    My brother in law had it down in the late 90s, and, again, all was well (he was really blind before that though).
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    I've been considering this for a while, and I have had a few friends who did it and are very happy with the results - like others have said on here, the results have been great, porcedures quick and (relatively) painless. One guyi used to work with had it done in his lunch break and was back at work that day. He was a bit weird though.
  • I'm 55 and had lasik surgery at Optimax 10 years ago, I was as blind as a bat -9.5 and -10, I wore contact lenses for biking and running, this worked ok (better than glasses anyway), swimming was still a bit of a problem, tried custom made goggles for swimming, talk about milk bottle bottoms!
    Never had a moments regret, and would recommend it to anyone, when I think what I used to pay for glasses and contact lens the surgery paid for itself within 4 years.

    I had surgery for a detached retina 2 years ago, the surgeon assured me that this was not related to the laser surgery and was a problem due to the shape of the eyeball, very short-sighted people are prone to this in later life (irrespective of laser correction).

    My son is in the army and I've finally got him to agree to have it done (16 Dec).

    For myself I only wish it had been available earlier.
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