Laser Eye Surgery - anything I should be aware of

Forums › Health and fitness › Laser Eye Surgery - anything I should be aware of

E3xtc

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#320232 21-Jul-2025 14:54

Hello,

I have been thinking about getting laser eye surgery to try and recover some vision loss - whereby over the last few years my eye sight is just getting worse and worse - I am no spring chicken so hardly surprising tbh.

I find glasses effective, but just damn annoying. Additionally I enjoy running/cycling/etc and loosing the ability to clearly glance down at my wrist for some metrics on my watch is pretty damn annoying...so yeah just wanting to feel the water in this space and see if its something I want to throw some dollars at.

My Dad has successfully had his done, my Mum did but she had a less than favorable outcome so she is hesitant to recommend - so from my huge sample size I am no further ahead. Keen to hear peoples experience and any recommendations if appropriate. I am Auckland based fwiw.

Thanks in advance for your insight/comments.

Cheers

Edited to say - I did search but all of the threads were pretty old so no harm in getting some current market data :)

tweake

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#3395904 21-Jul-2025 15:05

this most likely will not apply to you, but its easy to check.

sometimes people with changing eyesight have trouble with bright lights and end up needing sunglasses. often prescription lenses can be enough as they filter out a good amount of uv.

this was a problem i ran into with using contacts, i still needed to wear sunglasses so i ended going from prescription glasses to sunglasses which made it all a bit pointless.

SpartanVXL

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#3395925 21-Jul-2025 16:21

Did they figure out if it had an effect of depth/spatial perception?

Senecio

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#3395929 21-Jul-2025 16:43

Some background

I started wearing glasses at 13 yrs old. Started wearing contact lenses for sport in my early 20's. I had laser surgery at 32 and I'm now 50.

Pros:

My long distance vision is still very good. It has deteriorated slightly since the initial operation 18yrs ago but I can still pass a driver license test without requiring glasses for driving and I still go out running, cycling & playing golf without wearing glasses.

Cons:

I now wear reading glasses for close vision. I was probably always going to require them at some point but I was told that undergoing laser surgery would bring that forward by a few years. I was willing to take that but everyone is different. As a result I can no longer see the metrics on my watch clearly during exercise unless I dial back the statistics and increase the font. You can only correct for one thing, short or long distance but not both.

Spyware

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#3396001 21-Jul-2025 19:08

If you are myopic, short sighted, need lenses for distance, then typically as you get old you get less short sighted and more far sighted. Typically you correct the distance vision so this will not help with close up.

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SATTV

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#3396003 21-Jul-2025 19:40

I went to Auckland Eye clinic for laser about 8 years ago and said I was not suitable due to my age and I am both near sited and long sited.

They offered me Refractive lens exchange (RLE) but I could not afford it at the time, in hindsight ( no pun intended ) I should have taken a loan and done it.

I had Refractive lens exchange (RLE) done on Monday last week so I am 7 days in, I can now see everything without glasses, not perfectly but I am told that will come.

I have a tri focal lens in one eye that does, reading, driving and distance, and a bifocal lens in the other eye that does other distances and my brain sorts it out.

Pro - no more F*&^ing glasses.

Cons - recovery for me was longer than others that I know, my first good day was Friday.

Cons - Having to use medicated eye drops four times a day, plus other eye drops as needed, but hey bo pain no gain.

I have no real issues at night like some have had.

I keep reaching for my glasses, and they are not there and I dont need them.

I had a cataract so Southern Cross paid for some of this, but I would have been happy to pay the full price ( Approx $16k )

I cant wait to go fishing and not change glasses to tie a know or deal with a birds nest.

I am 56 and would have been 47 or 48 when I went for a laser appt.

John

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Metamorphic

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#3396017 21-Jul-2025 20:10

Are you confident that the ophthalmologist would be not be using out-of-date lasers that produce inferior results compared to the newest generations? If they assure you they are, how can you be sure they are telling the whole truth? Can you be certain the ophthalmologist on the day will be sufficiently experienced and competent? Are you prepared for the 1 in 100 chance that you could have a permanent negative outcome?

None of these concerns are inherently problematic. This is the nature of surgery.

My father had surgery to correct really quite minor hearing loss in one ear and as a result of the operation, totally lost hearing in that ear. That hearing loss may have contributed to him later being hit by a train, killing him (there were other contributing factors too, of course). An extreme example of a bad surgical outcome, to be sure, but it does happen.

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E3xtc

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#3396074 22-Jul-2025 08:55

Thanks for the thoughts - I will pop along for a consult and see what they have to say.

Any other thoughts/recommendations/concerns/etc feel free to pop them down. Really appreciate it.

johno1234

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#3396096 22-Jul-2025 09:24

Metamorphic:

Are you confident that the ophthalmologist would be not be using out-of-date lasers that produce inferior results compared to the newest generations? If they assure you they are, how can you be sure they are telling the whole truth? Can you be certain the ophthalmologist on the day will be sufficiently experienced and competent? Are you prepared for the 1 in 100 chance that you could have a permanent negative outcome?

None of these concerns are inherently problematic. This is the nature of surgery.

My father had surgery to correct really quite minor hearing loss in one ear and as a result of the operation, totally lost hearing in that ear. That hearing loss may have contributed to him later being hit by a train, killing him (there were other contributing factors too, of course). An extreme example of a bad surgical outcome, to be sure, but it does happen.

Wow that's terrible.

As you say, all surgery has risks and surgeons are expected to be thorough in explaining the risks to patients so they can make an informed choice to proceed or not. I have been turned down for surgery to sort out my "surfer's ear" problem as my other ear is deaf already so too risky.

As far as training and equipment is concerned - Ophthalmology in NZ is a closed shop that self-enforces very high standards. There's perhaps self interest involved as the restricted supply and demand maintains a healthy thousands of dollars a minute earn rate and a replacement Aston Martin when a new model is released.

Surgical and dental vacations to India and Asia is becoming quite popular. There are options to get high technology procedures as good as or better than those available here from medical professionals with as good or better training and certification, and at a small fraction of the New Zealand price. You really need to understand the risks though.

Benjip

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#3396119 22-Jul-2025 09:59

Got my LASIK done in 2011 to improve my "far away" vision (no idea if that's shortsighted or farsighted, people disagree on the terminology), and my "far away" vision is still perfect to this day.

However, like others in this thread, I now have to wear glasses when I'm sitting at the computer all day, otherwise my vision is blurry and uncomfortable. This was never an issue so might just be an age thing, but they do now seem to warn that it might happen eventually after a LASIK or similar procedure.

Earbanean

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#3396125 22-Jul-2025 10:07

Senecio:

Some background

I started wearing glasses at 13 yrs old. Started wearing contact lenses for sport in my early 20's. I had laser surgery at 32 and I'm now 50.

Pros:

My long distance vision is still very good. It has deteriorated slightly since the initial operation 18yrs ago but I can still pass a driver license test without requiring glasses for driving and I still go out running, cycling & playing golf without wearing glasses.

Cons:

I now wear reading glasses for close vision. I was probably always going to require them at some point but I was told that undergoing laser surgery would bring that forward by a few years. I was willing to take that but everyone is different. As a result I can no longer see the metrics on my watch clearly during exercise unless I dial back the statistics and increase the font. You can only correct for one thing, short or long distance but not both.

Give or take a few years in this, I'm pretty much exactly the same.

Paul1977

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#3399829 4-Aug-2025 10:33

E3xtc:

...over the last few years my eye sight is just getting worse and worse.

I have a suspicion that will probably rule it out as option. I think they say your prescription should be stable for at least 12 months, otherwise they are correcting it for it to immediately start deteriorating again. I have a friend who had laser done a number of years ago, and he is now back to wearing glasses because his eyes got worse.

I wear contact lenses. Wore 24/7 continuous wear for years, but recently switched to daily disposables - and my eyes feel better for the change (not that I ever had major problems with the continuous wear ones). Advantages of contacts are if your eyes get a bit worse, you can adjust the prescription. Disadvantage for me is that while they correct my distance vision, they make my up-close vision worse. And if you need to use medicated eyedrops, you generally have to take the lenses out for 15 min.

I'd suggest trying contact lenses, your optometrist can likely provide samples of various brands if you go for a fitting. Daily disposables are the most expensive way to do it, but they really are good - no messing around with cleaning or storage, just a fresh lens every morning. I'll generally have them in for 14 hours a day with no rewetting drops, and even then my eyes feel fine. However, I'm very aware that I tolerate contacts really well. You may not tolerate them as well - but worth a shot.

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Quinny

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#3399831 4-Aug-2025 10:44

Looked at Lasik in my 40s - a no go with severe myopia and astigmatism. Like others say, you may be similar.

In about 2020, I had a car crash leading to severe floaters in my good eye. Had an operation which went wrong (1 in 100000 chance), then massive cataract growth, and then issues after that surgery too. Had to get the other eye done as there was a massive difference in vision between the eyes. A led to B, which led to 9 eye surgeries in under 12 months. I now have severe strabismus (double vision), and I still wear glasses, as it's all a guess when they do the numbers for the lens. But I would do it all again tomorrow, as I was then unable to drive at all, and now I can.

The boss had Lasik, and the only issue was dry eye. Vision changes as we age are normal, but all surgery comes with risk, and if the outcome is iffy, they will tell you this for good reason and suggest not doing it.

mudguard

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#3399841 4-Aug-2025 11:22

Benjip:

Got my LASIK done in 2011 to improve my "far away" vision (no idea if that's shortsighted or farsighted, people disagree on the terminology), and my "far away" vision is still perfect to this day.

However, like others in this thread, I now have to wear glasses when I'm sitting at the computer all day, otherwise my vision is blurry and uncomfortable. This was never an issue so might just be an age thing, but they do now seem to warn that it might happen eventually after a LASIK or similar procedure.

I'm in my mid forties. Worn glasses/contacts my whole life as I'm short sighted. I think if what it costs now was the same for when I was twenty then I would have done it. But not now. My near vision is changing which is annoying and inevitable. So if I got lasik now I'd like have to wear glasses for reading anyway I assume. Having worn them my whole life anyway I don't see the point on the operation anymore when I can just wear contacts. I'm on Dailies as well which are brilliant compared to the old days of solutions and cleaning.

Rikkitic

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#3399860 4-Aug-2025 13:01

Not quite the same but still relevant: I had cataract surgery a few years ago and went from blurry distance vision that failed my driver's licence to everything bright and clear but needing reading glasses for everything within reach. I am elderly and my close-up vision was already on the way out but I could still read a newspaper with some effort. After the operation I couldn't see anything close to me. Having glasses on a chain really irritates me so instead I bought up boxes of cheap ones and placed them at strategic locations around the house and also in the car so I can see the gauges. I have another back-up pair in my bag for shopping. It is a real pain but you get used to everything in time. If I could go back and choose, I might ask for a different lens since I was never bothered by my unclear distance vision and was happy to wear glasses for driving and movies (all my life I could never get used to them as a permanent feature). At this stage of my life, seeing things close up gets a lot more use than seeing them at a distance. I have learned to live with it though.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

frankv

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#3400966 8-Aug-2025 10:41

If you are a pilot flying on a CAA medical, you will be grounded for several months and have to do special eye tests for 2 years.

https://www.caa.govt.nz/assets/publications/medical-information-sheets/mis009-laser-eye-surgery.pdf