lasik/prk??

[ws6ta]

i went to coal harbour eye center today for a consultation and the price is only $1375 for both eyes I asked them if I should get the wavefront stuff and they said no need. My brother paid 2800 somewhere else and my buddy went and got a quote at london eye care for 3000.

why is coal harbour so cheap??? where is the best place to go the last thing i watn to do is cheap out on eye surgery!

[ntan]

I got mine done at COal Harbour. My eyes are fine.

[sindragon]

hey op, i know two close people who had eye laser surgey and will check up on price/place. Will update later

[SoulCrusher]

I got mine done at london eye centre in new west a yr ago and paid $2500. It worked well for me but i regret not doing lasikmd.
Posted via RS Mobile

[rslater]

I got mine done at Coal Harbour. I had prk and had an awesome experience there. In terms of price, your brother and your friend either got surgery a couple years ago or got ripped off, or had other add on's (wavefront etc). Prices have been slowly coming down.

I would argue that Coal Harbour's surgeon is one of the best and same with their medical staff. The surgeon has probably done 30,000 surgeries. With PRK do except a longer healing time, but with long term results that are better. The drops do get a little annoying after a couple days but you get used to carrying them around. After 5-7 days my eyes were perfectly normal and have been great since. Also the depth on my cornea allows for free revisions if need be in the future.

[CP.AR]

Dummy question:

Lasik vs. PRK

What are the perks of each from a real life perspective?
I've read plenty of "technical" differences... but I just want to know from people who did the surgeries

[sindragon]

after watching final destination and the movie filmed in vancouver..... fucking lazer burning through her eye in a painful fashion

[ntan]

Originally Posted by Amuro Ray

Dummy question:

Lasik vs. PRK

What are the perks of each from a real life perspective?
I've read plenty of "technical" differences... but I just want to know from people who did the surgeries

Lasik:
Pro: instant recovery, you can usually drive next day
Con: Potential for the flap to open, especially if you play contact sports

PRK:
Pro: flapless
Con: long recovery; typically 1 - 2 weeks

Choose PRK imo

[ws6ta]

choosing prk over lasik seems like a no brainer. if you read the faq's on the coal harbour website it basically says:

What is "No Touch" or "touchless" PRK?

"No touch" is transepithelial PRK (Photorefractivekeratotomy) with the where the top layer of the cornea (the epithelium) is removed by the laser beam.

Is this method of removing the epithelium the most accurate?

In my opinion as a surgeon, it is not as accurate as using the cornea's natural plane between epithelium and it's underlying tissue to gently wipe away the epithelium. I have done over 1000 transepithelial PRKs, and over 5000 alcohol removal PRK procedures. All methods of epithelial removal yield very similar outcomes. I have no strong opinion on one method versus another. I have performed several different techniques and have selected the method I use as in my hands it is the most accurate.

Does a surgical instrument touch the eye in the "No Touch" procedure?

The laser is a surgical instrument. It removes tissue from your eye. The only way to correct vision without touching the eye is to wear glasses (contact lenses touch the eye). "No Touch" is a trademarked name for transepithelial PRK coined by one clinic. It is not a patented form of surgery, it is a procedure developed in 1991. I still do this procedure on appoximately 10 patients per year, only under very specific circumstances.

I even asked them if I should get the tissue sparing things and hes like it would be a complete waste of money. so whats different with this "no touch" is it worth it or a gimmick

[conflagrare]

Originally Posted by ntan

Lasik:
Pro: instant recovery, you can usually drive next day
Con: Potential for the flap to open, especially if you play contact sports

PRK:
Pro: flapless
Con: long recovery; typically 1 - 2 weeks

Choose PRK imo

I did PRK at Pacific Eye Centre. Dr. David Lin is one of the most experienced in the world. He was one of the founding fathers of laser eye surgery: "He was involved in the original research of excimer laser surgery and corneal topography. Upon his return to Vancouver in 1989, Dr. Lin set up one of the first excimer laser centres in Canada" Our Surgeons

Anyway, it was $3.5k for me, about 2 years ago.

Recovery, as said above, is 1-2 weeks to "function normally" like school/work/drive. 100% recovery was half a year.

[GabAlmighty]

I had PRK done at Pacific Laser Eye Center, best surgeon imo, all the other north american surgeons go to him.

I'm into it for about $4500 after I payed for my recurring check ups on my optometrist. But, that's from the "best" guy available. I didn't skimp out on my eyes because I can't just go ahead and pick up aftermarket ones over night from Japan.

The only thing that's "bad" about it is that my eyes dry out if I'm awake for 16+'ish hours. Or when I have a long shift at work (I'm a lifeguard and all the chlorine dry's the fuck out of everything). I also have some halo'ing at night. One of my eyes is a tiny bit better than the other but it was still plenty good to get me into the Air Force.

I have absolutely no regrets and fucking love my eyes to death.

Best advice is make sure you follow the eye drop regimne they give you post surgery.

[rslater]

The thing about the technology they use now is that the machine will stop within a micro second if your eye shifts. The risk of something goign wrong during surgery is extremely rare. The doctor explained it best to me this way....your eye is like a mountain of peaks. With PRK the laser etches away at certain peaks of the mountains to allow light to refract better to improve your eye site.

[pinn3r]

Does anybody know what the recommended age for laser eye surgery is?
I'm still in my teens, and I keep hearing that I'm still too young for it.
I plan to get it done between the ages of 18-21 since my eyesight is pretty damn bad. I suffer from myopia (nearsightedness)

[GabAlmighty]

I was 19 when I had it done. The rule of thumb is that your eyes need to have "settled" for a few years before you do it.

[DJ Milk]

I was going to get mine done at Coal Harbour last summer during their 10 year anniversary sale for $1500 but the wait time to get in to get a consultation was over a month because of the sale. Also I assume 10 year anniversary means they started business in 2001. I called London Place Eye Center and got a consultation the next day and got the surgery the same week even though it cost $2500. They been in business since 1985 so that makes it 26 years. So I didn't mind paying the $1000 difference and I don't think that would hurt your wallet. London Place is regularly $3000 but if you get a referral from a previous client, they will give it to you for $2500. I read of good reviews for both places so you can't go wrong with either one.

[jackal]

my gf went to london eye for prk and paid 2500. recovery was more like 7 days till she was back to work and she just did her 3 month check and she says she feels 100%.

although like all prk procedures she had very dry eyes for about a month. but putting drops in your eyes is a pretty minimal issue.

[Anjew]

my friend got his done at 23 now he is 33 and he is wearing glasses again. i'll ask him what method... it wasnt lasik i think. i'd wait until you get older before you do it.

[GabAlmighty]

That was also ten years ago, old technology

[J____]

i got mine done at coal harbor as well as all my friends who got laser. They paid 3k+ a few years ago, i paid $1500 for their anniversary deal this year. That's why they're so cheap this year. The surgeon there is one of the best in the world. My eyes are great, I did PRK, the first 2 weeks of recovery I was shitting myself thinking "wtf did i just do to my eyes" but after 1.5-2 months my vision was like a hawk. Best money I've ever spent IMO.

PRK > Lasik IF you can take the time to recover. Even if you can't take the time to recover, get PRK anyway. It's better in the long run. No chance of flap issues if you do any sort of sport that has a chance of getting hit in the eye.

Of course, no body can compare 1 laser institute from another as people only have 1 set of eyes, but all of them seem to have great results and good reviews. However for the price, go to Coal Harbor, you wont regret it.

[VR6GTI]

I got mine done 8 years ago when i was 20 at london place eye center, i believe they have been doing it the longest in Vancouver. I went when i was 16 but they said i was to young and went back when i was 20. Best $3500 i ever spent.

[gdoh]

i just had both my eyes done from coal harbour at the end october 2011, i got the prk done because it makes more sense to get especially with the activities that i do. The main difference between the lasik/prk is that if you get lasik and play contact sports and get bumped in the head it can fuck up the flap that they cut open, but with prk there is no flap so no need to worry about it

the pain is worse and healing time is slower for PRK but i would choose it over lasik any day, the pain drops are your best friend for the first 3 or so days

the whole procedure took about 10 mins, i paid 1800 for both eyes -4.5 and -5

[Alatar]

One brother had his Lasik done at London Eye Centre. Probably 6-7 years ago now. He's had poor night-vision (starbursts) when looking at oncoming traffic, etc.

Oldest brother had PRK done 4-5 years ago at Coal Harbour. No issues, relatively short recovery time, etc.

Ex-gf had her Lasik done ~5 years ago at Coal Harbour. She wasn't yet 25, initial vision went to 20-15, but she now needs glasses for certain situations. She's not too concerned and doesn't feel like going back to get it fixed. Her eyes weren't quite "settled" when she had hers done.

They do recommend you're at least 25 for any laser eye surgery so that your eyesight has stabilized.

In terms of venue/price, if Coal Harbour is that price, go go go! They're the same place that has done laser eye surgery for many of the Canucks, including Markus Naslund. I personally have no Lasik/PRK personal experience given that I've only got 20/10 vision myself.

[iamon]

Is there a ceiling on how bad your eyes are to get laser eye surgery? I had a talk with my eye doctor and they said I probably wouldn't get 20/20 and I assume that it is because my eyesight is so bad, one eye is -925 the other I believe is -875.

[gdoh]

Originally Posted by iamon

Is there a ceiling on how bad your eyes are to get laser eye surgery? I had a talk with my eye doctor and they said I probably wouldn't get 20/20 and I assume that it is because my eyesight is so bad, one eye is -925 the other I believe is -875.

Coal Harbour Lasik Eye Centre | LASIK & PRK

scroll to the bottom

[iamon]

^ ah I have astigmatism as well. Thanks for the info!