LASIK
I have finally made the plunge and booked an appointment for a consultation for corrective surgery. I wear the Acuvue Oasys contacts and for the most part my eyes stay pretty good on the plane. Back when I wore Acuvue 2s I would often get dry eyes after a flight over a couple hours.
If you have had LASIK or any other vision correction how do you feel during a long flight? I understand some people get really dry eyes after laser vision correction. Most people I have talked to would do LASIK again in a heart beat, but they don’t spend as much time in airplanes as I do.
I had LASIK Aug 2004, and starting doing a fair bit of long-haul (SIN-SFO) later part of ’04 and beyond. I don’t recall it being an issue, however it was a good 2-3 months after surgery so there’s perhaps a reason there.
If you’re flying within a week or 2 afterwards, consult your doctor + carry lots of no more tears eye drops.
Best thing I ever did; well, a close 2nd to marrying my wife and starting a family 🙂
My current contact prescription is -7.00 which means contacts are only in .50 intervals instead of .25s like lower prescriptions. I’ve needed a non-existent -7.25 for a couple years, but I was closer to -7.00 than to -7.50 so I’ve stayed at -7.00. I would love to be 20/20 without glasses/contacts, but honestly I’d settle for being able to read an average alarm clock without any correction.
Lasik is the best!
I had mine done in Bangkok at the #1 ranked TRSC Lasik centre in June 2010, so fast and utterly painless. Sure if we’re being totally honest, there is an ‘OMG can I really do this??’ moment when you’re lying there feeling like a scared little rabbit who can’t turn back, but just be brave knowing we all did it and really there is NO pain. Here they give you valium to calm the nerves but I am the crunchy granola natural birth type, so I went drug free…
Lasik is one of those miraculous and rare, instant gratification procedures that make you kick yourself for not being braver earlier 😉
I’d been wearing soft contacts from the age of 16-36 and they were sucking my eyes dry (also Acuvue, short sighted both eyes at -3.75). I fly a lot for work (every month) and have had no problems to date. Like Simon says, buy a stash of individual use artificial tears to carry with you at all times just in case. Choose a preservative free brand like Allergan.
With age, women tend to become naturally myopic starting in their late 30s so they may offer you (depending on your age!) the choice to deliberately under shoot one of your eyes so that you have a back-up plan, because once you hit 20:20, you cannot get myopia corrected later on. You can ask to try it out with corrective glasses at the Lasik centre. Peronsally I hated the ‘off balance feel’ so went for 20:20 but ended up with 20:10! I don’t care if I have to occasionally wear reading glasses in a few years, what I wanted most was to get those vampire contact lenses off my poor, dried out eyeballs and not to have to wear glasses ALL THE TIME and be lost without them.
All the very best, you won’t regret it!
Grace, I’m about 12 years out form having LASIK. While I am loving the fact that I don’t have to put my glasses on to see the time in the morning, I have developed dry eyes due most likely to the surgery. My eye doctor said this is one of the long term effects they are now discovering. So now I’m always carrying and using drops. Just so you know.
Use eye drops – the individual drops such as ‘Refresh Tears Lubricant’ eye drops. Blink often. If you can, have a humidifier in your bedroom. Having a humidifier made the biggest difference for me. Rest your eyes by closing it. Drink lots of water. Refrain from too much reading, staring at the computer screen, and watching movies. Like Simon said, best decision I have ever made. I will do it again without hesitation.
Yeah. I was hoping to do it back during the Delta Skymiles promotion, but the doctor I made my appointment with came well recommended which is more important than sky miles!
Hopefully I’ll be a candidate. I asked my normal optometrist a couple years ago and he did a basic measurement and said he couldn’t really say I was a candidate because there might not be enough, but even since then technology has improved and I’ll get a 2 hour evaluation instead of 5 minute basic measurement.
Everyone has different expectations and different results after surgery. My eyes were quite bad (-8 or more) and I had been wearing glasses since 3rd grade and contacts since college (14 yrs).
In my case the Lasik worked well. I had it done in 1999 by an excellent doctor (not one of those $500 an eye doc back then) who also did Tiger Woods eyes.
Don’t push for the procedure if the dr. recommends against it.
As far as flying goes my eyes seem fine. Of course I live in an exceptionally dry climate (Arizona). Unfortunately I’m reaching the age where reading glasses will be needed.
Good Luck
I had Wavelength for really bad eyes in 2005 (it was approved for vision worse then -6.00 in later 2004 – I fly weekly – this time between PHX and ATL – I always have dry eyes – always carry eye drops but it’s honestly worth it.
Another thing that my doctor told me that I have not heard often is you need to also invest in Polarized Sunglasses and wear them – it protects your eyes – although I don’t understand why I do know the few months I did not purchase new polarized sunnies after losing an old pair I noticed a difference –
But again – so worth it –