Has Anyone Tried Corneal Reshaping? 63
bgraziano asks: "I'm looking into alternatives to LASIK and I'm investigating corneal reshaping. This involves wearing contact lenses at night to reshape my eyes to address nearsightedness and astigmatism. I've found lots of vendor sites but I can't find any first hand accounts from people going through the process. Has anyone tried this? Are you aware of any links to first hand accounts of people that have tried it?"
Neighbor doing it (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Neighbor doing it (Score:1)
Put salt in your eyes.
Always put salt in your eyes.
Re:Neighbor doing it (Score:1)
Ow.
Re:Neighbor doing it (Score:1)
Back in the early '80s... (Score:4, Interesting)
I was a teenager delivering advertising circulars in Tulsa, and I stopped to chat (a frequent occurrence) with an old guy with cool gadgets in his garage. After a while, he showed me his favorite unsung invention... a tiny blade mounted on a circular track in a spherically-faced plastic housing.
He described for me how this device could be used to reshape the cornea -- make a shallow circular incision, and the eye would reshape itself. Voila, corrected vision without contacts or glasses!
But nobody was interested in his invention, he said.
Ten years later, radial keratotomy [eyemdlink.com] was all the rage... the only difference from the old man's method, really, was that the incisions were made radially instead of circularly.
And that was soon followed by any number of friggin'-laser-assisted procedures that all built on an idea I first heard about in the early '80s from a crazy old guy in a garage in Tulsa. I wonder if he's still around... I got the impression he wouldn't be bitter that his crazy idea turned into something big after all.
Very late (Score:3, Informative)
His history is very interesting... he funded "Clínica Barraquer", a leader institution in eye surgery research...
Popular Science ... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Popular Science ... link (Score:2)
Popular Science article is here [popsci.com]
Re:Popular Science ... (Score:2)
As if PopSci has any other type of review.
mom did it (Score:5, Informative)
Given her experience, I think it would certainly be worth a try. She had no trouble with the molds, she stuck to the prescribed treatment, and she got vastly improved vision with no lasers or other invasive procedures. Don't know what more you could ask.
Lasting results (Score:4, Informative)
This is one of the reasons I just put with glasses, I don't want to chance my eye-sight with nightvision problems with lasik. And I dont want to wear corrective lenses at night while I sleep.
I'll be trying it myself soon (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.paragoncrt.com
You'd also be hard pressed to find an insurance company that will cover it, as yet, but that will come around in time.
As far as I'm concerned, it's *the* option: totally reversible, no dry eyes, no contacts in the daytime, the only drawback is the hassle of cleani
Re:I'll be trying it myself soon (Score:2)
Bad
* If she had a short night of sleep and only got to wear them for 4 or 5 hours, then her vision sometimes gets a little worse by the evening from not being corrected long enough.
* They are hard contacts. Those can be uncomfortable for some people, but they don't bother my wife. If you've worn contacts before, it probably won't
Nope, but know a number of people who've done (Score:2)
The second hand reports I've had from people who've done it is that they love it. I'd do it myself if I had the money, although I'd like some testimonials from amateur astronomers first. Older surgeries, such as RK, were problematic at night.
Orthokeratology (Score:3, Informative)
err... (Score:1)
Re:err... (Score:1)
OT I know (Score:2)
Re:OT I know (Score:1)
Apparently not:
http://www.joyofspex.com/ [joyofspex.com]
Re:OT I know (Score:2)
Re:OT I know (Score:1)
Re:OT I know (Score:1)
The Cute Girl With Glasses is a well-known anime stereotype with an enthusiastic following. Unfortunately they seem to be getting less common...
Re:OT I know (Score:1)
re: Has Anyone Tried Corneal Reshaping? (Score:3, Informative)
I underwent ortho-k 25 years ago in order to pass a flight physical for the USAF. It brought my eyes to 20/20 and kept them there for 30 days. USAF regs require removal of contacts 30 days prior to a flight physical. Once you pass the physical and get trained, it doesn't matter if your visual acuity eventually goes south -- by the time you are ready to strap on an F-15, they have too much invested in you to DQ you because of your bad eyesight. Cheaper to grind lenses for your O2 mask.
But, man I don't ever want to go through that again. I wore them every day for six months. I had a 5 minute reprieve every hour to lubricate my eyes. The pain was constant and non-trivial. Unless you are looking to become a commercial or military pilot, don't bother with Ortho-k. After I left the Air Force, I got LASIK, and I am hugely satisfied with it.
Re: Has Anyone Tried Corneal Reshaping? (Score:2)
"I went through something that may be slightly related to the current topic decades ago when the technology was in the stone age and you had to wear them 24/7 and it was painful, so this thing they've got now must be terrible."
Re: Has Anyone Tried Corneal Reshaping? (Score:1)
Best Money I ever spent (Score:5, Interesting)
My recommendations first and then maybe a short version of the story.
Schedule appts w/ a couple of doctors. I ended up seeing nearly 20 before I chose. You will learn alot about the process. Plus, if you have a stigmatism you get a cool 3d picture of exactly how it looks (mine was hourglass shaped)
Being a comp guy, I decided that the most important factor for me was to get the kewl laser. At my time it was the Visx S3. All teh doctors will tell you they have the coolest laser so do some research. The key points, as I recall, were that the laser tracked and pulsed 10k times/sec (so if I moved my eye it would adjust) and the width of the beam. My pupil was large so I needed a large laser to help minimize the potential for the halo effect at night.
Docs were charging anywere from 500 - 5000 / eye. I ended up w/ a guy at 1800 for both and was very happy. He was in teh same office (same equipment) as one of the 5000/eye guys.
I don't know how much the doc really does. Supposedly, he takes your measurements (perscription, stigmatism, corneal depth) and plugs them into some equation that is fed to the computer. Supposedly, coming up w/ the equation is the "artful" part.
The actual procedure was daunting but fairly painless. I got to the waiting room and spent a few minutes after check in telling myself how stupid I was to be fucking w/ my sight. Glasses aren't so bad, better than being blind, etc...
I was called in and they did the final bits of tests, the long one was to test peripheral vision.
After all the tests they gave me some valium and told me to relax for a bit. About 1/2 hour later, it was time to get zapped. I went into the room and layed down in the chair. they covered me up and gave me a small stuffed teddy bear. Seemed odd at the time but I was fairly glad I had it later. A TV screen above displayed a 27in close up view of my eye. My ex, watching from teh other room, snapped a pic (w/ flash) and got yelled at by the doctor. Then we began.
He administered a bunch of drops of various drugs. He puts a speculum kind of thing around my eye to keep my eyelids out of the way. Then, he brought out the cutter (don't remember the technical term, i would proably opt for the laser version now, they were too new when I did it). He warns me that I am giong to feel some pressure and then my vision is giong to either blur or go out completely. This is basically what glaucoma is I guess. Sure enough, I felt some pressure and bang! complete blackness in that eye. (i think my other eye was covered at this point. i was much more worried about the eye w/ the speculum though so I don't recall) The cutting tool is built into the "pressure giver". I hear a whir and feel a blade go around my eye in a circle. I was anestitized (sp?) but not hurting is not the same as not feeling it. That was fairly scary (but not the worst part).
He pulled the cutter off and I could see the lights above again. My sight came back more or less instantly. Then he reached in w/ a tool and flipped the top of my cornea back. Everything went super blurry and my grip on teh bear tightened.
"Your only job for the next 45 seconds is to look at the red light and DON'T MOVE", ordered teh doc. I looked at the red light and resolved myself to completely immobility. I think the doc even held my head.
The laser made a loud "TAC-TAC-TAC-TAC" and a smell of burning cat drifted to my nostrils. This was definitely the scariest part. This went on for maybe 30 seconds.
A bunch more drops and then he flipped my cornea back down. Holy shit, I can see. I could already tell the lights above me were much clearer.
This whole procedure took maybe 3-4 minutes, max. Then we did teh other eye. I was out of there in less than 10 minutes.
They taped big swisscheesed plstic eyeshields to my face and sent me to a dark room to lie down. By this point, the adreline was definitely beating the valium b
Re:Best Money I ever spent (Score:1)
Re:Best Money I ever spent (Score:2)
_eye fills screen_
_blink_
_blink_
_tool comes in_
*SNICK*
*ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP*
AHHHHH!!!
Re:Best Money I ever spent (Score:2)
Mod Parent Down - Off-topic (Score:1, Insightful)
So you didn't read the question, I see. Are we talking about lasers or LASIK? No. We're talking about corneal reshaping.
Please get either your eyes or your education checked, because you apparently cannot read.
Re:Mod Parent Down - Off-topic (Score:2)
Re:Best Money I ever spent (Score:4, Funny)
Confessions of a scaredy cat (Score:2)
The new contact lenses I have correct my astigmatism and as an added bonus, are tinted too. The freedom and avoidance of the 'geeky look' is well worth the ongoing cost for replacement contacts.
I've really wanted t
Re:Confessions of a scaredy cat (Score:2)
As a g
From the blind one (Score:1)
Re:From the blind one (Score:2)
good luck
concerns (Score:3, Interesting)
Scenario: Eyes changing at an inopportune time such operating a motor vehicle (car, plane, etc.) in conditions of marginal visibility. Having your eyes change at a time like this can be a lethal combination.
From what I have read, the change is temporary and the eye returns to normal after not wearing them. In the beginning, this change is within a day. Is the change gradual or instantaneous change? I am concerned about being between 20/20 and my normal nearsighted vision so that I cannot see clearly with or without my glasses, or with only one eye and not the other.
After having worn them for a while and getting used to not needing my glasses during the day, will I still need to carry my glasses/contacts 'just in case' my eyes decide to change back? If I have to carry my glasses all the time 'just in case' they can change, I might at well just wear them.
Re:concerns (Score:2, Informative)
I've been wearing gas permeable lenses for over 20 years, since grade school, in order to slow the progression of my nearsightedness. One result is that, when I take out my lenses, I can still see a little bit, but if they satay out for a while, my vision gets worse - REAL fast.
I was unaware of this until I broke a contact lens right before a driving trip to New Hampshire (at night). No problem, I just grabbed my glasses. Just around New York I noticed that I couldnn'r re
Re:concerns (Score:1)
It's fairly gradual. Your eyeballs won't just pop back into their original shape all of a sudden, although that paints a pretty funny mental image.
As for the treatment itself, they recommend that you get an "intermediate" pair of eyeglasses for the interim week that your eyes are adjusting, and no doubt this wo
Wha... (Score:3, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
CRT (Score:3, Interesting)
She said she slept fine, and has gone the whole day without her glasses. Apparently, after the first two weeks she will only need to wear the contacts at night once every three or four days.
Not a bad trade off for close to 20/20 vision.
Re:CRT (Score:1)
Re:CRT (Score:2)
I'll see if she is ready to share her experience and point her in your direction, if so.
read the comments.. (Score:2)
the short version about this from memory from there: it's good if you don't have really bad vision and don't expect it to last all day.
I'm kinda curious how would driving a car fit this scenario though(because if you have bad vision you need to wear glasses.. because if your vision keeps changing then you're going to be at a point where your glasses are totally wrong for your current eyesight but you still don't see without them).
I had it. (Score:2, Informative)
But I did eventually switch to glasses going into college. There were a couple of reasons for this change.
I figured that in college I would not always be getting a enough sleep, and I did not want to go around the next day with bad eyesight.
One of the biggest drawbacks is the comfort of the contacts. I was not able to wa
Re:I had it. (Score:2)
I've been using CRT lenses (Score:3, Informative)
Here is my list of pros and cons from wearing them for 7 months
+ They actually give me perfect vision for most of the day.
+ No pain or surgeries.
+ Your vision can return to normal in about 2 weeks if you don't like them.
- I'm used to soft contacts, these felt like rocks at first. Even now they are uncomfortable to wear if I am active and about doing stuff.
- I sometimes sleep with my eyes open so these things dry to my eyeballs and it gets difficult to take them off in the morning, a few times I had to flush my eyes with contact solution for 15 minutes to loosen them up.
- At night, my vision fades a bit and I see halos around light sources , esp car headlights. Since the lenses don't cover the entire cornea, my periphial vision (everything else besides what I'm directly looking at gets a bit fuzzy) This is the suckiest thing about them.
- I've been to see my eye doctor many times since december for checkups. He has switched my lense prescriptions 3 times because the current pair wasn't a perfect fit anymore.
- Expensive
Despite all the negatives, I'd highly recommend the paragon CRT lenses for anyone who is considering lasik or who is fed up with regular contact lenses. The convenience of perfect vision during the day is way worth the price and hassle of fussing with contacts at night.
In my case, I sleep with my eyes open plus I get dry eyes when I wear contacts however 4 out of 5 days my vision is 20/20 or better. The other 1 out of 5 days my left or right eye is off a bit. Its annoying but I get used to it for a few hours and usually the eye somehow corrects itself in the early afternoon.
Recommend Wavefront instead (Score:1)
The CFO (Score:2)
Personally I think they're damned expensive, so it figures that one of our execs is the only person in the company that uses them
OrthoK (Score:1)
Also look into Intacs (Score:2)