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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Bumping for better vision...
Anybody ever been a patient at the Jules Stein institute? Is there a particular doctor you liked, or have heard good things about?
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Oct 21, 2015 - 12:13pm PT
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So I went to Dr. Maloney in Westwood a few weeks ago for a consult....I'm a pretty good candidate, apparently, but at a price: ~$6500 for both eyes. Sheesh!
A phone call to Jules Stein (Dr. Kevin Miller) resulted in a fairly similar quote. I'm going to contact Dr. Salz, too.
I'm nearsighted, and have worn glasses for at least 25 years- my Rx has gotten stronger over the years. I'm pretty confident I'm actually a good candidate, but concerned about the functionality I'll gain & lose.
I pretty much need all ranges of sight: up close, for detail work (i.e. finish carpentry, inspection of placements)...mid-range sight (computer viewing, foot placements)....and distance sight (street signs, landscape features).
I'm concerned that correcting for distance will allow good medium-distance vision, but that up close vision will always require reading glasses. Would you really need to wear reading-type glasses in order to inspect protection placements?
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murcy
Gym climber
sanfrancisco
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Oct 21, 2015 - 01:27pm PT
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Do you take your distance glasses off to inspect placements?
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Oct 21, 2015 - 01:45pm PT
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Right now, my vision (with glasses) is such that I have pretty good clear vision of placements, as well as rock features within arm or leg reach...and a little beyond. Distance vision is a real problem, though, and I'm getting more eyestrain in general (though my Rx isn't that old).
I'd be tempted to just stay as is, except that sunglasses are a continuing pain in the arse, and because of that, I'm not wearing them enough- that possible UV damage is probably worse than the eyestrain from deteriorating eyesight.
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murcy
Gym climber
sanfrancisco
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Oct 21, 2015 - 02:14pm PT
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Same for me (at 52yo), and my distance correction is 20/20 (though you wouldn't know it to see me hunt for bolts). I wouldn't thread fish hooks or read fine print with my glasses on, but fiddling gear is not a problem. That's what I'd expect after eye surgery.
Why do you think sunglasses would be less of an issue? Cheaper? Not having to carry both regular and sunglasses?
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Oct 21, 2015 - 02:40pm PT
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Yeah, I think about your experience sometimes, Locker...or more accurately, try not to think about your experience. Making such a irreversible decision is really scary. I hope you've found a way to adjust.
My eyes are also 52 y/o...I've had a couple pairs of Rx sunglasses in the past, but gradually stopped using them because I'd have to take them on and off constantly during the day as I was performing various tasks (routefinding, climbing, reading), and have to put on another pair of glasses. The attraction of wearing a single, off-the-shelf pair when I need them is strong, and the ability to see well enough to see terrain features or read topos reasonably well when they're off is a requirement.
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hamid
Trad climber
Berkeley, California
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Oct 21, 2015 - 04:30pm PT
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Does anybody have any experience with Visian ICL? I'm scheduled for the surgery next week...
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Byran
climber
Half Dome Village
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Mar 29, 2017 - 11:30am PT
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I had read through this thread when I was thinking about getting Lasik, and so I thought I'd contribute my experience. I had the operation a little over 6 months ago. For the first part of the procedure a little machine latches onto your eyeball using suction, and then a blade slides through to create the "flap". This flap is pulled back, the interior of the eye is bombarded with lasers to reshape it, and then the flap is set back into place. The difference with PRK is that the flap is never created, and instead the lasers reshape the eyeball directly on the surface. During my operation, the machine lost suction on my left eye while it was in the middle of cutting the flap. This meant that the Lasik procedure had to be aborted. Rather than wait several months for the flap to heal in order to make another attempt at Lasik, I had PRK on my left eye then and there. The whole thing took about 5 minutes from start to finish including this complication. This puts me in a sort of unique position of being able to compare Lasik and PRK side by side, because my left eye received PRK while my right eye received Lasik.
The main difference between the operations is the recovery process, which I will outline below.
One day after the operation:
Lasik: Vision is very good, better than 20/20 but sometimes blurry, like you have tears in your eyes. Mainly it's just difficult to look at stuff up-close. Little or no pain, just sort of dry feeling.
PRK: Terrible vision, a blurry mess. Very painful like I have a bunch of sharp stuff in my eye. Eye is constantly tearing.
One week after the operation:
Lasik: Vision has stabilized to 20/15 (better than normal), but it's still sort of difficult to focus on things up close (like a book or computer screen) because the muscles in the eye are still adjusting to its new shape. The eye still feels a little bit dry and uncomfortable.
PRK: Vision is still terrible, like seeing quadruples. If you had PRK on both eyes at the same time, you would essentially be blind for a couple weeks (I don't think they do this, rather they treat each eye a month apart or something). Eye is still painful, tearing, and sensitive to light, but much better than the day after the operation.
One month after the operation:
Lasik: Getting better at adjusting focus for things up close. Very minor dryness, but mostly unnoticeable.
PRK: Can actually see out of the eye now. Sometimes vision is good, sometimes really blurry. Vision fluctuates a lot but generally it's better in the morning and gets worse throughout the day. Eye is dry and uncomfortable and occasionally painful.
Three months after the operation:
Lasik: Eye is good-to-go. Not much difference between a couple months after the operation and now.
PRK: Now it's almost caught up with the Lasik eye. Still the occasional blurriness or seeing double, mainly in the evenings or if it's windy out and the eye gets dry. Very minor discomfort and dryness still, sort of like how the Lasik eye was after a couple weeks.
Six months after the operation:
No difference between the two eyes. Both see 20/15. Dryness has gone away completely, or at least enough where I can't tell if my eyes feel dry anymore often than they did before the operation. Eyes feel maybe a bit more sensitive to bright light, and it's maybe a bit harder to focus on computer screens and things up close, but again, the difference is so minor that it's hard to tell if it's real or just in my head.
Overall, I would recommend Lasik over PRK in all cases where you are a candidate for Lasik (people with very thin corneas aren't). The recovery period for PRK can be very disruptive to your life, and there are no advantages to getting PRK as far as I can tell. I would probably only recommend eye surgery to people who are in similar situation that I was: horribly nearsighted, basically can't see sh#t without vision correction, you think contacts are way too much of a pain in the ass and uncomfortable, and you do a bunch of sports like rock climbing, snow boarding, and swimming, where wearing glasses is a nuisance. Because I'm only 6 months out from the operation, I can't comment on any of the long-term effects. In total I paid $5,200 for the operation, which included all subsequent check-ups, taxes, everything except for prescription eye drops for which I had to pay another $60 out of pocket. The eyedrops maybe would have been covered by insurance if I had it, but the operation is an "elective surgery" and so most likely wouldn't be covered by your insurance even if you have dental and vision. I had my procedure done at the Modesto Eye Center.
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