• inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Please do not listen to anyone saying you can fix your eye sight by praticing.

    There is a whole goddamn subculture of those fraudster monsters.

  • pagenotfound@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    The most cost-effective way will always be a pair of glasses.

    I’m too poor and cowardly to have a laser fix my eyes.

    • kiterios@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Glasses usually have obscene markups. Imo, the most cost effective way is often lasik (or similar), but it’s an up front cost.

      I think I paid 4k usd for both eyes, but that was something like 10 years ago and with no assistance from insurance.

      I still get an eye exam every few years just to make sure everything is okay, but I am expecting another 10 years before I need too start thinking about vision correction again. Also, I’m fairly certain the provider that performed my lasik offered a warranty and would perform additional corrections as I age, but I don’t live anywhere near the location anymore.

      When I compare that to the combined cost of insurance, exams, glasses, contacts, and prescription sunglasses that my wife pays… lasik was a significant cost savings for me (and that’s not counting any quality of life benefits).

      • lemmyman@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I use my 14-year-old prescription to get a couple pairs of glasses from Zenni every couple years. Averages about $75/yr.

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          $75/year seems expensive for Zenni, unless you’re going all-out on the fancy features. For that budget, I think it’s worth spending some on the optometrist to update your Rx.

      • WolfLink@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        I don’t see how lasik could possibly be a cost savings. I’ve gotten fairly nice glasses for $150 without insurance. I’ve gotten glasses for less than that with insurance.

        One pair of glasses can last a long time if you take care of them (and if your eyes don’t get worse).

        LASIK isn’t a permanent solution and eventually you’ll need glasses again.

        • BuckyVanBuren@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          I didn’t need glasses for 40 years.

          My glasses were costing $500 plus in the 1980s. They needed replacing annually.

    • Justas🇱🇹@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      A pair of glasses would have cost me about 350 euros every 3 years. Eye surgery cost me 980 euros and I should not require glasses for at least 20. So surgery has saved me at least 1350 euros. Failing at calculations like that is one more way for the poor to stay poor.

      • pagenotfound@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Doesn’t translate with Asian countries. Glasses are dirt cheap whereas lasik operations are pretty expensive af.

  • Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    4 months ago

    I had LASIK in 2012. Best decision of my life. I went from -8.00 in both eyes to 20/20 vision. I’m sure the technology has only gotten safer in the past 12 years.

  • kmartburrito@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I had bladeless LASIK in 2013, taking my glasses prescription from 20/170 to 20/12.5.

    You read that right, there’s better than 20/20 which is considered perfect. 20/10 is as low as most measurements go. I’m right between 20/10 and 20/15.

    11 years later in my early 40s, my vision hasn’t changed one bit, still seeing better than “perfect”.

    The procedure took less than 5 minutes per eye and I was good to go really the next day.

    It’s the best money I’ve spent on anything in my life and I would do it again a thousand times if I had a thousand chances to choose again. And I have a TON of hobbies.

    If you get evaluated and are a good candidate, go for it! It’s life changing to not have to mess with glasses or contacts, being free to do watersports and winter sports with no hassle.

  • Aevironis@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I had issues with dry eyes and wasn’t a good option for lasik, so I had EVO Visian Implantable Collamer Lens surgery 2 years ago. Was $3500 per eye so $7000 total.

    It’s not very well known. I had to ask for it specifically and even the receptionist thought I meant lasik until I clarified where it was listed on their own website.

    It’s similar to cataract surgery but instead of removing your lens and replacing it; they just add a second one with your prescription in front of it. Basically it’s a permanent contact.

    They slice a very small incision, slide in the folded lens, and then smooth it out. Takes 20-30 minutes. Doesn’t remove any tissue from the eye like other procedures or leave a flap. It can be reversed by removing the lens in another procedure, and can be redone in the future if your prescription changes a lot. They can also correct an astigmatism using these lenses.

    After surgery, I wore eye shields at night for a week, and had to do the same eye drop protocol that is done after cataract surgery. 3 bottle of drops, 3-4 times a day for around 21 days. They had a single bottle option that combined all the meds which would’ve been only 1 drop 3-4 times a day, but it was $200. So I filled the 3 bottles at the pharmacy for a total of $30 instead.

    Vision was perfect right after surgery. Eyes felt mildly dry for maybe 2-3 days but that could’ve been some of the drops.

    So happy to not spend $800+ per year on contacts and solution, or worrying about losing a contact while swimming. I would do it again if it’s ever needed.

  • SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works
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    4 months ago

    Lasik, prk and others. You’ll want the most experienced doctors you can so shop around. It’s your eyes after all.

    Ask your current eye doc and they should point you in the right direction

      • Strider@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Be aware the correction likely is not forever and might require further treatments every few years.

        • kmartburrito@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Many, like me, require no treatments as well.

          Also, all of us have close vision issues when we hit our mid forties or so due to our weakening muscles in our eyes, it’s something you can also treat with LASIK, but most use reading glasses.

          Can’t beat Father Time!

          However, my biggest challenge was distance vision (near-sightedness) and that will never go away, so again life long change for many with no downside.

          As always, each person is different and you should be evaluated for a fit for the procedure. Some people have complications like many surgical procedures, and many/most do not.

      • SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        A few thousand dollars per eye is what I heard but insurance covers a vast majority of that. You’ll have to do your research. Just don’t go to the cheapest place because again it’s your eyes

        • andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.worksOP
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          4 months ago

          My classmate who wore glasses before told me they did it for 20k roubles, like $200 today, so the prices are all over the place, but I’d keep your comment in mind and would research the clinic beforehand so it wouldn’t look like a makeshift tent with some retired soviet equipment.

  • neidu3@sh.itjust.works
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    4 months ago

    I just wanted to relay my coworkers opinion that laser operation was worth every Øre (our equivalent of Penny)

  • NABDad@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Among the other options mentioned there is also orthokeratology: using a hard lens to reshape the eye to improve vision. It’s a non-surgical alternative to LASIK.

    There are also treatment options for some binocular vision problems. Exercises that can strengthen the muscles of the eye to correct alignment issues.

  • Juvyn00b@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I’m curious if Lasik is an option for those into the 50 range. I’ve noticed my eyesight getting worse and would rather not do glasses all the time (readers I could see an exception for)

  • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    4 months ago

    If really depends on why your eyesight is bad. I have a degenerative condition called keratoconus and was told that if I get LASIK I’m at risk of going blind, so I have to use glass sclerals. The benefit is that the scars on my eye have been smoothing out.

  • WolfLink@sh.itjust.works
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    4 months ago

    It really depends on what’s wrong with your eyes. Glasses or contacts are probably the best method (in terms of safety, reliability, and cost) for the most common problems, but I’m guessing if you are asking this question that either won’t help your case or you aren’t happy with them.

  • ultranaut@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I think it can be possible even without eye surgery.

    When I was poor I would only wear one contact at a time to make them last longer. I would alternative eyes, and would either take it out or switch to glasses when I was reading or looking at a screen for any extended amount of time. My eyesight improved after a few years, not to the point of being cured but my prescription got weaker. I don’t know if there’s actual causation, and the optometrist just said “hmm, interesting” when I brought it up, but it does seem like that is what improved my vision.

    Also, I know someone with a rare vision issue who had to see a vision therapist to do eye exercises and whatever they did was helpful for them. That’s a more specific situation though than your typical eyesight problems where corrective lenses can be used because I think it involved how their brain processes visual input.

  • andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.worksOP
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    4 months ago

    My focus distance is around one meter, I can’t really tell whatever happens above it.

    If there’s some service to fix it, I’d love to.