Lasik eye surgery.... Time out?

My wife just got it, and I resumed her nightly beatings within a couple weeks.
 
I had LASIK done on 1 eye last December (the last operation to restore sight to the eye that had been blinded 5 years previous due to a rock). The Doc told me no BJJ for 6 weeks.
They also told me that if you were a fighter that it was not recomended. Since I'm 50 & the last time I fought in the ring was in '95 I figured I wasn't planning a return anytime soon. :icon_chee
Someone mentioned pressure (or the lack thereof) from high altitude or diving. Since the operation I've been up around 13,000 feet or so on Muana Loa & I've dove to 120 feet. No problems with the eye. The Doc also recomended against SCUBA diving for a few months so I waited until April.
The eye is a non issue, I don't even think about it any more.
 
I got Lasik and have had zero problems through years of boxing and BJJ. It's awesome.

One thing to consider, and I'm serious, is if your eyes are deep set or shallow on your face. Some people (particularly asians) have eyes that aren't quite as "protected" by high nose bridge/brow ridge, and it's easier for their eyes to get hit by even shots that aren't "pokes." If your eyes are more exposed, PRK looks better and better.

If you are planning on doing MMA, I would say go with PRK because of the poke risk, but for BJJ, Lasik seems just fine.

Can I repeat it's awesome? Zero problems scuba or swimming under water either.

Also, I would wait a couple months before returning to the mat.
 
Just had LASIK friday. The doc there does PRK and Lasik, as well as a few other surgeries for cataracts and whatnot.

I was originally gonna do PRK for the above mentioned reasons. He talked me out of it. He said that hes never seen the lasik flap come undone, that hes done 30+ cops who never had an issue with the flap from lasik, and has done a few MMA fighters. Not an issue.

The only difference for him was that by doing lasik, he has to fire 2 lasers per eye instead of one, and it cost him more money.


Definetly talk to your doc and see exactly what he says though.
 
Man, PRK sounds pretty awesome. Time to start researching.

Edit: Anyone know much about the night driving, halo issues that people are referring to in regards to PRK?
 
lasik hurts for about 8 hours afterwards. The next day is uncomfortable, the day after that is fine.


PRK Hurts like a mother "like 2nd degree burns on your eyes" for about a week, some people say only 4 days. It varies.


Also heals slower. But more complete
 
FWIW I had LASIK done about 9 months before I started BJJ and in the 1.5 years I've been grappling with all the accidental fingers and gi rubbing in the eyes I've had zero issues. The chance is always there for a serious accident just don't think that since you get LASIK your cornea is just waiting for a stiff breeze to fall out of your eye and blind you forever.
 
keynote said:
Man, PRK sounds pretty awesome. Time to start researching.

Edit: Anyone know much about the night driving, halo issues that people are referring to in regards to PRK?
Click to expand...

I have some haloing at night, but it doesn't affect my driving or anything else.

I was drilling after a week, and training after a month.
 
I got the PRK done about a year and a half ago. I was out for like 5 days or so. After that I was back to training and everything was perfect. no problems at all since then.
 
I'm pretty sure PRK is better if you intend to do intense sports like jiujitsu.
 
Here's the deal. Gonna talk to the doc on Thursday during pre-op. Either way, I'm getting PRK or LASIK. I just gotta decide which.

From what I've read, PRK is what the military uses, and contact to the eye later on isn't a problem. The problem is that I've read you need a lot of eye drops, and it's very painful for the first few days to a week. I'm starting school tomorrow, so I;d only have 3 days over the weekend to heal before I'll be at the sunny ass beach.

With LASIK, the advantage is clear. 1-2 day recovery and 20/10 vision. Probably can't train for at least 1 month (doc said 1, I say 2-3 just to be safe)... The downfall is I guess 10 years later I could still get hit the wrong way and have my corneal flap come loose, and I could have permanent damage to my eye. I've heard the chances are slim, even for combat athletes, but I don't know if I want to risk it.

So do I deal with getting off to a bad start in school this semester & possibly have to take painkillers after 3 years clean? Or maybe (but probably not) losing my eye down the road?

MAYBE, I could wait until X-Mas break in December, but I HAVE TO get it this year, or I will never get it at all. My insurance will never be better than it is this year.

This is a good link on PRK, but the picture from Minority Report freaked me the fuck out!

My PRK Adventure No Gods Allowed

Decisions, decisions....
 
cbboy said:
I got the PRK done about a year and a half ago. I was out for like 5 days or so. After that I was back to training and everything was perfect. no problems at all since then.
Click to expand...

How about reading and being on computers at school? Would that be an issue? This girl I know said she had to wear sunglasses to see a TV or computer and even in class during finals...

Also, about the Haloing thing... I was told that PRK and LASIK fixes your night vision, not make it worse?

At least I was told I wouldn't see any rings around street lights and stuff.
 
I see some rings around the moon, streetlights, etc. Its kind of cool, actually. My night vision has improved dramatically.
I never thought about wearing sunglasses before. Now, if I forget them, its painfully obvious.
Watching HD gives me some halo and strange depth perception, for the first couple seconds. It's weird, but not a big deal.
 
Drew Foster said:
From what I've read, PRK is what the military uses, and contact to the eye later on isn't a problem. The problem is that I've read you need a lot of eye drops, and it's very painful for the first few days to a week. I'm starting school tomorrow, so I;d only have 3 days over the weekend to heal before I'll be at the sunny ass beach.

With LASIK, the advantage is clear. 1-2 day recovery and 20/10 vision. Probably can't train for at least 1 month (doc said 1, I say 2-3 just to be safe)... The downfall is I guess 10 years later I could still get hit the wrong way and have my corneal flap come loose, and I could have permanent damage to my eye. I've heard the chances are slim, even for combat athletes, but I don't know if I want to risk it.


...
Click to expand...

So short term effects (PRK) vs long term lasting effects (LASIK).

Seems like a pretty easy decision for me, unless you have no patience.
 
Drew Foster said:
How about reading and being on computers at school? Would that be an issue? This girl I know said she had to wear sunglasses to see a TV or computer and even in class during finals...

Also, about the Haloing thing... I was told that PRK and LASIK fixes your night vision, not make it worse?

At least I was told I wouldn't see any rings around street lights and stuff.
Click to expand...

I had to wear sunglasses for like 5 days because my eyes were so sensitive to the light. From what I recall, no damage occurs if you don't wear the sunglasses, your eyes are just EXTREMELY sensitive so I don't think you will not want to wear the sunglasses. I only had a little bit of pain like an hour after the surgery. I took a tylenol3 and I didn't have any pain after that. I did have to take a lot of eye drops though. Since your eyes are covered for a couple days, no oxygen gets to them, thus your eyes are very dry and itchy. and I think there are some eye drops so your eyes dont get infected or something.

from what I understand it is supposed to fix your night vision, but sometimes it doesn't fix it for some reason. for example, I sometimes have a little bit of an issue at night if its raining, but its really not that big of a deal. getting the PRK was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I highly recommend it.

Edit- not sure if its been said yet, but when you get the PRK, your eye sight starts out worse and then gets better over a course of 3 months or so whereas the LASIK is like 20/20 or better right away.
 
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