I have had my eyes surgically enhanced with lasers, and I'm super happy about it.
It came up in a discussion recently, and I was asked what the requirements were to get the state to pay for it. I could only remember the requirements I fulfilled, (-6 on both eyes), but couldn't remember the others. Today I was Baader-Meinhof'ed with this article which pretty clearly explains all the requirements, and also answers other questions potential candidates might have:
I had -7.00 on both eyes. I had considered surgery for a long time, but after an eye infection I had had enough of contacts, and I have always hated wearing glasses.
I got an appointment with an ophthalmologist and asked if he could refer me to surgery, which he did, since I fulfilled the -6/-6 requirement.
2-3 weeks later I got a letter from Glostrup hospital with some info on the procedure and an appointment 3 months in the future. Since this is over the state's waiting list guarantee of 2 months, I asked to be referred to Privathospitalet Hamlet, which is one of the best places to have this surgery performed in DK. The paperwork for this was included in the letter and very simple.
Then things sped up. A couple days later I got a letter from Hamlet inviting me to come to a check-up the next day. I went to the check-up, got an appointment to have my eyes measured 8 days later in which I should not wear contacts. That was the last day I wore contacts.
After the measurement on Friday, I had surgery the following Monday and Tuesday (one eye at a time).
Surgery itself didn't really hurt, although the process was a bit strenuous. It only lasted 5-10 minutes, so no problem really.
Immediately after surgery I had sharp, perfect vision, if a bit hazy. Gradually my eye became very light sensitive and I basically had to keep it completely shut. It stung a bit, like it does when it is super light-sensitive.
I took a sleeping pill, slept for a couple hours and when I woke up my eye was much better. I watched a football game on the TV (this was during Euro 2010), and Tuesday evening I took the train to the cinema (Big 4 concert). My eyes were still a bit sore, and light-sensitive but otherwise fine. The next day I drove my car to work.
The light-sensitivity wore off after a few weeks. I didn't really have dry eyes, although I carried some eye drops around with me.
My left eye is now at 125% of normal vision (or 20/16, better than the normal 20/20). My right eye is close to -0.25, which I don't notice with regular use. In fact, I could have gotten more surgery to fix that, but I chose not to since I don't notice it. It will apparently be a good thing when my eyes become farsighted later in life.
In short, the process was brief and easy, and the outcome was as good as I wanted. Living without contacts and glasses is surprisingly better than I had thought... I recommend it highly, even if you have to pay for it.
When I kill her, I'll have her
Die white girls, die white girls
I have been considering this for a while now. As I understand it, it is possible to fix my eyes with bioptics; first inserting lenses in my eyes surgically and then using LASIK afterwards. With this approach eyes up to +15 can be fixed, if I remember correctly.
Having my eyes cut open is not something I'm particularly fond of, but apparently the operation is quite routine. As soon as I've got my social security card in the mail, I think I'll try to get this done. At the very least, I'll have my eyes checked to see if they are fit for surgery.
I just looked at those guidelines: It seems I'm not eligible for that operation. They only do surgery if you have minor farsightedness? seems kinda unfair. Anyone know why?
You want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing?
These guys say +/-6, but laser surgery is only applicable up to +6 or so. It does seem quite unfair, but maybe there's more to it. I say ask an ophthalmologist.
Btw, waiting times at ophthalmologists vary a lot, so you might want to call several until you find one that will see you within a reasonable amount of time. Or you could say, like I did, that you have acute needs, then you will get in front of the queue. Hey, I had an eye infection so I wasn't lying, just exaggerating
When I kill her, I'll have her
Die white girls, die white girls
Think I've figured it out; Those guidelines are only for LASIK(?) surgery and with laser you can only do up to +4-6. What I need is the insertion of a lens first, then LASIK for the rest, which I suppose is less than +4.
Yeah, I'll check with an ophthalmologist when I get home to see about times...guess I'm not in any great hurry, so don't mind waiting a bit - I've waited 34 years already
You want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing?
By the way, I just got a couple of vouchers from Privathospitalet Hamlet for an eye exam, where they examine your eyes to see if your eyes are eligible for an eye exam (not whether you qualify to get it subsidized, but whether your eyes are physically eligible for the operation. I'm sure they can tell you if you can get it subsidized, though).
Is anyone interested in one of these?
When I kill her, I'll have her
Die white girls, die white girls
Sure, I can use one. I've been thinking about laser surgery, but need money and free time before I can come to DK to get checked out.
If nobody else claims them, then you can keep me in mind.
No decision is so fine as to not bind us to its consequences.
No consequence is so unexpected as to absolve us of our decisions.
Not even death.
-R. Scott Bakker. 'The Prince of Nothing'
So it's a voucher for a check-up that determines wether or not your eyes qualify for being examined? isn't that a bit careless? People ought to be screened before receiving these vouchers to weed out those unsuited for the check-up procedure.
I'd like one of said vouchers all the same
You want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing?
