LASIK 6 months later
Around half a year ago I made a detailed post about getting LASIK eye surgery. In short this is a surgery which enables nearsighted people to stop using glasses. The surgery consists of cutting a slice into your eye, blasting a laser at it, closing the eye again and sending you home in a state similar to the Tom-eats-a-yummy-sandwich scene from the movie Minority Report. Full video of my operation here.
Back then I claimed being very happy with the surgery, but people told me to come back to post again later to report on whether or not I was still happy for doing it after having a longer time to test my new eyes.
So here I am, over 6 months have passed and am I satisfied?
Downsides
The downsides are:
- Had I not done it, I would have $3000 more on my bank account right now and would have saved about a week of my time researching clinics, the procedure and preparing for the operation.
- I am now seeing halos around objects.
The halo problem
From my research I was aware that I might experience a glowing outline around bright objects in the dark, but that this would probably go away after a few months. Well, it has not gone away and has not improved at all. As an example, when I look at the image on the right, it is hard for me to tell that it has been manipulated, as that is pretty much how white on a black background always looks to me.
In the green picture you can see how a green traffic light looks like to me in the dark. I suppose this is not how people born with normal eyes would see it, but I cannot be sure since I have never experienced that.
Places where I encounter this issue:
- Looking at full moon at night is a haloey mess. I can still see stars normally.
- Very noticeable when walking around a dark movie theater.
- Traffic lights at night.
None of these prevent me from any activity such as going out at night or watching a movie, but it is noticeable.
Upsides
- Increased self-confidence, this is subjective, but I prefer how I look without glasses.
- Going out to nature is awesome, as you can see everything without a frame in your view. You feel more immersed in reality.
- Swimming is less fuss, as there is no need to switch between glasses / prescription swimming goggles. Just swim.
- I have started exercising more thanks to the above two things.
- You can see immediately when opening your eyes in the morning.
- No frustration or time wasted looking around for lost glasses or needing to think about where to place them at night, before taking a shower or changing clothing.
- No risk of accidentally stepping on your glasses.
- No money wasted on renewing glasses or buying contact lenses, although later on I may need reading glasses, but for the next 10 years I should be good. This may end up saving enough money to just about pay for the cost of the operation.
Yes, it was a fantastic decision with only minor downsides and I would definitely do it again.
We recorded the operation on video. You can see a see it here, but some might find it difficult to watch.
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