I am just going off the other thread on cataract surgery and thought I would start a thread to ask a question.

Has anyone had laser surgery to correct their eyesight?
Did it work?
Was it uncomfortable?
Does anyone know who qualifies for it? I have heard it is only available to short sighted or long sighted can't remember which.

I am both but more long sighted, close up print on letters and screens I cannot read with out glasses.
Long distance I am getting worse, If I see someone about 50 yards away I can see a figure but I cannot make out who it is, I need to be about 10-15 yards (closer sometimes) away before their face isn't blurry and I can recognise them.

I haven't enquired about it yet although I have thought about it a couple of times.
I am thinking now is the time as I have to admit to myself my eyesight is rubbish and something needs doing.
I have a 55inch tv and sitting 15 foot away I struggle to see the teams names or score in the corner when watching football. The writing across the bottom of the screen on sky sports news is blurry too.

I have had close relatives that have received bifocal laser treatments. One eye will see far..the other close. They will test you first to see if you are a good candidate for this type of laser surgery. Not all are..as their brain cannot get used to cooperating with near and far vision. I tried the test. It would work for me. I declined the surgery. Another problem is it can make your eyes dryer and more sensitive to light. Otherwise, my relatives are happy with the results.

Bruce, it would probably be best to go for an eye test first. The opticians can do a full health check on your eyes (some do a 3D scan). They would be able to advise you because I don't think free laser treatment is open to all eye conditions. You may just need new glasses.

MoonlitRoads63 wrote: Bruce, it would probably be best to go for an eye test first. The opticians can do a full health check on your eyes (some do a 3D scan). They would be able to advise you because I don't think free laser treatment is open to all eye conditions. You may just need new glasses.

We pay $3,000.00 here for each eye. It may be less expensive now. Or maybe more...Idk.

My friend had laser surgery to correct her eye sight. It left her with damage and had to have more surgery. She successfully sued the hospital but it was extremely traumatic.

I have got an eye test booked as it has been over 2 years with covid and lockdowns since my last test.
I will see what the opticians say and have to take it from there.
I am just fed up of everything I do I have to reach for glasses before I can do it as everything is blurred.

This morning I woke to watch F1 Qualifying and when you put on Sky F1 it asks do you want to watch in HDR 4K, so I press to do so and it makes no difference, yet others say wow that picture is so clear and brilliant.
I decided to try the glasses which I use for darts which make a dart board just over 7 foot away crystal clear, Oh wow what a difference all the blurry edges had gone, I could see the writing when they show the radio communications on the screen etc. I only ever used them for darts, so they get put in their case and left with my darts case and I never pick them up unless I am throwing darts, I am watching the World Grand Prix quarter finals darts now with them on and it is like having a new posh tv it is so clear.
Obviously with it being my eyes I need to do a lot of homework before considering going for it.
If dry eyes and using drops are a possible side effect, I am doubting it now as I know keep having to lubricate my eyes would drive me more nuts than keep looking at things and then having to reach for glasses.

I used to get fed up with having to reach for my reading specs when everything looked blurred.
Like you, I used to wonder if laser treatment would stop me having to wear specs - but I learned that the best thing to do is have an eye test and discuss all your concerns with the optician and see what they recommend first.

Although my “long vision” was always excellent, I have needed low magnification specs for close reading for quite a few years. Then I found my vision was getting a bit blurrier so, as I didn’t want to go to the expense of buying new reading specs, I just started buying cheap “reading specs” of a higher magnification - Big Mistake!
I should have gone back to the optician straightaway for a check up.

When I did go back, a year or two later than I should have, I discovered my blurrier vision was due to a hole in my retina, so one eye saw the middle of every letter or every word as a black smudge and I had to rely on the other eye to “fill in” the blanks, but the vision in that other eye was becoming more short-sighted, so my mind was trying to fill in the blanks that my eyes couldn’t see - the optician sent me to the hospital straightaway for tests - fortunately it turned out to be nothing too major - it was age-related macular degeneration - the “”dry” type, which does not progress quickly - though it has now progressed a bit and both eyes are affected.
There is no cure or treatment but one thing that has totally changed my life and removed all that frustration of not being able to see clearly is my optician suggesting I try some spectacles with varifocal lenses - the top part is plain glass, as I still have quite good long distance vision but the magnification in the lower part of the lens means I can always see printed words more clearly when I’m out and about shopping, looking at timetables or reading notices or when I’m driving and glancing down at the instrument panels. The lenses also react to sunlight, so they darken in bright light, which helps to protect my retinas from further damage.
These specs really have improved my enjoyment of life more than I could have imagined - if I look down at this tiny print on my iPad, I can see it perfectly but I can look up and see the TV or into the distance without it being blurred.

So, even if your optician doesn’t think your eye condition qualifies for laser surgery, don’t give up hope.
You may find they have alternative suggestions which can solve your sight problems and reduce your frustration at not being able to see as well as you once did.
Good Luck.

I echo everything that Eira said above.

I too wear varifocals with no regret’s whatsoever.
I see my optometrist every year for an eye test due to Glaucoma in the family ( my mother)

As you only have one pair of eyes, they need careful looking after.

After various tests my daughter had both her eyes lasered a year ago. It set her back £4,000 and there haven't been any problems so far. She doesn't need specs any more and is very satisfied.

Another reason I would not do the eye laser surgery ...it would erase my excellent near vision. I actually can read more clearly and precisely without glasses.