My personal experience with hyperopic LASIK, 11/00
Radio and TV commercials, billboard ads, friends and colleagues-they're all touting the miracles of LASIK. And perhaps you are starting to think about having hyperopic LASIK yourself. Please stop, take a deep breath, think twice-or even a thousand times-before you take this "life-changing" step. Two years after having LASIK, I wish I had not been so eager to embrace this new technology.
I am not one of the LASIK "miracles". In fact, my results are just the opposite. Furthermore, during the past year, I have encountered numerous other individuals whose results with hyperopic LASIK are "less than optimal". It is my opinion that hyperopic LASIK is not stable over the long-term, especially as one's prescription gets higher. (My starting prescription was about +5.) I have yet to hear of a single person who has undergone this procedure and one year later is completely satisfied with the results.
Why did I have LASIK? Like most of you considering the procedure, I wore glasses or contacts. I HATED wearing my glasses because they magnified and distorted my eyes so much. In fact, my glasses distorted my eyes so much that adults and children-both friends and strangers-would actually stop what they were doing and stare at me with their mouths wide-open. Naturally, I experienced many rude comments and insults. I was so stigmatized by the reactions of others that I refused to wear glasses in public. I preferred to go uncorrected rather than endure the stares and insults. When I first heard about LASIK, it was like a godsend. I was desperate to have the surgery, and I wasn't even looking to be glasses-free. I just wanted to be able to wear thinner glasses that did not distort my eyes so much. If LASIK could change this, then I wanted to have it done. Believe me, it was a "life altering" experience, but not in the way I thought it would be.
Let me tell you how LASIK has changed my life. I am currently unable to work or go to school because I have severe ghosting where I see overlapping images. This problem is the result of LASIK-induced irregular astigmatism. My optometrist is now trying to fit me with RGPs (hard contact lenses) to correct this problem. Unfortunately, I have developed epithelial erosions from the contacts, so at this point, I cannot wear them. Over the past seventeen months, my prescription has regressed to between +2 and +3, which is worse than my prescription prior to LASIK "enhancement".
At this point in time, I am correctable only to 20/40 at best with glasses, and sometimes as poor as 20/60. I have experienced considerable fluctuation in my vision. It is presently unclear whether I will be able to wear contact lenses to improve this. I have tried hard lenses which correct me to 20/20, but my eyes are not tolerating them well right now. Also, about three months ago I began having focusing problems when my "lazy" right eye started to move in, then out. My eye crossed as a child, but this was corrected with glasses and patching of the other eye.
After seeing probably seven or eight doctors, I understand my options as the following: 1) Try to wear hard lenses (RGPs) to improve my vision. 2) Live with the poor vision that I now have and wear glasses. This may involve a career change since I was planning to become a teacher which is visually intensive. 3) In a couple of years, possibly try custom-ablation to smooth out my irregular corneas. I am not sure if I have enough corneal thickness left to do this or if my corneas will be stable enough for this. 4) Undergo corneal transplants. These are not trouble-free. Additionally, they are quite expensive, and insurance does not always cover them if they are needed as a result of LASIK. This would return me to my original prescription of +5. It is unclear whether I would be able to wear contacts after corneal transplants, but it would not be possible for at least six months.
Before LASIK, I could only tolerate soft lenses for about ten hours a day. As I mentioned previously, I hated wearing glasses due to the distortion so I would go without correction the rest of the time. This was very stressful for my eyes. When I heard about LASIK, I jumped at the chance to have it. The surgeon I chose was reputable and had participated in the FDA studies for hyperopic LASIK. There were no complaints about him that I could find. Other than my borderline pupil size (7 mm) and the fact that my surgeon thought I would need an enhancement due to my high starting prescription, I was given no indication of the potential for problems. I have consulted with many doctors now, and none of them can tell me why my problems are occurring and if/when my vision will stabilize. It is my opinion that the amount of data regarding long-term stability of this procedure is very limited simply because doctors are not being required to track it.
My advice to you is to wait and see how the long-term stability of the procedure evolves. Wait for the technology to improve. Monitor the bulletin boards and ask surgeons lots of questions about results BEYOND TWELVE MONTHS. I was pleased with my results for the first twelve months before my vision started to fluctuate wildly, so I'm sure my surgeon has added me to his "success" statistics. My post-LASIK vision problems have been an emotional nightmare. It is depressing for me to consider the possibility/likelihood that I will have to go back to those ugly glasses again if my regression continues, or if I need transplants and may not be able to wear contacts at all. It is depressing for me to have to contemplate abandoning my plans for a teaching career. It is depressing to wonder from day to day what vision fluctuations I may experience. But I had the "life-altering" miracle of LASIK, and there's no turning back for me now.

Update 7/01

I somehow managed to complete the fieldwork required to get a teacher's license and have a full-time teaching job this fall. My vision continued to be poor throughout the semester, and I had to wear glasses (which did little to correct my visual aberrations) the majority of the time because of epithelial problems related to RGP wear. Taking a nap every afternoon after school helped to combat the daily eyestrain. I am still pursuing RGPs since this is my best option right now for clear vision.
My husband of less than a year walked out on me in April, in part because of the stress of the after effects of my LASIK surgeries. Despite this additional trauma to my life I am doing well now and am learning to live with my poor vision. It's amazing what the brain can adapt to. But I do have limitations, particularly with regards to driving after dark, and the eyestrain is constant. I am still actively pursuing a solution to my vision problems, because I want to be able to live a full life and feel like I really deserve to after all I've been through.

There is life after LASIK, but is it the life you had planned on?

Patti Blair
plynnblair@aol.com