LASIK/SMILE in mid 40s

[Kachda]

Hi,

Recently I have been thinking of getting LASIK/SMILE. I have been wearing glasses since the age of 13 or so, and now I'm close to 43. I was never comfortable with the idea of surgery on my eyes before, but one of my friends recently got it done at the age of 47 and he claims it was an amazing experience for him.

I have gone to LASIK centers and got my eyes tested, and they have cleared me for LASIK or a newer procedure called SMILE (where they only create a small incision instead of a flap). Obviously, given that the centers make money on the procedure, they claim close to perfection results (though they have warned me I will need reading glasses soon).

However, doing some research on my own, I am not sure it is worth doing this at my age, the reasons being
1. I might need reading glasses soon, so I will be back to glasses sooner or later.
2. At some point, if I develop cataracts, I will need to get a lens replacement anyway (though this is probably 15-20 years in the future).

Are there people here who got LASIK/SMILE done in their 40s ? How was your experience ? And if there are any opthamologists amongst you, would love to hear your opinion as well.

 

[TonyJZX]

i beleive lasik is a one shot deal... ie. you can only do it once in your life

makes sense because you are removing material ('ablating') and so its not as if you get a 2nd go if you mess up (cornea transplants notwithstanding)

and so to me, for you at your mid 40's you got some time to go

BUT it depends on how intense your prescription is... like if you are down to coke bottle glasses and high index lenses arent doing it for you then your choice is made

but for me i'm thinking of leaving it until late 50's maybe even early 60s??? but as you say... you may develop cataracts later and then you may as well get it all done in one shot

ALSO i hope they have some kind of major improvements cum 2030 2035 etc.

 

[bogart]

For what it's worth, my eye doctor advised me around age 38 to leave LASIK to the 20 year olds. His perspective was that much of our world happens "up close" these days - screens nearby, etc. Fixing distance vision as your "good" vision right around the same time as your eyes will have trouble adjusting to different focal lengths virtually guarantees reading glasses, and probably earlier than otherwise. Although the success rates are high, he considered it higher risk than reward considering its limited effectiveness in the near term.

 

[voodooless]

Early 40’s here. I have quite a high perscription (-12.75 and some cilinder as well), and for an eye operation I really don’t have a lot of options. The fact that these operations are final always scare me away.

Also, glasses have gotten really a lot better the last 5 to 10 years. Now with special personalized glasses, my field of view and sharpness is better than it ever was.

So for now I’ll stick with my glasses. The major disadvantage is only that I’m stuck with small frames to not have too thick lenses.

 

[bogart]

Also, glasses have gotten really a lot better the last 5 to 10 years. Now with special personalized glasses, my field of view and sharpness is better than it ever was.

Not to mention glasses look cool

 

[fpitas]

i beleive lasik is a one shot deal... ie. you can only do it once in your life

Last I checked, they can do minor adjustments after the fact. But they do prefer that your eyes aren't changing a lot. I got LASIK in its infancy, around 1995. I was 41 then. Still doing fine. I hated glasses and can't wear contacts comfortably because of tight eyelids, so for me it was a good answer. These days they track eye movement as the laser is operating, to get a more precise correction.

 

[HoweSound]

I would be concerned about Lasik. I am near sighted, profoundly so in one eye. Now I'm in my 70's; I have done well over the years with contacts and glasses. I've had cataract surgery in both eyes and the new lenses have corrected my vision, although I still have prescription glasses for distance/driving. My friend, of a similar age had the Lasik procedure at your age. Now he has also had cataract surgery and they were unable to properly correct his vision due to scarring from the Lasik procedure. He can no longer drive at night due to light flashes, halos, diffraction from headlights, streetlights etc. A case of unintended consequences.

 

[fpitas]

I would be concerned about Lasik. I am near sighted, profoundly so in one eye. Now I'm in my 70's; I have done well over the years with contacts and glasses. I've had cataract surgery in both eyes and the new lenses have corrected my vision, although I still have prescription glasses for distance/driving. My friend, of a similar age had the Lasik procedure at your age. Now he has also had cataract surgery and they were unable to properly correct his vision due to scarring from the Lasik procedure. He can no longer drive at night due to light flashes, halos, diffraction from headlights, streetlights etc. A case of unintended consequences.

Well sometimes there are complications. I'm 69 now, and haven't had much trouble.

 

[DVDdoug]

Have you spoken to your optometrist or ophthalmologist?

1. I might need reading glasses soon, so I will be back to glasses sooner or later.

Most people do. I'm in my mid 60s and I've been nearsighted since I was in grade school. I've worn contact lenses for many years now, and at some point I had to start using reading glasses along with the contacts (or I have a pair of bifocals).

Here's what's interesting... As I'm getting older my vison is improving as my focusing-distance gets "pushed out". Now with the "weaker" contacts, sometimes I can read with the contacts and no reading glasses, or with no correction at all if the book (or whatever) is close enough. When I'm in bed I usually read with no correction. But if I'm sitting with a book on the table, that's too far and I can't read it without correction.

My optometrist is about my age and I noticed that she wasn't using reading glasses so I asked her what she was doing. I don't remember exactly but she's either got a contact in one eye or one close and one far contact so one eye sees close and the other far.
[/QUOTE]

 

[TonyJZX]

i think its reasonably normal for folks in their 60s... hell even 50s and less to have poor response from long to near vision

that's just the eye deteriorating.... i'm around the OP's age and already i have very poor ability to see close up detail

even if you get lasik its not unusual to need reading glasses but at least you dont need driving glasses any more

 

[BlackTalon]

Have you spoken to your optometrist or ophthalmologist?


Most people do. I'm in my mid 60s and I've been nearsighted since I was in grade school. I've worn contact lenses for many years now, and at some point I had to start using reading glasses along with the contacts (or I have a pair of bifocals).

Here's what's interesting... As I'm getting older my vison is improving as my focusing-distance gets "pushed out". Now with the "weaker" contacts, sometimes I can read with the contacts and no reading glasses, or with no correction at all if the book (or whatever) is close enough. When I'm in bed I usually read with no correction. But if I'm sitting with a book on the table, that's too far and I can't read it without correction.

My optometrist is about my age and I noticed that she wasn't using reading glasses so I asked her what she was doing. I don't remember exactly but she's either got a contact in one eye or one close and one far contact so one eye sees close and the other far.

I've been wearing contacts due to poos distance vision since I was 30. After covid I hit, I started having difficulty reading up close, including working at the computer if I had contacts in. Since we worked from home for a few months I typically would go several days at a time without putting in my contacts. After we reopened the office I went back to wearing contacts. After a month or two I had to buy some reading glasses to work at the computer -- so I was putting correction over correction. I had/ have zero interest in bifocal glasses or contacts. I had heard about people getting lasik and making one eye good for distance and one for reading. I figured I would test the concept and how well my brain can adjust by simply putting in one contact lens, so my uncorrected eye would be fine for reading and the corrected on would be good for driving, being outside, etc. It actually worked really well for me. So well that nearly 2 years later I am still doing this. No sense it getting lasik and having my eyes permanently altered at this point in time -- the single contact gives me the best of both worlds.

 

[amirm]

Have you spoken to your optometrist or ophthalmologist?

I have and must say, one loses faith in their neutrality. My optometrist was all for me to get Lasik saying he had it as well. Fast forward a year or two later, he moves to a new office with his own eyeglass and contact sales. All of a sudden, the advice was against Lasik! After my eye exam, there was a hard sell to try to get me new, expensive glasses from their office. Don't know how to get independent advice on this (I am looking at RLE).

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

For what it's worth, my eye doctor advised me around age 38 to leave LASIK to the 20 year olds. His perspective was that much of our world happens "up close" these days - screens nearby, etc. Fixing distance vision as your "good" vision right around the same time as your eyes will have trouble adjusting to different focal lengths virtually guarantees reading glasses, and probably earlier than otherwise. Although the success rates are high, he considered it higher risk than reward considering its limited effectiveness in the near term.

This was the advice I got too. I figured I'd just be exchanging "distance" specs for "reading" specs. Stuck with glasses either way, so I didn't think there was much point

 

[voodooless]

Don't know how to get independent advice on this (I am looking at RLE).

Maybe Ask ChatGPT ? For that kind of advice I would actually go to a hospital eye doctor. I used to go for a yearly checkup back in my teens when the diopters went wild. Already had my retina lasers when I was 15 or so (so mid 90’s) due to of separation.

 

[voodooless]

This was the advice I got too. I figured I'd just be exchanging "distance" specs for "reading" specs.

You guys must be so lucky! My no-spec distance is about 10 cm. I’m basically blind without them.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

You guys must be so lucky! My no-spec distance is about 10 cm. I’m basically blind without them.

oh wow! Sorry to hear that

 

[soundtrane]

One of India's leading Eye surgeons is my neighbour. I remember him telling me Lasik will mean the distance vision will get knocked off, but i will need glasses to even read stuff on my phone, permanently.
I am 53 and i left that Lasik option alone. I will chat with him one of these days to ask him if there is anything newer (and better) available...

 

[voodooless]

oh wow! Sorry to hear that

Don’t worry, I’m used to it, basically don’t know better. The good news is that with specs I see better than most people without . Which is another reason to not go though the procedure. Now I know what I have, and I can fix it at any moment. Given the difficulty to get a new prescription perfect already, I’m really skeptical about the single try laser treatment.

 

[hege]

Only regret is not doing SMILE sooner than at 37, best improvement in quality of life for over five years now. And I didn't even have that bad of a vision, could live and even drive without glasses (bordering on legal), but it was super annoying squinting all the time trying to see even TV distances clearly. The natural HD vision I have now is much more wholesome and comfortable than prescription glasses which I really only used occasionally driving. Yes I might need "reading glasses" down the road, so what, that's to be evaluated then. I rather have good mid/long distance, right now I can focus ~35cm from me and that's more than enough.

Just do your own due diligence and ignore random comments which are mostly uninformed (one shot deal? research much?). It's safe(*) enough if you get cleared to do it and got the cash. Don't end up like Pearljam wishing you got the Gennies 5 years ago instead of wasting time on the forum.

(*) For example you can find risk quotes of serious complications of 1/1000. This figure is backed up by for example our local national Patient Insurance Center.

 

[amirm]

I am 53 and i left that Lasik option alone. I will chat with him one of these days to ask him if there is anything newer (and better) available...

The new options are RLE where they replace the lens with a new one. It is supposed to fix both near and far sightedness (what I have). There are different lenses with different advantages and disadvantages. The main benefit of the operation is that you get a new lens so cataracts are no longer an issue.