Would you consider getting Lasik surgery?

I would,

if I could afford it
if rate of serious complications was pretty low (<3%)
if rate of other complications was low (<25%)

You should add another option:

NO... because I'm just plain chickenshit.

(You need to warn about using angled brackets. Or turn off HTML parsing.)

I would,

if I could afford it
if rate of serious complications was pretty low (under 3%)
if rate of other complications was low (under 25%)

Daksya -- Sorry about that. I fixed the original post as you were adding your second post.

I'd need the rate of serious complications to be significantly lower than 3 percent to give it a try (though I guess we'd have to define "serious")

Ompus -- my sentiments are similar.

Given the thickness of my glasses and my passion about outdoor activities, I can't resist taking the risk. I am going to an initial evalutaion next week.

You need another answer category - wanted to, but my eyes were too messed up for it to be of any help.

J.P. My passion for skiing might eventually lead me to give it a shot. But that passion must be balanced with Ompus' concern!

Stephen -- point well taken. I've modified the "Don't have an impairment" response to include your category.

Dave, the way I look at it is that my chance of not having serious complications is 32 out of 33, which is fine by me.

I plan on it when I have enough time to be without site for a time. Who knows how long that'll be. I've been saying that for three years now!

It's tempting, but I would need to research the long-term consequences. Does it last forever? Have people had any problems 50 years out? We just don't know.

Daksya: For me it depends on what the complications are. If it's a 1 in 33 chance of blindness, no way! But if it's a 1 in 33 chance of repeat surgery, with no chance of blindness, I might consider it. I might even consider it if it was a 1 in 33 chance of, say a 50 percent loss of acuity.

Dave, you have just given me the incentive to do some research tonight. Need some hard numbers.

I'm with renee. We don't know the long-term consequences. What if every Lasik's patients' corneas start peeling off after 40 years? I'll stick with glasses for now.

I think you also need a category for Hamlet-like indecision. I definitely would consider it and have been considering it for over twenty years. I'm also a bumper sticker carrying member of the National Waffle Association.

It was the best thing I ever did. I could not be happier. The procedure was quick (less than 10 minutes), painless, and the prescribed V@lium made it stress free. People literally drop their glasses in a basket on the way out (the glasses are donated to charity), and you might feel slightly diva-like exiting wearing the dark, wraparound sunglasses.

The recovery time is fast--a nap once home, and then I was up and folding laundry four hours later. The eyes felt a little itchy and everything had a slight blur. The next day, with sunglasses on I drove myself back to the center for an exam, where I was already exhibiting greater than 20/20 clarity.

Key considerations: find a doctor who has performed thousands of procedures; look for professionalism in the office and a keen interest in accuracy (I was examined by a second doctor on the day of my procedure to verify my vision prescription before the operation); does the office have several types of specialized machines to handle the different sorts of corrections available?; do they include adjustments within a year of the surgery in the base price? Ask someone who had it done where they went and if they were happy with the doctor and the procedure.

I think that the $2500 it cost me was a reasonable and worthy investment to future years of glasses and contacts-free bliss. :-)

What is typically not realised: Myopes (short sighted people) have an advantage when presbyopia sets in, they just remove their glasses for reading (within a range of myopia, that is). LASIK does not help against presbyopia! And everyone gets presbyopic, some with 40, some with 50...

I'm missing an option in the poll: No I'm perfectly happy with my glasses. I have been all of almost 30 years and have never even thought about getting Lasik suregery. Even if I can't see much without them. (-5.25 for both eyes) My glasses are an intrical part of me and let me express my personality in a way I very much enjoy.

Michael Back said "What is typically not realised: Myopes (short sighted people) have an advantage when presbyopia sets in, they just remove their glasses for reading (within a range of myopia, that is)."

In addition those of us with myopia have very good near vision. I can see things close up without my glasses that many people need a magnifying glass for. For some of my craft work I just remove my glasses and work.

Also, I enjoy reading in bed, which is much easier without the glasses.

I know a few people who have had lasik (and the previous type which involved radial slices on the cornea) who now need corrective lenses for reading, and sometimes for driving.

So I vote "No, because I value my close-in vision" (also, my prescription is such that with my glasses on I have better than 20-20).

Definitely. Next Monday.

I know a few people who have had lasik (and the previous type which involved radial slices on the cornea) who now need corrective lenses for reading, and sometimes for driving.

Presbyopia. I have been wearing glasses or contacts full time for over 3 decades. The thought that I will need to wear glasses part of the time does not deter me.

BTW, there is at least one treatment in the works for presbyopia, but it needs more testing before its ready for me.

I wouldn't b/c I'm too afraid and don't perceive any benefits that come near to my perceived risk. Also, people who wear glasses, have you _looked_ at your lenses after a couple of years of wear? How much cruft has scratched them that might have gotten to your eye in day-to-day activities in which you wouldn't wear safety goggles? I splash paint on mine pretty frequently.

I can see! I can see!