Why did you not get LASIK?

[Anonymous]

I got Lasik in my early 20s. Fortunately I could afford it. Recovery was easy and I could see immediately. Worth every penny so I don't have to spend thousands over the years on doctors, glasses and contacts. Probably was cheaper in the end. Why don't people who can afford it do it? Do people like depending on glasses to see their hands? They're not comfortable, they break and they are expensive.

[Anonymous]

I’m 46 and debating it but wonder if there’s a better way now? LASIK has been around so long.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who works for an eye surgeon who specializes in fixing botched lasik surgeries. Her horror stories turned me off. I’d rather face poor vision than lose what I have.

[Anonymous]

I don’t mind wearing contacts personally.

[Anonymous]

I don’t mind the eyeglasses. In my early 20s side effects of aura vision at night were still quite common. So I didn’t do it at the time as it was important to be to be able to drive in the dark. Now 20 years later, I just don’t bother.

[Anonymous]

My doctor said they couldn’t correct my vision to 20/20 (I’m profoundly nearsighted) and I figured if I would still need correction with glasses or contacts, it wasn’t worth the risk.

[Anonymous]

You still will need reading glasses so it’s not worth it to me. Also have a coworker who had a botched surgery and contacts are just fine for me!!

[Anonymous]

Not everyone is a good candidate for it and if your surgeon is worth anything, they’ll be honest and tell you so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone is a good candidate for it and if your surgeon is worth anything, they’ll be honest and tell you so.

+1. My eye doctor expressly told me not to get it because of a pre-existing eye condition.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you not get that many people who got it in their 20s might need glasses and/or reading glasses in their 40s and beyond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My doctor said they couldn’t correct my vision to 20/20 (I’m profoundly nearsighted) and I figured if I would still need correction with glasses or contacts, it wasn’t worth the risk.

+1. I have horrible vision but am not a good candidate.

[Anonymous]

Both my sister and my dad got it and both eventually needed to wear glasses again. Glasses are kind of a pain, but at this point I look worse without them than with. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Because some people are risk adverse. When there is a 100% safe alternative it is perfectly rational to choose it over a riskier option that would carry additional benefits.

I myself had PRK instead of Lasik, which is very out of character for me, because I am extremely risk averse. But I got lucky and am very happy with the results. Yes, I’m 50, and I need glasses, but they are thin, light and cheap. Not at all like the pricey Coke bottle lenses I needed before.

Funnily enough, I feel like I look better with glasses than without, but I was so happy with the improved functionality I got from surgery that I didn’t regret it. So now I need glasses again I don’t mind at all!

[Anonymous]

I was told I am high risk.

[Anonymous]

I wish I had done it in my 20s. But when I was newly employed after grad school it just seemed like so much money and I had no idea how to get a good surgeon. I spent a good chunk of my 30s being pregnant, nursing or taking care of young children so that never seemed like a great time. Now I'm in my 40s and figure I'm to old. I have been wearing contacts since I was 13 and don't find them that annoying or expensive.