...until a couple months ago. Like you, I started wearing glasses at age 8, and the lenses were very thick. Something in the neighborhood of 7.5 diopters. I had 20/300 vision in my right eye, 20/200 in the left. I watched LASIK for a very long time. Finally, my optometrist, who I really respect, sat down with me and told me I was the 'ideal' candidate. My eyes are very healthy and very, very stable with very little change in the prescription from year to year. Like you, I would put my glasses on while in bed in the morning and then get up, and take them off as I turned off the light at night to go to sleep. When traveling, I would wear a pair of glasses and carry a spare pair in my pocket and another spare pair in my luggage. I was scared to death that something would happen and I would lose or break my glasses and not be able to function.
Finally, after reading everything I could get my hands on about LASIK and three years of urging from my eye doctor, I made the appointment for the prescreening. Got through that first several hour long appointment and filled out all the paperwork. Paid my money and got my date set.
The night before the actual LASIK procedure, I had a MAJOR panic attack in the middle of the night. Woke from a sound sleep, sounding like I had just run 10 miles, covered in sweat.
Went in for that procedure, in a middle of a blizzard, with nearly a foot of fresh snow on the streets, with my wife in tow to drive me home. Sat in the waiting room for an hour before going in for the 'prep' and sitting nearly another hour waiting my turn. Got led into the Laser room, and on my back on the table, just as they got ready to make the first correction, the power in the room blinked out for a second. OFF the table, back to the waiting room while they reboot the computer and test the machine for index.
Finally, back on the table. One eye took 45 seconds to correct. The other took 48. The procedure is completely painless, I never lost my vision. Got off the table and could see without my glasses! Close your eyes, go home, go to bed and sleep, use pain medication, use antibiotic eyedrops, see the doctor in two days.
Well, it's been nearly 3 months now, and my vision in both eyes is 20/20. I wear reading glasses, like most men my age (50) and wonder why I didn't do this a long time ago. I get to wear regular sunglasses. My eyes don't fog up when I come in from the cold like my old glasses use to. My doctor says you can't even see where the incision was made in my eyes. I can't remember being happier about a decision than I have been about my LASIK. I just wish I could have done it years ago.
My mask, both of them, have regular lenses in them, and I can see to rig my drysuit hood and walk to the water.
Don't discount LASIK so quickly, unless you have all of the information about the procedure and how it will work......
deep_6:
I really hope I posted in the right forum.
I've been wearing glasses since I was 7. I cant eat, walk, work, without them.
I'll have to take them off during diving, I don't like contacts so I was hoping if there are any suggestions of prescription masks that would work for a DIR setup...meaning a DIR mask.
I was initially looking into the Mares ESA tech black.
Please don't suggest LASIK...it scares the hell out of me. I don't like the idea of burning a laser into my retinas while I'm awake and then go blind within the next 15 or so minutes hoping that my sight would return.
Thanks a bunch!
. Thanks!
